What are the skills and competencies that you look for in an IT service delivery manager or team leader?

I agree with the initial paragraph, but would add that so some companies (especially globally based ones) a clear understanding of the political, and society conventions in each regions is a vital skill. A IT service manager is responsible to ensure the projects are delivered regardless of the region, and the local knowledge helps plan the projects more effectively.

An IT service delivery manager or team leader should possess strong project management skills (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) to ensure timely and budget-compliant project completion. Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential for clear stakeholder interaction. Leadership abilities are crucial for team motivation and guidance. A customer service orientation helps address client needs efficiently. Technical proficiency in IT infrastructure and stakeholder management skills are vital for maintaining relationships. A commitment to continuous improvement and an ITIL certification are also valuable for successful service delivery.

Having worked in IT service delivery for close to two decades, I can understand how important it is to have the strategic skills to effectively play this role. IT has evolved as a business differentiator now. So, just meeting the IT technical metrics alone is not sufficient now. It's important to understand the business priorities, peak and off-peak periods, etc., and provide a seamless experience to end users. While meeting BAU is important, devising strategies for continuous improvement is critical for IT to add more value to business.

In my view Service Delivery Manage should understand the business goal and the organization objectives to be successful. 1. Identify and mitigate potential risks to ensure IT services. 2. Be flexible and adapt to change according to business needs and customer priorities. 3. Focus on values that provide tangible benefits to the business and Customers. 4. Help to improve service delivery processes and leverage industry best practices to drive continuous improvement. 5. Try to build trust and relationships with key stakeholders. 6. Ready to learn new technologies and adapt to industry trends and future challenges.

A clear vision and effective communication are essential to align IT service delivery objectives with the needs of the organization. A technical solution is not enough, it is a complement of understanding the business needs and priorities in a way that enhances the value and therefore the user experience.

Great! I can add more to the brief. Here are some suggestions: 1.Ensure seamless service offerings by maintaining high availability. 2. Document the existing process in a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). 3. Maintain a Known Error Database (KEDB) for future reference on how to resolve known issues. 4. Create an Operational Risk Register to address key risks appropriately. 5. Educate, coach, and mentor the team on SLA processes. 6. Manage tickets in the appropriate state, such as New --> Assigned --> WIP --> Hold (optional, use when required) --> Resolve. 7. We should maintain an infrastructure/application handbook for new onboard's to learn the environment. 8. I have more suggestions to add if needed, take a look at my profile for more

They should possess strong technical expertise, and the ability to inspire teams, resolve conflicts, and make informed decisions under pressure. emphasizing the ability to understand and meet client needs while maintaining high service standards. Problem-solving, change management, and risk mitigation abilities ensuring operational stability and continuous improvement.

An IT service delivery manager should excel in operational tasks such as resource allocation, project management, and incident resolution. They must possess strong analytical abilities to optimize processes and ensure efficient service delivery.

Operational skills are indeed crucial for IT service delivery manager, 1. Not only ensuring that IT services meet or exceed agreed-upon service levels but also exceed the quality standards. 2. Providing accurate and timely information on performance report, metrics with clear inferences and actions. 3. focus to minimize downtime, outages, and service disruptions. 4. regular review and refine operating procedures without compromising ITIL process. 5. RCAs are analysed through 5 Why concepts along with necessary improvement action plan. 6. effectively utilize Service Management and Monitoring tools to track service performance, quality, and compliance report 7. Finally, to improve ROI and optimize the IT cost and budget.

IT Service usually is the first team that is reached by business if there is any issue. Therefore a good communication skill that know how to communicate with different stakeholder is preferred. For example, we should consider to not use technical jargon and technical terms when communicate to user, but only use it when communicate with IT team (even not all IT team need technical jargons). Adjust your words according to your audience.

