I believe that the importance of process assessment cannot be understated. Not only is an assessment needed to answer the question "Where Are We Now?" (as ITIL guidance states), giving staff the ability to self-assess progress is critical to achieving continual improvement.
Having performed assessments for clients ranging from regional health care organizations to the federal government and the United Nations --- using a variety of approaches --- I've observed:
ISO/IEC 15504 is an international standard for process assessment that is used by model and method developers and has not typically been used 'off the shelf'. However, understanding the basics of this important standard will not only help staff understand how to assess processes but also how different approaches conform (or don't conform) to the standard.
Assessment Approach
MyServiceMonitor typically conducts stakeholder interviews based on a mutually agreed criteria and schedule after a discussion with the sponsor(s). Any organizational sensitivities, assessment scope and desired frameworks are identified and objectives for the assessment are agreed. In cases where MyServiceMonitor collects assessment data via stakeholder interviews, it is recommended that workshops are held to review initial observations and the final report of findings.
Optionally, Self-Assessment Workshops are facilitated where cross-functional teams are identified and processes are reviewed and jointly assessed. A high-level overview of the ISO/IEC 15504 standard is included; the customer may also choose to have key staff take the Certified Process Design Engineer (CPDE) class. The self-assessment approach brings the added benefit of beginning to develop teamwork among the participants of the ITIL® adoption program, and re-enforces knowledge of the process.
Depending on requirements, MyServiceMonitor can leverage a SaaS based assessment tool from Systems Thinking, which can help assessment participants remain engaged during the assessment process.
For more information on ISO/IEC 15504 and MyServiceMonitor's facilitated Self-Assessment Services, click here or call (201) 826-1374.
