Proving value of your ITFM program may not be at the top of your list of to-dos when planning and implementing a new ITFM tool, but it should be. Oftentimes, the value of ITFM is not as transparent to stakeholders as it may be to practitioners. Before proving value, you must establish within your organization what value looks like. Creating a cross-functional steering committee and aligning strategic and tactical goals should come first; proving value should naturally follow.
Some people will not easily recognize the value of ITFM. Your responsibility is to clarify value and show how providing an open window into true IT costs can help them succeed in their jobs. For example, increased transparency can shutter underperforming (and difficult to maintain) systems or drive more investment to high-performing (and exciting) divisions or departments.
As a large endeavor, an ITFM project can justifiably feel overwhelming. Instead of attempting to do everything at once, implement limited capabilities within narrowly scoped domains and progressively do more as you convey value to the rest of the organization. Consider limiting the initial scope to a single highly visible application or a known problem, which represents the value of the ITFM program when carried out on a larger scale.
To be successful, you must educate customers on all cost components for specific services. For example, without a cost breakdown, a customer might complain about a monthly $200 rate for IT to provide a laptop when they can buy a laptop from a local retailer for a perceived cost of $600. But with a cost breakdown, the customer sees that the fully loaded rate of $200 includes additional costs for productivity software, backup services, security controls, ongoing help desk support, and other features and applications.
Identify common pain points for the most influential stakeholders, and show how ITFM can alleviate those problems.
As these stakeholders see how they will benefit, you will gain additional internal champions and perhaps receive more capital investment in your program.
To begin proving value of your ITFM tool and program, you’ve got to get started. In our next blog, we’ll share how to overcome a common obstacle to getting started and proving value…having “good enough” data. Don’t want to wait? Learn how to get your proof of value, and download the full eBook now.
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