itSM201 - Service Operation - itSM Solutions
104
Service Operation ITIL Lifecycle Certification
Transcript of itSM201 - Service Operation - itSM Solutions
Service Operation
ITIL Lifecycle Certification
Acknowledgements
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Part Number: itSM201 Rel. 1.6
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DOCUMENT INFORMATION
Type - ITIL Certification Course
Program - Service Operation - ITIL Lifecycle Course
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Acknowledgements
Contents
Chapter 1: Course Introduction 1
Objectives 2
Terms-to-Know 2
Lesson 1 Course Organization 3
Welcome to the Course! 4
Classroom Introductions 5
Mentoring Community Introductions 6
Why Are You Here? 7
Using Bloom's Taxonomy 8
What do you Expect? 9
Housekeeping in the Classroom 10
Housekeeping in the Online Classroom 11
Housekeeping Online 12
Lesson 2 Course Conventions & Agenda 13
Conventions Used 14
Quizzes & Exercises 15
ITIL Qualification Scheme 16
ITIL Intermediate Exams 17
Getting Started in the Classroom 18
Getting Started in anOnline Classroom 19
Getting Started with anOnline Class 20
Chapter 2: Service Operation Introduction 21
Objectives 22
Terms-to-Know 22
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Contents
Lesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation 23
Service Operation & the Service Lifecycle 24
Managing Across the Lifecycle 25
Purpose, Goals & Objectives of Service Operation 26
Scope of Service Operation 27
Value of Service Operation 28
Lesson 4 Principles of Service Operation 29
Fundamentals of Service Operation 30
Balancing External & Internal Views 31
Balancing Stability & Responsiveness 32
Balancing Quality & Cost of Service 33
Balancing Reactive & Proactive 34
Providing Service 35
SO& Other Lifecycle Stages 36
Operational Health 37
Communication's Role in Service Operation 38
Service Operation Documentation 39
Lesson 5 Service Operation Summary 41
Service Operation Summary 42
Checkpoint Instructions 43
Chapter 3: Service Operation Processes 45
Objectives 46
Terms-to-Know 46
The Service OperationModel 47
The Processes of Service Operation 48
Lesson 6 Event Management 49
Introduction 50
Objective 51
Scope 52
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Contents
Value to the Business 53
Concepts 54
Activities of Event Management 55
Event Occurrence & Notification 56
Event Detection & Filtering 57
Event Significance & Correlation 58
Event Response Trigger & Selection 59
Event Review & Closure 60
Triggers, Inputs & Outputs 61
Process Relationships 62
Critical Success Factors 63
Challenges 64
Summary 65
Lesson 7 Incident Management 67
Introduction 68
Purpose, Goals & Objectives 69
Scope 70
Value to the Business 71
Concepts 72
Activities of Incident Management 73
Incident Logging 74
Incident Categorization 75
Categorization 76
Incident Priority 77
Incident Escalation 78
Incident Diagnosis 79
Incident Resolution & Recovery 80
Incident Closure 81
Expanded Incident Lifecycle 82
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Contents
Triggers, Inputs & Outputs 84
Process Relationships 85
Critical Success Factors 86
Challenges 87
Summary 89
Lesson 8 Request Fulfillment 91
Introduction 92
Objective 93
Scope 94
Value to the Business 95
Concepts 96
Activities of Request Fulfillment 97
Menu Selection 98
Financial Approval 99
Other Approval 100
Fulfillment 101
Closure 102
Triggers, Inputs & Outputs 103
Process Relationships 104
Critical Success Factors 105
Challenges 106
Summary 107
Lesson 9 ProblemManagement 109
Introduction 110
Purpose, Goals & Objective 111
Scope 112
Concepts 113
Value to the Business 114
Activities of ProblemManagement 115
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Contents
Managing the Problem 116
Managing the Known Error 117
Triggers, Inputs & Outputs 119
Relationships 120
Critical Success Factors 121
Challenges & Risks 122
Summary 124
Lesson 10 Access Management 127
Introduction 128
Purpose, Goals & Objective 129
Scope 130
Value to the Business 131
Concepts 132
Activities of Access Management 133
Access Request 134
Access Verification 135
Provide Rights 136
Monitor Identity Status 137
Log & Track Access 138
Remove or Restrict Rights 139
Triggers, Inputs & Outputs 140
Process Relationships 141
Critical Success Factors 142
Challenges 143
Summary 144
Lesson 11 Activities of Other Processes 147
Introduction 148
ChangeManagement 149
ConfigurationManagement 150
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Contents
Release & Deployment Management 151
KnowledgeManagement 152
Capacity Management 153
Availability Management 154
IT Service Continuity Management 155
Financial Management 156
Lesson 12 Service Operation Summary 157
Service Operation Process Summary 158
Checkpoint Instructions 159
Chapter 4: Common Service Operation Activities 161
Objectives 162
Terms-to-Know 162
Lesson 13 Common Activities 163
Introduction 164
Service Operation Common Activities 165
Monitoring & Control 166
Control Loop 168
IT Operations 169
MainframeManagement 170
Server Management & Support 171
Network Management 172
Storage & Archive 173
DatabaseManagement 174
Directory Services Management 175
Desktop Support 176
MiddlewareManagement 177
Internet/WebManagement 178
Facilities & Data Center Management 179
Data Center Strategies 180
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Contents
IT Security Management 181
Improvement Activities 182
Lesson 14 Common Activities Summary 183
Service Operation Common Activities Summary 184
Checkpoint Instructions 185
Chapter 5: Service Operation Functions 187
Objectives 188
Terms-to-Know 188
Introduction 189
Lesson 15 Service Desk 191
Introduction 192
Service Desk - Role 193
Service Desk - Objectives 194
Service Desk - Organizational Structures 196
Service Desk - Staffing 197
Service Desk - Metrics 198
Lesson 16 Technical Management 199
Introduction 200
Technical Management - Objectives 201
Technical Management - Organizational Structures 202
Technical Management - Design, Maintenance & Support 203
Technical Management - Metrics 204
Technical Management - Documentation 205
Lesson 17 ApplicationManagement 207
ApplicationManagement - Introduction 208
ApplicationManagement 209
ApplicationManagement Role 210
ApplicationManagement - Objectives 211
ApplicationManagement - Principles 212
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Contents
Application Lifecycle 213
ApplicationManagement - Generic Activities 215
ApplicationManagement - Organizational Structures 216
ApplicationManagement Roles & Responsibilities 218
ApplicationManagement - Metrics 219
ApplicationManagement - Documentation 220
Lesson 18 IT Operations Management 221
Introduction 222
IT Operations 223
IT Operations - Role 224
IT Operations - Objectives 225
IT Operations - Organizational Structures 226
IT Operations - Metrics 227
Operations Management - Documentation 228
Lesson 19 SO Functions Summary 229
Service Operation Functions Summary 230
Checkpoint Instructions 231
Chapter 6: Service Operation Considerations 233
Objectives 234
Terms-to-Know 234
Lesson 20 Organizational Structures 237
Organizational Structures 238
Specialization Based Structures 239
Activity Based Structures 241
Process Based Structures 242
Geography Based Structures 244
Hybrid Structures 245
Lesson 21 SORoles & Responsibilities 247
Introduction 248
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Contents
Generic Roles 249
Service Owner 250
Process Owner 251
Process Manager 252
Process Practitioner 253
Service Operation Roles 254
Service Desk 255
Technical Management 256
IT Operations 257
ApplicationManagement 258
Event Management 259
Incident Management 260
Request Fulfillment 262
ProblemManagement 263
Access Management 264
Lesson 22 Technology Consideration 265
Service Operation Technology Considerations 266
Event Management Desired Features 268
Incident Management Desired Features 269
Request Fulfillment Desired Features 270
ProblemManagement Desired Features 271
Access Management Desired Features 272
Service Desk Desired Features 273
Lesson 23 Implementing Service Operation 275
Service Operation Implementation 276
Managing Change in SO 277
Service Operation & Project Management 278
Assessing & Managing Risk 279
Involvement in Design & Transition 280
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Contents
Planning & Implementing Technology 281
Challenges 282
Critical Success Factors 283
Risks 284
Lesson 24 SOConsiderations Summary 285
Service Operation Considerations Summary 286
Checkpoint Instructions 287
Appendix: Service Operation Lifecycle Syllabus 289
Appendix: SO Process Flow Diagrams 309
Appendix: Service Operation Inputs & Outputs 315
Service Operation Inputs & Outputs 316
Service Operation I/O with Service Strategy 317
Service Operation I/O with Service Design 318
Service Operation I/O with Service Transition 319
Service Operation I/O with CSI 320
ITIL Glossary 321
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Chapter 1:
Course Introduction
Objectives 2
Terms-to-Know 2
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Chapter 1: Course IntroductionObjectives |
Objectives
Knowledge & understanding of:
l ITIL Qualification schemel Course structurel Bloom’s Taxonomyl Coursematerials
Terms-to-Know
Accredited Training Organization (ATO) – An organization that is accredited to provide training inITIL by a licensed Examination Institute (EI).
