Friday 3 April 2015

Is online a good option to learn ITIL

The Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), now called the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), was tasked with developing a framework for efficient and financially responsible use of IT resources within the British government and the private sector. The OGC now owns the ITIL framework and accrediting organizations all around the world accredit training companies to provide the ITIL course, physically or virtually.

ITIL training focuses wholly on service concepts, its life cycle, managing risks and controlling them, managing services and delivering the best to the customers etc. Every ITIL training has their students quizzed on the various service management jargons and are then awarded with the ITIL certification. ITIL v3 foundation courses are available in various modes in today’s market. No matter where you are located, you can access the needs at an arm’s length through your desktop or laptop. You don’t have to go through the hassle of traveling to the course venues, you can take the exam whenever you please and you can have access to the result immediately.

But the question here is:  are web based ITIL training equivalent to the regular classroom training session in terms of quality of course content and mode of delivery?

The answer is Yes. ITIL foundation  courses are best practised and rendered in the e-learning version next to the typical classroom sessions. In fact, the e-learning mode has many advantages compared to the classroom training mode,
  • One can access the course material online whenever and wherever he/she is placed
  • The course content can be referred to as many times as required to understand the concepts as instructed by the trainer
  • All figures and notes are clearly available without having the pain to collect them
  • The exam can be taken at the candidate’s own convenience
  • The candidate has access to the result immediately after the test is taken, though the certificate will be issued later, as it is always the case irrespective of the mode of training
ITIL v3 follows mostly a schedule of introduction to ITIL v3  core, its functionalities, service life cycle, its merits, service operations, design of the service strategies, its transition phase, to-dos on service improvements etc. ITIL certification  can be obtained in an equally efficient manner through web-based Instructor led training as the classroom course. After a thorough understanding of the concepts in depth, one needs to enrol for an online examination in any of the centres where ITIL certification exam provisions are available. On successful completion of the exam, you will receive the certificate.

ITIL foundation courses are mandatory in order to get into the advanced version of the ITIL courses. Further, down the line, we are all introduced to cloud computing which holds virtualization techniques as its crust and this in turn enhances the e-learning methodology. With this, ITIL courses can be taken painlessly.

All about the MOV Training

The management of value, also known as MOV training being about the essential and the most effective use of all the resources to increase the benefits from the portfolios, programmes and projects. This training is a combination of several set of principles, processes and techniques. 

This training proposes an exact description of the value that holds of the monetary as well as non monetary benefits. Additionally, it supports the fact that the subjectivity of the value will enhance the importance of it to be actively managed. 

It brings about an evolved method that is supported by several techniques for effectively distributing the fewer funds available. This training has been established as a value management across many sectors now.  Although there are times when the applications and the uses of these methods and techniques are over looked and also incorrectly applied, the methods continue to remain as relevant as always. 

This training guide is comprised of the following basic concepts:
  • Principles:
These are the compiled theories and principles that have been tried and tested for a very long time (over 50 years).
  • Processes and Techniques:
These are the methods that are used in the application of MoV. The techniques offer a practical understanding of the concepts.
  • Approach:
The basic approach that teaches how to apply MoV to various portfolios programmes as well as projects.
  • Environment:
This reacts to the external as well as internal influences. 

Moreover, this guide also entails the information on how to incorporate the principles and practices of MoV into any organisation.

Is Agile for real

There have been questions raised about the reliability of Agile Project Management methods and its longevity. Since it is uniquely different from the usual project management methods, it has not been a walk on the park for professionals around the world to adapt to Agile methods. The objective of this article is to reiterate the fact that Agile project management does work and it shortens the duration of a project considerably without compromising on the quality of the products. 

It is however not like a PMP or a PRINCE2 method which can be used to any project environment. Agile methods can be used only in certain environment and more importantly, only when all the members involved in the project are completely involved. It is the method of choice when requirements are dynamic. Agile needs small teams and typically less than 50 developers.

Agile has many methodologies which are important. However, there are 4 which are representative of them all,
  • Scrum is a management framework and not a must have in all technical projects
  • XP – it is a disciplined software engineering approach to agile
  • Crystal – This is the most empathetic methodology and looks directly at the methods involved
  • EVO- this is a true system engineer’s approach to Agile and works well with software practices
The main reason Agile Project Management is so popular amongst organisations today is due to its risk management methods. Agile addresses the major risks of the waterfall methodology – the risks which are blamed for any poor quality or poor performance. Further to this, Agile is all about responsiveness which is exercised regularly. All methods which are used are cyclic in nature and repeat themselves again and again.
The main advantages which make Agile so good and different from other methods are as follows,
  • Rapid and frequent deliveries to production meaning the project can be financially self-sufficient in a short period of time.
  • A strong commitment to business milestones
  • The ability to change customer priorities and requirements efficiently
  • Extremely cost effective
  • Innovative potential for small groups working closely together
  • The project objective is based around the customer
And thus we can confidently say that the Agile project management method is here to stay and it is as efficient a project management method as it gets.