| Now that we have that foundation
to build on, we’ll shift gears and look at measuring
and monitoring as it relates to each of the ITIL
Service Support processes. For most of the processes,
ITIL publications have sections that indicate what
needs to be measured and monitored. These sections
are not standardized and have various headings such
as “Key Performance Indicators,” “Reporting and
Review,” and “Measurement and Reporting.” Here,
we will review each ITIL process by first describing
the ITIL recommendation. Then, whenever necessary,
we will make additional recommendations that relate
to the processes, particularly in the area of business
alignment.
Many of the metrics described in the ITIL publications
refer to overall totals and averages. These are
fine at a quick glance, but can be very misleading
when attempting to determine workload and true values.
Let’s look at an example. A Service Desk received
a total of 1,960 Incidents in one day compared to
its maximum capacity of 2,600. The average number
of Incidents per hour was 151 compared to its maximum
capacity of 200 per hour. From these figures, it
appears that all is healthy. However, customers
have been complaining about poor service. The following
graphic shows why these customers are dissatisfied:
The maximum number of Incidents that the Service
Desk staff can handle is 200 per hour, but as the
graphic shows, they received more than 200 Incidents
per hour between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., and from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. No
wonder the customers are unhappy. This simple example
illustrates the dangers of using only totals and
averages, and why it is so important to understand
the complete picture.
The ITIL suggested monitoring-and-measuring best
practices often include percentages, which can be
also be misleading. For example, 99.8 percent system
availability sounds great because it is close to
100 percent. However, it does not tell you, for
example, whether one department of 100 people was unable
to access the system for ten hours. This additional
data significantly alters the meaning of “99.8 percent
availability.” Percentages are useful, but only
when qualified with a summary or description.
Remember, as we go through each of the Service
Support suggested metrics, the ITIL publications
contain suggestions, not absolute standards, and
should be adapted to the needs of your unique organization.
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