Download full articleThe digital era has transformed how organizations operate. The old-school, step-by-step approach (waterfall) has made way for more flexible, hybrid models that empower agile teams and enable continuous delivery, no matter where people are working from.
As businesses adopt these new ways of working, it’s crucial for IT Service Management (ITSM) tools to evolve accordingly.
Legacy ITSM systems, built for rigid, process-heavy environments, must now adapt to modern demands for flexibility, automation and real-time collaboration.
Purpose of ITSM tools must adapt to new ways of working
1. Business transformation to Digital requires velocity and agility:
Digital transformation speeds up core business processes, and ITSM tools must fit for:
• More rapid incident closure – Speed of resolution (AI-enabled automation, auto-heeling feature)
• Continuous service improvement (real-time analysis, feedback loops)
• Self-service portals with auto-heeling feature for end-users to minimize reliance on IT personnel
ITSM processes become a bottleneck rather than an enabler, if the alignment to New Ways of Working (NWOW) and Digital business are not considered.
2. Accountability framework in a hybrid and distributed Work Environment:
For distributed teams who are all following NWOW, accountability no longer lies with a particular role like IT Operations Manager, Service Delivery Lead etc. Instead, it is distributed across the following agile and non-agile roles:
• Product Owners
• SRE/DevOps teams
• Service Desk Analysts
• Platform Engineering groups
• Business stakeholders
To support this decentralized accountability model, ITSM tools must evolve to:
Clearly define and track ownership of incidents, changes and service requests across role boundaries.
Enable cross-functional collaboration between technical and business teams (e.g., DevOps, SecOps and business units).
Provide accurate, role-based dashboards and KPIs for continuous performance management.
Benefits/Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of accountability framework in ITSM tool implementation
An effectively established accountability framework enables transparency of roles and responsibilities, even in decentralized and hybrid teams. Certain benefits/CSFs within ITSM tool implementations are as follows:
• Role-based insights – Get real-time data tailored to your function, from DevOps to business ops.
• Flexible task assignment – Delegate work based on team structure and availability.
• Live performance tracking – Monitor outcomes with real-time dashboards and alerts.
• Seamless tool integration – Connect ITSM platform with Jira, Git and more to eliminate silos.
Note: an accountability framework is a structured approach that defines who is responsible for what outcomes across technology, processes and teams, ensuring transparency, ownership and alignment with business goals – especially in fast-moving, cross-functional environments.
To conclude
ITSM tools enablement for Digital business depends on the ability to align with New Ways of Working.
Aligning ITSM tools with new ways of working isn’t about throwing out old processes – it’s about updating and integrating them with your tech stack to support agile, CI/CD, shared ownership and better user experiences.
New Ways of Working don’t replace ITSM – they make it stronger.
Modern ITSM should support agile and DevOps with smoother change management, enable shift-left through AI-powered knowledge bases and drive continuous improvement with real-time insights.
The companies that upgrade their ITSM approach today will be the ones leading in innovation, speed and customer happiness tomorrow.