[LINK] Is it really that good?!

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

On 21/09/2012 3:31 PM, grove at zeta.org.au wrote:
> Am I truly going loopy in my too-cold room at the end of the corridor 
> - are these methodologies that brilliant that everyone truly adores 
> them so much?

No and no.

Join the club of curmudgeonly skeptics.

ITIL and other such methods came from the physical manufacturing world. 
In that world, highly repetitive actions can be measured and improved 
using a whole range of techniques. The UK government built the library 
based upon work by W. Edwards Deming who used statistics to improve 
production management.

Lean,  Six Sigma are but other techniques. However, as Wikipedia says: 
about Lean Six Sigma (yes, its a combination of both) "(it) results in 
the elimination of the seven kinds of wastes/muda (classified as 
Defects, Overproduction, Transportation, Waiting, Inventory, Motion and 
Over-Processing) and provision of goods and service"

ITIL came about by applying such quality management tools to IT operations.

The fundamental flaw in the whole thinking is that IT operations is not 
the same as the production of physical goods. But that doesn't stop the 
evangelists applying the solution for one problem to a different 
problem. Think hammer, nail.

IMHO, you are totally correct in your conclusions. But don't expect the 
people you work for to thank you for pointing out that the emperor has 
no clothes.

As to why there is silence on the interwebs regarding the failings of 
ITIL, I don't know the answer.

I'm busy trying to highlight the insanity of failed IT projects 
(currently estimated at over $USD3Trillion per year), but not getting a 
lot of traction yet. IMHO, it's exactly the same issue - too often the 
solution doesn't match the problem.

Once I've had a good go at insulting Enterprise Architects, I'll 
probably have a try at the ITIL crowd. But not this week.

-- 
  
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
email:   brd at iimetro.com.au
web:     www.drbrd.com
web:     www.problemsfirst.com