Accreditor (APMG) –Organization empowered by the Cabinet Office, the "owner" of ITIL, to estab-lish the ITIL qualification scheme, devise ITIL syllabi and examinations, and oversee ExaminationInstitutes (EI). The current ITIL Accreditor is the APM Group.
Bloom's Taxonomy – A method of classifying learning objectives that provides the basis for for-mulating different levels of questions for the ITIL Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced exam-inations.
Exam – The official ITIL exam. ITIL examinations are closed-book and require an independent proctorto monitor the exam security. Many examinations require that the candidate attend an accreditedcourse.
Examination Institute (EI) – An organization licensed by the ITIL Accreditor. EIs operate an ITILexamination scheme through a network of Accredited Training Organizations (ATO), accreditedmate-rials.
ITIL Books – The five core books of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL): Service Strategy, ServiceDesign, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement.
ITIL Qualification Scheme – A modular, tiered approach to ITIL certification that comprises a seriesof certifications focused on different disciplines or areas of ITIL best practice to various degrees ofdepth and detail.
Practice Paper – An official ITIL exam that is available for practice by the student. Two practiceexams are available for most ITIL courses.
Student Manual – A document produced by the ATO andwhich contains copies of the slides, ampli-fying information and other coursematerial.
Quiz – Short quizzes within the course to help students track their progress toward understanding thelearning objectives of the course.
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Chapter 2:
Service Operation Introduction
Objectives 22
Terms-to-Know 22
Lesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation 23
Lesson 4 Principles of Service Operation 29
Lesson 5 Service Operation Summary 41
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionObjectives |
Objectives
Bloom's Level 2 Objectives - Full understanding of Service Operation terms and core concepts, thefunctions contained within Service Operations including how they interact to make Service Operationwork.
l The Processes and service lifecycle has that Service Operation interfaces withl The fundamental aspects of Service Operation and be able to define them
Bloom's Level 4 Objectives - Support problem solving by putting theory into practice, interpret prin-ciples and relationships.
l How Service Operations organized in relation to Functions, Groups, Teams, Department anddivisions.
l How an organization can achieve balance when dealing with internal verse external organ-izational focus, identifying the issues related to organizations who operate at the extremes ofthese balances.
l What "Operational Health" means, specifically addressing examples of "self healing systems"and the processes used by them
l The creation , components and implement of a complete communication strategy to be usedwith Service Operations.
Terms-to-Know
Function – A team or group of people and the tools they use to carry out one or more processes oractivities.
Process –A structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective.
Role – A set of responsibilities, activities and authorities granted to a person or team.
Service – A means of delivering a value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want toachieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation |
Lesson 3
Introduction to Service Operation
Service Operation & the Service Lifecycle 24
Managing Across the Lifecycle 25
Purpose, Goals & Objectives of Service Operation 26
Scope of Service Operation 27
Value of Service Operation 28
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation | Service Operation & the Service Lifecycle
Service Operation & the Service LifecycleService Operation coordinates the processes and activities for delivering andmanaging services attheir agreed levels. It is wheremost of the business community comes in contact with IT becauseService Operation “makes IT services happen” in the eyes of the customer.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation | Managing Across the Lifecycle
Managing Across the LifecycleService Operation determines how to deliver and support an IT service. It provides inputs to the Con-tinual Service Improvement (CSI) domain on how to improve services, as well as support and deliv-ery processes. It also takes over the support of new or changed services as they transition intooperation.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation | Purpose, Goals & Objectives of Service Operation
Purpose, Goals & Objectives of Service OperationThe delivery and support of an IT service requires a tremendous amount of coordination of resources(people, technology, processes and functions). This effort provides the IT service at the agreed levelof service within the defined resource constraints.
On a day-by-day basis, Service Operationmanages the technology under its purview and continuallymonitors its services and technology to ensure that it is meeting the agreed objectives. Service Oper-ation also continually seeks ways to improve its performance, business confidence and customer sat-isfaction.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation | Scope of Service Operation
Scope of Service OperationService Operation's scope extends over all of the services provided by IT in support of business proc-esses. This includes services provided by internal staff, as well as those provided by external serviceproviders. Its scope also includes various touch points within the other Service Lifecycle domainssuch as Continual Service Improvement, Service Transition, Service Design, and Service Strategy.
The functions and processes of Service Operation involve highly complex tasks associated with man-aging its technology.This requires that all of the technology that supports or manages the IT infra-structure thoroughly integrate into the support processes to enable efficient and effective delivery ofIT services.
Similarly, supporting today’s complex technological infrastructures demands that IT become a serv-ice provider within amulti-provider environment. Many of today’s services consist of both internallyand externally provided services. However, from the customer’s viewpoint, it all "belongs" to the inter-nal IT organization.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 3 Introduction to Service Operation | Value of Service Operation
Value of Service OperationService Operation brings together the outcomes of all of the phases of the IT Service Lifecycle. Serv-ice Strategy models the IT service, Service Design validates it, Service Transition builds it andmoves it into operation, and Continual Service Improvement optimizes it.
Up to this point in the IT Service Lifecycle, all of these efforts are transparent to the vast majority ofthe business customers and user community. However, Service Operation is “where the rubber hitsthe road.” It is the face or visible part of IT that the average business person comes into contact withmost often
If there is an upside to Service Operation, it is that the business customers form much of their per-ception of IT and the services it provides through their interactions with the functions and processesof Service Operation.
If there is a downside to Service Operation, it is that the activities become part of the landscape. Itbecomes difficult to justify necessary resources to support aging deficient services, support staff andtools, or make an IT service better.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Value of Service Operation
Lesson 4
Principles of Service Operation
Fundamentals of Service Operation 30
Balancing External & Internal Views 31
Balancing Stability & Responsiveness 32
Balancing Quality & Cost of Service 33
Balancing Reactive & Proactive 34
Providing Service 35
SO & Other Lifecycle Stages 36
Operational Health 37
Communication's Role in Service Operation 38
Service Operation Documentation 39
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Fundamentals of Service Operation
Fundamentals of Service OperationThe Service Operation stage of the IT ServiceManagement Lifecycle is where the business first seesthe value of the new or changed service realized. Its where "the rubber hits the road." The ServiceOperation process and activities seek to optimize IT Service performance in two ways; 1) ongoingimprovement (short term "tweaks" to improve things) and 2) incremental improvements that have alonger term horizon for the improvement to be realized.
The processes of this stage of the lifecycle include:
l Event Management whichmanages the entire lifecycle of an eventl Incident Management whose purpose is to quickly restore a failed servicel ProblemManagement seeks to find and remove errors from the infrastructurel Request Fulfillment manages on incident related requests for pre-approved servicesl Access Management grants rights to users to access agreed services
Service Operation also covers the organizational structures necessary to support live IT Services. Itsfunctions include:
l Service Desk which act as the single point-of-contact for users seeking assistancel Technical Management manages the technical staff and their associated skills and toolsl ApplicationManagement manages the application lifecyclel IT Operations Management executes the daily operational activities (inclusive of
IT Operations Control and Facilities Management)
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Balancing External & Internal Views
Balancing External & Internal ViewsITIL defines a service as “ameans of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes cus-tomers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks.” This affords us someinsight into the difficulty Service Operation faces in balancing its “internal view” of a service with thecustomer's “external view” of the same service.
The external view of a service is from the perspective of the business customers and users who “con-sume” the service; it is their experience with the service.They neither know, nor care, what elegantcombinations of hardware, software and engineering genius go into its delivery (nor should they).They experience only the utility and warranty of the service.
On the other hand, IT’s internal view of the service is of all of those elegant pieces of hardware andwonderfully written software programs supported by really great tools that make it all work together.Moreover, becausemost of that elegant technology belongs to vertically integrated functional groups,it is often difficult for one group to see (or care) what other elegant pieces of hardware or softwarecome from other groups.
Although the two views above represent the opposite ends of the spectrum, the challenge is to makesure the IT organization canmeet the demands of the business.Toomuch of a focus on the externalview places IT in the position of over promising and under delivering, while toomuch focus on theinternal places the IT in the position of not meeting the needs of the business.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Balancing Stability & Responsiveness
Balancing Stability & ResponsivenessStriking the balance between being responsive to the business while maintaining a stable IT infra-structure and high service availability is a challenging goal to achieve. The business wants to imple-ment changes right away, while IT appreciates the contribution a “steady state” makes to its quality ofservice (QoS) objectives.
This ongoing demand for changes to technology-enabled business processes can result in a patch-work of infrastructure that places a disproportionate demand on IT resources.
If left unchecked, this environment creates a situation in whichmany IT organizations act more as“gatekeepers” than service providers. IT finds itself relegated tomaintaining the status quo (stableinfrastructure) at the cost of responding to the business’ need for change. The short-term objectivesoften seem to outweigh the long-term strategies.
