Process and procedure is the mantra of those without the wit and wisdom to manage
This is part two in a retrospective about ITIL written by one of the pioneers of the framework, and someone who was actually there as it happened - Brian Johnson.
This article will cover the reasons that applications development does not use ITIL, version 1.5 (yes, it existed, like some short-lived atomic experiment), version 2 and why it never was completed as designed. And some of the myths of the origin of v2.
First I want to reiterate a caveat. Or two. The history is as I remember it; I will not tell lies or amplify (or even be economic with) the truth. If I get a fact wrong (and I am sure I will) someone with a better memory should feel free to point it out. I will also name names where credit is due and not name names where criticism is implied or due. If I can’t write something nice about someone, I will not write something bad about them.
Why is ITIL Irrelevant to Application Developers and What was V1.5?
What was this? In essence it was a revision of the SLM book managed by Neville Greenhalgh of the CCTA and written for the most part by two Dutchmen, (Arnold van Mameren and Rene van’tVeen of Pink Elephant BV, Voorburg), who in a fair world where hype and self promotion does not prevail over fact and achievement, would be ITIL icons.
Alan Shilling and I (both CCTA at the time), had been throwing ideas around with our boss, Mrs. Ruth Kerry (who took over management of the ITIL project from Dr. John Stewart in 1991/2), about using process models to bring rigor to the writing and construction of the books. Ruth allowed me to research the idea with the University of Durham Center for Software Maintenance where process modeling guru David Hinley worked, with Prof. Keith Bennett and Dr.Dave Walton—all three of whom later played a role in ITIL, David managing the design of the first process model (and contributing to many books), Dave helping with ‘Testing software for Operational Use’ and Keith a member of the ITIL Steering Group that I managed.
We discussed the concept of a model that would cover the inputs and outputs from all processes covered in the infrastructure management remit and allow a companion piece to be created in ITIL essentially an ‘ITIL for developers’, that would be written by experts from development ---not by infrastructure managers/experts. This was the origin of v2, whatever claims you may hear or read to the contrary.
Ruth approved the concepts and a tender was prepared for recruitment of expertise to write new materials using the ‘experimental’ SLM book and the process modeling concepts as the basis. For reasons that for recognition of commercial rectitude cannot be discussed, the tender was awarded jointly, after proper competition to Pink Elephant and the University of Durham. Three books were commissioned,
- In Times of Radical Change
- Understanding and Improving
- Surviving IT infrastructure transitions.
