What are the best ways to evaluate IT service management tools and platforms?

My experience with IT Service Management (ITSM) highlights the critical role of choosing the right partner and platform in shaping the successful adoption of end-to-end processes. Companies operate at different levels of ITIL maturity, and neglecting these differences with an approach that bypasses essential stages can result in operational challenges and systemic integration issues. Ultimately, this can have a negative impact on the end customer experience. It's crucial to emphasize that ITSM should prioritize the customer and user experience, not just IT systems.

IT Service Management is a very broad topic and hence it caters the need for various umbrellas in the organisation. So it becomes very important as to how we need them. It could be related to the issues one is facing on any platform, track any request that has to be deployed or it could be asking users to fill the catalog so that the workflow runs smoothly. The process might be the same but objectives differ a lot. Hence it becomes equally important to define your objectives.

first finding your own individual and unique requirements, having a champion in place to take, the lead is always the first step for us being able to have a person lead the charge to begin your people, process then Technology

In my opinion, understanding your current Org business and the approach it follows to align to the business goals and objectives is the first step. Once the alignment between the business and current IT operations is analysed, shortlist the tools which align this collaboration. Besides, there should be continual improvement strategy defined on the current approach and take this in phases. There would be many factors like cost, resources, implementation, adaptability, governance where complete planning is required including the risk and mitigation plan.

To evaluate IT service management (ITSM) tools and platforms, start by defining your requirements. Identify key features, prioritize them, and research vendors. Request demos, assess user experience, integration, customization, reporting, and scalability. Consider security, compliance, and total cost of ownership. Review vendor support and training, seek references, and analyze the vendor's roadmap. Conduct a pilot implementation and gather user feedback before making an informed decision and planning for implementation.

The lesson here is that the most feature-rich tool won't add value if it's not user-friendly or if it doesn't align with the skill set of the team that will be using it. Therefore, always include ease of use and the learning curve as part of your operational requirements assessment. Conduct a pilot test with a small team before full-scale implementation to gauge user experience and to identify any gaps in training or support. This real-world feedback is invaluable in making a well-informed decision. ??

Buy defining and understanding your own internal requirements for the business problem you’re trying to solve is a key aspect and ensuring you find the right tools and the right people to support them.

The assessment plays an important role if the product has to be delivered in its best form. Assessment should be a part of cycle and even the past research says that the project delivered were scalable, reliable, had the best performance and even bear less expenses.

Clearly defining your functional requirements, you can make the selection process for an ITSM tool much easier and more efficient. If you can clearly articulate your requirements, you are more likely to get the features and capabilities that you need at a price that you can afford. Overall, clear functional requirements are essential for selecting the right ITSM tool for your organization. By taking the time to define your requirements carefully, you can make a more informed decision and get the most out of your investment.

It is critical to get as much technical expertise engaged in this step as possible. That technical competence will help you ensure you have your requirements adequately identified.

Online re-search serves as an e-xcellent starting point. It allows individuals to get a list of options available- and gain insight into industry trends. Moreover, re-ferring to industry reports and benchmarks offe-rs valuable perspective-s on both established market le-aders and emerging playe-rs. In my expe-rience, it is also important to emphasize- the value of hands-on expe-rience through demonstrations or trials. It plays a crucial role- in evaluating how well a tool aligns with specific use-r workflows and requirements. This ste-p often reveals nume-rous nuances that may not be apparent sole-ly by reading feature lists.

Don't overlook the most important piece: A solution provider that will develop a relationship with you and work toward your success after they make the sale. Ask for current customers (they'll give you names of successful ones), but also seek out organizations they *don't* list and see what their experience has been. Networking groups (like SIM) are very useful at this stage. Get the straight stories; don't just depend on your internal opinions.

Another thing to keep in mind is that with the implementation of an ITSM tool organizations will have to embark on a journey to update process and procedures to align with new tool which I find better than rebuilding the tool to align to your company procedures and processes.

Most ITSM vendors will set up a live test environment of their product. Take advantage of this. Arrange access for all your Service Desk personnel. Select a small domain where you log actual user requests in the demo system (for example, "requests for mobiles". Use it for a month and then workshop with your team to capture experiences, pros and cons. Test the tools' implementation of the features and requirements you identified prior. Nothing beats a real world test of a product.

I usually do the following. 1) Online Research: Investigate features, reviews, ratings, and testimonials online, and refer to industry reports and benchmarks for comparisons. 2) Request Demos/Trials: Arrange demos or trials to assess practical usability, and, test features and alignment with your requirements. 3) Customer Feedback: Connect with current or past users to gather insights, and gain perspectives on user experiences and satisfaction. 4) Case Studies: Request case studies and success stories showcasing real-world impact and assess how similar organisations have benefited. 5) Consult Experts: Seek guidance from ITSM experts or consultants for recommendations, and leverage your network for referrals and peer insights.

Include the BU teams. Tools are useless if the people who need to utilize them will not (or cannot) use them to their best capacity, for best results.

