Can Agile, Lean and ITIL Coexist?

Abstract

Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is frequently perceived as overly wordy and bureaucratic while Agile and Lean methodologies are often positioned as a rejection of heavy handed process and governance. But IT Service Management, Agile, and Lean are all focused on the same thing: How to get valuable work done quickly and efficiently in the complex world of IT in order to enable a business's competitive edge. Delivering IT solutions at the speed-of-business while maintaining quality, performance and availability of the Live Environment is a constant balancing act among simultaneous constraints. ITIL, Agile and Lean all contain best-practices to define and manage these constraints and the contexts in which they exist. The authors will compare and contrast the core of these methodologies to show how they align with the goal of providing a roadmap for successful implementation and coexistence.