An Overview of Service Management Processes

Presented by Jerree Catlin,

Sue Silkey & Thelma Simons

Introduction to ITILITIL – Information Technology Infrastructure

LibraryDeveloped by the Office for Government

Commerce (OGC) in EnglandBest practices focused on the management of

IT service processes Open source

ITIL Service Management (ITSM)Two main components:Service Support – five processes that provide

support for day-to-day operation of IT servicesService Delivery – five processes that focus on

long-term planning and improvement of IT services

These two components are linked together through the Service Desk – a function that provides a single point of contact that focuses on rapid restoration of normal service operations to users

ITIL Service Management

Service Level Management

FinancialManagementAvailability

Management

IT Service Continuity Management

Capacity Management

ServiceDelivery

Service Desk

Change Management

ReleaseManagementIncident

Management

Configuration Management

Problem Management

ServiceSupport

ITIL Service Management GoalsEnsure that IT services are aligned to the

needs of customers and usersImprove availability and stability of servicesImprove communication within IT and with

usersImprove efficiency of internal processes

ITIL ProcessesEach ITIL process has associated:GoalsDefinitionsActivities

Service Support

Change Management

ReleaseManagement

Incident Management

Configuration Management

Problem Management

ServiceSupport

Change Management

GoalTo ensure that standardized methods and

procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes to minimize the impact of any related incidents upon service.

DefinitionChange is an action that results in a new status for

one or more IT infrastructure Configuration Items (CI).

Change ManagementActivitiesAccept, record, authorize, plan, test, implement

and review Requests for Change (RFCs)Provides reports of changes to the infrastructureProvides updates to the Configuration

Management Database (CMDB).

Formal process

Configuration ManagementGoalTo provide a logical model of the IT infrastructure

(hardware, software and associated documentation) by identifying, maintaining and verifying the version of all configuration items.

DefinitionA Configuration Item (CI) is a component of the

infrastructure.Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is a database

which holds a record of all configuration items associated the IT infrastructure.

Configuration ManagementActivitiesPlan, design and manage a Configuration

Management Database (CMDB)Identify CIs for entry into CMDB and their

relationships to each otherVerify CMDB accuracy

Incident ManagementGoalTo restore normal service operation as quickly as

possible and minimize the adverse impact on users and the organization.

DefinitionAn incident is any event which causes, or may

cause an interruption to, or a reduction in, the quality of a service.

Incident ManagementActivitiesDetect, classify, record, and provide initial

support of incidentsPrioritize incidents based upon impact and

urgency

Service Desk is responsible for Incident Management

Problem ManagementGoalTo minimize the adverse impacts of incidents and to

prevent recurrence of incidents. Problem Management seeks to get to the root cause and initiate action to remove the error.

DefinitionA problem is the unknown, underlying cause of one or more

incidents.A known error is when the root cause of a problem is

known and a temporary workaround or alternative has been identified.

Problem ManagementActivitiesAnalyze incidents to identify underlying problemsRecord, classify and diagnose problemsTransfer problems into “known errors”Generate Requests for Changes (RFCs) to resolve

problems and errors

Problems are identified and managed separately from incidents (although linked)

Release ManagementGoalTo coordinate service providers and vendors

involved with a significant release of hardware, software and associated documentation across a distributed environment.

DefinitionA release is a collection of authorized changes to

an IT service and is defined by the RFC that it implements.

Release ManagementActivitiesPlan and oversee successful rollout of new and

changed software, hardware and documentationCollaborate with Change ManagementVerify that all release items are entered into the

CMDBManage customer and user expectations.Maintain Definitive Software Library (DSL) and

Definitive Hardware Store (DHS)

ITIL Service Desk

Service Level Management

FinancialManagementAvailability

Management

IT Service Continuity Management

Capacity Management

ServiceDelivery

Service Desk

Change Management

ReleaseManagementIncident

Management

Configuration Management

Problem Management

ServiceSupport

Service DeskGoal• A single point of contact that provides advice

and guidance and rapid restoration of normal service operations to users

DefinitionA Service Request is a request that is not due

to disruption.

Service DeskActivitiesManage the Incident and Service Request life-

cycle, including closureCommunicate with customers concerning request

status and progressProvide initial assessment and attempt to resolve

incidents working with appropriate IT staffProvide reports and recommendations to

management for service improvement

Service Delivery

Service Level Management

Financial Management

AvailabilityManagement

IT Service Continuity Management

Capacity Management

ServiceDelivery

Service Level ManagementGoalTo maintain and improve IT Service quality

through a constant cycle of agreeing, monitoring and reporting to meet the customers’ objectives.

DefinitionService Level Agreement (SLA) is a written

agreement with the customer.Operational Level Agreement (OLA) is an

agreement between two internal areas.

Availability ManagementGoalTo optimize the capability of the IT

infrastructure, services, and supporting organization to deliver a cost effective and sustained level of availability enabling IT to meet their objectives.

DefinitionAvailability is the ability of an IT service or

component to perform its required function at a stated instant or over a stated period of time.

Capacity ManagementGoalTo ensure that all the current and future

capacity and performance aspects of the business requirements are provided cost effectively.

Financial ManagementGoalTo provide cost-effective stewardship of the

IT assets and resources used in providing IT services.

IT Service Continuity ManagementGoalTo ensure that the require IT technical and

service facilities can be recovered within required and agreed timeframes

DefinitionA crisis is an unplanned situation when one or

more IT services is unavailable and when the outage exceeds the expectations of the customer