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 Announcing the IT Skeptic's first ever guest blogger: Sharon Taylor, Chief Architect and Chief Examiner of ITIL Version 3
Blog entry submitted by skeptic
 on Fri, 2007-08-31 11:06. [nid:358] in
Sharon's pet project - ITIL Version 3 - has taken some flak from me and others on this blog, but apparently we remain on speaking terms and Sharon has kindly agreed to share some thoughts with us. I've never had the pleasure of meeting Sharon but she is reportedly a nice lady, so please extend to her the normal courtesies shown to guests anywhere. I have no more idea than you do as to what Sharon will take this opportunity to say. I look forward to finding out along with you all. 
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I am honoured and excited to announce that 
Made in New Zealand 
Comments
A first for everything
Sharon Taylor
Aspect Group Inc
Thank you Skeptic (I think).
They say "there is a first time for everything". and when it comes to blogging, this is it for me.
After considering the gracious offer by Mr. England to be the first guest blogger ever on the IT Skeptic, I am honoured to hold that title. As a new blogger, I'll do my best to live up to the privilege.
The work on my "pet project" has been a very interesting journey. It's certainly far from over, but some major milestones have been accomplished. Some of your followers would say these milestones are cement boots perhaps, others a breath of fresh air, still others somewhere between these poles.
I have read many blogs here with interest, amusement, laughter and pause for thought (occasionally the odd explitive, but only under my breath I assure you).
What makes the V3 journey such a rewarding one for me is that regardless of the positive or negative opinions, one thing remains constant - the level of interest in what is emerging in our profession. While we may not always agree with one another, we certainly share a passion for the subject.
I look forward to a lively exchange with your followers.
A full spectrum view
Skeptic – inviting Sharon Taylor was a brilliant move, accepting your invitation was a gutsy move on Sharon’s part. Unlike you, I have met Sharon, on a number of occasions, and would like to confirm she is a nice person and one of ITIL’s true, but narrowly particularized advocates.
Your blog is a special collection of differing viewpoints with regards to ITIL and ITSM. Each annotation is made up of one or more comments that address the common issue from both proponents and opponents perspectives of the ITSM industry, giving readers the opportunity to objectively explore the viewpoints of both proponents and opponents.
I believe that you have opened a point/counterpoint argument, where Sharon may be forced to defend the new and improved ITIL, while others will argue that following her success is no guarantee they will enjoy the same result. What I believe is important is that this point/counterpoint forum provides readers with the opportunity to objectively explore viewpoints of both proponents and opponents and be more open to what these discussions bring to the industry, hopefully in a non-biased way.
If there’s a common phrase that sets remarkable corporations apart from their counterparts, it’s “data, data, data.” Business leaders gather information, analyze it, and put it to use to become even better. I’m sure that adding Sharon to your blog helps that end in some way.
A less skeptical view
Welcome Sharon, I saw you at the Canadian itSMF conference earlier this year. I look forward to you posting here as whenever facts are absent, rumours and heresay often take their place.
Robert's 'little project' has become a place some folks use to vent their spleen about v3 and I would hope you can add some clarification to these threads and make topics clearer for all.
When do you expect that we'll see an approved and finalized v3 training scheme? Questions remain about the advanced diploma and what form the various examinations will take.
Cheers,
Shawn
facts
Robin actually :-D
less skeptical view
Dear Angus,
Thank you for the warm welcome. Since being invited I have taken some time to acquaint myself with some of the past blogs concerning ITSM and V3 and I think I have seen a few ruptured spleens as well! Still trying to find time to send my innaugural Blog.
The V3 Qualification scheme is in it final review and approval phase and will be announced at the itSMF USA conference.
I'm sure that there will be spleens intact, some happily so, and others spilling out on the floor!
Regards,
Sharon
"ITIL V3 Foundation Exam Guide" - scope, status & delivery date?
In a pre-launch lecture you indicated that there was to be a book to support the ITIL V3 Foundation course and certification. The title was along the lines of an examination guide.
Can you tell us the scope and content of this publication and when it is likely to appear?
My personal view is that this book, assuming it is a "little-ITIL" style guide, will have a significant effect in overcoming difficulties that are frequently raised by trainers, exam candidates and others in this blog.
PS Any news of when the ITIL Live portal is going live (www.itil-live-portal.com)?
Foundation Study Aid
Dear Llama
The V3 complementary portfolio includes study aids to accompany each level of ITIL accredited training.
Rather than a "little ITIL" guide as you have phrased it, the content of each study aid is focused on the syllabi of that level - foundation; lifecycle, capability, etc- and targetted to candidates preparing for examination. Each uses a case study example woven throughout the content and sample exam questions, guidance on how best to prepare and take an examination along with a good grounding of the basics that will be encountered in the curriculum of that level of study. It can serve as a nice accompaniment to a training course, or as a self study aid for those courses that do not make course attendance mandatory in order to take the exam.
