Accredited ITIL®4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy
Overview
ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy, or DITS for short, is the last course to be released in a series of five intermediate ITIL levels. This course is designed for Digital Leaders who are seeking to pursue the ITIL 4 Strategic Leader certification. It provides insight into what the best digital organizations get right as well as the pitfalls to avoid when approaching a digital transformation. Regardless of your role within an organization, there are lots of ideas, tools, and techniques contained within the DITS course that will help you, your team, and your organization improve how products and services are designed, developed, delivered, and improved. Access to select content requires an exam voucher
Accredited ITIL®4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy Overview
Your hosts Chris and Zach introduce you to the ITIL 4 Leader: Digital and IT Strategy course and why someone would want to take and pass this certification. *Access to this content requires an exam voucher*
ITIL4 leader, digital and IT strategy,
brand new course let's talk about it.
You're watching ITPRO TV
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Hello and welcome to, and
I'm very excited about-
Yes.
This is the ITIL leader,
digital and IT strategy course.
And I'm Zach and this is Chris,
Chris good to see you and thank you-
Good to see you again.
Thank you for this course.
This is-
Yeah.
Really exciting.
Yeah, it's really exciting because this
is really one of the last things
we're gonna see from axles for
a while because this completes
its entire five core books that
they're going to release about ITIL 4.
And this of course,
is leaning into the wonderful
world of their new certification
called ITIL 4 strategic leader.
Now everything that Jo, and I, and
Zach have been talking about up until now,
for the most part,
has been about the wonderful
world of managing professional.
Which is that you kind of we would say
replace the ITIL expert as
an overall certification at that
level.
But then most of the time, we were always
showing you that hey, wow, there's
this new one called strategic leader.
And one of the courses that you needed
we've already done which is digital,
excuse me, I once did this,
digital an IT strategy,
which is what we're talking about.
A direct plan and improve or
DPI is kind of bridge from
the managing professional
into strategic leader.
And so we're going to be covering that,
and excited though,
because this is going to be a great course
for all of you who are not only maybe just
in an operational role or
middle management role.
I am encouraged because I'm sure many
of you as new members here at IT PRO TV
are also C suites, senior management,
VPs next your name, and stuff like that.
Because that's truly as we're going to
see kind of the I don't wanna say target
audience but that's where really the core
of what they're gonna be focusing on
in doing some of those.
I think we can address
the elephant in the room real quick.
I've also heard this called DITS
Yes.
Is that correct?
DITS, DITS or just D-I-T-S,
I mean, I've heard very,
very high level individuals
in Axelos say at one way and
then the other one say at the other.
At this point,
I'll probably say all three at some point.
I'm sure you will too, Zach.
Or more abbreviated as DITS.
Yes, DITS, which that also happens.
So to welcome you here and
just to kind of say,
what are some of the things that
we're gonna be talking about here?
The important thing is, of course,
is that this is from AXELOS.
This is a part of the ITIL4
framework that we have,
and started back in 2018 being released.
And now here at the end as we
record this in December of 2020,
they've rolled this out just
a little bit earlier this year, and
it is the new shiny thing that's
out there and really good.
So first off,
it's kinda like a series of questions.
Number one is how do we
develop a digital strategy?
Okay, we're gonna be talking about digital
strategy, and digital transformation, and
digital that, and digital this.
And this is one of the big
things that we're looking at.
And then, of course, with the digital
strategy, how are we going to leverage
the technology that's out there in order
to get a better customer experience and
move towards that digital
strategy that we've defined?
And then finally, how do we know if
we should invest into a technology or
as we talked about in our previous HPIT,
hivelocity IT course?
You can get so moving so
fast in a certain direction and
then that technology is like,
that was grea,t everybody wants to use it.
No, not anymore.
Because everybody moves
off to something else.
When I see this right here,
is it or is it a fad?
I recall back when VR was kind of new.
Yeah.
