Disservice of ITIL Training

As we struggle in the transition to ITIL V3, our industry is still dealing with a pervasive and, yes, unfortunately, very destructive influence left over from previous versions. If not corrected, this will only serve to slow acceptance of V3, but will undermine acceptance and integration of IT Service Management in general. Our clients look to us as experts. If we are hired as consultants, either internal or external, the expectation is we understand the ITIL framework. Further, if we are providing certification training, our customers should expect that we are preparing them to understand the conceptual essence of the framework. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the objective of some training programs. The focus is on "training-to-the-exam" to maintain the high pass-rate advertised in the training sales literature. For those of you trainers out there, how many have been asked, "What's your pass rate?" as if that is the ONLY metric that matters?

When working with Foundations graduates, I am repeatedly amazed at the shallowness of knowledge exhibited by a percentage of individuals. They know the terminology. But they lack understanding. Each and every process is underpinned by a key objective and purpose. Yet this is not emphasized in training. We are distributing pins with a hope and a prayer that book smarts will translate to understanding.

Even at the Practitioner and Manager levels, many successful candidates have failed to integrate the concepts. It is not uncommon to hear, "ITIL says this..." or "ITIL allows for that...". And those trusting us, accept such announcements as gospel and, too often, as justification for ignoring risk that is being designed in to the process. Indeed ITIL may "say this" or "allow for that." But just because the framework makes such allowances, doesn't mean that going that direction is right for the organization - at that point in their maturity and capability! These are the tough questions that are overlooked - or perhaps avoided for the sake of expediency.

I would very much like to understand the cause of this all-too-evident phenomenon. One could conjecture that it is due to:

• The commoditization of ITIL training;
• The limited experience of newly minted trainers;
• The single-minded focus on one metric: pass rate;
• The inability or resistance of trainers to challenge the understanding of their students;
• The tendency of trainers, consultants, and certified professionals to take the easy course and avoid the tough issues.
  

Experienced trainers know that students will internalize new concepts within a mental framework with which they are familiar. They instinctively relate to something with which they are familiar. It is difficult for a student to divorce a new concept from previous experience. A trainer must recognize this and challenge assumptions to ensure the underlying objective and purpose crystallizes understanding.

Based on what we are seeing in the industry today, however, this does not appear to be happening. Many trainers are not challenging their students. Some consultants and "certified" internal personnel are not asking the tough questions. And for those who DO ask the tough questions, they face the daunting task of overcoming flawed beliefs reinforced by faulty, or at least, incomplete training. The credibility of the whole industry suffers as a result.