Microsoft Operations Framework

MOF Service Management Lifecycle

About MOF

Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) consists of integrated best practices, principles, and activities that provide comprehensive guidelines for achieving reliability for IT solutions and services. MOF provides question-based guidance that helps you determine the outcomes and activities necessary to keep your IT organization functioning effectively.

MOF encompasses key activities and processes involved in managing an IT service: from conception to development to operations, maintenance, and, ultimately, its retirement. Collectively, these represent the complete lifecycle of an IT service.

Fundamental Components

MOF’s fundamental components are described in the following table.

MOF Component What you need to know

Service Management Functions (SMFs)

The processes, people, and measurable outcomes required to align IT services to business requirements.

Phases Depict the overall service lifecycle and group together SMFs and management reviews.

Manage Layer Establishes an integrated approach to IT service management activities, which helps coordinate the work of the SMFs in the three lifecycle phases.

Management Reviews The internal controls that assess and validate achievement of goals, readiness to move forward in the service lifecycle, and attainment of business value.

Accountabilities The Team SMF defines Accountabilities, which represent a way of organizing IT work that ensures the right work gets done by assigning someone who is held accountable for whether it gets done.

Phase and Layer Snapshots

These snapshots list the SMFs within each phase and layer, describing their overall objective and deliverables.

Plan Phase SMFs

The Plan Phase is where the business and IT partner to determine how IT can most effectively deliver services which enable the overall organization to succeed.

SMF Business/IT Alignment Reliability Policy Financial Management

What it does Delivers the right services to the business.

Ensures service capacity, availability, continuity, and data integrity are aligned to the business needs in a cost-effective manner.

Defines and manages IT policies to make IT effective and support business priorities.

Accurately predicts, accounts for, and optimizes service costs and maximizes investments.

What it delivers IT service strategy IT standards IT policies IT financial plans and metrics

Deliver Phase SMFs

The Deliver Phase takes a service solution from vision through deployment, ensuring a stable solution in line with business requirements and customer specifications.

SMF Envision Project Planning Build Stabilize Deploy

What it does Clearly communicates the project’s vision, scope, and risk.

Builds a project plan that all stakeholders agree is feasible and meets customer needs.

Builds a solution that meets the customer’s expectations and specifications as defined in the functional specification.

Resolves all issues and releases a high-quality solution that meets the customer’s expectations and specifications.

Deploys a stable solution that satisfies the customer, and successfully transfers it from the project team to the Operations and Support teams.

What it delivers Vision document

Project plan document

Developed solution Tested, stable solution

Operational service

Operate Phase SMFs

The Operate phase ensures that deployed IT services are operated, monitored, and supported in line with SLA targets.

SMF Operations Service Monitoring and Control

Customer Service Problem Management

What it does Defines, documents, and executes the work necessary to efficiently and successfully operate IT services.

Observes IT service health and initiates remedial actions to minimize the impact of service incidents and system events.

Provides users with a positive experience and addresses complaints or issues.

Determines the root causes of problems and predicts future problems.

What it delivers

Operations Guide IT health data Effective user service Effective problem resolution

Manage Layer

The Manage Layer promotes consistency and accountability in planning and delivering IT services and provides the basis for developing and operating a resilient IT environment.

SMF Governance, Risk, and Compliance Change and Configuration Team

What it does Supports, sustains, and grows the organization while managing risks and constraints.

Ensures changes are minimized and planned IT services are robust.

Organizes agile, flexible, and scalable teams doing required work.

What it delivers

IT objectives achieved; change and risk managed and documented.

Known configurations and predictable adaptations.

Clear accountabilities, roles, and work assignments.

Management Review Snapshots

These snapshots outline the focus of the management reviews associated with each phase and layer.

Plan Phase

Review Service Alignment Portfolio

Focus Understanding the state of supply and demand for IT services and directing investments to make sure that the business value of IT is realized.

Understanding the concepts and requirements of proposed IT service changes, and deciding whether to invest further in the development of those concepts.

Deliver Phase

Review Project Plan Approved Release Readiness

Focus Approving the project’s functional specification, master plan, and master schedule so the solution can move to development.

Confirming the readiness of solution operability and supportability, the production environment, the customer and users, and the overall release package.

Operate Phase

Review Operational Health

Focus Regular and structured assessment of internal operating processes and service health to ensure efficiency and consistent achievement of target performance.

Manage Layer

Review Policy & Control

Focus Regularly evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the policies and controls in place across the IT service lifecycle.