And they were just talking about VR,
and what it is, and what it could be.
Yeah.
And for
a while there it was a hot button and
then it just kind of faded away.
Yeah.
And now it's come back.
Definitely, yeah.
Has done a full circle.
Yeah, and the thing is,
is that literally this coursee
is all about that leadership.
It's written for digital leaders,
it's written for
people that try to get insight into
what is it gonna take to make our
organizations truly
a digital organization?
How do we make sure that we are not
only the ones that are trying to be
the disruptors or the ones that kind
of make the market follow us or
the industry or the ecosystem?
As we're going to see using digital
disruption, what does that look like?
And how do we do that but yet
don't go a direction that we shouldn't?
And in that, the crystal ball that
we all wish that we had, well,
there's some principles that we have.
There are a lot of ideas, tools,
techniques that we can use.
But as we're gonna see, this is not
a literal, okay, step one, you do this,
step two, you do this, step.
It's not a list of steps,
it's the overall concepts and
guiding principles because we know
a lot about those guiding principles.
And
you've already said that this is more of
a framework-
Yes.
Than anything else.
Right, which is what ITIL is,
I mean ITIL is a framework and
that's what we're gonna be following.
So you might be saying, okay, Chris,
we're already about five minutes
into the first episode of digital and
ITIL strategy.
Why should we be taking this class?
Well, a couple of things.
[LAUGH]
Number one,
it really does focus on the importance and
challenge of creating that appropriate
digital strategy to help enable your
business to do what it needs to do.
And how it can and should be integrated
into the IT strategy, aligned with
the wider business and remember,
it's now not just alignment anymore.
It's you are actually coming together and
integrating.
The unification.
The unification of those two things,
the business and the IT now it's all
morphed into one concept because you are a
true digital organization in what we do.
Which also means it explores the use of,
we said it already, the ITIL framework,
and how that supports the organizations
in that digital transformation journey.
Going from where you were, and
I think it's safe to say Zach that many
companies right now, it's not like
they're back in the Stone Age,
and they don't have any IT,
or anything else.
But now there's almost pure digital
organization that everybody's looking at.
How do we get there, all right?
How do we get that structure?
How do we make sure that we have the
foundations in place but yet at the top,
we're flexible, and we can pivot, we can
move, we can go anywhere we need to go.
And that's a part of it, and utilizing
the modern potential of technology or
I should say potential
of modern technology.
To get the most value from your digital
technology, what you're doing for them.
And then third, and
probably not real finally,
but this really is kind of coming
at it as slightly different way.
Now right before we started the episode,
Zach we were kind of talking
a little bit about how a lot of
the ITIL managing professional is a lot
more focused on almost coming from
an operational middle management,
a tactical, operational kind of a thing.
Yeah, I mean it's not
the you ignore strategy.
That's why we have direct plan and
improve.
We mentioned it in HEBIT, we're not
ignoring it, but I hate to say it but
it's kinda coming more from that almost
middle management, operational developers,
all kind of working together.
And only giving kind of lip service
to the heads of our organization,
the board of directors, the CEO, CTO,
CIO, every O, and a C in front of it.
[LAUGH]
And VP level type of stuff,
the senior management and
what they're trying to do, how they're
trying to get involved in this.
And so
this elevates this discussion of the ITIL
concepts into arenas that you
will see in the boardrooms.
That you will see when the board of
directors are getting together and
the CEO is going this is not only
the vision and purpose of what we are, but
where we're going with it.
That's where ITIL says,
we need to be a part of that too.
Now, story tell you I was at
a organization, a financial institution
here on the East Coast, and I literally
sat down with the chief operating
officer who was part of getting ITIL
rolled out into this organization.
And as he sat down in front of me,
and he says, Chris,
when I sit with my other five or
six individuals,
all have C in front of
their titles as well.
They're always looking at me and
they're asking, okay, so
we're spending all this money on that
infamous, you're spending on this,
what is this going to do for us,
how does it make our organization better?
