Every IT organizations has processes.  They may not focus on them after they are created but they do exist.  The process includes the steps and decisions that are made to achieve a specific outcome for a customer.  In IT, we often see processes relating to managing incidents, fulfilling requests, managing projects, managing change, etc.
 
Most IT organizations focus on operations at various points in time but improving processes generally means making small changes as a result of some sort of metric or process failure.  Rarely do organizations look at how a process can radically change to increase the value that is offered to the customer.  When assessing and making changes to processes, if the required results is to dramatically change the IT customer experience, deliver faster results through technology, or significantly reduce the cost of providing service, IT needs to embed innovation into the process.  While many IT organizations focus on continual service improvement (CSI), few take the extra steps required to support process innovation.
 
Supporting process innovation requires enabling thinking outside of the box.  Leaders and staff must work to produce results without considering the organizational boundaries that normally exist. Companies that support this type of activity are generally measuring employees on the amount of value they create or sustain vs merely completing specific tasks.   IT leaders and staff often have difficulty understanding how IT can be innovative with their processes.  It is much easier to understand how IT can support business innovation by allowing for new products, faster delivery of a business service, or automation which supports a cost reduction.
 
Consider the IT organizations that have focused on finding a way to offer a more consistent, continuous delivery of value to their business.  Their efforts are part of the movement we now know as DevOps.  DevOps required process innovation as radical change was needed to the change management process by modifying the archaic bureaucratic change management process which required numerous signatures to move code into a production environment.  A change management process was still very valuable to an organization as it helped them understand and manage risk but the process had to change to become more nimble and allow for a continuous delivery model which supported a much faster pace of change occurring in the production environment.  Many organizations are still evaluating how to make this transition and how this is managed is unique with different companies but modifying change management to support DevOps requires out of the box thinking.  It is a great example of process innovation in IT.
 
When conducting problem management, some organizations merely complete root cause analysis but others have gone a step further.  They look at the root cause of customer impact.  This is an innovative step that allows them to potentially take dramatically different actions to improve the customer experience.  With standard root cause analysis, IT staff evaluate what caused an outage so they can decide if it makes sense to resolve the root cause and reduce the opportunity for a similar outage to occur.  When looking at root cause of customer impact, IT is evaluating how they could eliminate the root cause of why the customer even know there was an outage at all.  This type of analysis allows IT to significantly reduce the opportunity for the customer to be impacted going forward.  An application or system issue can still occur but the customer isn’t aware of the issue and they would still be able to work as if there is nothing wrong with the technology.  Root cause of customer impact analysis is another example of process related innovation in IT.
 
Process innovation rarely occurs unless an organization focuses on how to make dramatic changes which create substantive value for the customer.  The standard continual service improvement practices used by information technology organizations do not incorporate the steps necessary to achieve dramatic change.  IT organizations should not ignore the opportunity that is created by instilling innovation into how they manage the day to day operations of their business.  Taking the time to radically change the “IT process status quo” can not only improve the customer experience and lower the cost of providing service, it can result in increased employee satisfaction and engagement.      
 
Supporting process innovation requires changes to both process development and continual service improvement processes.  The more significant change is to the mindsets that exist in the IT organization.   Making this leap requires that leaders recognize that not every change will be successful and failure is a necessary part of any innovation.  Failure allows staff to test changes, learn from the process, and develop a stronger solution.  ​

At AdOPT, we focus on culture, strategy, process, and innovation to improve performance, increase customer and employee satisfaction, and reduce costs.  
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Most organizations view the various processes associated with IT service management (ITSM) as internal IT related processes meant to help the IT department be more structured and efficient.  They implement processes without considering how they impact the customer and the company.  The adoption of best practices isn’t linked to an overall strategic plan and the value of the processes being implemented is never fully recognized.  In many cases, the processes may help IT but they become detrimental to the broader organization and they negatively impact customer satisfaction.

When developing processes, it is fairly standard to identify the process purpose and description, inputs, activities, outputs, roles and responsibilities, and policies without really considering the true opportunity that exists and how all of the associated work can benefit the customer and the larger organization. 

A significant opportunity exists when you step back and take the time to look at the problem that needs to be solved rather than following the standard practice of developing and implementing ITSM processes.  Consider how the processes may change if you first approach the problem in the context of the overall business.  This creates an opportunity to find innovative solutions that contribute to the business achieving their objectives which will ultimately improve customer satisfaction with the IT organization.

Rather than merely focusing on processes from the perspective of IT, reevaluate the problem you are trying to solve in the context of your corporate objectives and your customer objectives.  Defining a problem statement is a good place to start and it will change how you go about determining the solution and ultimately, defining ITSM processes.