With an extreme focus on IT stability places IT in danger of ignoring changing business requirementswhile an extreme focus on responsiveness creates the danger of over-spending on changes thatmight not have been properly vetted.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Balancing Quality & Cost of Service
Balancing Quality & Cost of ServiceLife is full of compromises, and balancing the quality of something with its cost creates difficulty formany IT service providers and businesses.
We have all heard the saying, “You can have it good, fast or cheap. Pick any two.” The difficultycomes in balancing Quality of Service (QoS) with the Cost of Service (CoS) while viewing “good,”“fast” and “cheap” as absolutes.
Goodness and quality are, in effect, the same; the ability of a product, service or process to providethe intended value. How quickly IT can deliver a product, service or process is a direct function ofresources, which impact time-to-deliver and cost. Increase one and something, somewhere, mustchange to accommodate it.
Balancing QoS and CoS focuses on bringing quality in line with the value of the service, NOT its cost!Many businesses tend to confuse cost and value and end up seeing service quality fall off afteracross-the-board cost-cutting. One basic truth in IT ServiceManagement is “cheap” NEVER ends upbeing least expensive. A focus on cutting costs risks reduction in a business level of expected qualitywhile a focus on quality typically leads to overspending to deliver higher services levels than needed.
Often Service Provider organizations base their decisions primarily on cost. When thishappens at the expense of other considerations such as time or quality, hidden costs endup exceeding any apparent savings in cost. Therefore, the cheapest approach to doingsomething is not always the least expensive.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Balancing Reactive & Proactive
Balancing Reactive & ProactiveAny IT professional who has been around for any length of time has probably accumulated a wholedrawer full of “hero badges.” These are the accolades or kudos bestowed upon our IT service pro-vider's heroes for rushing in and saving the day through their extraordinary efforts.
In a “reactive organization,” where fire fighting is the normal way of life, the heroes are revered, get bigraises and coveted promotions. But organizations that are constantly fire fighting tend to consumetheir valuable technical functional resources "fixing stuff” instead of "doing stuff” that would help thebusiness bemore successful.
A “proactive organization,” on the other hand, is always looking for ways to improve things. Here fireprevention is a way of life. Although heroes are recognized for their contribution to the organization, aproactive organization always investigates the situation that led to the need for a hero and sees ifthere are ways to avoid the use of heroism again. Reactive organizations aren't able to effectively sup-port the business strategy, while a primary proactive focus means that services that aren't broken willget "fixed," resulting in higher costs to the customer.
Making themove to a proactive organization depends on a number of different things:
l The overall maturity of the IT organizationl The organizational culturel IT’s role within the businessl Level of process and tool integrationl Maturity and scope of KnowledgeManagement
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Providing Service
Providing ServiceThe concept of a service culture undoubtedly manifests itself most clearly within the Service Oper-ation portion of the Service Lifecycle. All of the other domains lay the foundation, but it is here that theservice culture concepts actually go to work.
In short, a service culture recognizes that its major objective is customer satisfaction as it helps cus-tomers to achieve their business objectives. Looking inward, this means that IT values its technicaland performance achievements as mileposts in the journey to customer satisfaction.
IT achieves a service culture by making each staff member aware of the larger picture of businessgoals and objectives, and the value of his or her participation in it. IT must look upon service as a pro-fession and adjust its performancemetrics and recruitment requirements accordingly.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | SO & Other Lifecycle Stages
SO & Other Lifecycle StagesService Operation and its processes have a significant level of interaction with other stages of the ITServiceManagement Lifecycle.
Service Strategy - Service Operation provides data about current cost of operations at a given levelof capability. This helps in the identify the impact of the chosen strategies and points out areas ofoperational risk.
Service Design - Service Operation interacts with the design stage to help it define service objec-tives and performance criteria. It seeks to link the specification for the service to its performance,thus defining its operational performance requirements. It helps map services to their supporting tech-nology.
Service Transition - Service Operation staff is trained on new or changed services during the tran-sition stage. It performs review of acceptance tests and is amajor participant in planning the tran-sition. It also participates in various transition tasks, including the provision of early life support for anew or changed service.
Continual Service Improvement - Service Operation is a key source of operational data on live serv-ices. Its daily involvement with the delivery of services positions it as major contributor when assessthe impact of a proposed improvement. It provides for the daily execution of the operational tasksrequired to support service (and process) monitoring. In its role of providing direct support forIT Services it is in a unique position to identify improvement opportunities.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Operational Health
Operational HealthAchieving operational health is very similar to achieving personal health. A normal, healthy personconcerns him- or herself with maintaining a healthy lifestyle and occasional monitoring what thehealth profession terms Vital Signs.
Although current technology has the capability to monitor almost every sign of health, it is costly interms of devices and resources, and can adversely impact performance. Thus, selecting a set of vitalfunctions tomonitor avoids the expense of constantly monitoring too deeply.
As with human health, though, operational health should check its systems more thoroughly fromtime to time. This couldmeanmore intensivemonitoring of a disk that is functioning perfectly, but isnearing the end of its Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) threshold.
Good Availability Design and ProblemManagement processes help to build a reliable andmain-tainable infrastructure, which, in turn, prevents incidents and problems.
Finally, IT can further sustain operational health by investing in 'self-healing' systems that apply Avail-ability, Capacity, Knowledge, Incident and ProblemManagement concepts to design systems thatcan withstand threats to operating conditions and automatically detect, diagnose and recover fromIncidents and Known Errors. This may be as complex as multiple, redundant processors, or as simpleas developing a set of diagnostic scripts.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Communication's Role in Service Operation
Communication's Role in Service OperationIn its daily activities, Service Operation communicates frequently with both internal and external recip-ients about topics such as inter-shift operations handover, performance and project reporting,changes, exceptions, emergencies, training on new processes and service designs, and strategy anddesign information for internal Service Operation teams.
Themost important thing to remember about communication is that it derives from the word "to com-mune" or "to share." In other words, communicationmust always be a two-way process. It mustalways have an intended audience, and it must always communicate themessage to the audience inthe language andmethod the audience expects.
Themost effective communication relies on a checklist similar to the journalist's credo of Who?What?Where?When?Why? and How? A successful communications document or campaignanswers each of these questions and specifically targets its intended audience.
The 5 "Ws" and 1 "H" of Communications–Who?Who is the communicationintended for?Who initiated the communication?What?What is the topic of the com-munication?Where?Where does the communication apply?What is its scope?When?When does the subject topic of the communication take place? In the future? Has italready happened?Why?Why is it necessary to release the communication? Does therecipient need to do or know something?How? How will the subject topic of the com-munication happen? Does the communication need to include instructions for doing some-thing?
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Service Operation Documentation
Service Operation DocumentationDocumentation is one of the keys to ensuring the consistent execution of operations procedures andactivities. Service Operation documentation breaks down into four areas.
Standard Operation Procedures, known as SOPs, represent the detailed instructions the operationsstaff follows in the day-to-day execution of the procedures and activities of managing the IT infra-structure. The scope of SOPs extends over all of the devices and systems under management, andincludes defined standards of performance. Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) often referencethese performance standards.
Operations logs record what was done, by whom, when and what the outcomes were. The logs pro-vide the “paper trail” for the execution of operations procedures. They can be in hardcopy written formor electronic, andmust be covered by a policy that includes guidance on the retention of the logs.
Shift schedules and reports document the schedule of activities that the Operations staff carry out ineach shift. It coordinates activities across multiple shifts and ensures consistency in their execution.Tools used to support operations scheduling can be as simple as a handwritten sheet of paper or assophisticated as an enterprise scheduling product.
Operations schedules provide a high-level overview of planned operations. They not only include nor-mal operations activities, but also outline changes to routine jobs, anything added on a one-off basis,and scheduledmaintenance by Technical Management staff or external service providers.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 4 Principles of Service Operation | Service Operation Documentation
Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 5 Service Operation Summary | Service Operation Documentation
Lesson 5
Service Operation Summary
Service Operation Summary 42
Checkpoint Instructions 43
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 5 Service Operation Summary | Service Operation Summary
Service Operation SummaryThe Service Operation Phase of the IT ServiceManagement Lifecycle is all about the capability to bal-ance competing interests in the delivery of IT Services. Part of the balancing acts requires that ITorganizations create andmaintain effective communication channels with all of the stakeholders.Through effective communication, they can anticipate and respondmore effectively to the needs ofthe customer.
The processes, activities and functions are not passive in the delivery of IT Services. Service Oper-ation constantly monitors the operational health of the services it delivers. This is critical to their abil-ity to keep IT Services in operation and enable the business to achieve its desired businessoutcomes.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 5 Service Operation Summary | Checkpoint Instructions
Checkpoint InstructionsRefer to the Checkpoint booklet for relevant quizzes and exercises.
