Considering an ITSM Partner? Take this quiz.

IT service management (ITSM) is a crucial framework of processes and strategies designed to help businesses optimize management of their IT toolstack. But even as digital transformation accelerates, ITSM maturity continues to be a challenge. While roughly half of businesses have achieved at least mid-level maturity, only 8% at full maturity and optimization.  

An ITSM partner can help to build a strong foundation for ITSM strategy. External ITSM consultants can design custom tool solutions, and assist with all aspects of service management strategy. For instance, at software veteran American Software, Contegix experts analyzed ITSM processes and the many Jira environments in use, and redesigned their ITSM strategy from scratch, bringing the whole enterprise together under one cohesive Jira Service Management (JSM) instance. And at IHMA, a company providing clinical support for antimicrobial drug development, Contegix identified the inefficiencies holding back their JSM use, and created a custom tool configuration that empowered the whole company to move faster.  

From licensing to monitoring to migrations, ITSM partners can be a valuable ally, but they may not always be the right fit. So should your organization work with an ITSM partner? Take this quiz to find out. 

1. Does your organization have an ITSM strategy in place?

1. I’m not sure what that is, or I don’t know if we have one. 
2. We have some standardized, defined processes that fall under the umbrella of ITSM.
3. We have an organized ITSM strategy with defined processes and clear goals. 

2. How would you rate the maturity of your ITSM strategy? 

1. There’s little structure or order to ITSM functions and processes. We respond to service requests on an ad hoc basis most or all of the time. 
2. We have a systematic approach to managing most service requests. 
3. We have a proactive, streamlined approach to managing service requests, informed by an overarching ITSM strategy designed to manage all IT assets. 

3. Is your strategy designed to meet business objectives?

1. We don’t have a strategy, and our ITSM processes have little to no connection to business goals. 
2. Our strategy is clearly defined, but it wasn’t created with business goals in mind, or that connection is outdated. 
3. Yes, our strategy was designed with business objectives in mind, and is regularly reviewed and maintained to ensure that it prioritizes business growth.

4. Do you have a knowledge base?

1. No: if employees have a question of any kind, they must submit a service request or speak with an IT staff member. 
2. Yes, but it’s small or largely goes unused. Many questions come to IT staff that could have been answered by our knowledge base, if it were more available or extensive. 
3. Yes, we have a robust knowledge base that’s organized, regularly maintained, and integrated with service management tools for ease of access.  

5. Do you offer self-service portals?

1. No, all service requests require that the inquirer speak directly with an IT staff member. 
2. Yes, but most service requests end up needing agent support anyway: users can’t handle simple tasks (like downloading a document or resetting their password) on their own, or struggle to do so. 
3. Yes, and these portals facilitate successful self-service for simple requests. 

6. Are you using your ITSM toolkit to its full extent?

1. We've set up the basics and onboarded a couple employees (or we don't have an ITSM toolkit at all).
2. We’ve done some more advanced configuration, but there’s still features we’re underutilizing. Some or most employees are onboarded. 
3. We’ve strategically configured advanced features—like customization, automation, smart workflows, and tool integration—to ensure the tool drives ROI and works toward our business goals. All employees who could benefit from the tool are onboarded. 

7. Does your ITSM tool power visibility and transparency across teams? 

1. Information in our tool isn’t visible between teams, or most teams don’t have access. If a user is seeking information from another department—say, a team leader wants to reference a ticket submitted by one of their staff—they’ll have to go through admin. 
2. Our tool provides top-down transparency for leaders, but it’s difficult for users in one department to interface with others. 
3. Our tool provides the visibility and transparency that our staff members need to get things done, with granular access permissions to ensure that any confidentiality is maintained. 

8. Does your ITSM tool provide you with adequate reporting capabilities? 

1. Our ITSM tool offers few to no reporting capabilities. Any insights must be aggregated by viewing each project or ticket individually. 
2. Our ITSM tool offers barebones reporting capabilities. Reports must be created manually, and are not flexible: reporting takes a lot of time. 
3. Our ITSM tool is configured to provide the reporting capabilities we need, with the flexibility to access many kinds of insights. Some or all reports are automated, speeding the process. 

9. What does licensing look like for your IT team? 

1. Our team has to scramble to achieve proper licensing, or has even been held back from using a better tool in the past. 
2. Our team manages licensing internally, but it falls on non-experts—eating into staff members’ time, as they struggle to navigate its complications.
3. Our team has an internal licensing expert, who individually handles licensing. 

10. Does your IT team successfully monitor your ITSM tools and strategy, ensuring they meet internal governance requirements?

1. Monitoring is low or nonexistent, and/or governance requirements are minimal or insufficient. 
2. Our team monitors our tools and strategy, but sometimes struggles to stay on top of things. Monitoring gets shunted down the list when high-priority, timely issues arise. 
3. Our team understands that monitoring is a vital ongoing process, and regularly attends to it so that tools remain functional and secure.

Get Your Results!

If you scored mostly As: Your ITSM strategy needs some help. ITSM is an important tactic for all sizes of organizations in order to maintain and secure IT assets, both hardware and software, minimizing risk and ensuring that IT processes work toward business goals. 

We’d recommend working with an ITSM partner to establish an ITSM plan and set your organization up for success. An external partner can help you choose and configure an ITSM toolkit, onboard employees, evaluate and optimize internal processes, and ensure ongoing maintenance. Learn more about how an outside partner can help you get started with ITSM.

If you scored mostly Bs: You’re off to a great start, but your ITSM strategy has a ways to go before achieving full maturity. There are some gaps in your strategy that must be addressed to minimize risk and improve processes. Consider improvement opportunities, whether in strategy, process optimization, or even selecting a new tool. 

On the road to ITSM success, an ITSM partner can be a valuable asset to help your organization achieve maturity. External partners are experts in both high-level ITSM strategy and the minutiae of tool configuration, and can offer guidance to help bring your ITSM strategy to the next level. Learn more about what an ITSM consultant can offer your business. 

If you scored mostly Cs: You’ve got it covered! Your ITSM strategy is robust, well-organized, and effective. While there might still be some gaps, your team is doing a good job of ensuring that your ITSM strategy and tools function as intended.

While you may not need help designing or setting up your strategy, working with an external partner can help improve tool ROI, strengthen toolkit security, or even manage licensing, monitoring, and maintenance, so that internal IT teams can focus on business goals. Curious about what an external partner can offer to businesses with a mature ITSM strategy? Reach out to Contegix today.