Top 6 ITSM worst practices

In early December 2022 in its High-Velocity event in London, Atlassian spoke about a terrible condition troubling companies that are stuck with legacy ITSM solutions… Bad Service Management (BSM).

As proof, in their 2022 Buyer’s Guide to ITSM Platforms, Gartner found that “8 out of 10 IT organizations overspend on ITSM platform subscriptions by 50% of the contract value.” - which means that 8 out of 10 IT organizations are suffering from bad service management.

IT service management (ITSM) can indeed be a challenging task with some common pitfalls you can find along the way. Here are 6 of the worst practices that you should avoid when managing your IT services.

#1 Focus Only on the Technology and Not the Processes

It's easy to get excited about new technology and how it can improve your operations. But focusing solely on the technology without considering the processes can lead to inefficiencies and redundancies. To avoid this worst practice, take a step back and assess your processes before implementing any new technology. We advice exploring the ITIL framework, designed to improve efficiency and achieve predictable service delivery.

#2 Ignore Your Stakeholders' Needs

Your stakeholders are the backbone of your organization, and their needs should always be a top priority. Ignoring their needs can lead to dissatisfaction, disengagement, and ultimately, negative impacts on your business. To avoid this worst practice, engage your stakeholders early and often to understand their needs and incorporate their feedback into your ITSM strategy.

#3 Overlook Organizational Change Management

Implementing new processes and technologies can be disruptive to your organization, and without proper change management, you risk resistance, confusion, and even failure. To avoid this worst practice, be sure to plan for and manage organizational change by communicating clearly, providing training and support, and involving your team in the process.

#4 Don't Integrate Accurate Data

Accurate data is crucial to making informed decisions and improving your ITSM strategy. Without it, you risk making decisions based on assumptions or incomplete information. To avoid this worst practice, be sure to integrate accurate data from multiple sources and use it to inform your decisions and track progress. For Jira Service Management users, several tools or addons like Elements Connect can help you by bringing external up-to-date data inside Jira issues.

#5 Don’t Communicate With Your Stakeholders

Communication is key in service management. Be sure to prioritize clear and transparent communication with your stakeholders. This includes explaining changes clearly, providing guidance and support, and soliciting feedback to ensure that your ITSM strategy is meeting their needs. By focusing on effective communication, you can build trust and enhance your customer satisfaction, which is crucial for the success of your ITSM efforts.

#6 Don't Monitor Performance for Continuous Improvement

ITSM is an ongoing process, and without monitoring and measuring performance, you risk stagnation or even regression. To avoid this worst practice, establish metrics and regularly monitor performance to identify areas for improvement and track progress over time.

In conclusion, ITSM can be a complex and challenging undertaking, but by avoiding these worst practices, you can set yourself up for success.

Focus on both the technology and the processes, prioritize your stakeholders' needs, manage organizational change effectively, proactively communicate, integrate accurate data, and monitor performance for continuous improvement.

Keeping these in mind, you can improve your ITSM processes, enhance your customer satisfaction, and drive business success (and ultimately end Bad Service Management ??).