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Chapter 2: Service Operation IntroductionLesson 5 Service Operation Summary | Checkpoint Instructions
Chapter 3:
Service Operation Processes
Objectives 46
Terms-to-Know 46
The Service Operation Model 47
The Processes of Service Operation 48
Lesson 6 Event Management 49
Lesson 7 Incident Management 67
Lesson 8 Request Fulfillment 91
Lesson 9 Problem Management 109
Lesson 10 Access Management 127
Lesson 11 Activities of Other Processes 147
Lesson 12 Service Operation Summary 157
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesObjectives |
Objectives
Bloom’s Level 4 Objectives – Support problem solving by putting theory into practice, interpret prin-ciples and relationships.
l The use of and interaction of each of the five key processes that make up Service Operationl The value to the business that each of the Service Operation processes contributesl The use of and interaction of all other lifecycle operational activities that contribute to Service
Operation
Terms-to-Know
Call Type – A category that is used to distinguish incoming request to a Service Desk. CommonCallTypes are Incident, Service Request and Complaint.
Classification – The act of assigning a category to something. Classification ensures a consistentmanagement and reporting.
Closure – The act of changing the status of an incident, problem, change, etc. to Closed.
Detection – A stage in the Incident Lifecycle. Detection results in the incident becoming know to theuser or Service Provider..
Diagnosis – A stage in the incident and problem lifecycles The purpose of diagnosis is to identify aworkaround for an incident or the root cause of a problem.
Escalation – An activity that obtains additional resources when these are needed tomeet ServiceLevel Targets or customer expectations. There are two types of Escalation; Functional and Hier-archical.
Event – A change of state that has significance to themanagement of a Configuration Item orIT Service.
Failure – Loss of ability to operate to specifications, or deliver the required output.
Incident – An unplanned interruption of an IT Service or reduction in the quality of an IT Service, orthe failure of a Configuration Item that has not yet affected an IT Service..
Known Error – A problem that has a documented root cause and a workaround.
Monitoring – Repeated observation of a Configuration Item, IT Service or Process to detect eventsand to ensure that the current status is known.
Problem – A cause of one or more incidents.
Recovery – Returning a Configuration Item or an IT Service to a working state..
Restore – Taking action to return an IT Service to the users after repair and recovery from an incident.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesThe Service OperationModel |
The Service Operation ModelThis is a high-level diagram of how the functions and processes of Service Operation relate to eachother, other Service Lifecycle processes and the business users.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesThe Processes of Service Operation |
The Processes of Service OperationThe following sections will examine the five Service Operation processes.
l Incident Management - Coordinating IT resources to restore an IT service.l Event Management - Monitoring events throughout the IT infrastructure.l Request Fulfillment - Managing customer & user requests that are not the result of an incident.l ProblemManagement - Finding the root cause of events & incidents.l Access Management - Granting authorized users the right to use a service.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management |
Lesson 6
Event Management
Introduction 50
Objective 51
Scope 52
Value to the Business 53
Concepts 54
Activities of Event Management 55
Event Occurrence & Notification 56
Event Detection & Filtering 57
Event Significance & Correlation 58
Event Response Trigger & Selection 59
Event Review & Closure 60
Triggers, Inputs & Outputs 61
Process Relationships 62
Critical Success Factors 63
Challenges 64
Summary 65
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Introduction
IntroductionWithin the Service Lifecycle, Service Operation holds witness to the full realization of the strategicobjectives; this is where it all comes together and this is where the customers see the service and theorganization supporting it.
Event Management orchestrates themonitoring of, and the response to events throughout the IT infra-structure. This supports normal on-going operations and enables the detection and escalation ofexception events.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Objective
ObjectiveA myriad of events occur eachminute and hour within a typical IT infrastructure. Event Managementprovides the overarching process that manages the detection, analysis and the determination of theappropriate control actions for these events.
Through themanagement of infrastructure events, Event Management measures the actual behaviorof individual IT services against performance standards and the IT Service design criteria, as well asService Level Agreements (SLA) and their associated Operating Level Agreements (OLA) and Under-pinning Contracts (UC).
It also serves as the basis for automating routine operational activities and provides important inputfor the continual improvement of IT Services and the processes of the IT Service Lifecycle.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Scope
ScopeEvent Management has a rather broad scope within IT ServiceManagement.
At the heart of Event Management is dealing with events that signify a change of either the state orstatus of a Configuration Item (CI). This can include CIs involved with the IT operational environment,such as electrical distribution, fire suppression, heating, ventilation and air conditioning; in otherwords anything that participates in or supports the delivery of an IT Service.
Event Management also extends into themanagement of enterprise software licenses, including theirutilization and allocation, and activities associated with the normal operation of the infrastructure as itrelates to performance (availability and capacity).
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Value to the Business
Value to the BusinessEvent Management's value to the business is mostly indirect. This is due to the nature of the processand its role in triggering other IT Service Lifecycle processes. Thus, any value to the businessascribed to the Event Management process grows out of its ability to improve the efficiency and effec-tiveness of the triggered process.
In general terms, Event Management aids in the proactive intervention of degraded IT Services or out-right IT Service outages. It also helps reduce personnel costs by freeing expensive technical stafffrom performing routine tasks.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Concepts
ConceptsThe components within the IT infrastructure constantly generate events. These events provide infor-mation about Configuration Items (CI), warnings about abnormal operation, or exceptions to expectedbehavior. The key to Event Management is determining which events aremeaningful, what criteriadefine an event as meaningful, and what control actions, if any, are necessary.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Activities of Event Management
Activities of Event ManagementDetermining how tomanage events is unique to each IT organization, and it depends on the size andcomplexity of their IT infrastructure, IT Services and supported business processes. The followingdiscussion of the activities of the Event Management process provides solely a high-level reference.
l Occurrence & Notification - Event occurrence and formulation of the notificationl Detection & Filtering - Receipt of the event by some tool and the application of filtering criterial Significance & Correlation - Determination of event type and the significance of the eventl Response Trigger & Selection - Determination of an event trigger and selection of the appro-
priate responsel Review & Closure - Review of events handled and process closure
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Event Occurrence & Notification
Event Occurrence & NotificationEvents occur continuously throughout the IT infrastructure. However, only those deemed “mean-ingful” actually fall into the “managed” bucket. Their importance, determined during the IT Service'sdesign, development and ongoingmanagement and support, determines how to deal with them.
Notification formalizes and communicates information about the event. This can occur when amon-itoring tool actively polls or interrogates a device or when the device recognizes some predefined crite-ria and generates the notification. Some sort of monitoring tool or tool set serves up the receipt andinterpretation of event notifications.
The notification can be very terse (and often cryptic to humans) or verbose (containing amplifyinginformation). Further interpretation ensures the notification goes to the appropriate group or initiatesthe correct automated response.
A general rule of thumb is that themore descriptive and complete the information about an event is,the better the decision-making process will be able to establish the appropriate response trigger andresponse selection. An event notification that reads “PRN1234: Error” is less likely to be dealt with asefficiently as one that includes amplifying information such as, “PRN1234: Warning - Low tonerlevel.”
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Event Detection & Filtering
Event Detection & FilteringEvent detection in the context of Event Management is the processing of the notification event bysome agent or management tool specifically designed to interpret themeaning of specific events.Similar to the conundrum, “if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it make asound?” the design of event notifications must keep the event detectionmechanism inmind.
Once detected, events go through a filtering process, which reads them and disregards unwantedevents (those the process deems as not being “meaningful”). In this context, there are three primaryevent types - informational, warning or exception.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Event Significance & Correlation
Event Significance & CorrelationEach IT organization formulates its own criteria for filtering and correlating events. This largelydepends on the size and complexity of the IT infrastructure as well as the IT Service and the sup-ported business processes.
Typical event categories are:
Informational - Normally requires no action, and it does not represent an exception to normal oper-ation. Normally informational events confirm the status of a device or service and often provide thebasis for generating usage statistics or supporting forensic investigations.
Warning - A warning indicates that the event activity has approached a threshold level. The intent ofa warning is to provide time to take the appropriate action to avoid degraded service or an outrightservice outage.
Exception - An exception indicates that a component or an IT Service is operating in an abnormalfashion by measuring it against criteria established within an SLA or supporting OLAs or UCs.
Correlation is the determination of the reciprocal relationship between two or more things. In thiscase, the correlation of events assesses the relationship between the event and its impact on the CI,IT Service or supported business process and aides in determining the appropriate control action.
The “correlation engine” is usually one of the features of monitoring andmanagement tools. Cor-relation looks at standards established during the design of an IT Service, as well as derived throughits normal operation.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Event Response Trigger & Selection
Event Response Trigger & SelectionOnce event correlation determines that an action is required, it initiates a response trigger. A triggercan be any act or event that serves as a stimulus and initiates or precipitates a reaction or series ofreactions. An Event Management trigger precipitates the initiation of other processes, such as Inci-dent, Problem or ChangeManagement or work tasks, for execution by the Operations, Technical orApplicationManagement functions.
