Setting the Stage for a Successful ITIL Adoption: A Delphi Study of IT Experts in the Norwegian Armed Forces

Abstract

There is a growing interest in businesses around the world when it comes to professionalize IT operation by implementing process-based frameworks built on best practices. There are, however, indications that firms in general find the concept of ITIL challenging, and that many firms are confused about how to implement ITIL successfully. This research has studied what are the most important factors for the successful adoption of ITIL, and bases its results and conclusions on a study in which a ranking-type approach to the Delphi method has been conducted in the Norwegian Armed Forces. A panel of experts on the adoption of ITIL has participated through the method three phases: brainstorming, reduction and ranking. The result is a ranked list of the most important factors, which clearly demonstrates that issues related to management, and leadership, competence and training, information and communication, stakeholders' involvement, and culture, are considered by the experts as most important. Factors related to technology and methodology was ranked lower. This paper validates the results of earlier studies, and provides additional knowledge about the factors that influence successful ITIL adoption.

Keywords:

• IT service management
• IT infrastructure library
• the Delphi method
• success factors