Sometimes it becomes clear during the evaluation period that one or more tools will not be selected. I've found it is easier to remove them from the process as an interim down-select before formally scoring the remaining choices. This keeps things simple for the folks on the selection committee and enables you to report on progress to the broader group of folks in your organization who are awaiting an update on the final decision. The positive momentum towards a decision may drive positive momentum in the overall change process, which is needed as early as possible with a change this significant. Take this win on your way to a major decision that will bring another positive milestone to your organization once the final selection is made.

As others have mentioned, make the quick, easy cuts based on stakeholder feedback back. Then carefully reevaluate the remaining contenders based on the requirements and make your selection.

To score and rank ITSM tool choices one could 1) Criteria Definition: First identify key criteria (e.g., functionality, cost), and Weight Assignment: Assign importance weights (totaling 100%). This comes from 'Assess your requirements' phase. 2) Scoring: Rate each tool against criteria. 3) Total Scores: Calculate by multiplying weights and scores. 4) Matrix Comparison: Use a matrix for visualisation. 5) Analysis: Identify best fits and trade-offs. 6) Decision: Choose based on scores and rankings, considering both data and insights. Scoring and ranking ensure an objective, data-driven choice that would align with ones organisation's specific ITSM requirements and priorities.

In My perspective it is important to evaluate with qualitative and quantitative approach. The combination of these to angles gives a precise evaluation.

Once you get to this point, ranked choices have likely led you to your top couple of selections based on IT-driven requirements that take into account needs of other departments such as Finance and Legal. Depending upon the composition of your selection committee, there may be a handoff at this point from IT to other key stakeholders such as Finance and Legal where they become the key decision makers and IT becomes informed as the remaining negotiations play out. IT at this point will need to advocate for themselves relative to the roadmap -- what features/functionality/modules are in-scope for the contract, what timing is expected for rollout, what support is included with licensing, etc. The rest will be passed down as it is finalized.

Once you have made your decision you will as Stacey mentioned; hand off. It will be crucial that you understand how to follow-up; frequency and the KPI's you are expecting. If you receive new data in a follow-up you now must assess if it is going to affect your decision. Will you pivot? Don't let your first decision be the dead end.

Incorporating AI and ML into ITSM platforms can help organizations gain better insights and make more informed decisions. User experience is also key – ITSM tools should have intuitive interfaces and be easy to use. Evaluating costs, vendor support, customization options, and security are all important factors. Overall, digital transformation is driving the need for ITSM platforms that are cloud-based, automated, secure, scalable, collaborative, and capable of leveraging new technologies like AI/ML to provide visibility, insights and adaptability. Organizations have more choices than ever for advanced ITSM tools that can meet their digital transformation needs and goals.

To decide on ITSM tools: 1) Review Rankings: Confirm alignment with priorities. Validation: Validate data and assumptions. Overlaps with 'Score and rank your choices' 2) Communicate Clearly: Explain rationale and benefits to stakeholders. This approach ensures a well-founded, accepted decision. Stakeholder alignment is the most important piece of your decision.

Tools are nice but they can become the future burden of the company. I read Bill Gates book “Business at the Speed of Thought” many years ago but a key takeaway was the harmonization and minimization of processes PRIOR to automation. I’ve watch good tools be crippled because a company refused to harmonize and minimize their processes such that multiple workflows were implemented. This was great for the consultants tasked with implementation but 5 and 10 years later it became the albatross of the organization and everyone was looking for the latest and greatest tools. I have no allegiance to a particular tool and have watched ServiceCenter, ManageEngine and ServiceNow all suffer similar fate at the hands of organizational immaturity.

Consider baseline metrics and performance goals of your services. This can provide an important milestone marker for improvement which tools and process refinement should bring.

Tools to manage IT services and infrastructure must not become so complicated that they need another layer to manage them. Make sure that there is a human talent pool that is easily available in the market incase you need to hire. Documentation and knowledge base for those tools must be readily available.

Again -as with most sales pitches- we start talking about what needs done & less about the tool. What we want done efficiently & less about "the hype". Infrastructure, details about architecture, prerequsite knowledge, process conformity are against the whole intuitive avalanche that has begun in this century. Questions like "what if we wait half a second more for responsiveness if we can have this wealth of abilities", met with a harsh "you're kidding, right?". User experience is paramount and the "heavier" the platforms and tools, the less likely they will catch on. It is time we embrace the anthropocentric way of doing business & provide a fast, clean interface, where anything advanced comes at a second level, while everyday stays simple

The changes in existing ITSM processes and tooling are complex, reflecting evolving business expectations. ITSM goes beyond ticket tracking, automating processes, and fulfilling routine requests. Service management tools enhance both service providers and recipients, prioritizing user experience and productivity through automation. Neglecting these aspects introduces technical debt as your process will be human-powered vs. automation-powered. Also, selecting ITSM tooling that integrates with CRM is crucial. This integration distinguishes customer-reported issues from internally identified ones, enabling better decision-making, providing a continual improvement function to your observability program, and improving customer satisfaction.