ITIL Master: Sharon Cline
ITIL is still a vague concept to many. ITIL, which stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is a set of books, a library, that describes in concept and in detail how to manage the complex activities related to technical support. Once students are in the classroom, the ITIL abstractions are made concrete through case studies, exercises and practical homework assignments. Then the real challenge begins. ITIL exams, particularly the Manager’s exam, are notoriously challenging.
Ameriprise Financial has implemented an ITIL framework and their "Subject Matter Expert", Share Cline, Director of Technologies, wanted to get her certification to continue driving their Service Management objectives with ITIL. With responsibility for each aspect of ITIL, Sharon recently passed the ITIL Manager’s Certification Exam.
Preparing for the Exams
To prepare for the exams, Sharon attended the New Horizons Manager class which provided a good overview of the material, including practice exams. In addition to the class and the review session, Sharon attended an additional review session on Saturday that her instructor facilitated to gather the team to review the case study. “This was an excellent way to get different perspectives on what we read in the case and identify potential questions that could come up. Also, the sample exams and scoring provided an opportunity to see if what we wrote was close to what the graders would be looking for.”
Sharon felt the class was beneficial because there were several students all with the same goal. Students shared ideas, study guides, fun ways to memorize things, and the stress of going through the class and the exams. “My classmates were a great group of folks. I don't know how I'd have gotten through the exams without them.”
To assist with her exam preparation, Sharon gathered a great support system. “In addition to my classmates, I enlisted the support of my family knowing that I would be taking time away from them in order to dedicate the time to be successful with the exams. My boss and co-workers were also a great source of support.”
With the volume of material covered, Sharon put a plan together to ensure she covered all the content. Her process included summarizing the notes from the two weeks of classes in a notebook with the key material for each process, e.g., goals, objectives, benefits, process steps, etc., reading the corresponding chapter in the book for what was covered in the class – adding to any notes, and putting index cards together with questions on one side and the answers on the other. To be successful, she dedicated time on evenings and weekends to study and review the material
Advice from Sharon Cline
New Horizons of Minnesota provided the structure of the class, the materials, the study guides, the qualified instructors and a forum to learn, which made the quest for certification that much easier. New Horizons of Minnesota should continue to do what they’re doing.
Ensure you have a good understanding of the processes before going to class. Preferably that means you've read both books and have some practitioner classes under your belt. This would give students a good basis to start from. I didn't read the books before the class so that added to my workload as I was going through the notes I had to do the reading as well.
“The Manager Exam preparation was tough and writing two 3 hour essays was no picnic. But as is true with most things, nothing worthwhile is easy.” Sharon suggests that if you sign up for the Exam be prepared to commit to doing whatever you need to do to be successful and leverage all the resources and support you have available. She highly recommends that students read the blue and red books. “By preparing well in advance, you, too, will be successful!”
Becoming a Champion
Sharon decided to take the ITIL Manager/Master certification class for a couple of reasons. She felt as a leader in a Service Management organization, it was necessary to have the ITIL accreditation as Ameriprise continues to drive toward higher level ITIL certification. She also believes the certification will ensure her marketability and help enhance her career aspirations. “At Ameriprise and many other corporations, ITIL is the way Operations is run. Whether you are heavily outsourced or do your Operations in house, ITIL provides consistent processes to ensure quality services. It's helping me now and in the future. It's a stepping stone.”
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