Introduction To Real Itsm [Paperback]

Rob England (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1438243065 | ISBN-13: 978-1438243061 | Edition: 1

This humorous book is for those who work in Information Technology (IT) and for those who have IT done to them. Service Management is all the rage in IT at the moment, hence "ITSM". The leading description of ITSM is ITIL(r). This book is not about ITIL. Really. Real ITSM(tm) is a tongue-in-cheek satirical look at what the real-life practices might be, as compared to the idealised models in frameworks like ITIL or COBIT or ISO20000 or ... "[My wife] read the introduction and said it was the first IT book that held her interest past page two" Change Manager, postal service "I experienced numerous moments of amusement, humor and outright hilarity, which made reading this book at my desk during work hours a bit difficult." Bob Grinsell For more on Real ITSM (and more samples from the book!) come to the Real ITSM world at www.realitsm.com

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The IT Skeptic is the pseudonym of Rob England, an IT consultant and commentator. He has twenty years experience mapping business requirements to IT solutions, ten of them in service management. He is active in the itSMF (the professional body for IT Service Management). He is the author of a popular blog at www.itskeptic.org and many articles taking a critical look at IT's absurdities, especially those relating to ITIL and CMDB. He is also a paid-up Skeptic. He lives with his wife and son in a small house in a small village in a small country far away. More about Rob at www.twohills.co.nz/profile

Product Details

• Paperback: 124 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace; 1 edition (September 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1438243065
• ISBN-13: 978-1438243061
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #990,047 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasant spoof on IT management BOKs, March 11, 2009

By 

F. Geneau - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introduction To Real Itsm (Paperback)

If you've read "real" BOK publications dealing with service management, this should get a smile from you. It pokes fun at the IT department, the business' management and the people whousually evolve around the whole environment.

The Wright cycle, the 3 Ds of design, or the Management Management are concepts that could possibly get you ahead in your implementation of service solutions. Notice the adverb 'possibly'.

An interesting spoof. I wish it had been a tad longer, and maybe go one step further in the satire. Nonetheless a good read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worrying but very true! I loved it, March 7, 2009

By 

Kathryn Howard (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction To Real Itsm (Paperback)

I've been in and around IT service delivery/management for over 20 years now. And I've been crusading for best (or even just sensible) practice the entire time.

I loved this book. Many organisations, mostly unintentional, promote exactly this form of disfunctional service management. It is a perfect lesson in what not to do.

My favourite was the Wright Cycle. I've seen it far too often and it appeals to my black sense of humour.

Highly recommended to all who deal in service management.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A splash of Reality on IT!, March 5, 2009

By 

Robert P. Grinsell "BobGrins" (St. Paul MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction To Real Itsm (Paperback)

Rob England achieves something rarely done in the IT Industry; he creates a guidebook that is both Practical and Enjoyable. While so much energy is focused on "Best Practices" and "Gold Standard" performance, Rob dares to speak what so many in IT know; that the majority of our time is spent dealing with "good enough" and "getting to done," despite the corners that may need to be cut to get there.

This book is a fun read and despite the sarcastic bent, it provides a positive and encouraging message to those in the industry. It gives an honest portrayal of the day to day work of IT. An enjoyable read!