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Strategies to overcome common barriers when implementing change for ITSM transformational success
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Strategies to overcome common barriers when implementing change for ITSM transformational success
Stephen Laurin
Published on 5 November 2025
5 min read
Stephen Laurin
Published on 5 November 2025
5 min read
Successful ITSM implementation requires more than deploying new systems; it demands aligning your organisation’s mindset, resources, and goals around a shared vision for change.
Cultural resistance, unclear objectives, and underinvestment—not limited to money, but also time and resources—remain among the most common barriers that stall progress. Whether your organisation is modernising from legacy ITSM tools or scaling to support AI-driven service management, overcoming these obstacles is essential to achieving lasting success.
In this blog, we explore practical tips to overcome the most frequent challenges IT leaders face when implementing ITSM transformation initiatives, ensuring your results deliver real business value.
Cultural resistance and change management
Cultural resistance represents one of the most significant barriers to successful ITSM transformation. Even well-planned technical implementations can fail if organisational culture doesn't support and embrace change.
Understanding resistance sources
Resistance often stems from fear of change, concern about job security, or past negative experiences with technology implementations. Understanding the root causes of resistance will allow you to address concerns directly and develop targeted change management strategies.
Some resistance may be based on legitimate concerns about implementation approach, timeline, or resource availability. Communication plays a crucial role in managing resistance. People are more likely to support changes when they understand the reasons for change, the expected benefits, and how they will be supported throughout the transition process.
Building change champion networks
Successful transformation often depends on identifying and developing change champions throughout the organisation. These individuals can help communicate benefits, address concerns, and provide peer support for adoption efforts.
Change champions are most effective when they represent different organisational levels and functional areas. This distributed approach ensures that change support reaches all affected stakeholders and addresses diverse concerns and perspectives.
Vision clarity and stakeholder alignment
Lack of clear vision represents another common barrier to ITSM transformation success. When stakeholders don't understand what the transformation is trying to achieve, they're unlikely to provide necessary support and commitment.
Developing compelling vision narratives
It’s important your vision is clear enough that stakeholders can understand the journey you wish to take them on, and the practical implications, while inspiring enough to motivate commitment and effort. Generic statements about improvement are insufficient—your vision must paint clear pictures of better future states.
Resource and investment constraints
Inadequate investment in ITSM transformation often leads to compromised implementations that fail to deliver expected benefits. It’s important you ensure that transformation initiatives receive sufficient resources for success.
Balancing investment and expectations
ITSM transformation requires investment in expertise, technology, training, change management, and ongoing support. Organisations that under-invest in any of these areas typically experience implementation problems that could have been prevented with appropriate resource allocation.
The temptation to reduce investment often comes from focus on initial implementation costs rather than total cost of ownership and long-term benefits. Its important you evaluate transformation investment against the ongoing costs of maintaining inadequate systems and processes.
Resource planning should include contingencies for unexpected requirements and post-implementation optimisation. Most transformations encounter unanticipated needs that require additional investment to achieve full success.
Building Sustainable Support Models
ITSM transformation creates ongoing support and maintenance requirements that must be planned and funded appropriately. If you fail to establish sustainable support models, then you can expect to see your transformation benefits erode over time.
Support requirements include technical system maintenance, user training and assistance, process optimisation, and strategic evolution planning. Each area requires appropriate expertise and resource allocation for long-term success.
Sustainable support models often involve combinations of internal expertise and external partnerships, such as a solutions partner. You should evaluate your internal capabilities honestly and develop partnerships to fill gaps in expertise or capacity.
Building the foundations for transformational success
ITSM transformation is as much a human journey as a technical one. Lasting success depends on engaging people early, defining a clear vision that aligns every stakeholder, and committing the right resources—not just for launch, but for long-term management, growth and improvement.
By addressing cultural resistance through communication and change champions, clarifying the transformation vision, and investing strategically in people, technology, and support, organisations can avoid the pitfalls that derail so many ITSM projects.
Written by
Service Management Practice Team Lead
With extensive experience in business consulting, Stephen has assisted organisations of various sizes in implementing and improving service management practices. He excels at navigating complex implementations in the Atlassian ecosystem, with a primary focus on practicality and efficiency.