Aligning DevOps and ITIL at Harvey Nichols
Significant reduction in MTTR
100%
Automated escalated tickets
Significant reduction in TTFR
THE CHALLENGE
Connecting teams to deliver world-class service
As the business scaled, Harvey Nichols had multiple agile development teams delivering core systems, while a single operations team managed them using ITIL processes. Although handoffs between dev and ops teams were agreed in principle, tooling fragmentation created silos and inefficiencies.
Key issues included:
– Multiple teams using disconnected tools, creating visibility gaps
– Difficult incident escalation between ServiceNow (ops) and Jira (dev)
– Lack of SLA tracking, making it hard to prioritise and meet customer expectations
– Manual effort required to sync tickets and track progress
With growing complexity and higher customer expectations, Harvey Nichols needed a more integrated, scalable way to manage incidents and collaborate across teams.
THE SOLUTION
A connected workflow, aligned to deliver
Catapult worked with Harvey Nichols to align DevOps and ITIL practices by designing a standardised, integrated process for managing work and escalations.
Highlights of the solution:
– Introduced Jira Software for development teams, with a consistent Scrum configuration
– Integrated Jira with ServiceNow using Automate.io, enabling real-time syncing of incident tickets across platforms
– Established SLAs within both systems to prioritise work based on impact and urgency
– Maintained tooling flexibility, allowing teams to work in their preferred platforms without compromising visibility or collaboration
– Streamlined escalation paths, eliminating manual rekeying and reducing resolution delays
The focus was on transparency, speed, and service alignment, ensuring seamless collaboration between dev and ops.
THE RESULTS
Matching the brand promise
By connecting DevOps and ITIL in a scalable, tool-agnostic way, Catapult helped Harvey Nichols deliver a joined-up customer support model, one that mirrors their in-store experience, in the digital space.
– Work now flows seamlessly between dev and ops, with real-time ticket syncing and notifications
– Escalations are automated, removing the need for manual handoffs or duplicate updates
– SLA-based prioritisation reduced MTTR (Mean Time to Restore) and TTFR (Time to First Response)
– Improved collaboration, with dev and ops acting as a unified team
– Consistent online service quality, supporting Harvey Nichols’ eCommerce growth and reinforcing its luxury brand reputation
