Real ITSM product compliance

Oh dear, DogmaITSM may have to amend the book Introduction to Real ITSM. Most of you will recall that the book says

1.8.5 FavorITSM

In order to regulate the Real ITSM industry, and thereby protect the integrity of RITSI and public confidence in Real ITSM, RITSI issues compliance certification to users, products, and services under the FavorITSM program.

Other frameworks have sadly neglected the revenue potential of such compliance certification, and have left it open to foraging commercial entities. RITSI has no intention of making the same mistake, although for a suitable consideration from an interested party we could conceivably reconsider this policy.

"Other frameworks" was a pointed reference to ITIL and OGC and the lack of any official product certification. All that has changed.

In another part of the book, I said something which looks ... ahem... prophetic now:

Unlike some other frameworks, Real ITSM does not overlook the opportunity, and of course the importance, of certifying organisational and product compliance to Real ITSM.

It is frequently stated that loosely worded frameworks such as Real ITSM or ITIL are too vague and too open to interpretation to serve as the basis for compliance certification. Simple consideration of the problem shows the error in this reasoning. Such degrees of freedom make it easier to assess compliance, not harder. So the RITSI’s FavorITSM program will, for a small fee, issue Real ITSM compliance certification to any product, organisation or individual who
• Has the money
• Assures the Institute that they are compliant

RITSI recognises that in some circumstances these strict criteria might unreasonably restrict an entity’s ability to achieve certification, so Real ITSM certification follows the ISO 20000 model by allowing candidates to define the scope within which their offering is to be considered for compliance.

So for example a company could seek compliance within just one country. Or a consultant could seek compliance for just their suit and shoes rather than their whole service.

Certified entities are expected to always specify the scope of certification when referring to their certificate. Actually we expect you never will but “expected” is a nice cop-out word to say it is not our fault when you don’t.

In order to facilitate this process, a compliance spreadsheet is available on the website at www.realitsm.com with the “yes” responses helpfully defaulted. The submission mechanism and payment details can be found there too, as well as a public database of accredited entities.

No organisation may conduct certified compliance assessments, or offer alternate Real ITSM compliance certification schemes without accreditation, for a not so small fee, from RITSI.

Note: as the official accreditation agency for the RITSI, all fees are paid to Two Hills Ltd.

Instead of a "compliance spreadsheet", the realitsm website now has a self-assessment engine to assess anything against Real ITSM. Look in vain for the "submission mechanism and payment details [and] a public database of accredited entities". TSO took way over a year to deliver the ITIL Live™ portal so I don't feel too bad about not having done this yet. I figure - like TSO - the later I am the more I can charge for it. No-one is beating down my door for it.

I think I'll hold off on fixing the book. There is a lot happening in the world right now. Truth is stranger than fiction.