Monday, December 30, 2013

ITIL Expert: Release, Control and Validation Process

I'm glad to report that in 2013 I started working towards achieving ITIL v3 Expert status. I took my first Practitioner level exam (RC&V) in October and passed!  Including the Foundations certification (passed in 2011), I have completed (2) of the (6) exams required for Expert.  My plan is to achieve Expert by April 2014...wish me luck!

The Release, Control and Validation exam was a worthy opponent. In my preparation, I found RCV to be more tightly integrated with Service Design than I had anticipated.  Having a sound understanding of RCV is critical for a solid Service Management organization. RCV integrates into Service Operation closely but also provides CSI information back into business goals and objectives as defined in Service Design (service design package, SDLC lifecycle, etc.).   

The primary processes in scope for RCV are:
  • Transition Planning & Support
  • Service Asset and Configuration Management (SACM)
  • Change Management
  • Release & Deployment
  • Service Validation & Testing
  • Change Evaluation
  • Knowledge Management
  • Request Fulfillment
To help learn these areas, I created an RCV Process Summary Chart with key objectives, activities, challenges, etc. for reference and study. Feel free to use this for your own study or as a day to day Service Management reference.

I will be posting more summary charts as I progress through the other exams. Next on my agenda is the Operational Support and Analysis course. 


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Taking the Wheel

Here is my very own, hand made ITIL wheel... it's not bad I must say!!  Now I can update and customize this graphic for any presentations or communication materials that I'm working on. 

There are other functional/services related graphics that go along with this and align with the color scheme I have chosen. I'm taking my wheel on the road with this design. 

The Sum of All Things ITIL

Hello and Welcome! 

Standing up a Blog focused on ITIL and IT Service Management has been on my To Do List for some time now. Over the years, my understanding and exposure to these critical topics has matured substantially. Today's post, serves as a line in the sand....I WILL post and I WILL gather all relevant topics under this site, for my reference and perhaps so others can benefit.

Enjoy and wish me success in this endeavor!