Finding a Laugh in ITSM: Writer Makes IT Service Management Funny
New Zealand author Rob England has done what many said was impossible: written a funny book about IT (Information Technology). This feat is more startling because the topic of the book is ITSM (IT Service Management), a notoriously dull area even by IT standards. But feedback from readers is consistent: this book is funny.
Wellington, New Zealand, September 10, 2008 --(PR.com)-- New Zealand author Rob England has done what many said was impossible: written a funny book about IT (Information Technology). This feat is more startling because the topic of the book is ITSM (IT Service Management), a notoriously dull area even by IT standards. The title of the book is not in the least bit amusing: “Introduction to Real ITSM”. But feedback from readers is consistent: this book is funny.
According to one online reviewer, Terry Doerscher at http://blogs.planview.com/tdoerscher, “Even the footnotes are funny.”
England is an ITIL consultant and internet commentator well known – some would say notorious - in ITSM circles for his blog, The IT Skeptic (www.itskeptic.org). His company Two Hills has published “Introduction to Real ITSM” and its associated website, www.realitsm.com, to show us the bizarre world of Real ITSM. Approaches such as ITIL are much too hard for the typical harassed IT operations staff, and change is too unsettling, so Real ITSM proposes introducing processes to do things just the way they are done now.
How IT is done is described in cynically skewering detail which will delight all those who have IT done to them. From the Wright Cycle for process improvement (“Guess-Do-Crash-Fix”, named after the Wright brothers who crashed a few in their time) to the Known Idiot database maintained by the Service Desk, the Real ITSM DeathCycle parodies and nails every Worst Practice of IT Service Management.
IT Operations is not the only victim. The ITIL industry comes in for a jab or two. The Real IT Service Institute, or RITSI, meets in resorts worldwide. Graduates of the Real ITSM training courses are transformed overnight into experts able to advise corporations. RITSI’s Real ITSM content is maintained by DogmaITSM and its analyst relations program is known as ParasITSM.
The book is not all tom-foolery. It introduces such ideas as numbering incident priorities from zero up, based on the number of metaphorical fans being hit by excrement; the concept of on-demand classification of objects; and how the IT department can best harvest the benefits of catastrophes.
“Introduction to Real ITSM” is available from the website at www.realitsm.com and will soon be on Amazon.
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According to one online reviewer, Terry Doerscher at http://blogs.planview.com/tdoerscher, “Even the footnotes are funny.”
England is an ITIL consultant and internet commentator well known – some would say notorious - in ITSM circles for his blog, The IT Skeptic (www.itskeptic.org). His company Two Hills has published “Introduction to Real ITSM” and its associated website, www.realitsm.com, to show us the bizarre world of Real ITSM. Approaches such as ITIL are much too hard for the typical harassed IT operations staff, and change is too unsettling, so Real ITSM proposes introducing processes to do things just the way they are done now.
How IT is done is described in cynically skewering detail which will delight all those who have IT done to them. From the Wright Cycle for process improvement (“Guess-Do-Crash-Fix”, named after the Wright brothers who crashed a few in their time) to the Known Idiot database maintained by the Service Desk, the Real ITSM DeathCycle parodies and nails every Worst Practice of IT Service Management.
IT Operations is not the only victim. The ITIL industry comes in for a jab or two. The Real IT Service Institute, or RITSI, meets in resorts worldwide. Graduates of the Real ITSM training courses are transformed overnight into experts able to advise corporations. RITSI’s Real ITSM content is maintained by DogmaITSM and its analyst relations program is known as ParasITSM.
The book is not all tom-foolery. It introduces such ideas as numbering incident priorities from zero up, based on the number of metaphorical fans being hit by excrement; the concept of on-demand classification of objects; and how the IT department can best harvest the benefits of catastrophes.
“Introduction to Real ITSM” is available from the website at www.realitsm.com and will soon be on Amazon.
###
Contact
Two Hills Ltd
Rob England
Fax +64 4 2399650
www.twohills.co.nz
Bio at www.twohills.co.nz/profile
Book extracts at www.realitsm.com/ideas
Rob England
Fax +64 4 2399650
www.twohills.co.nz
Bio at www.twohills.co.nz/profile
Book extracts at www.realitsm.com/ideas
Contact
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