Criteria specific to the CI, the IT Services it participates in, or the business process it supports, formsthe selected response to an event. The event can trigger a single response or a combination ofresponses, ranging from logging the event, initiating an automated response, getting a humaninvolved, or initiating a process' lifecycle.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Event Review & Closure
Event Review & ClosureIt is not necessary to review all events. The intent of the review activity is to ensure that IT infra-structure reviews significant events that trigger control actions for proper handling. In other words, if itwas important enough to take action on, did it do so? This provides the necessary feedback to ensurethat inter-process communication has occurred and that the response trigger and selected responsewas appropriate for that event.
The use of such terms as “open and close” in relation to events is a bit of a misnomer. Most eventsare not opened by anyone, yet infrastructuremust be concerned with “closing the loop” on thoseevents that required some sort of control action to be taken. This oftenmeans linking the selectedresponse's output back to the event.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Triggers, Inputs & Outputs
Triggers, Inputs & OutputsThe Event Management process is triggered when something "unusual" or "noteworthy" occurs in theinfrastructure. In other words, some exception to "normal" occurs and something needs to happen asa result. An exception can come frommany different sources.
The process inputs fall into twomain categories; 1) things that support its capability and 2) things thatit needs to deal with (exceptions).
The process outputs focus on record keeping and communication. Event Management is about takingan event and letting someone know about it. It really doesn't deal directly with the cause of the event.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Process Relationships
Process RelationshipsEvent Management shares relationships with several processes and functions among various ITService Lifecycle domains.
Within Service Operation, an event may trigger some action by Service Desk staff, an Incident or arequest for service, which in turnmay result in Access Management handling the actual fulfillment viathe Technical, Application or Operations functions. Events may also trigger the identification of a prob-lem, or linking of an incident to a problem record.
Within Service Transition, an event may trigger a Request for Change (RFC), which will kick off theChangeManagement lifecycle. Informational events can be a source for KnowledgeManagementand further utilization in themanagement of CIs and IT Services.
Within Service Design, Event Management can integrate with Access Management to execute theInformation Security and Availability Management policies. Event Management also participates inhandling of availability-, capacity-, continuity- and security-related events.
Within Continual Service Improvement, Event Management provides information to track and eval-uate service and process performance trends, andmay provide clues as to how to improve them.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Critical Success Factors
Critical Success FactorsThe Critical Success Factors for the Event Management process fall into twomajor categories; 1)capability and 2) execution.
The CSFs that focus on capability seek to ensure that the Service Provider's organization has thecapability to successfully manage events within the IT Infrastructure.These includemeasuring thingsthat prove the process is setup and running. The other CSFs measure how well its doing its job of han-dling and communicating exceptions.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Challenges
ChallengesThe dependence on enabling technology presents amajor challenge to the successful design, imple-mentation and execution of the Event Management process. This particular challenge breaks downinto three areas. First is the difficulty in defining enabling tool requirements; in other words, drivingtool selection from a developed set of requirements as opposed to accepting the existing feature setof an incumbent tool set, or vendor's offering. Second deals with availability (or lack) of skilled per-sonnel capable of fulfilling the required roles and responsibilities of the Event Management process.The last (but not insignificant) problem is the total cost of ownership of the enabling technology, thecost of skilled people to use it, and the indirect nature of the value created for the business. Thesecombine tomake funding Event Management difficult to sell.
Once the enabling technology and trained staff exist, the next challenge is analyzing, designing anddeveloping (tool configuration) the filtering and correlation criteria. Mature organizations accomplishthis as the IT Service progresses from Design through Transition to Operation. This ensures that thedesign stage identifies meaningful events, and builds them in (instrumented) so that the IT Serviceand ongoing operation of the IT Service can tweak the criteria as “conditions on the ground” develop.
IT is unique in its reliance on technology tomonitor andmanage the technology it uses to provide itsservices. Event Management ensures that the IT infrastructuremonitors only the devices that requiremonitoring, and that it continuously evaluates events that occur at levels appropriate to their con-tribution to operations.
The primary risk to Event Management centers around funding its enabling technology. Its expensiveand can derail a successful implementation if improperly or over deployment of monitors.
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Chapter 3: Service Operation ProcessesLesson 6 Event Management | Summary
SummaryEvent Management has the responsibility for ensuring themonitoring of all of the events throughoutthe IT infrastructure. This supports normal on-going operations and enables the detection and esca-lation of exception events.
ITIL defines an Event as a change of state that has significance for themanagement of a Con-figuration Item or IT service. Sometimes the term alsomeans an Alert or notification created by anyIT service, Configuration Item ormonitoring tool. In this context, it is imperative that the Service LevelAgreement (SLA) defines what normal service operation is.
In today's IT infrastructure, there aremany “moving parts.” Many events occur during a typical day,and the Event Management process helps make sense out of them by:
l Early detection and warning of Incidentsl Exceptionmonitoringl Integration with Availability & Capacity Managementl Support of automated operations
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Chapter 5:
Service Operation Functions
Objectives 188
Terms-to-Know 188
Introduction 189
Lesson 15 Service Desk 191
Lesson 16 Technical Management 199
Lesson 17 Application Management 207
Lesson 18 IT Operations Management 221
Lesson 19 SO Functions Summary 229
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsObjectives |
Objectives
Bloom's Level 4 Objectives - Support problem solving by putting theory into practice, interpret prin-ciples and relationships.
l The objective, activities and roles of each of the four functions of Service Operation. Knowhow to build a Service Operationmodel based on these functions
l Service Operation roles and responsibilities where and how they are used as well as how aService Operation organization would be structured to use these roles.
Terms-to-Know
Application – Software that provides functions that are required by an IT Service.
Call Center – An organization or business unit that handles large numbers of incoming and outgoingtelephone calls.
Diagnostic Script – A structured set of questions used by Service Desk staff to ensure they ask thecorrect questions, and to help them classify, resolve and assign incidents..
Follow-the-Sun – A methodology for usingmultiple physical Service Desks and support groupsaround the world to provide seamless 24/7 service.
Help Desk – A point of contact for users to log incidents. A Help Desk is usually more technicallyfocused than a Service Desk and does not provide a single point-of-contact for all interactions. Oftenused as a synonym for Service Desk.
Single Point-of-Contact – Provides a single consistent way to communicate with an organization orbusiness unit..
Super User – A user who helps other users, and assists in communication with the Service Desk orother parts of the IT Service Provider's organization. Super Users typically provide support for minorincidents and training.
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsIntroduction |
IntroductionThe definition of a function is a team or group of people and the tools they need to carry out one ormore processes or activities. As discussed in the ITIL Concepts chapter, many organizations newlyexposed to the ITIL and to some of the core processes tend to try to organize their functional groupsaround the process. In some cases, this is appropriate. In many cases, however, the processextends beyond a single functional group and calls for functional group participation, not a reor-ganization by functional group.
The following sections will explore each of themajor functional areas of Service Operation.
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Service Desk - Metrics
Lesson 16
Technical Management
Introduction 200
Technical Management - Objectives 201
Technical Management - Organizational Structures 202
Technical Management - Design, Maintenance & Support 203
Technical Management - Metrics 204
Technical Management - Documentation 205
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Introduction
IntroductionITIL defines a function as, “a team or group of people and the tools they use to carry out one or moreprocesses or activities.”Within the Service Operation Lifecycle domain, the Technical Managementfunction provides the technical expertise and resources for the overall management of the IT infra-structure, thus its IT Services. It works in conjunction with the other Service Operation functions;Service Desk, IT Operations and ApplicationManagement.
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Technical Management - Objectives
Technical Management - ObjectivesThe objectives of the Technical Management Function generally support the achievement of IT Serv-ice planning, implementation andmaintenance. These objectives are realized through;.
l Technical Topology - the deployment of a well designed, highly resilient and cost effectivetechnical topology
l Maintain & Optimize Technical Skills - Ensure that the Technical Management staff have therequisite skills and that those skills are properly maintained
l Rapid deployment of Resources in Support of the Service Operation and other Service Life-cycle processes
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Technical Management - Organizational Structures
Technical Management - Organizational StructuresIT organizations can organize the Technical Management Function is many different ways. Today'scomplex infrastructures preclude organizing this function into a single department. Most often thefunction is spread across multiple groups within IT as well as some external service providers.
The normal division of labor is around specific skill sets, such as network, servers, storage, etc. Italso can group around a specific technology, such as Windows, UNIX and Linux servers. Whilethese groups manage different “flavors” of servers, they share significant commonality, and staff withrequisite skill set and experience can serve as their managers.
In some instances IT organizations can field a structure based onmanaging a specific set of com-ponents, system or platform. This is normally the case when the considerations for themanagementof the infrastructure calls for specific as opposed to generalized skills. An example of this would bethe support andmanagement of UNIX servers used in a robotic production line.
