Comparing ITIL 3 & 4
  • Article
  • Mar.15.2023

Outcome Driven or task focused? - Comparing ITIL 3 & 4​

  • Mar.15.2023
  • Reading time mins

Is your ITSM solution outcome-driven or task focused?

We could ask the same about the way your ITSM software is designed. The two are very often linked. Older ITSM software tends to be good at handling tickets, managing tasks and helping automate certain processes. It’s not so good at enabling collaboration, supporting strategic objectives or engaging either employees or customers. In fact, the opposite. We’ve found that a lot of older ITSM software hinders progress and is slowing businesses down in their efforts to advance their digital transformation strategies. ​​

In our experience, older technology was designed from what is now outdated thinking. It is much like the difference between ITIL 2 and ITIL 4 and 5. The older technology focuses on functions and  fairly rigid business processes. In the more recent ITIL frameworks, we see a shift towards encouraging collaboration, feedback, good communication and partnership between different areas of IT and between areas of the business.  ​

As a Platinum Atlassian Partner we have worked on countless migration projects from legacy ITSM software to Jira Service Management. More recently, the majority of enterprises have chosen to migrate to Atlassian Cloud or the Valiantys Cloud (a private cloud solution).  Increasingly we’re helping customers re-platform from Jira Service Desk to Jira Service management too. The contrast between older technology and the way Jira Service Management is designed is quite stark.  ​​

It is easy to see why businesses reach breaking point with their legacy ITSM software and need to migrate to Jira Service Management. There is better alignment with modern ways of working.

Tasks and tickets

Legacy tech focuses on tasks and tickets and making measurable improvements. That’s fine, but it can be limiting.  It can reinforce the dividing lines between functions and cause responsibility to be shifted from one area to another like a hot potato.  What is missing is the sense of accountability that all stakeholders have in solving problems or resolving issues.​

Outcomes and objectives

Since the early days of ITIL the world has changed. The pandemic accelerated digital transformation and has ushered in the age of the distributed workforce, remote and hybrid working. People get a better work life balance as  a result and are prepared to change jobs to achieve that. Skills shortages and the high cost of recruitment have made businesses place a greater emphasis on employee engagement and retention. The same is true of customers – they’ll walk if the service is not up to their expectations. The outcomes businesses want from their ITSM solutions now include softer targets such as improved employee engagement, higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty and improved reputation. Productivity is a bi-product of a happy, engaged workforce and so when collaboration and teamwork are designed into a solution, the hard measures improve of their own accord. Jira Service Management allows us, as consultants, to design with this in mind. Legacy tech impedes progress and makes it difficult to support teamwork and collaboration.​

Redefine and redesign

At Valiantys our consultants help customers define their business objectives for a service desk solution before the project begins. The design work starts from there.​

Measuring change

When our consultants carry out a project to set up or migrate a service desk using Jira Service Management they take the temperature before and after in a number of ways. Benchmarking helps the project team track and measure progress and makes the entire process visible to all stakeholders.  We find that this, inclusive project approach has its own time-saving benefits. There are fewer questions, concerns and worries and all the stakeholders are able to communicate or step back and let the project proceed with confidence that everything is being managed well.​

Agile DNA

Jira Service Management was born agile and, like all Atlassian products, is focused on enabling close collaboration, fast and iterative working and cross-functional engagement. For us, it’s the perfect platform for designing a solution that offers businesses the agility they seek as an organisation and DevOps teams the agility they need to advance their roadmaps, reduce backlogs and learn from user feedback.​

Contact one of our Project Managers or Consultants about recent projects.  

Ready to rethink your ITSM solution?  Find out if you could qualify for a 30% discount on your licence fee.

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