The Importance And Advantages Of Combining The ITIL And PMP Frameworks

There are two frameworks that are commonly in use when dealing with project management in IT organizations. One is ITIL and the other is PMP. ITIL stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library and it is a set of concepts and practices designed entirely to help with Information Technology Services Management or ITSM. The other one is PMP, or project management framework, which is basically the same as ITIL but it is structured differently and puts more importance on other matters.

There a good number of professionals who are under the impression that ITIL and PMP project management certifications were frameworks which conflicted that each other. They believed that you can specialize in one or the other but never both at the same time. The ITIL framework and the Project management framework serve different purposes and are most useful whenever used together.

The ITIL framework works like a lifecycle, addressing the IT organization in a business driven way and focuses on whether or not the organization as a whole are doing the right things; whereas the project management framework focuses on the implementation of the projects throughout the entire organization and makes sure that everything is executed in the most efficient manner.

It is the UK office of Government Commerce, also known as the OGC that is responsible for the management and distribution of materials on the ITIL framework. They, the OGC, are also the ones responsible for another framework known as the PRINCE2. The PRINCE2 management framework is used predominantly throughout Europe and it is both the PRINCE2 and the ITIL framework which follows a similar lifecycle approach on their given subjects. In the Americas, it is the Project Management Institute that manages PMP certification and this, too, overlaps with the PRINCE 2 management framework. The PMP certification is based on the content contained within the Project Management Body of Knowledge, or the PMBOK, which is a book that is published by the PMI. The PMBOK is structured around nine knowledge areas which are put to use throughout a projects existence.

There are many professionals that believe ITIL and PMP are focusing on the same things and believe that learning both of them is a waste of time. This is, simply put, flat out untrue. Through combining the ITIL framework with the project management framework, this will give you the ability to execute projects with more precision and the end result would be of much higher quality as both of these frameworks provide a detailed set of instructions on how an IT organization should handle itself. While there are a few structural differences, combining both of these frameworks is potentially highly beneficial for an IT organization. It is very likely that in the very near future, IT professionals will begin to understand why they must be both an ITIL expert and have a PMP certification.

There are some notable similarities between ITIL and PMP frameworks. ITIL focuses on how IT organizations should act as a whole while PMP places attention on how individual projects within organizations should be executed. PMP applies to all the projects within an entire organization and not just those concerning IT. Both of these frameworks rely heavily on the use of tools to enable consistent execution of processes. Both of these frameworks complement each other in such a way that it propels services and operations to a much higher level of proficiency.

Moreover, these frameworks address the need to handle quality, accountability, and risk. But the most important thing of all is how both ITIL and PMP consistently help improve the usefulness and efficiency of an organization. There are many who believe that whenever ITIL framework goes according to the ideal model, then all will transpire smoothly and go according to plan. But in reality, this end result is too optimistic and does not work within the business world. An organization must implement measures that allow certain individual projects to be finished within a few months so as to achieve a desirable end result.

There are, however, some differences between the ITIL framework and the project management framework but these are rather insignificant when you compare it to the overall effectiveness of combining these two frameworks. As was mentioned before, project management is not limited to IT. The PMP framework focuses on the executing projects in the most efficient manner and can be applied to any area of any organisation. ITIL is unlike the project management framework as the latter framework does not use a lifecycle approach but is organized into nine key knowledge areas: project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, communications, risk, and procurement management.

As aforementioned, instead of analyzing the breakdown of a project, the ITIL framework places its attention on the whole picture, making it different. By focusing on things as a whole through a lifecycle approach, ITIL makes sure to examine service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation, and continual service improvement. Take, for example, an organization that is making and distributing an email service what ITIL will do is, it will evaluate what is needed; PMP will look at that information and further break it down into increments and make it much easier to handle. Now consider how to take the project management approach and implement it to ITIL. How can ITIL be effectively implemented using the principles found within the PMBOK? Many professionals who specialize in both PMP and ITIL have been bothered by this question. Working with organizations to determine the most effective way to implement the ITIL service management framework commonly leads to the realization that a series of projects that are executed through a program management office is the best and most efficient way to go about things. The challenge is to find out which projects brings measurable, incremental improvements which will aid in organizational change.

The continual service improvement model of ITIL provides the structure for making a roadmap for ITIL implementation projects. This roadmap will allow you to find your way about the complex interactions between processes. It is worth noting that there are numerous books which have been published on the subject of effective ITIL implementations. A majority of these are rather consistent in their approach; begin with creating a stable environment wherein you are in control of the impact of changes and decrease the duration of outages.

If you are looking for ways to maximize your company's effectiveness, then getting ITIL training as well as PMP certification will definitely help your company prosper in a way you've never seen before. Implementing various levels of checkpoints as you go along the way will guarantee that you keep your services up-to-date and will raise performance in such a way to keep up with the needs of your customers as well as their demands. Ignoring one framework may lead to harder projects which will lead to wasting important time, money, and skills.

ITIL and PMP have a strong and positive impact on how IT departments can support the business as a whole. However, to this day, many IT organizations fail to understand what the ITIL and PMP framework can do when combined. They do not recognize how it can ensure that projects are finished in an efficient and timely manner. Failing to do this may leave a company trailing behind and it can be quite costly in the long run.