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Technical Management - Design, Maintenance & Support
Technical Management - Design, Maintenance & SupportMost groups within the Technical Management Function divide the staff into two complementary func-tional groups that are involved in the design and support of IT Services. These staff are split along thelines of technical specialization. One group specializes in the IT infrastructure's architecture anddesign in support of an IT Services. The other group specializes in themaintenance and support ofthat infrastructure.
While the two groups perform different functions they must participate in each other's role becausegood architectural design requires an understanding of the practical aspects required tomaintain andsupport it. Conversely, goodmaintenance and operational procedures require the input from thepeople involved in the infrastructure's design.
While each group is specialized for design or support they bothmust participate across the entire ITService Lifecycle.
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Technical Management - Metrics
Technical Management - MetricsSimilar to metrics associated with processes, the intent of measuring the performance of the Tech-nical Management Function is to ensure it achieves the required levels of effectiveness (delivers therequired output products of the function) and efficiency (optimum utilization of resources).
Themetrics used within the Technical Management Function can be grouped by:
l Measurement of AgreedOutputs - what was contributed, transaction rates, training accom-plished, etc.
l Process Metrics - measures of the function's participation is performing their roles within theIT Service Lifecycle processes
l Technology Performance - measurement of the performance of supported technologiesl Availability - measurement of the achievement of required levels of availabilityl Maintenance - measurement of proficiency in the diagnosis of incidents and restoration of serv-
icel Training - measurement of skills acquisition andmaintenance
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Chapter 5: Service Operation FunctionsLesson 16 Technical Management | Technical Management - Documentation
Technical Management - DocumentationTechnical Management has the responsibility for the creation andmaintenance of several types oftechnical documentation:
l Technical Manuals - used in the direct support of specific technologiesl Management & Administration - used in themanagement and administration of specific tech-
nologies within the infrastructurel UserManuals - used by technical staff for the operation of specific configuration items
In addition, the Technical Management staff prepares andmaintains themaintenance schedule fortheir respective areas of responsibility. This will includemaintenance procedures that are performedby both technical and operations staff.
In order to achieve the objective to establish andmaintain the requisite technical skills, the functionwill record andmaintain a skills inventory of their respective staff. Such an inventory can also beincluded within the Service Portfolio and be used to assess organizational capability in the support ofa proposed IT Service. Most often staff skills inventories are held within a HumanResources appli-cation, with interface or maintenance capability extended to themanagement team of the TechnicalManagement Function.
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Chapter 6:
Service Operation Considerations
Objectives 234
Terms-to-Know 234
Lesson 20 Organizational Structures 237
Lesson 21 SO Roles & Responsibilities 247
Lesson 22 Technology Consideration 265
Lesson 23 Implementing Service Operation 275
Lesson 24 SO Considerations Summary 285
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Chapter 6: Service Operation ConsiderationsObjectives |
Objectives
Bloom's Level 4 Objectives - Support problem solving by putting theory into practices, interpret prin-ciples and relationships.
l Service Operation roles and responsibilities, where and how they are used as well as how aService Operation organization would be structured to use these roles.
l The technology that support Service Operation, where an how these can be used.l The technology required to support each of the Service Operation processes and functions.l Strategies andmodels for managing Change in Service Operation and how to implement this
activity within an organization.l Implement Service Operation technologies within a company.l How to assess andmanage risk within a Service Operation group, including the interaction
that needs to occur with the service Design and Transition personnel.l The challenges and risks related to Service Operation and the details behind how each chal-
lenge can be addressed.l The Critical Success Factors related to Service Operation as well as a detailedmodel for
measuring andmonitoring Service Operation's Critical Success Factors.
Terms-to-Know
Active Monitoring –Monitoring a configuration Item or an IT Service that uses automated regularchecks to discover the current status.
Alert – A warning that a threshold has been reached, something has change, or a failure hasoccurred.
Component – A general term that is used tomean one part of somethingmore complex.
Configuration – A generic term, used to describe a group of Configuration Items that work togetherto deliver an IT Service, or a recognizable part of an IT Service.
Configuration Item – Any component that needs to bemanaged in order to deliver an IT Service.
Correlation – A clausal, complementary, parallel, or reciprocal relationship, especially a structural,functional, or qualitative correspondence between two comparable entities.
Detection – A stage in the Incident Lifecycle; results in the incident becoming know to the IT ServiceProvider.
Directory Service – An application that manages information about IT infrastructure available on anetwork, and a corresponding user access rights.
Escalation – An activity that obtains additional resources when these are needed tomeet ServiceLevel Targets or customer expectations.
Event – A change of state that has significance for themanagement of a Configuration Item, orIT Service.
Failure – Loss of ability to operate to specification, or to deliver the required output.
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Chapter 6: Service Operation ConsiderationsTerms-to-Know |
Monitoring – Repeated observation of a Configuration Item, IT Service or process to detect eventsand to ensure that the current status is known.
Passive Monitoring –Monitoring of a Configuration Item, IT Service, or process that relies on analert or notification to discover the current status.
Remediation – Recovery to a known state after a failed change or release.
Repair – The replacement or correction of a failed Configuration Item.
Work Instruction – A document containing detailed instructions that specify exactly what steps tofollow to carry out an activity, and contains muchmore detail than a procedure.
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Appendix: Service Operation Lifecycle Syllabus
Appendix:
Service Operation Lifecycle Syllabus
This appendix contains the complete syllabus provided by theOfficial Accreditor, The APMGroup(APMG), for the ITIL Service Operation Lifecycle Certification Course. It is provided here as ref-erence for the use of the student.
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Appendix: Service Operation Lifecycle Syllabus
Appendix: SO Process Flow Diagrams
Appendix:
SO Process Flow Diagrams
The Service Operation stage of the IT ServiceManagement Lifecycle has five processes;
l Event Managementl Incident Managementl Request Fulfillmentl ProblemManagementl Access Management
The following are the flow diagrams for each process.
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Appendix: SO Process Flow Diagrams
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ITIL Glossary
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AAcceptanceFormal agreement that an IT Service, process,plan, or other deliverable is complete, accu-rate, reliable andmeets its specified require-ments. Acceptance is usually preceded byEvaluation or Testing and is often requiredbefore proceeding to the next stage of a projector process.
Access ManagementThe Process responsible for allowing users tomake use of IT Services, data, or otherassets. Access Management helps to protectthe Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability ofAssets by ensuring that only authorized usersare able to access or modify the assets.Access Management is sometimes referred toas Rights Management or Identity Man-agement.
Account ManagerA role that is very similar to Business Rela-tionship Manager, but includes more com-mercial aspects. Most commonly used whendealing with external customers.
AccountingThe Process responsible for identifying actualCosts of delivering IT Services, comparingthese with budgeted costs, andmanaging var-iance from the Budget.
AccreditedOfficially authorized to carry out a role. Forexample, an Accredited body may be
authorized to provide training or to conductaudits.
Active MonitoringMonitoring of a Configuration Item or an ITService that uses automated regular checks todiscover the current status.
ActivityA set of actions designed to achieve a par-ticular result. Activities are usually defined aspart of processes or plans, and are doc-umented in procedures.
AgreementA document that describes a formal under-standing between two or more parties. Andgreement is not legally binding unless it formspart of a contract.
AlertA warning that a threshold has been reached,something has changed, or a Failure hasoccurred. Alerts are often created andman-aged by SystemManagement tools and aremanaged by the Event Management Process.
ApplicationSoftware that provides functions that arerequired by an IT Services. Each Applicationmay be part of more than on IT Service. AnApplication runs on one or more Servers orClients. See also ApplicationManagement,Application Portfolio.
Application ManagementThe Function responsible for managing Appli-cations throughout their lifecycle.
Glossary
Application PortfolioA database or structured document used tomanage Applications throughout their life-cycle. The Application Portfolio contains keyattributes of all applications. The ApplicationPortfolio is sometimes implemented as part ofthe Service Portfolio, or as part of the Con-figurationManagement System.
Application SizingThe activity responsible for understanding theresource requirements needed to support anew application, or amajor change to an exist-ing application. Application Sizing helps toensure that the IT Service canmeet it agreedService Level Targets for capacity and per-formance.
ArchitectureThe structure of a system or IT Service, includ-ing the relationships of components to eachother and to the environment they are in. Archi-tecture also includes the standards, and guide-lines that guide the design and evolution of thesystem.
AssessmentInspection and analysis to check whether astandard or set of guidelines is being followed,that records are accurate, or that efficiencyand effusiveness targets are beingmet.
AssetAny Resource or Capability. Assets of a Serv-ice Provider including anything that could con-tribute to the delivery of a service. Assets canbe one of the following types; Management,Organization, Process, Knowledge, People,Information, Applications, Infrastructure, andFinancial Capital.
Asset ManagementAsset Management is the process responsiblefor tracking and reporting the value and own-ership of financial assets throughout their life-cycle. Asset Management is part of an overallService Asset and ConfigurationManagementProcess.
