Service Management
Insights.

Practical thinking on ITSM, ESM, ITIL 4, AI and the future of enterprise service management. Written by practitioners, for practitioners.

Latest Articles

What we've been writing about.

AI & Innovation May 2025 · 2 min read

Advances in AI to Support Intelligent Change Management

In the evolving landscape of IT service management, the integration of artificial intelligence is transforming traditional change management. We explore what's real, what's hype, and how organisations should be thinking about it.

Read article →
ITIL 4 May 2025 · 4 min read

ITIL 4 — What is it?

ITIL 4 introduces a comprehensive framework of 34 management practices and guiding principles. A practical overview of what's changed, what's stayed the same, and what it means for your organisation.

Read article →
AI & Innovation Feb 2025 · 5 min read

How AI is (already) Transforming ITSM

We were sceptical — but AI is no longer a futuristic concept. It's here, making a genuine impact across service desks, change management and knowledge management. Here's what we're seeing.

Read article →
Knowledge Management Aug 2024 · 4 min read

Why is Knowledge Management still Overlooked in 2024?

Despite its proven critical role in ITSM and years of best practice guidance, knowledge management remains one of the most consistently underinvested areas. We look at why — and what to do about it.

Read article →
ITIL 4 Jul 2024 · 5 min read

ITIL 4: A Customer-First Evolution

Following our article on why ITIL v3 still has its place, we look at how ITIL 4 builds on those foundations with a genuine customer-first evolution — and where organisations should focus their energy.

Read article →
Strategy Jun 2024 · 4 min read

The Great Debate: Centralised vs. Decentralised ITSM

For global organisations with locally managed operations, the choice between centralised and decentralised ITSM is rarely straightforward. We explore the trade-offs and what actually works in practice.

Read article →
Strategy Jun 2024 · 3 min read

Right Practice vs. Best Practice in ITSM

Best practice is a starting point, not a destination. We explore why the most effective ITSM implementations are those that apply best practice pragmatically — adapted to the specific context.

Read article →
Configuration Management May 2024 · 4 min read

Why do so many CMDB projects fail?

CMDB projects have a well-deserved reputation for going wrong. We look at the most common failure modes — and what organisations can do differently to make their CMDB a genuine operational asset.

Read article →
Culture & People May 2024 · 3 min read

The Importance of Being Personable and Pragmatic in ITSM

Technical rigour matters — but the organisations that improve fastest are those that pair strong process thinking with genuine people skills. A reflection on what makes ITSM consultancy actually work.

Read article →
ITIL 4 May 2024 · 4 min read

Why the Basics of ITIL v3 are Still Important in 2024

In the rush to adopt ITIL 4 and the latest frameworks, it's easy to overlook the enduring value of ITIL v3 fundamentals. We make the case for why the basics still matter.

Read article →
Configuration Management May 2024 · 3 min read

Why a CMDB Matters in ITSM — and Beyond

The Configuration Management Database is often treated as an administrative overhead. We explain why a well-maintained CMDB is actually a strategic enabler — for IT and across the enterprise.

Read article →
Opinion Apr 2024 · 3 min read

Our Confession

We've been putting this off for a long time. A candid reflection on something we've observed consistently across clients — and why we think the industry needs to talk about it more openly.

Read article →
Service Design Sep 2023 · 3 min read

Where to Start When Developing XLAs

Experience Level Agreements are gaining traction, but many organisations struggle to know where to begin. We share a practical starting point based on what we've seen work in practice.

Read article →
Change Management Sep 2023 · 4 min read

The Pitfalls of Change Management: Why it Often Fails

Change management is one of the most widely adopted ITIL practices — and one of the most consistently misapplied. We look at the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

Read article →
Strategy Aug 2023 · 4 min read

Adapting to Become a Customer-Focused IT Organisation

The pressure on IT organisations to be genuinely customer-focused is increasing. We look at what that actually means in practice — and what it takes to make the shift successfully.

Read article →
Strategy Aug 2023 · 3 min read

Embracing ITSM: Paving the Way for Customer-Centric Excellence

ITSM has emerged as a crucial framework for delivering high-quality IT services. We explore how organisations can use it as a foundation for genuinely customer-centric service delivery.

Read article →
ESM Aug 2023 · 3 min read

Evolving IT Service Management into the Enterprise

Enterprise Service Management continues to be a hot topic with our clients. We share our latest thinking on how ITSM thinking and tooling can be extended effectively across the wider organisation.

Read article →
Strategy Feb 2023 · 2 min read

ITSM has nothing to do with Architecture — or does it?

The relationship between ITSM and enterprise architecture is often overlooked. We explore why the two disciplines are more closely connected than most organisations realise.

Read article →
Assessments Feb 2023 · 3 min read

The Key to Unlocking Pin-Point Improvements in IT/ESM

We often write about starting improvement journeys with a benchmarking assessment. Here we go deeper into why a structured, evidence-based starting point makes such a significant difference to outcomes.

Read article →
DevOps Feb 2023 · 5 min read

When ITSM and DevOps Collide

Integrating ITSM with DevOps is becoming increasingly important as organisations aim to accelerate delivery without compromising service stability. We explore where the two disciplines meet — and clash.

Read article →

Want our thinking on
your specific situation?

Our insights are intentionally generic. If you want our view on your specific ITSM challenges, a free strategy session is the fastest way to get it.

Book Your Free Session →