The 7 ITIL guiding principles are universal
The seven ITIL guiding principles are:
- Focus on value.
- Start where you are.
- Progress iteratively with feedback
- Collaborate and promote visibility.
- Think and work holistically.
- Keep it simple and practical.
- Optimize and automate.
Altogether, the guiding principles embody the core messages of ITIL and service management in general. They can be used to guide organizations as they ‘adopt’ a service management approach and ‘adapt’ ITIL guidance tailored to the organization’s specific needs and circumstances.
The 7 ITIL guiding principles are recommendations that guide an organization, regardless of changes in its goals, strategies, type of work or management structure. The 7 ITIL guiding principles are universal and enduring.
- Focus on value
Everything that the organization does needs to deliver, directly or indirectly, value for the stakeholders.
Therefore it is important that the organization has a clear understanding of who the stakeholders are.
It is also key that the organization understands what is truly of value to the service consumer. This is something that changes over time and circumstances. Finally the organization needs to understand the customer experience, whether subjective or objective, in order to offer the best service.
- Start where you are
ITIL does not request that you build something new. The guiding principle ‘start where you are’ is there to remind you that it is not wise to start over without considering what is already available.
It is important to have a clear view of the current situation to build something new. So, with this guiding principle, organizations are advised to assess where they are. This includes a clear overview of available data and measurements.
- Progress iteratively with feedback
This guiding principle is there to remind organizations not to do everything at once. Instead, ITIL recommends using improvement iterations. Hereby work is organized in smaller, manageable sections that can be executed in a timely manner.
Important is that these iterations are continually reevaluated and potentially revised. This to reflect any changes and to make sure the focus on value is still there.
- Collaborate and promote visibility
Key for all initiatives is collaboration and trust. Therefore, it is important to inform, understand and trust. Organizations must be transparent and share as much as possible. They also must keep track of the flow of work in progress, identify bottlenecks and uncover waste.
To create the best output, organizations also must make sure that the right employees have the right roles and responsibilities. Collaboration and communications are important but can be different in every situation depending on the stakeholders.
- Think and work holistically
To create the best service, it needs to be clear that all is connected. No service, practice, process, department, or supplier stands alone. All activities should be aligned with the same focus on the delivery of value. This is done by clear communication, automation, and a clear view of patterns.
- Keep it simple and practical
This guiding principle is there to make sure things are not over-complicated. To do this, exceptions need to be defined and rules need to be put into place. Another activity is to judge what to keep, done by asking the question: ‘Does this practice/process/service really contribute to value creation?’
To keep things simple, sometimes it is better to do fewer things, but to do them better. In the end, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication!
- Optimize and automate
This principle is put into place to make sure there is a focus to maximize the value of work carried out by both human and technical resources. Automation can help the work on frequent and repetitive tasks, freeing human resources. These human resources can then be put into place for more complex tasks that contribute to the value.
Important is, that automation is not done for automation’s sake. It needs to be clear beforehand how the automation will help the complete organization to increase value.