The foundation study aid is in final sign off now and should be published within a couple of weeks of this post.
Best regards.
Anyone else out there heard of 20% pass rates and 'moderation'?
Sharon
I apologize for posting this anonymously... At a recent ITIL V3 Foundation class, delivered by a vendor closely associated with the V3 refresh, the instructor introduced the class by offering a warning that early results had shown a 20% pass rate and that results were now subject to moderation by APMG.
The class lasted three days with almost a day taken up with a simulation. Fun, but in the end a huge distraction given the great amount of content that needed to be covered in what seemed insufficient time. In fact the instructor apologized for this aspect as well.
Overall the experience was one of feeling like a crash test dummy. Subsequent investigations have unearthed other training companies owning up to pass rates between 50-75%!
Can you explain to us if the experiences of this vendor are typical and, if moderation is taking place and what does the term actually mean? Can we be assured we are taking part in an open and transparent process. There is some concern given some of the APMG Examiner Panel also have substantial business interests in the success of the ITIL Qualification Scheme and that an organization with such an advantageous position should be having so much trouble.
foundation moderation
Dear anonymous visitor,
It is impossible for me to comment specifically and it would not be appropriate for me to do so in this forum. No offense of course to the Skeptic, but there are formal channels to respond to specific requests, those being the Examinations Institutes or the Accreditor or myself as Chief Examiner.
You are of course welcome to contact the Examination Institute, APMG as accreditor or myself as Chief Examiner directly with your concerns. The information you have heard is not correct.
The rest of my post is given in generality about exam moderation.
Moderation is a process where examiners look at all results for an exam paper or a set of papers to determine if there are extenuating circumstances for an unusal mark pattern or result. This is done to ensure that the paper itself or the training organization has not precipitated a result that is exceptional and outside of normal patterns for that exam. In some cases today, this is done for a specific question on an exam or more than one depending on the overall results. In every case this is done for the benefit of the candidates and to ensure fairness in the examination process.
Examination Institutes create banks of questions that are used cyclically over time for the creation of exam papers. When questions are newly created, it is important that they undergo a period of moderation to ensure that they are being interpreted properly by candidates and that they are producing the expected results for the level of difficulty of the question. Since we are talking about Foundations here, the level of difficulty is expected to be matched to the syllabus content and the learning objective levels for Foundation.
Even the best examiners in the world can ocasionally produce a question that could be misinterpreted by candidates, interpreted differently in different geographies or languages. This is where moderation helps ensure fairness to any candidate taking an exam anywhere in the world.
When moderation occurs, the results are witheld from candidates until the moderation is complete and panel decisions are applied to all papers. Moderation is done by a group of examiners who must reach concensus and so this is not an arbitrary decision by any one examiner. Identities of candidates and trainers are not known to the moderation panel.
Once questions have been in use for a period of time, and are producing expected results (say for Foundation 75 - 80% pass rate over all candidates sitting), then moderation is no longer necessary and it is considered a "proven question. It is impossible to "prove" a question without testing it in live use over a period of time with live candidates. this is why moderation is so important. It protects candidates and ensures that if a question is producing unexpected results, it will be reviewed and the result of that moderation may be awarding marks to each candidate. Moderation on V2 foundation would be rare since the question bank is fully proven and has been in use for some time.
Moderation occurs more frequently with Manager level papers as the level of difficulty is much higher and specific papers are created for each sitting and not reused as often. This is why sometimes it feels like a long passes before you get your results!
For V3 foundation, there are many newly developed questions since the syllabus and content of V3 are new. As responsible examiners and Examination Institutes we agree until every new question is "proven" all papers for the Should be moderated to ensure that the results are within expected ranges.
If the results from the initial exams for V3 foundation were found to be either below or above this range, moderation would determine the reason and possibly amend the result in favour of fairness to the candidates sitting that paper. If moderation determines that the question was fair, properly constructed, and was producing results within the expects ranges, then it would stand as is.
I cannot comment on specific results as this is confidential candidate information but most results are returning within the expected range. Some have been moderated and we continue monitor the results of all papers until we are certain each question is "proven".
Moderation requires intensive effort on the part of many examiners and is never done haphazardly or for frivolous reason. As a candidate you can be assured that so much care is taken to ensure the result you get is fair, impartial and has been scrutinized so closely.
I hope this helps your understanding of the moderation process.
Moderation - strange term
The technical and leadership competencies required to successfully manage the essential requirements of this certification project have raised some discontiuities that will certainly impact this program. I would imagine that someone will ask for an appeal process soon.
A 7 point swing?
Anon again - I found your response a bit windy and not to the point. Most exams contain 'control questions' that do not score and are used to test questions - ITIL does not and never has. The available channels were contacted and it seems the extent to which papers are being moderated is a bit hush hush. There was another 'rumor' that moderated exams have seen swings of up to seven points (!)? When will we have some transparency here? What is the quality of the Foundation exams as they stand? Are they a fair? Should candidates wait six months until they settle down?
