ITIL Master: Sonja Wieber
ITIL is still a vague concept to many. Descriptions seem unnecessarily abstract. ITIL, which stands for Information Technology Infrastructure Library, is actually 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.
When a company is on an improvement path and is utilizing ITIL, someone inevitably rises up to become “the Subject Matter Expert, the orchestrator, the champion.” The ITIL Manager’s course is designed for those people. Sonja Wieber, the Head of IT Service Management for RBC Dain Rauscher, is one such individual. Sonja recently passed both ITIL Manager’s Exams (Service Support, the “how” of daily procedures; and Service Delivery, the “tactics” of business processes and planning). Not only that, she passed with Distinction. Suffice it to say, this is a big deal.
Preparing for the Exams
In order to prepare for the exams, Sonja talked to everyone who had taken them and received study tips. As a “visual” learner, she decided to make flashcards of key points - though she didn’t use them as much as she thought she would. Ultimately, the key to Sonja’s success was the small study group that she formed with three other individuals in her class who she knew from their “other work lives.” They met twice a week prior to taking the exams. One of the individuals in her group made a study CD, and even though she chuckled about it, she said it helped to listen to that, as well. Sonja said, “I honestly didn’t think I would benefit from the study group, but it was one of the biggest benefits of the class.”
Advice
Sonja’s advice for other people preparing for the Manager’s exams is to study every night for a month prior to the tests. Reading the ITIL books before taking the Manager’s course was also beneficial for Sonja. She was adamant about the importance of writing out answers to practice exams. “You can know the material inside and out,” she said, “but you have to be able to write concisely.” She also urges students, during their week of class, to take their study tests each night without looking back on the day’s materials. For people who are only focused on one or two processes, or who are looking for more of an overview than for something operational, Sonja suggests, “If you don’t plan to be in a strategic role, just do a practitioner course .”
New Horizons of Minnesota Help in Quest for Certification
Sonja felt the sample tests she had to take each night were extremely beneficial. “The instructors challenged us, pushed us,” she said. Instructors are responsible for marking students’ practice tests, and Sonja recalls that no one scored particularly high, which mimicked the experience of taking the actual tests. It was good preparation. For future Manager’s classes, Sonja suggested students be given their materials early so that they may begin studying. She also said that students must be reminded that they can expect to do 1-3 hours of homework a night.
Insights Color Profile
Manager’s students took the Insights personality profile early in the class. Sonja had recently taken a different personality test with her team at work, and found the results to be very similar to her Insights profile. She did find it beneficial to know the styles of the other students in her class, particularly those in her study group.
Becoming Champion
Sonja took the course to keep her team well-rounded and complement the skills of the other individuals she works with (Process Managers report to Sonja, who reports to the IT Director at RBC Dain Rauscher). She is the champion for ITIL within her organization, and she explained that it is important to be able to justify ITIL at all levels of a company, because, depending on the audience, the benefits at each level are really different. Also, it is just nice to have a recognized, and highly sought-after, Manager's Certificate in IT Service Management—especially when it’s earned with Distinction.
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