Why big bang service management fails and what to do instead

Rigid tools and rushed ITIL implementations are a recipe for wasted time and budget. Success demands simplicity, expertise, and a platform built for real-world service management.

Outsourcing contracts and large-scale digital transformations share a fatal flaw: they're designed to fail from day one.

Massive, multi-year agreements with rigid specifications can't adapt to changing business, cultural needs or technological shifts. Like trying to build a skyscraper from a blueprint drawn in the sand, and ultimately these projects collapse under their own complexity.

SAP implementations became the poster child for this dysfunction. Companies spent years and millions trying to force-fit their unique processes into monolithic ERP systems. The result? Budget overruns, delayed go-lives, and frustrated users who got a system that worked great in theory but failed in practice. The "big bang" approach ignored the reality that businesses evolve constantly.

Today's IT Service Management (ITSM) and Enterprise Service Management (ESM) deployments are repeating these same mistakes. Organisations try to revolutionise their entire service delivery model in one massive implementation. They attempt to standardise every process, automate every workflow, and transform every department simultaneously. The pattern is predictable: scope creep, stakeholder fatigue, and solutions that don't match actual user needs.

The solution remains the same across all these domains. Break them down. Smaller, iterative implementations with clear deliverables and regular checkpoints. Start with one department, one process, one pain point. Prove value quickly, learn continuously, and adapt constantly.

With this, implementing the ITIL framework is no small task. It demands deep expertise, careful planning, and the right tools. When organisations hand this responsibility to teams without true service management experience, or rely on platforms that are overly complex and rigid, the outcome is predictable: spiraling costs, delayed timelines, and little to no value delivered. ITIL isn’t just a checklist. It is a strategic foundation that must be supported by a solution designed for simplicity and adaptability. That’s why Marval combines a tool built for easy implementation with a team that lives and breathes service management. It’s not just about doing ITIL, it’s about doing it right.

Success comes from flexibility, not fantasy timelines. Whether it's outsourcing, SAP, or service management – think sprints, not marathons.