Background to the course

Opimise developed the Focus Framework to cover "support workload management" which is a critical aspect of IT service management not present in ITIL or any other best practice guidance. The framework has two parts:
 

1. Twenty high performance principles. The principles, taught in this free course, are the criteria necessary for IT support to be done well, to be attentive to service recipient needs and expectations, making the course highly practical in nature.
 

2. Tool-based capabilities that bring the principles to life by continuously guiding teams in the best way possible. Called Flow Management (FM), the capabilities are a modern service system of "true best practice" covering all operational needs. FM is referenced in the course to provide context for alternative approaches.
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Course Objectives

1. Form a Complete, Advanced Way of Working

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The course highlights 27 aspects of an IT support team's responsibilities, emphasising the need for a complete way of working that balances these operational requirements.

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A complete way of working is especially important for when new team members join a support team. It is insufficient to merely explain how systems are supported. A good new employee experience requires comprehensive guidance incorporating policies, processes, practices, and procedures that cover all work responsibilities.

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Guidance is in the form of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Well-developed SOPs unify a team’s purpose and enhance service quality, supporting improvement objectives that might arise from IT Experience Management (ITXM).​ By bringing SOPs together into a team manual, they also empower managers by providing a framework for addressing deviations from established standards.

 

​2. Bring Success for Support Service Experience in ITXM

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IT support is usually a key area for ITXM because slow, inattentive, or failed support affects about 10% of all service tickets. However, without understanding the Focus Framework, the root causes remain unclear or unknown, so improved processes and procedures to address "the big problem" cannot be derived and introduced.​

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Consequently, teams may be pressured to reduce ticket volume, a strategy that often exacerbates service failures. A better strategy is to add a dedicated manager to oversee and steer progress for all open tickets, but micromanaging is a thankless task, and ticket owners much prefer being enabled to do their job well.

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The course clarifies the causes of untimely support, and offers solutions. By fostering attentiveness, the two usual strategies are avoided, removing detriment.
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Who is the course for?

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There are two versions of the course. First, the course is for managers wishing to develop SOP manuals - an advanced "Service Desk Guide", and for upper-tier managers, a "Level 3 Support Guide".​ ​​The paid-for option adds further practical guidance, including the full scope of best practice considerations beyond those covered by the Focus Framework.

 

Assistance from Opimise is available and can include building online courses for your SOP manuals, which are ideal as an induction asset for new support team members.​​

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The second version is for support team members to better understand the "why" behind processes and procedures developed into your manuals. The paid-for option leads to "High Performance Principles" certification based on quizzes and in-practice assessment*.​​​​​​​​ Certification is available for managers too.

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Time commitment for the free course material is 90-minutes across 25 lessons.

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Intrigued as to what the principles are? Read the course brochure...

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