AttributeA piece of information about a ConfigurationItem. Examples are; name, location, Version
number and Cost. Attributes of CIs arerecorded in the ConfigurationManagementDatabase (CMDB).
AuditFormal inspection and verification to checkwhether a standard or set of guidelines is beingfollowed, that records are accurate, or that effi-ciency and effectiveness targets are beingmet. An Audit may be carried out by internal orexternal groups.
Authority MatrixSeeRACI
Automatic Call Distribution (ACD)Use of the information Technology to direct anincoming telephone call to themost appro-priate person in the shortest possible time.ACD is sometimes called Automated Call Dis-tribution.
AvailabilityAbility of a Configuration Item or IT Service toperform its agreed Function when required.Availability is determined by Reliability, Main-tainability, Serviceability, Performance, andSecurity. Availability is usually calculated as apercentage. This calculation is often based onAgreed Service Time and Downtime. It is BestPractice to calculate Availability usingmeas-ures of the Business output of the IT Service.
Availability ManagementThe process responsible for defining, analyz-ing, Planning, measuring and improving allaspects of the availability of IT Services. Avail-ability Management is responsible for ensuringthat all IT infrastructure, processes, tools,roles, etc. are appropriate for the agreed Serv-ice Level Targets for availability.
Availability Management Information Sys-tem (AMIS)A set of tools, data and information that isused to support Availability Management. Seealso Service KnowledgeManagement Sys-tem.
Availability PlanA plan to ensure that existing and future Avail-ability Requirements for IT Services can beprovided cost effectively.
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Glossary
BBack-outSeeRemediation
BackupCopying data to protect against loss of Integ-rity or Availability of the original.
Balanced ScorecardA management tool developed by Drs. RobertKaplan (Harvard Business School) and DavidNorton, A Balanced Scorecard enables aStrategy to be broken down into Key Per-formance Indicators. Performance against theKPIs is used to demonstrate how well theStrategy is being achieved. A Balanced Score-card has four major areas, each of which has asmall number of KPIs. The same four areasare considered at different levels of detailthroughout the Organization.
BaselineA Benchmark used as a reference point. Forexample: An ITSM Baseline can be used as astarting point to measure the effect of a Serv-ice Improvement Plan. A Performance Base-line can be used tomeasure change inPerformance over the lifetime of an IT Service.A ConfigurationManagement Baseline can beused to enable the IT Infrastructure to berestored to a knownConfiguration if a Changeor Release fails.
BenchmarkThe recorded state of something at a specificpoint in time. A Benchmark can be created fora configuration, a process, or any other set ofdata. For example, a benchmark can be usedin Continual Service Improvement, to estab-lish the current state for managing improve-ments or Capacity Management, to documentperformance characteristics during normaloperations.
BenchmarkingComparing a Benchmark with a Baseline orwith Best Practice. The term Benchmarking isalso used tomean creating a series of Bench-
marks over time, and comparing the results tomeasure progress or improvement.
Best Management Practice (BMP)The Best Management Practice portfolio isowned by the Cabinet Office, part of HMGovermnent. The BMP portfolio includes guid-ance on IT ServiceManagement and Project,Program, Risk Portfolio and ValueMan-agement.
Best PracticeProven Activities or Processes that have beensuccessfully used by multiple Organizations.ITIL is an example of Best Practice.
BillingPart of the charging proces. Billing is the activ-ity responsible for producing an invoice or a billand recovering themoney from customers.See also Pricing.
BrainstormingA technique that helps a team to generateideas. Ideas are not reviewed during the Brain-storming session, but at a later stage. Brain-storming is often used by ProblemManagement to identify possible causes.
British Standards Institution (BSI)The UK national standards body, responsiblefor creating andmaintaining British Standards.
BudgetA list of all themoney an organization or busi-ness Unit plans to receive, and plans to payout, over a specified period of time.
BudgetingThe Activity of predicting and controlling thespending of money. Consists of a periodicnegotiation cycle to set future budgets (usuallyannual) and the day-to-day monitoring andadjusting of current budgets.
BuildThe Activity of assembling a number of Con-figuration Items to create part of an IT Service.The term Build is also used to refer to a releasethat is authorized for distribution. For exampleServer Build or laptop Build.
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BusinessAn overall corporate entity or organizationformed of a number of Business Units. In thecontext of ITSM, the term Business includespublic sector and not-for-profit organizations,as well as companies. An IT Service Providerprovides IT Services to a customer within aBusiness. The IT Service Provider may be partof the same Business as its customer (InternalService Provider), or part of another Business(External Service Provider).
Business Capacity ManagementIn the context of ITSM, Business CapacityManagement is the sub-process of CapacityManagement responsible for understandngfuture business requirements for use in theCapacity Plan.
Business CaseJustification for a significant item of expen-diture. Includes information about costs, ben-efits, options, issues, Risks, and possibleproblems.
Business Continuity ManagementThe business process responsible for man-aging risks that could seriously affect the busi-ness.
Business CustomerA recipient of a product or a service from thebusiness. For example, if the business is a carmanufacturer then the business customer issomeone who buys a car.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)BIA is the activity in Business Continuity Man-agement that identifies Vital Business Func-tions and their dependencies. Thesedependencies may include Suppliers, people,other business processes, IT Services etc.BIA defines the recovery requirements for ITServices. These requirements include Recov-ery TimeObjectives, Recovery Point Objec-tives andminimum Service Level Targets foreach IT Service.
Business ObjectiveTheObjective of a business process, or of thebusiness as a whole. Business Objectives sup-port the business vision, provide guidance for
the IT Strategy, and are often supported by ITServices.
Business OperationsThe day to day execution, monitoring andman-agement of business processes.
Business PerspectiveAn understanding of the Service Provider andIT Services from the point of view of the busi-ness, and an understanding of tthe businessfrom the point of view of the Service Provider.
Business ProcessA Process that is owned and carried out by theBusiness. A Business Process contributes tothe delivery of a product or service to a busi-ness customer.
Business Relationship ManagementThe process or function responsible for main-taining a relationship with the business. Busi-ness Relationship Management usuallyincludes: managing personal relationships withusiness managers, providing input to ServicePortfolio Management, ensuring that the ITService Provider is satisfying the businessneeds of the customers.
Business Relationship ManagerA role responsible for maintaining the rela-tionship with one or more customers. This roleis often combined with the Service Level Man-ager role.
Business ServiceAn IT Service that directly supports a businessprocess, as opposed to an infrastructure serv-ice, which is used internally by the IT ServiceProvider and is not usually visible to the busi-ness.
Business Service Management (BSM)An approach to themanagement of IT Serv-ices that considers the business processessupported and the Business value provided.The term alsomeans themanagement of Busi-ness Services delivered to business cus-tomers.
Business UnitA segment of the business that has its ownplans, Metrics, income and costs. Each Busi-
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ness Unit owns assets and uses these tocreate value for customers.
CCallA telephone call to the Service Desk from auser. A call could result in an incident or a Serv-ice Request being logged.
Call CenterAnOrganization or Business Unit that handleslarge numbers of incoming and outgoing tel-ephone calls.
Call TypeA Category that is used to distinguish incom-ing requests to a Service Desk. Common calltypes are Incident, Service Request and Com-plaint.
CapabilityThe ability of an organization, person, process,application, IT Service or other ConfigurationItem to carry out an activity. Capabilities areintangible assets of an organization. See alsoresource.
Capability Maturity Model Integration(CMMI)A process improvement appoach developedby the Software Engineering Institue (SEI) ofCarnegieMellon University. CMMI providesorganizations with the essential elements ofeffetive processes.It can be used to guide proc-ess improvement across a project, a divisionor an entire organization. CMMI helps integratetraditionally separate organizational functions,set process improvement goals and priorties,provide guidance for quality processes and cur-rent process.
CapacityThemaximum throughput that a ConfigurationItem or IT Service can deliver while meetingagreed Service Level Targets. For some typesof CI, Capacity may be the size or volume, forexample a disk drive.
Capacity ManagementThe process responsible for ensuring that theCapacity of IT Services and the IT
Infrastructure is able to deliver agreed ServiceLevel Targets in a cost effective and timelymanner. Capacity Management considers allresources required to deliver the IT Serviceand plans for short, medium and long term busi-ness requirements.
Capacity Management Information Sys-temA set of tools, data and information that isused to support Capacity Management Seealso Service KnowledgeManagement Sys-tem.
Capacity PlanA Capacity Plan is used tomanage theresources required to deliver IT Services. Theplan contains scenarios for different pre-dictions of business demand, and costedoptions to deliver the agreed Service Level Tar-gets.
Capacity PlanningThe Activity within Capacity Managementresponsible for creating a Capacity Plan.
Capital CostThe cost of purchasing something that willbecome a financial asset. The value of theasset depreciates over multiple accountingperiods.
Capital Expenditure (CAPEX)The cost of purchasing something that willbecome a financial asset, for example, com-puter equipment and buildings. The value ofthe asset is depreciated over multiple account-ing periods.
