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ITIL Master (Version 5): More Than a Badge
I was honoured to be featured recently in an ITIL Master (Version 5): enhancing career credibility case study published by PeopleCert. The article reflects on my journey from ITIL 4 Master to ITIL Master (Version 5) and, more importantly, why I believe the latest evolution of ITIL matters for organisations navigating constant change. One of…
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Why We Need to Practise Cyber Incidents, Not Just Plan for Them
Recently I spent half a day taking part in a Cyber Attack Hydra simulation at the University of Lancashire (where I undertook my MSc Agile Leadership Studies). I went expecting to learn more about cyber security. Instead, I found myself thinking much more deeply about leadership, governance and decision making. The event was kindly funded…
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ITSM: are we now digital psychologists?
The article highlights the importance of user experience in IT services, illustrating how a student’s perception of Wi-Fi can influence future interactions. It emphasizes that delivering reliable systems alone is insufficient; fostering trust, clarity, and confidence is crucial. As technology evolves, understanding user experiences will shape superior service delivery and satisfaction.
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Designing Security into the Product & Service Lifecycle with Security Stories (ITIL (Version 5) & Agile)
Security Stories are fictional scenarios highlighting potential system exploits from an attacker’s perspective, allowing agile teams to address security risks during development. This proactive approach aligns with ITIL (Version 5), emphasizing the importance of integrating security early in the Product and Service Lifecycle to reduce costs associated with retrofitting.
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Don’t Blink: You are the Human Firewall!
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World Class? We Built It!
This keynote tells the story of a service desk that didn’t wait for recognition—it earned it. From modest beginnings, this small team built trust, refined processes, and raised expectations across the board. With no shortcuts and no spotlight, they proved that world-class service isn’t about size—it’s about standards, ownership, and showing up every day with…
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Principles: The Quiet Backbone of PRINCE2 and ITIL
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All Four. Always.
The article discusses the recurring issues in digital change within Further Education, emphasizing the importance of integrated systems thinking. It highlights that poor upstream decision-making leads to friction and diminished trust in services. The author seeks feedback from the ITSM community regarding the feasibility of end-to-end management using ITIL principles in collaborative sectors.
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Digital Product & Service Management: The Lifecycle That Finally Made It All Make Sense
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Runshaw College’s journey to SOC
I joined the incredible Jasmine Reid, Senior Service Manager for JISC’s Security Operations Centre at the 2025 Security Conference. We spent some time talking about the SOC product, and our early experiences of onboarding and the benefits I felt it would bring to the College, my colleagues and our students.
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The Road To World Class: How Runshaw Became The 1st Educational Organisation to Achieve 5 Star Certification
How does a College based in Lancashire UK, become the first academic institution and public sector organisation to achieve ‘World – Class’ Service Desk Certification status? How did the IT Services department go from “uncertifiable” to 5-Star, and what impact and value has this created? Join me and David Wright for an exclusive session with…
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New Beginnings
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Designing Exceptional IT Service Desk Experiences: A Human-Centered Approach
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Nina, Tony & Friends – Customer Personas and Journey Mapping
Follow the journey of Nina, a high performing student, and Tony, her supportive teacher, as they explore technology andconsume the services we provide. We’ll take a deep dive into Agile techniques such as creating user/customer Personas, and look into journey mapping. This will help you understand how you can use these to inform your decision…
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VIP Programme
Again, my good friend and and colleague Andrew Gant and I were asked to put together a session about our VIP programme, for an online event with the Service Desk Institute in 2021. “Andrew Gant, Service Desk Team Leader and Alex Harding, Head of IT Services,Print Shop & IT Facilities from Runshaw College discuss their VIP programme and explain…
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From Hated to Honoured
My good friend and and colleague Andrew Gant and I were asked to put together a session about the early part of our improvement journey for an online event with the Service Desk Institute after being runners up for Best Service Desk 2020. “Runshaw College IT service team share their 14 year journey to transitioning…
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The Life and Times of Miscreants, Attackers, Abusers, Misusers and Evil Folk.
This was the subject of my 2019 Masters Thesis/Project. Abstract The Information Security landscape is ever changing, and faced with new threats, new legislation and decreasing finances it’s imperative that we consider new and novel methods to analyse and document these risks. This Action Research project report explores the deployment of a number of Agile…
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An Agile Approach to GDPR Implementation within a Further Education College
The General Data Protection Regulation sees a fundamental shift in the way in which data is handled, stored and distributed. Massive uncertainty exists due to the UKs proposed exit of the European Union and this has resulted in a complacent, ignorant attitude to the changes within a large number of UK businesses and public sector…
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A Study into the Adoption of, and Enthusiasm for Agile Development Methodologies Within Further Education
This paper describes a survey of UK Further Education professionals in order to determine the uptake and use of Agile Methodologies. Thirty individuals, including directors, managers and developers, completed the survey. The results indicate a low level (<25%) of Agile adoption within the sector, and this mirrors findings in the wider public sector, despite there…
1TakeOn: thoughts, ideas and insights on ITSM & more. 