September 2023

Best Practice Basics: What is IREB?

IREB stands for "International Requirements Engineering Board" and is a non-profit organization founded in 2006. Its goal is to promote and professionalize education and training in the field of requirements engineering (requirements management). The board members are independent and internationally recognized experts from industry, consulting, research and education.

IREB offers certifications and training for business analysts, requirements engineers, project managers and software developers. The best known certification is the "Certified Professional for Requirements Engineering" (CPRE).

Why is IREB work important?

Standardized knowledge: IREB promotes a standardized level of knowledge in requirements engineering. This helps to create a common terminology and basis of understanding for professionals working in different organizations and projects.

Improved quality: The use of proven methods and best practices in requirements engineering can lead to higher quality of the software or products created. Clear, correct and complete requirements are crucial for the success of projects.

Increased efficiency: Correct requirements capture and analysis can reduce misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and subsequent changes. This leads to more efficient development and less rework.

Reduced risk: Well-defined requirements help to identify and minimize risks at an early stage. This can lead to better project planning and risk assessment.

Better communication: IREB promotes clear communication between different stakeholders such as customers, developers, testers, and managers by ensuring that everyone speaks the same language regarding requirements.

Professional development: CPRE certification offers professionals the opportunity to demonstrate their requirements engineering knowledge and skills, which can enhance professional development.

Industry-wide recognition: IREB is internationally recognized, which means that the certification is valued in the global job market.

To the IREB trainings

How to become a Scrum Master or Product Owner

You want to dive into the fascinating world of Scrum - but have no idea what your path to certification might look like? Don't worry: We'll tell you what options are available.

For a good overview
Beginners best start with one of our compact courses. If you want to get to know both important Scrum roles and learn how they are interrelated, choose our basic training "Scrum Master & Product Owner" as a quick 2-day compact variant. Before the training, you determine which exam you want to take - Scrum Master, Product Owner or both. In any case, you will be well prepared.

For those who want to set a focus
If you know exactly in which direction you want to specialize, book our two-day individual training "Scrum Master" or "Scrum Product Owner". Here you will get expertise that is tailored exactly to your intended role.

For advanced users
You are already a Scrum Master and want to expand your skills? Then our two-day advanced course "Scrum Master II" is the ideal option to bring your expertise to the next level - in presence or live online.

In "Scrum with Kanban", on the other hand, you will learn how to integrate the agile method originating from Japan into your work processes. Basic knowledge of Scrum is a prerequisite here.

The following applies to all courses:
Before booking, you must decide whether you would like to take your exam with PeopleCert or with scrum.org. This way, we can optimally tailor the learning content to your exam, because each exam provider has a different focus.

Important: If you have selected an exam provider, you must keep this provider for advanced courses - it is then no longer possible to change. For example, if you have a Scrum Master I certificate from scrum.org and then want to deepen your knowledge with Scrum Master II, you must also choose scrum.org here.

We wish you a successful journey into the Scrum world!

To the Scrum Trainings

ITIL®-TOOL MEETUP: Ready for your perfect software match?

It should be powerful. Stable. Safe. Reliable. Highly functional. And ideally, it should fit your needs 100%: The software of your dreams! But how do you find it? At one of our three ITIL-TOOL MEETUPs, of course!

It starts on September 28 in Frankfurt, followed by Hamburg on October 5 and Munich on October 17. At all locations you will meet the top manufacturers in the industry, including these:

Of course, we as hosts also have a table, together with PeopleCert. Come by and take the chance to talk to your favorites in person - and thus find your personal software match!

Register now free of charge

Can service management be agile?

The short answer right away: Yes, service management can definitely be agile!

Traditionally, service management frameworks such as ITIL have been implemented in a rather rigid and process-oriented manner. In recent years, however, there has been a trend towards agile approaches. Especially in flexible and dynamic frameworks, they offer real added value!

The term "agile service management" refers to a philosophy that uses resources carefully and according to plan, while at the same time increasing the quality of services and products and motivating employees through approaches such as self-controlling and team-oriented working methods. Core elements from DevOps and Scrum are incorporated into the design of central basic principles.

Agile service management presents itself as a hybrid approach in which project work, development and operation are viewed integratively to achieve common goals. The goal is to incorporate fast-moving customer requirements, implement them, and operate them in the form of services.

In the process, agile service management can increase efficiency and productivity. This happens through the fact that

• organizational approaches to employee self-direction are improved,
• agile working within heterogeneous teams and their cooperation promotes interdepartmental exchange,
• "hierarchical silos" are broken down,
• required service processes are continuously improved from the point of view of standardization,
• agile processes deliver consistent quality of results through a high degree of automation and
• a central and continuous change process (change management) involving the employees controls the increase in efficiency and improves quality.

This requires the central role of the Agile Service Manager, who combines classic service management principles with the core elements of agile ways of working. Active, motivated, and enthusiastic employees and managers are committed to ensuring that three important principles guide all business actions: a high level of customer focus, process efficiency by avoiding waste, and team building.

However, it is important to note that implementing agile principles in service management requires careful planning and coordination. Depending on the organization and industry, different approaches and frameworks may be required to successfully implement agility in service management. It is about finding the right balance between agility and stability to deliver services effectively while being responsive to change.

Do you need support? We will be happy to advise you and actively support you!

Contact us

How to implement ITSM: Assessments

In the last MAG issues, you have already mastered four key steps that are important for a successful service management project: You've communicated the urgency of the project, built a strong leadership team with shared goals, developed an appropriate vision for your project, and engaged your staff. Now it's time for the fifth step: Assessments. Because only when you know where you stand can you determine what your path to the goal looks like.

Time for an inventory

Before getting down to business, it is advisable to get a complete picture of your organization's current capabilities. For this purpose, it is necessary to subject all relevant areas to an assessment. This will provide you with detailed information that will be useful for your further planning and implementation. Ideally, the assessment should cover four areas:

• Process maturity: Is a process in place, repeatable, defined, actively controlled, self-optimizing?
• Process-supporting tools: What are they? Do they support the processes? Which additions and adaptations are necessary?
• Employee knowledge and general organizational culture: What level of education do your employees have? What is the prevailing culture in your company?
• Management: What management culture (goals, control, commitment, clarity) is practiced?

Important: Such an assessment is not a one-time process. Rather, it is a constantly recurring process that helps you obtain a clear picture of the changes in the course of the project. This is why the very first assessment requires particularly careful preparation. After all, if you make significant changes to the method over time, the results will no longer be comparable.

A well-designed maturity assessment framework evaluates all of the above, as well as other factors that impact overall process effectiveness. These include culture of acceptance, process strategy and vision, process organization, process governance, business/IT alignment, process reporting/measurements, and decision making.

Get an external, objective partner at your side!

SERVIEW has proven methodologies in all areas of assessment and the necessary experience in execution. An internal self-assessment is all too often a victim of political objectives and places extremely high demands on the maturity level and culture of the organization. In contrast, an assessment that you conduct with us as your partner leaves little room for discussion because it is objective and neutral. In addition, the result provides an excellent basis for progress monitoring because our assessment is based on a proven framework.

Our approach:

1. We determine a detailed picture of the initial situation. This enables sound detailed planning for your further service management project.
2. We plan and conduct the following assessments:
   • Service management tool assessment including the most important quality seals
   • Process Maturity Assessment based on the SERVIEW Process Maturity Framework and ISO/IEC 20000 including culture and management assessment
   • Assessment of the service management skills of your employees
3. We prepare assessment reports as well as an overall report, present and explain the results and derive recommendations for further planning.

The next issue will focus on the specific planning and design of the project phases. To be continued ...