And he says, all I can tell them it's this
kind of like framework thing that helps
the IT department work
better with the business.
And he says, but it's really hard to kind
of describe that and to bring that up.
Well, guess what, by having the ITIL
suite in place, ITIL says look,
here is what it looks like at
a high level strategic view.
And one of the big things that I've said,
Jo has said,
Zach has even hinted at in all of
the courses that we've done for
ITIL4, is that the strategy
needs to set the vision.
And everything needs to align and
roll into that vision,
otherwise You're just going to
be stumbling over yourself.
You might get some stuff done, and
people do, but this course is really and
I know it sounds like I'm really
pumping it, but it's a great course.
And I like the fact that we're gonna have
a kind of slightly different audience with
some of you.
And so the technical mumbo jumbo
that you might get in a lot of this,
yeah, not so
much than what we'll see here.
Now a couple of things, in fact, probably
a best thing to do is to say, well,
what is a digital and
IT strategy, and what is it not?
Let's start with what it is.
It's an examination of the role of
a strategy in a digitally enabled
organization, we've
mentioned that twice now.
It's an overview of the capabilities that
if we're competing in this new world that
we're in,
and we're in the new millennium, we're two
decades into the new millennium already.
And what does that look like?
What is the future hold?
How do we evaluate the new technology?
You don't wanna have a fad, you don't
wanna have something that just sounds cool
and it's gimmicky, but it really
has no true business value to it.
And then ways of thinking
about innovation.
So that way we not only are at the cutting
edge on this implementation of
digital technology, but we're at the
forefront, and we disrupt our industry.
It's the infamous, what happened
when Uber came in, and Lyft, and
the ride sharing, where all of a sudden,
what was a very strong industry of
transportation in metropolitan areas with
taxis and buses and stuff like that.
And they came in and they just
revolutionized and they disrupted,
and now taxi companies are pulling
in a lot of the same technology and
the same principles that you
find on something like Uber.
As well they should.
So what we're gonna see here in
DITS we're gonna see a methodology
that we can use to help us
be disruptors in the market.
Yeah.
Is that what you're saying?
Yeah, definitely.
And and sometimes it's going to be
responding to some of the disruptions.
How do we accurately,
do we just try to mimic it?
How do we react?
Yeah, do we react and just go,
we'll just do the same thing or
do we say that's a good idea, but
maybe we can spin it on its head and
do something a little bit better.
Makes sense.
So that's what digital and
IT strategy is about.
Now what is it not?
You'll notice the right hand
side of the table here.
It is not a how to guide.
It is not a list of do this,
don't do this.
This is the way to borrow from
our great show that you and
I love watching, the Mandalorian.
This is the way.
This is the way.
So-
But this is not that.
Yeah, not it's not that, so
don't be a Mandalorian with this.
You wanna be much more like if we're
using the character like Cara Dune,
The Ranger, who she's gotta
just shoots and hip sometimes.
So we'll go with that one.
It is not an overview of using specific
emerging technologies, a lot of people
say, well what about like, Gartner's Magic
Quadrant and looking at stuff like that?
Well, but see,
part of what they're trying to do is
predict a little bit of the future.
This is no how do we
decide what the future is?
How do we respond is what
some of that feature is, and
make sure that we're not way
back in the back of the bus.
So those are some tools you could use,
but at the same time we're
trying to say ITIL is not gonna
say like AI is everything and
all everything, that and a bag of chips.
What there are gonna say is that AI
is being used in very good ways, and
maybe you could use it in a way
that helps your organization.
And again, it's not a forecast, again,
go check out Gartner's Magic Quadrant if
you wanna be looking at what's going in
where things are happening in the new
technologies and stuff like that.
But it is a really important thing.
By the way, even though it's not a how to,
[SOUND] here we go,
here's our little book-
X series.
