In late 2012, a national charity organization engaged Kirk Penn from Service Management Specialists to provide ITSM-based expertise and advisory to the CIO. The organization was undergoing a broader internal improvement initiative, and the CIO was interested in implementing a formal IT Services Lifecycle to increase the value proposition of IT to the business and lift the overall performance of the IT team. However, the team was siloed and cross-team communication was at an all-time low.

Kirk provided a six-point "Summary and Recommendations plan" that focused on two key areas. Firstly, it uplifted the current operational processes by implementing formal operational processes, enhancing their existing ITSM platform, and highlighting pragmatic steps to uplift the key IT operational staff. Secondly, Kirk developed a mock-up of a business-facing IT Services Catalogue and a robust ongoing communications plan to explain the IT Service's journey to all stakeholders, both technical and non-technical.

Additionally, Kirk built out a longer-term approach for introducing the more formal elements of service strategy and service design by reviewing the vital business functions and sharing tips for raising the profile of IT within the business. As a result of the engagement, the CIO felt well-supported with a clear and defined approach for building on the ITSM baseline developed to date. The operational teams had started to respond to the improved ways of working and were undertaking formal ITIL training to upskill themselves even further.