Let’s look at an example for incident management.  What is the problem you are trying to solve?  Many organizations will say the problem is reducing downtime for the customer.  Is the problem we are trying to solve reducing downtime?  This is an objective.  It isn’t the problem.  Why do you want to reduce downtime?  The problem could be that technology challenges and outages cause a lack of productivity or loss of revenue.  When looking at the problem, look at the bigger picture in terms of the broader organization and the customer.

If the problem statement is too narrow or if there are assumptions made about the problem, the resulting solution will be fairly stagnant.  The opportunity to find a new or innovative solution is significantly diminished.  If the problem statement is incorrect, the solution will not have the anticipated impact.

The conversation and solution associated with reducing downtime versus technology challenges and outages causing a lack of productivity or a loss of revenue will vary greatly.  Framing the problem statement from the corporate and customer viewpoint will open up the opportunity to find a very different, innovative solution.  As a result, often there are changes to the activities associated with a process, new roles and responsibilities identified, additional processes implemented, and existing process deficiencies illuminated.

Many IT organizations struggle with the concept of framing the problem based on the company and the customer.  They worry that the solution will not be based in the reality they face relating to resource constraints, technology, or funding.  Every department faces similar challenges.  If boundaries are noted when defining a problem, the opportunity to be innovative is immediately eliminated.  A bit of realism can easily be applied as your processes are being developed but it should not be used as a limitation when defining the problem statement.

Beginning your process development work by defining a problem statement for each process will result in an overall stronger process set that supports business objectives and improves customer satisfaction.  

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, culture, and process to improve efficiency and effectiveness while optimizing costs.  Contact us to discover how you can maximize the value of your IT investments.

What have you done that is innovative?  Senior IT leaders believe their teams are innovative but often, they are merely operating within the boundaries that already exist.  Leaders may task their teams with finding innovative solutions but without a focused effort, it is difficult to accomplish.  IT staff are generally focused on keeping the lights on by solving day to day issues or completing their tasks for the next project.

Innovation requires a concerted effort with support from senior leaders to explore new ideas that may or may not deliver the intended result.  If staff haven’t been working in this type of environment, this doesn’t come easy.  It isn’t as simple as just giving the team a vision, telling them to explore possibilities, and then giving them a deadline.  Unfortunately, this is how many IT organizations work.

It can be difficult for leaders to fully internalize how their reactions can shape the attitudes and behaviors of their teams.  IT staff need to think out of the box but in the past if they presented a solution that wasn’t within the existing norms of the organization, it was shot down.  Perhaps it didn’t follow a technology standard or it required a high level conversation with another executive.  To the staff, it seemed minor.  Regardless of how the message was delivered, what they heard is that they need to follow the standard way of doing business.

Three Key Actions for I.T. Leaders to Begin the Journey Toward True Innovation
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1. For key individuals in I.T., carve out some portion of their time to work on innovation.  The key individuals do not need to have strong technical understanding in any area.  Be very purposeful in choosing these individuals by creating a cross functional group with a very diverse skillset.  In addition, look for people that are comfortable talking through concepts that may or may not ever be implemented.  It is important to ensure that you don’t choose people that get mired down in the details.
2. Link I.T. initiatives that require an innovative solution to corporate strategy and objectives.  Focusing IT innovation efforts in this area will open up possibilities for significant improvements to the overall organization.  It is also a great opportunity to work with business partners on creating an innovative shared solution which incorporates both technology and business process.
3. Initially, use an outside facilitator to work with the team on the innovation process.  If I.T. leadership has never truly focused on innovation in the past, the team is going to be uncomfortable and unprepared.  Invest in an outside facilitator to help both leadership and the team make the necessary adjustments.  The facilitator should eventually be tasked with creating a training plan for 2-3 key staff members so I.T. can build the facilitation capability in house.

Take steps to create true innovation within I.T. and for the broader organization.  While there is an initial investment, the return will be well worth it.

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture change to improve IT efficiency, increase effectiveness, and optimize costs. For more information, phone 520-591-2427 or email us at info@adoptitsm.com.

Innovation is defined as introducing something new for the first time.  If you subscribe to this definition, almost everyone is innovative on a daily basis.  This definition is way too broad and it implies that merely doing something new is creative or above and beyond the status quo.  Most people believe they are innovative yet they are really working within the boundaries of the existing organizational norms or processes. 
 
Innovation should be tied to value.  What can be done to create a new product or way of working that creates value for a stakeholder in the organization?  Usually, this involves some creativity.  The stakeholder could be a customer or the department that employs you.  It may or may not be an extension of something that is done today and sometimes, you will have to go way outside of the operational norms to make it happen.  This new solution is a game changer for the organization.
 