Expos, see the ITIL right there
[SOUND], and digital and IT strategy.
So official materials and so-
It's recommended that we have one.
Yes, I will say that if you haven't
already, make sure you go out and
get a copy of it.
I know it's a little bit more
money to go grab it, but-
Even Amazon has it.
Amazon has it, yeah, you should be able
to Look it up or just go to tsoshop.org.uk
or The Stationery Office if you're looking
for on Google, be looking for that.
Now, the one interesting
thing about this to kind of
finalize this is it is a two
part assessment, okay?
The first, the new part is what they
call a practical exercises assessment or
a practical assessment.
This is where we are going to be giving
to you, it's in your downloadables.
You're going to have four little
practical assignments that you must do.
And we'll get into in a little
bit more detail about it, right?
I'm just gonna say in subsequent
episodes we're gonna be looking at that
assessment.
Yeah.
And in the MCQ as well.
Yeah, so you've got the practical
assessments and Zach just mentioned it,
the MCQ, multiple choice question exam.
Which is also you can't take that
until you've already given your
practical assignments in, turn them in.
And well, like I said check out
that episode, we'll go through it-
Coming right up.
Yeah,
we'll go through that in great detail.
Two things though I want you
to leave this episode with.
And that is that if you
can keep this in mind,
you're going to be doing quite
well all the way through.
First stop is we start talking
about that word digital.
There's gonna be a lot of
definitions of some words.
Very similar, if you've already
taken our hivelocity IT course,
you're gonna see a lot of that type
of terminology, digital strategy,
digital organizations, digital products,
digitization, all those things.
And I like to keep it simple and
practical.
Yeah [LAUGH].
Digitization allows us to-
Right.
Dot, dot, dot.
Exactly, and
those are some good things.
So the process of transforming
something from the old, analogue,
whether that was text or video or
audio or stuff into the digital world,
binary, 1's and 0's makes it better or
I should say easier to manipulate,
maintain, transfer, etc.
But there's this other one called
digital transformation, okay?
Digital and IT strategy really is
all going to be about this, and so
that's why I need you to
understand something.
And if this is your very first [LAUGH]-
[LAUGH]
ITIL4 a course
with us after your foundation.
We like to point out-
Yes.
That would you should really know for
the exam.
Now this is my little dude, this is
Pippin, or I'm sorry Peregrin took Ward
my daughter's Corgi, and Pippin is
always liking to point out things.
And so when you see Pippin, pay attention.
Pay attention.
Pay attention.
So guess what?
Pippin says you need to
know this definition.
I'm not really big on brute force
memorization, but I guarantee you if you
keep this concept in your head
throughout this entire course,
it's gonna make it a lot easier for you.
So make sure you know the use of digital
technology to enable a significant
improvement in the realization of the
organization's objectives that could not
been feasible unless if it was tried
to be achieved in non-digital way.
In other words, you have to be digital.
And that's how you transform,
it needs to be digital.
And Pippin says, absolutely.
And grove says absolutely and
I say absolutely.
ITIL4 leader DITS, please join us for
subsequent episodes.
So glad to have you with us.
We'll see you again.
Thank you for watching ITPRO TV.
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Learning Style
On Demand
Length of course
17h 3m
75 Episodes
Here are the topics we'll cover
- Introduction
- ITIL ® Guiding Principles in DITS and Leveraging Digital Strategy
- Using DITS to Remain Viable in Environments Disrupted by Digital Technology
- Where Are We Now?
- Where Do We Want To Be?
- How Do We Get There - Defining and Communicating the Strategy
- Take Action - Implementing a Digital and IT Strategy
- Did We Get There - Assessing the Success of a Digital and IT Strategy
- How Do We Keep The Momentum Going? - Maintaining the Course
- Required Leadership Skills in a Digital Organization
- Innovation
- Managing Risk for Digital and IT Strategy
- Operating Models for Digital Organizations
- Preparing for the Exams
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