ITSM Best Practices: Bringing Together Service and Project Management

As businesses continue to grow, they need to become more efficient in managing their IT services and projects. To achieve this, many organizations are exploring ways to integrate IT Service Management (ITSM) and Project Portfolio Management (PPM) on a single platform. In this blog, we’ll explore the impact of managing ITSM and PPM together on one platform, along with the benefits and best practices.

Defining IT Service Management (ITSM)

ITSM refers to the set of policies, processes and procedures used by an organization to design, plan, deliver, operate and control IT services offered to customers. ITSM enables businesses and organizations to provide high-quality services while minimizing costs, reducing risks and improving overall efficiency.

Defining Project Portfolio Management (PPM)

PPM is the centralized management of a set of projects and programs to achieve strategic business objectives. PPM involves planning, prioritizing and selecting projects to align with organizational goals and maximize business value. PPM allows organizations to optimize resource allocation across departments, manage risks and monitor project progress and performance.

Bringing ITSM and PPM Together

There are many benefits to managing ITSM and PPM together on one platform, including:

1. Increased efficiency and collaboration: Managing ITSM and PPM on a single platform enables better collaboration between IT teams and project managers, resulting in increased efficiency and productivity. The integration of ITSM and PPM facilitates the flow of information between the two departments, ensuring that projects are aligned with business goals and IT services are delivered effectively.
2. Improved decision-making: Having a unified view of all projects and IT services allows organizations to make better-informed decisions. With all relevant information in one place, IT leaders can make strategic decisions based on a complete picture of the organization’s IT landscape.
3. Better resource allocation: PPM enables organizations to optimize resource allocation and prioritize projects based on business value. By managing ITSM and PPM on a single platform, organizations can ensure that resources are allocated to the right projects and that IT services are delivered effectively.
4. Reduced risks: Integrating ITSM and PPM on a single platform enables organizations to identify potential risks and mitigate them before they occur. By having a centralized view of all projects and IT services, IT leaders can identify dependencies, avoid conflicts, and ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Best Practices for Managing ITSM and PPM Together on One Platform

One of the biggest perks of having your ITSM and PPM on the same platform is the visibility you get into all of the work being done across your organization.

“With one platform now we can actually see the tickets that are being worked on as well as the projects that are in the pipeline,” Hema Nekkanti, project management office manager at the city of Sunnyvale, said. “This gives us the ability to actually allocate the resources appropriately, and there’s no resource conflict.”

And this is a common theme among those using ITSM and PPM together.

“I have a single pane of glass,” said Frank Fear, CIO at Covenant Healthcare. “I can pivot and see SLAs that are not being met, then pivot and see projects at risk – it’s all on one dashboard.”

At the City of Madison, the TeamDynamix platform is being used to support digital transformation initiatives with great success.

The team implemented TeamDynamix ITSM with PPM – focusing on self-service to kick off the city’s IT service delivery transformation according to Abigail Ferguson, Customer Success Manager for the City of Madison’s Information Technology.

“We are seeing the same resource constraints other cities are,” she said. “We are understaffed at times and need to focus on higher-value implementations. So, anything we can do to empower our users to find the resources they need for self-service is a must for us.”

Like many other businesses and organizations – the demand for service has gone up exponentially over the last few years as IT now has to support better digital experiences and a “service anywhere, anytime” mentality, even within the public sector.

To address the growing demand, the City of Madison is taking a proactive approach and combining Project Portfolio Management with ITSM using a single platform through TeamDynamix, “This is going to help us really get a sense of what projects align with our strategic goals. We can see what projects align with our service catalog that exist today and take a more proactive approach with our customers and other agencies,” she said.

This single platform approach for ITSM and PPM is also going to help the city identify what projects should be a high priority and what projects can be turned down or scheduled for a later time, “In government, you can’t always say no – it’s more of a ‘we can do that later’ so we want to be able to support our staff and our citizens the best we can by prioritizing the work,” Ferguson said.

So how should you approach bringing together ITSM and PPM at your organization? Here are some tips:

1. Define a clear strategy: Before integrating ITSM and PPM on a single platform, it’s important to define a clear strategy that aligns with organizational goals. This strategy should include a roadmap for implementation, a timeline and a budget.
2. Define roles and responsibilities: It’s important to define roles and responsibilities for IT teams and project managers to ensure effective collaboration. Clear communication and collaboration between teams are key to success.
3. Define processes and workflows: Establishing clear processes and workflows is essential to ensure that ITSM and PPM are integrated effectively. Standardizing processes and workflows enables organizations to deliver high-quality services and projects consistently.
4. Use an integrated toolset: To manage ITSM and PPM on a single platform effectively, it’s essential to use a platform, like TeamDynamix, that supports both functions. An integrated toolset enables organizations to manage ITSM and PPM processes and workflows seamlessly.

Integrating ITSM and PPM on a single platform enables organizations to manage IT services and projects effectively, resulting in increased efficiency, better resource allocation and improved decision-making. To ensure the successful implementation of a single platform for both ITSM and PPM, IT leaders should define a clear strategy, define roles and responsibilities, establish processes and workflows and use the right platform. By following these best practices, organizations can optimize their ITSM and PPM processes and deliver high-quality services and projects consistently.