Can you get Pokemon Poliwag from reading ITIL?

[seanpmcclean]

No.

No, seriously.   You can't.   On the other hand if you are parked at a PokeStop while reading this you can pause every couple min to spin the spinner and collect some stuff.  

Go Ahead.

I'll wait.

OK now that you're back, I'm hoping to borrow your attention for just a few minutes.   I'm going to tell point out some interesting similarities between Pokemon and ITIL.   And if you are wondering what Pokemon is, … well…

Pokemon was game phenomenon of the mid 90's, involving "Pocket Monsters" (see, both ITIL and your favorite games are based on weird contractions).  

ITIL (or the Information Technology Infrastructure Library) was an IT phenomenon that started in the 80's but really took off in the mid to later 90's.

Pokemon is based on a very simple core:   You (the game player) play the role of a "trainer" for "pocket monsters" that you manage (ok, "capture" and train) that you can then use to take over the world!!

ITIL is based on a very simple core: you (the IT professional) play different "roles" for   "processes"   that manage, which in turn create, manage, improve new Information tools and services that you can use to take over the worl-er-at least your IT department…

Both the game (and the framework) have ebbed and flowed, resurging in popularity when a new version, or a new technology has breathed life back into it.

Both the framework (and the game) seem to inspire wide eyed, foaming at the mouth evangelists, willing to dive into (and argue) every detail and nuance, and share these details everywhere.   I should know.   I've er foamed a little, about both…

Which is a crying shame, because both the game (and the framework) have a value that are so much more than the details. The real value in both comes from their ability to give extremely different and broad range of people a common ground.   Something to start them communicating and collaborating.

So don't be intimidated by all the rules / details that the hard-core folks are dying to tell you about.   Just get the basics:

• It's based on a framework (for the ITIL framework, check here, or here, or best yet, here - for Pokemon, well google it)
• There are new technologies that are built around that framework that provide a common ground for collaboration, integration and communication (and for ITIL of course, I'm going to suggest you look a little deeper into ServiceNow)

Now go out and get that Wild Weedle - I hear they're worth a lot of CP's (whatever that means…)