A project is made or broken based on the interpersonal skills, a IT Service Delivery Manager needs to be a able to assess the compromises being made to ensure delivery. the ITSDM needs to be able to step in and set direction and bring the team members into alignment, and persuade the whole team that this is the path to follow. a good ITSDM will also understand when a path is incorrect and be able to re-direct to the new path. I have to deliver projects around the world where we have lost the PM during final stages, or had major direction changes hit, we where successful by re-setting stakeholder and team expectations and presenting a path to success. Some projects I've had to pull the plug as well and resolving that fall out was fun.

An IT service delivery manager needs to inspire, motivate, and empower the IT service delivery team by setting clear and realistic goals, expectations, and monitoring feedback with necessary timely adjustments. Providing the service delivery team with the support, guidance, and resources they need to empower them and fostering a culture of accountability, learning, and innovation. IT enterprise service delivery manager should leverage five steps of agile psychological safety by establishing an open and respectful communication culture, being an open transparent leader — this builds trust, setting clear expectations, reframing failure and mistakes as learning opportunities, taking a supportive and consultative approach.

As an IT SDM, I always say my team is everything to me. I lead the team by motivation. For example, I make them celebrate every appreciations and I record it in their performances feedback to reflect on their reviews. Delegation is a skill, A SDM needs to understand how to delegate and what to delegate is essential. Key to success is communication, Transparent communication will gain trust , and Trust enhances team bonding and Team bonding delivers result.

A new service delivery manager needs to start from the ground and not worry so much about leadership talk and high level maco skills that will add value to a resume. You must must be aware of the existing metrics or if they do not exist, establish them as a basis to measure the service you are delivering. Then have the team focus on these delivery promises, measure them almost daily and ingrain within the team as to what it is all about. The operations team is going to not welcome these changes as it puts direct focus on their performance and removes them from behind a very safe curtain. Service delivery when done well is pure operations and very hard work to deliver effectively.

Technical Skills: understanding of IT service management principles, familiarity with IT service management tools and technologies, and knowledge of IT infrastructure and architecture. Leadership and Management: proven leadership and management experience, strong communication and interpersonal skills, ability to motivate and inspire team members, and strong problem-solving and decision-making skills.

To be a Successful Leader, we should Inspire and Motivate the team and this is must skill for a delivery Manager, 1. Discuss to set a clear goals, expectations, and feedback mechanisms to ensure alignment and accountability. 2. Be a mentor and extend the necessary guidance, training, and resources for team members to succeed. 3. Delegate tasks and responsibilities appropriately to help to improve team members' skills. 4. Enable rewards to recognize team achievements to boost morale and motivation. 5. Help team to adapt the change, to handle the work pressure, encourage to learn, be customer oriented, and address behavioral issues.

Can't emphasise enough on leadership skills, apart from the technical, and process knowledge & having the skills that cover the lifecycle (Strategy, Design, Transition, & Operation), SDM is adept at inspiring team members towards shared goals, fostering a collaborative & empowering work environment. Leadership abilities are paramount, encompassing the capacity to set clear objectives, provide guidance, & plant a sense of purpose within the team. Effective communication plays a key role to articulates the vision, listens attentively to team members' input, & ensures alignment towards common objectives. Moreover, the manager cultivates a culture of trust, & respect encouraging team members to voice their ideas & take ownership of their work

The ITSDM should be able to focus on the relevant issues, and delegate as necessary. For some projects the delivery noise can drown the guidance.

I would like to suggest adding Continuous Service Improvement and Organic Growth. These value adds are often overlooked, but they bring out the true potential of the team to think through customer needs and develop ongoing engagement

Over 17 years of IT professional with hands on experience of managing the Service Delivery, here are some key qualities I would look for 1) a Strong leadership skills to motivate and inspire teams. 2) Must have a solid grasp of technical knowledge to understand the IT infra. 3) Effective communication to interact with all stakeholders. 4) Expert Proficiency in ITIL best practices and finally, the most important 5) A strong customer-centric mindset. By possessing these essentials skills and competencies, an IT service delivery manager can effectively manage IT services in alignment with business and organization objectives. Also, help to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction while driving continuous improvement in service delivery.