Vetting of the question bank??
It seems to me that you're saying that the entire question bank is suspect. If this is the case, this would amount to the current round of testing to be little more than a public beta test of the exam content.
It's not that releasing exams for public beta is problematic unto itself. In fact, I think it's a good thing! I've taken several Microsoft Certified Solution Developer beta exams before. It provides an explicit mechanism to test content without any adverse effects on the candidate. If I passed it, then I was good to go. If I didn't, I had an idea of the types of questions to be asked and was better prepared to take it when the "real" test came out. The important part of this was that I knew that it was a beta exam when I walked into the testing center.
Additionally, it's not uncommon for a certain number of new questions to be introduced into live exams from a master question bank/pool. Of course, this is done in a controlled manner, so as to have negligible impact on a candidates pass/fail. As I understand it, the v3 Foundations exam only has 40 questions and it doesn't seem like that gives a lot of "wiggle room" for that. Especially given the breadth of coverage for the five volumes. I mean, that's only 8 questions per volume. Wow!
With this said, I'm wondering:
1. Have all of the exams been subject to this moderation process??
2. What is the current pass rate on Foundations to date??
3. What testing provisions were used to ensure that the questions were "ready for prime time" when the exams were released to the field??
4. Were any beta tests or vetting of the question bank done?? If so, what did that entail??
5. Do any of the training providers provide any review or feedback on the exam content??
For what it's worth, I'm still considering whether or not I will sit a v3 Foundations class. I've not made my mind up either way.
Of course, I may have completely misinterpreted your remarks. In which case, I'll gladly stand corrected. In fact, I hope that I am wrong. I would hate the thought of any scenario where someone did not pass an exam when they should have or the converse. Many people I know go for the diploma because it is either linked to their employment or ongoing professional development. The potential impacts on the individual and/or the employer could be costly. I think that would be pretty sad.
V3
What is the practical value of an ITIL Foundation certificate? How many employers require this certificate as an employment requirement? What prerequisites do individuals need to meet in order to take the classes and sit for the examination?
Re: Value
Visitor,
Here are my thoughts:
1. Practical Value?
For an organization that is going to take on some form of ITIL initiative (adopt and adapt, right?), I would imagine that they would place at least some value in having completed v3 Foundations. Being proficient in the jargon is a good and important first step.
The other value is as a stepping stone to the more advanced qualifications -- v3 Manager and the Advanced one (don't remember exactly what it was named). Again, if you buy into the scheme, getting higher levels of credentials should get you enhanced skills and buy you the chance to take on more responsibility to leverage those skills with. If that wasn't the case, why would anyone want to go beyond the basics?
I must say that I find the points scheme a bit disconcerting. It seems to me that one could load up on points from v2 courses, not really know diddly about v3 and end up with a v3 Manager. Afer all, it's the points that get you there. If this is a plausible scenario, I think it serves to undermine the value of the credentialing program. How do you know someone has the right skills and knowledge about the materials??
2. Employer requirement?
I'd seriously doubt that it would prevent someone from getting a job. After all, it's not unrealistic to expect that someone could get a new employer to pay for them to go through it. Now, lets say that this "newbie" takes the class and then then "fails" the test??? Wouldn't that look bad?? It certainly wouldn't help to enhance the persons credibilty or give the new employer the confidence that this person has got their stuff wired, that'd be sure.
3. Prerequisites?
From a prerequisites perspective, I don't know. I would imagine that you have to go through an ATO to take the test. Not sure if they are being offered directly through a testing organization like Thompson. Maybe one of the ATO reps that monitors the blog can chime in on this...
ITIL V3 Foundation exam
I have just finished the ITIL V3 Foundations class. Both the class and exam were focused on Strategy (75% of both class & exam) with only cursory attention being given to the rest. The questions obviously need 'tuning': that is common with any new exam. The one obvious 'tuning' is the need to keep questions on the same level of detail. In the exam that I took, questions varied from good Foundation 'overall' questions to very specific questions about content.
I'd recommend at least reading the V3 strategy book before taking the class to avoid being overwhelmed by new terms and new categories.
How many books do we need?
I appreciate everyone developing study aids, introduction books, pocket guides, etc... the problem now is that the market is flooded with ITIL v3 books that all have slighlty different perspectives:
Van Haren (and itSMF) has several Foundations and Introduction books that reference ITIL v3
TSO is bringing out introduction, pocket guides (I think) and study aids
and of course the different vendors will come out with materials.
The question is of course: How many different books do we really need? Which book will become the best seller? and is that making it any clearer for the students...
I am sure the certification body will promote the TSO books... but that is not always what the market will buy
Regards
Peter Lijnse
Good call
I had the pleasure of meeting Sharon at our recent BMC UserWorld in Vancouver. I did two podcast interviews with her -- the first in panel format and the second as a one-on-one. I found her fascinating.
~Y
Ynema Mangum
Executive Producer
http://talk.bmc.com
512.340.6445