CategoryA named group of things that have somethingin common. Categories are used to group sim-ilar things together. For example, Cost Typesare used to group similar types of Cost, Inci-dent Categories are used to group similartypes of Incidents, CI Types are used to groupsimilar types of configuration Items.
CertificateIssuing a certificate to confirm Compliance toa standard. Certification includes a formalaudit by an independent and accredited body.The term Certification is also used tomean
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awarding a certificate to verify that a personhas achieved a qualification.
CertificationIssuing a certificate to confirm compliance to astandard. Cetrification includes a formal auditby an independent and accredited body. Theterm is also use dtomen awading a certificateto provide evidence that a person ahasacheived a qualification.
ChangeThe addition, modification or removal of any-thing that could have an effect on IT Services.The scope should include all IT Services, Con-figuration Items, processes, documentation,etc.
Change Advisory Board (CAB)A group of people that advises the ChangeManager in the assessment, prioritization andscheduling of Changes. This board is usuallymade up of representatives from all areaswithin the IT Service Provider, representativesfrom the business and third parties such assuppliers.
Change CaseThe Process responsible for controlling the life-cycle of all changes. The primary objective ofChangeManagement is to enable beneficialChanges to bemade, with minimum disruptionto IT Services.
Change EvaluationThe process responsible for formal assess-ment of a new or changed IT Service to ensurethat risks have beenmanaged and to helpdetermine whether to authorize the change.
Change ManagementThe process responsibile for controlling the life-cycle of all changes, enabling beneficialchanges to bemade with minimum disruptionto IT Services.
Change ModelA repeatable way of dealing with a particularCategory of Change. A ChangeModel definesspecific pre-defined steps that will be followedfor a change of this Category. ChangeModelsmay be very simple, with no requirement forapproval (e.g. Password Reset) or may be
very complex with many steps that requireapproval (e.g. major software release). Seealso Standard Change, Change AdvisoryBoard.
Change ProposalA document that includes a high level descrip-tion of a potential service introduction or sig-nificant change along with a correspondingbusiness case and an expected imple-mentation schedule. Change proposals are nor-mally created by the Service PortfolioManagement process and are passed toChangeManagement for authorization.ChangeManagement will review the potentialimpact on other services, on shared,r-esources, and on the overall change schedule.Once the change proposal has been author-ized, Service Portfolio Management willcharter the service.
Change RecordA Record containing the details of a Change.Each Change Record documents the lifecycleof a single Change. A Change Record iscreated for every Request for Change that isreceived, even those that are subsequentlyrejected. Change Records should referencethe Configuration Items that are affected bythe Change. Change Records are stored in theConfigurationManagement System.
Change ScheduleA document that lists all approved Changesand their planned implementation dates. AChange Schedule is sometimes called a For-ward Schedule of Change, even though it alsocontains information about Changes that havealready been implemented.
ChargingRequiring payment for IT Services. Chargingfor IT Services is optional andmany Organ-izations choose to treat their IT Service Pro-vider as a Cost Center.
Charging PolicyA policy specifiying the objective of the charg-ing process and the way in which charges willbe calculated.
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Charging ProcessThe process responsible for deciding howmuch customer should pay (pricing) and recov-eringmoney from them (billing). This processis not described in detail within the core ITILpublications.
CharterA document that contains details of a new serv-ice, a signficant change or other significantproject. Charters are typically authorized byService Portfolio Managmeent or by a ProjectManagement Office. The term charter is alsoused to describe the act of authorizing thework required to complete the service changeor project.
Chronological AnalysisA technique used to help identify possiblecauses of Problems. All available data aboutthe problem is collected and sorted by dateand time to provide a detailed time line. Thiscanmake it possible to identify which eventsmay have been triggered by others.
ClassificationThe act of assigning a category to something.Classification is used to ensure consistentmanagement and reporting. CIs, Incidents,Problems, Changes etc. are usually classified.
ClientA generic term that means a Customer, theBusiness or a Business Customer. For exam-ple, Client Manager may be used as a syn-onym for AccountingManager.
ClosedThe final status in the Lifestyle of an Incident,Problem, Change etc. When the status isclosed no further action is taken.
ClosureThe act of changing the Status of an Incident,Problem, Change etc. to Closed.
CoBITControl Objectives for information and relatedTechnology (CoBIT) provides guidance andBest Practice for themanagement of IT Proc-esses. CoBIT is published by the IT Gov-ernance Institute. See www.isaca.org for moreinformation.
Code of PracticeA guideline published by a public body or astandards organization, such as ISO or BSI.Many standards consist of a code of practiceand a specification. The code of practicedescribes recommended best practice.
Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)Application software or Middleware that can bepurchased from a Third Party.
ComplianceEnsuring that a Standard or a set of Guidelinesis followed, or that proper, consistent account-ing or other practices are being employed.
ComponentA general term that is used tomean one part ofsomethingmore complex. For example, a com-puter Systemmay be a Component of an ITService, an Applicationmay be a Componentof a Release Unit. Components that need tobemanaged should be Configuration Items.
Component Capacity ManagementThe Process responsible for understanding theCapacity, Utilization and Performance of Con-figuration Items. Data is collected, recordedand analyzed for use in the Capacity Plan. Seealso Service Capacity Management.
Component CIA Configuration Item that is part of anassembly. For example, a CPU ormemory CImay be part of a server CI.
Component Failure Impact Analysis(CFIA)A technique that helps to identify the impact ofCI failure on IT Services. A matrix is createdwith IT Services on one edge and CIs on theother. This enables the identification of criticalCIs (that could cause the failure of multiple ITServices) and of fragile IT Services (that havemultiple Single Points of Failure.)
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI)Computer telephony Integration (CTI) is a gen-eral term covering any kind of integrationbetween computers and telephone Systems. Itis most commonly used to refer to systemswhere an application displays detailed screensrelating to incoming or outgoing telephone
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calls. See also Automatic Call distribution,Interactive Voice Responses.
ConcurrencyA measure of the number of Users engaged inthe sameOperation at the same time.
ConfidentialityA security principle that requires that datashould only be accessed by authorized people.
ConfigurationA generic term used to describe a group of Con-figuration Items that work together to deliveran IT Service, or a recognizable part of an ITService. Configuration is also used to describethe parameter settings for one or more CIs.
Configuration BaselineThe baseline of a configuration that has beenformally agreed and is managed through theChangeManagement process. A Con-figuration Baseline is used as a basis for futurebuilds, releases and changes.
Configuration ControlThe activity responsible for ensuring that add-ing, modifying or removing a CI is properlymanaged, for example by submitting aRequest for Change or Service Request.
Configuration Item (CI)Any component that needs to bemanaged inorder to deliver an IT Service. Informationabout each CI is recorded in a ConfigurationRecord within the ConfigurationManagementSystem and is maintained throughout its Life-cycle by ConfigurationManagement. CIs areunder the control of ChangeManagement. CIstypically include IT Services, hardware, soft-ware, buildings, people, and formal doc-umentation such as Process documentationand SLAs.
Configuration ManagementThe Process responsible for maintaining infor-mation about Configuration Items required todeliver an IT Service, including their Rela-tionships. This information is managed through-out the Lifestyle of the CI. ConfigurationManagement is part of an overall ServiceAsset and ConfigurationManagement Proc-ess.
Configuration Management Database(CMDB)A database used to store Configuration Rec-ords throughout their Lifecycle. The Con-figurationManagement Systemmaintains oneor more CMDBs, and each CMDB storesAttributes of CIs, and Relationships with otherCIs.
Configuration Management System(CMS)A set of tools and databases that are used tomanage an IT Service Provider’s ConfigurationData. The CMS also includes informationabout Incidents, Problems, Known Errors,Changes and Releases; and it may containdata about employees, Suppliers, locations,Business Units, Customers and Users. TheCMS includes tools for collecting, storing, man-aging, updating, and presenting data about allConfiguration Items and their Relationships.The CMS is maintained by ConfigurationMan-agement and is used by all IT ServiceMan-agement Processes. See also ConfigurationManagement Database, Service KnowledgeManagement System.
Continual Service Improvement (CSI)A stage in the Lifestyle of an IT Service andthe title of one of the Core ITIL publications.Continual Service Improvement is responsiblefor managing improvements to IT ServiceMan-agement Processes and IT Services. The per-formance of the IT Service Provider iscontinually measured and improvements aremade to Processes, IT Services, and IT Infra-structure in order to increase Efficiency, Effec-tiveness, and Cost Effectiveness. See alsoPlan-Do-Check-Act.
ContractA legally binding Agreement between two ormore parties.
ControlA means of managing a Risk, ensuring that aBusiness Objective is achieved, or ensuringthat a Process is followed. Example: Controlsinclude policies, procedures, roles, RAID, doorlocks etc. A Control is sometimes called acountermeasure or safeguard. Control also
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