Sitting on a Melbourne tram recently, I overheard an amusing conversation between two tram drivers. They'd been talking for a while about driving trams, how many years of tram driving experience they'd had, and how it wasn't like the good old days etc, when one of them said:

"I love driving trams. You know, this job would be perfect if it wasn't for the passengers".

After I'd finished laughing to myself, it occurred to me that this tram driver was not so different from many of the guys and girls that work in IT. They're passionate about the technology and they love what they do, but, they think, if they could just be left alone to get on and do it without having to worry about those pesky users.

And there, of course, is the problem with many IT departments - their staff forget that they are there first and foremost to provide a service to the business, to their customers. I've even heard the sentiment that "Our users are lucky to have us". They are not lucky to have us - in this age of outsourcing, IT is lucky to have them. Jan van Bon put it succinctly in his book, 'IT Service Management: An Introduction':

"Providers of IT services can no longer afford to focus on technology... they now have to consider the quality of the services they provide and focus on the relationship with customers".

And that's what this blog is going to be all about. What practical things can IT do to position itself as a service provider rather than as a custodian of technology. And what things can IT do to improve the quality of service it provides to its customers. The blog will cover topics such as Information Technology Project Management, Project Governance, Help Desk Management, and implementing ITIL.

My dream is that one day the acronym "IT" will be synonymous with service rather than with technology. One day, I'll find myself talking to someone I've just met and, when I tell them that I'm an IT management consultant, they won't ask me to fix their printer!

And perhaps when that day comes I'll overhear two tram drivers talking about how much they love working with the public...