The document outlines a certificate course in practical IT service management and continual service improvement aimed at bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in IT service delivery. It highlights the inefficacy of existing ITIL certification systems, which have resulted in skepticism regarding their ROI, while introducing a two-part curriculum that includes instructor-led learning and an optional project-based component. The course is designed by an expert in the field and focuses on developing practical skills in establishing service-oriented architecture for effective IT service management.

1. Certificate Course in Practical IT Service Management
and Continual Service Improvement
The state of affairs
Many IT Service delivery organisations started mandating ITIL
TM
Foundation certification for staff. Soon this
became one of the many, key filters, in automated or Manual CV analysis for
technical positions.
In the subsequent rush to ensure the line Item in the CV or Job Profile, over
‘1.1 Million Individuals’ have been awarded ITIL
TM
Foundation Certificates
for the period ending 2012. New certificates are being added at the rate of
236,000 per year. Reference – http://itsminfo.com/tag/itil-certification/
Having spent an estimated Trillion Fee Dollars, individuals and organisations
that have spent time, effort and money are questioning benefits and ROI.
Certified individuals have not been able to demonstrate promised continual improvement in Service Quality,
Cost, Reliability and ensuing Customer Satisfaction by transferring their ‘learnt and certified’ knowledge to
change their ways of working. The perceived value from the HR selection filter is no longer efficient; as a
majority of Individuals are either certified or are considering acquiring certification in the near future.
The Paradigm Shift
The Certificate in Practical ITSM and Continual Service Improvement program, from ARF, has been designed to
help individuals and their organisations to overcome the gap between
learning and doing. It is a ‘Paradigm Shift’, from Historical Focus of
Class Room Training, for competency building and extends to cover the
complete learning experience.
The program courseware includes teaching of the application of Service
Oriented Architecture for establishing IT Service Management Systems.
This approach gives the student a practical foundation on which to add
the learnings from best practices such as ITIL
TM
and the use of International Standards Such as ISO 20000.
The program is broken up into two parts. Part 1: Instructor led learning, is done, through workshops over a
period of four Days. Part 2: Project Work for Transfer of Knowledge, takes place over a period of three
months. Participants opting for part 2 are taught the concepts of establishing a Service Improvement Program;
by operating the continual Improvement Process.
This is done as a live project from the work space from
their organisation. During this period regular
mentoring and practical advice is provided through bi-
weekly contact session delivered remotely.
Note: Participation for Part 2: Project Work for Transfer of
Knowledge of the program is dependent on the ability of the
participants to get formal permission from their organisations
and access to required data for this part of the program.
The Instructor led class room sessions act as standalone
training program, the methodology and value provided through lateral learning techniques along with
assignment based learning goes way beyond traditional ITIL
TM
foundation training and teaches Service
Management principles and how to apply Enterprise Architecture for building effective Service Oriented
Architecture for IT Service Management Systems. The program is effective in causing a mind shift in students
and starting them on a transformation journey to Service Oriented Behaviour.

2. Certificate Course in Practical IT Service Management
and Continual Service Improvement
Curriculum
The curriculum has been designed and delivered by an award winning IT Service Management Systems
specialist; who is an acknowledged pioneer in helping enterprises create Service Oriented Architecture
Frameworks for ITSM. The curriculum is based on years of practical experience gleaned by working with
individuals in building real life IT Service Management Systems for large global corporates and is rich in
practical insights that are typically not available in traditional programs.
Part 1: Instructor led learning – 4 Day
1. Introduction to Service Management Systems and Enterprise Architecture
2. Overview of ISO 20000 and ITIL
TM
and their relevance in ITSM.
3. Foundation Knowledge of the ITIL
TM
Lifecycle Stages
4. Introduction to Service Management Processes
5. Introduction to Metrics and Analytics for Continual Service Improvement
6. Introduction to FlexMode
IP
Service Oriented Architecture for IT Service management Systems
Note: Students, will gain sufficient knowledge to appear for the ITIL
TM
foundation certification exam with a registrar of
choice using facilities provided by organisations like Pro-Metric; ensuring the Sanctity of the Certificate. ARF however does
not provide any guarantees for a successful outcome.
Part 2: Project Work for Transfer of Knowledge (Optional)
 Stage 1: Identifying a Suitable Project from the Work Place and making a SIP project proposal
 Stage 2: Identifying what is needed to be measured and what can be measured
 Stage 3: Creating the Measurement Framework and Collecting Data
 Stage 4: Identifying the Improvement Opportunity
 Stage 5: RCA and Improvement Action Analysis
 Stage 6: Applying the Improvement Action
 Stage 7: Verifying Effectiveness of Improvement and Presenting Result.
Note: Students, opting for Part 2 should ensure that their organisations will allow them do projects in their workplace. ARF
has no commitments for providing projects and students are required to provide letters or emails, from their organisation,
to evidence permission for doing the project. ARF will however provide any assistance that the student may require for this
purpose without assuming any warranty for success. ARF reserves the rights gather more than one student into a project.
The Liability of ARF is for a maximum of 6, two hour group mentoring Contact Sessions spread over 3 months from the
commencement of the program. These contact sessions will be delivered remotely via Skype, through planned pre-
scheduled appointments. These sessions ensure progress of the student through the stages; by providing a heartbeat that
guide and monitor students to keep them motivated.
Fees:
Contact Sukumard@actionresearchfoundation.com for details
Certificate:
ARF will provide a Course Participation Certificate for “Practical IT Service Management” on the successful
completion of Part 1 and a “Certificate in Practical IT Service Management and Continual Improvement” on
the successful completion of the Part 2 Project.
Note: Students are encouraged to appear for the ITIL
TM
foundation certificate exams in a suitable Authorised Exam Center.
References:
http://in.linkedin.com/in/sukumardaniel/
Contact: Sukumard@actionresearchfoundation.com