Standard + CaseHow IT Response Models Drive Modern OperationsBy : Rob England

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What is a Standard Model For IT Response?

A Standard Model is known, familiar, and defined. We have processes in place to follow, so even low-level workers can execute Standard responses.

The Factory Floor analogy generally works well for Standard Models.

A good example is replacing a server.

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A Standard Model is linear and easy to follow.

Receive & Record Assign Complete

ResolveCategorize & Prioritize Close

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What is Case Management for IT Response?

A Case is a situation that is unknown, unfamiliar, and undefined. Without a defined process, workers have to figure out how to handle the situation as they go.

A good example is a major IT system outage of undetermined cause.

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A Case includes unknown steps that must be discovered

Receive & Record

Select Model

ResolveCategorise & PrioritiseClose

No Model

Model Found

Execute Model Workflow

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So What Does Standard+Case Give Us?

Standard and Case are the Yin and Yang. Together they create a model for the entire world.

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As a Rule of Thumb, 60% of Incidents Are Familiar

60%

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Read the White Paper

Standard or Case?By maintaining a database of Standard Responses, ITteams can compare new situations to determine ifthey are Standard or Case.If you run out of Standard Models and have not foundone that matches your current situation, you have aCase on your hands. Gartner Research Director HankMarquis calls this Falling Off the Page.

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Read the White Paper

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We should apply Case Management to treat those situations.

We would like to have processes for every situation. ITIL excels at this, but ITIL operates as though everything that does not have a Standard Model is an exception case.

The World Cannot Be Standardized

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Less Tangible Benefits of Standard+Case

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Tangible Benefits of Standard+Case

Better utilization of employees and resources

Better up-time and faster responses

New standards created from repeated cases, reducing the number of incidents and their impact

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How Cases Create New Standards

After using Case Management to resolve an incident, a post mortem review can reveal a pattern repeated in other cases. These cases can be applied to create new Standard Models.

Close

Review

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Resolved

ModelFound

Categorize & Prioritize

Receive & Record

No Model

Execute Model Workflow

StandardModel

Case Records

Case Management

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ConclusionPlease consider Standard+Case as a better way to think of your service responses, especially your knowledge, automation, collaboration, and communication.

Learn about Standard+Case in our new white paper

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READ NOW

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About the Author

Rob England B.Sc., MIITP, CITP is an independent IT management consultant, trainer, and commentator based in Wellington, New Zealand. Rob is an internationally-recognized thought leaderin IT Service Management (ITSM) and a published author of seven books and many articles, best known for his controversialblog and alter-ego, the IT Skeptic. He speaks regularly at international conferences. In 2005 Rob founded his company, Two Hills, with the motto “Sensible Business Practices.”

Read Rob’s books:http://www.twohills.co.nz/books

Read Rob’s blog:http://www.itskeptic.org

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