When considering innovation, take a moment to watch this video by Rafa Galeano.  In the video Rafa describes innovation in a simple, easy to understand manner. 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYJ81JJ1-oQ
 
Now that we’ve defined innovation, consider this question - When was the last time you or your team did something really innovative at work?  ​

At AdOPT, we are transformation consultants focused on strategy, innovation, process, and culture to increase effectiveness, improve efficiency, and optimize costs.  Discover how facilitated problem solving can help you find innovative solutions.  Ask us to facilitate a design thinking exercise to spark some innovative thinking and solve your tough IT challenges.   Email us at  info@adoptitsm.com or by calling 520-591-2427.   ​

In part 1 of “Are You Killing or Encouraging Innovation”, we looked at three innovation killers that often aren’t recognized by companies.  Read part 2 to explore some steps you can take to foster innovation in your company.

Organizations can foster innovation but it does require some focus and investment.  If your organization does not have a focused effort to foster innovation, you can still take action.  Leaders can encourage innovation by investing mostly time and perhaps changing some of their perspectives.  

Three Techniques to Encourage Innovation…

1. On a routine basis, allow your staff to invest some time observing how the customer uses your product or service.  Observing a business process that includes understanding how the technology supports the process can yield incredible results.  Consider asking a small number of staff to spend 1-2 hours per week observing how technology is used by the customer.  Task each staff member to provide one suggestion every week which will improve the end user experience.  Host a weekly meeting with this team to review suggestions and brainstorm potential solutions.  
2. Rather than tasking one person to resolve an important issue, host a solutioning session by asking for volunteers from the group of staff that are affected by the issue.  Change the rules by removing barriers to fostering creative solutions by letting the team know that nothing is out of bounds.  Yes, limitations may exist but they can be addressed later in the process.  Spend time brainstorming all of the options, categorizing them into similar solutions, and then determine a feasible course of action.
3. Fostering innovation can feel daunting as employees identify opportunities and solutions that can sometimes cause even the best leaders to heave a big sigh….  The opportunities are sometimes hard for a leader to recognize and the solutions may fall outside of the norm.  Both of these scenarios can be seen as resulting in extra work.  Rather than becoming overwhelmed, leaders need to change their perspective by developing their employees to not only recognize opportunities and find innovative solutions but further empowering them to create a business case and plan to charter the initiative.

Even if your organization subscribes to some of the “innovation killers” noted in part one of this blog series, as a leader you can encourage innovation within your team, your peer group, and even your management team.  It starts with changing your perspective and investing some time.  The investment is minimal considering the potential return.

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Innovation – many organizations believe they are innovative but what are they doing differently?  What makes them believe their team is being innovative with solutions?

Organizations today often have deeply embedded ways of working.  Staff are very used to the processes and procedures that govern how their workday flows.  Most people have difficulty with change even if they don’t realize it and organizations really don’t encourage the average worker to step outside of the boundary to be innovative.  In reality, organizations often stifle innovation and they don’t even realize it.

Three “innovation killers"...

1)  If key staff are often working at their desk, they are productive.  There are a fair number of leaders that believe this is true even in a world where mobility is now the norm.  If key staff are working at their desk all the time, they may be getting their core work done but their ability to innovate is dramatically diminished.  They are in an office.  Why aren’t they looking at the customer experience by observing how they actually use a product or service?  How are they brainstorming ideas with their coworkers?  How are these staff members driving change?  Recognizing that some of this work can be done through remote means, if the staff is in an office, they have a unique opportunity for direct observation and face time with colleagues.  Even in a digital world, being at your desk all the time doesn’t encourage innovation.

2)  Asking for suggestions for improvement but creating too many obstacles for anyone to use the system and when they do submit a suggestion, it is never acknowledged or they receive a “canned auto-reply”.  Many companies ask for suggestions.  In order to submit a suggestion, they require staff to request a username and password or a staff member must send their suggestion to a generic distribution list.  If there are too many obstacles or if the actions of leadership do not align with encouraging suggestions, staff will not bother.

3)  Failure is never an option.  Many organizations have so much structure that testing any potential solution requires tremendous bureaucracy.  It isn’t worth it.  How can an organization be innovative if they can’t test and experiment?  Failure must be used as a learning opportunity.  While organizations must protect certain aspects of their business, many go way too far and without realizing it, they build policies, procedures, and reward systems that focus on maintaining the status quo.
 
If any of the “innovation killers” even vaguely sound familiar, it may be time to really analyze what your company considers innovation.  Many organizations say they are innovative but what they are really doing is solving problems within the boundaries of their existing systems.  What may seem innovative is merely just problem solving.  Once the problem is solved, leaders feel relief and often, the “hero” that saved the day is praised for finding an innovative solution.
 
In part 2 of “Are You Killing or Encouraging Innovation”, we discuss three ways to encourage innovation.  Encouraging innovation may require you to step out of the box.  Are you ready?  

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