Frameworks for IT Management

Transcription

1 Frameworks for IT Management Copyright protected. Use is for Single Users only via a VHP Approved License. For information and printed versions please see

2 18 ITIL - the IT Infrastructure Library ITIL (The IT Infrastructure Library) provides a framework of best practice guidance for IT Service Management, which has become both a de facto standard and the most widely accepted approach to IT Service Management. It provides a universally accepted framework for establishing a set of integrated processes for delivering high quality IT services. Owner of the copyright: Office of Government Commerce (OGC), United Kingdom: Distribution: ITIL is the worldwide de facto standard for IT Service Management. Origin/history: Originally developed by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA, later to become part of the UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC)). The original three ITIL books were revised and consolidated into its current seven core books. ITIL version 3 (v3) is the current version. When: books in the late 1980s and 1990s, revisions from 1999 onwards. The v3 core books were launched in May 2007 and a series of complementary publications will be released throughout 2007 and Participants in the committee: Certification bodies? By Robert E. Stroud and Peter Doherty OGC APM Group ( is the accreditation and certification body for ITIL professionals. EXIN (www. exin-exams.com), BCS-ISEB ( and Loyalist Certification Services (LCS, have been accredited as examination bodies Origin/history ITIL was originally developed by the Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA, later to become part of the UK Office of Government Commerce (OGC)), in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The IT Infrastructure Library originated as a collection of books, each covering a specific practice within IT Service Management. After the initial publication, the number of books quickly grew within ITIL version 1, to 48 volumes. It was subsequently adopted and used by many organizations within the private sector as well. The contents of the library were revised in a period from 1999 onwards, to bring it in line with modern practices, distributed computing and the internet. From this, ITIL version 2 (2000) resulted, which aimed to make ITIL more accessible (and affordable) to those wishing to explore it. Consequently, ITIL v2 consolidated the publications into logical sets that grouped related 181

3 Frameworks for IT Management process guidelines into the different aspects of IT management, applications and services. The ITIL v2 books and their disciplines were: Service Support Service Delivery ICT Infrastructure Management Planning to Implement Service Management Application Management Business Perspective Security Management Software Asset Management In December 2005, the OGC issued notice of an ITIL Refresh, commonly known as ITIL version 3 (v3). The ITIL refresh project ended with the publication of five new core texts and a web based glossary on 30th May At the time of writing, it was still unclear for how long ITIL version 2 will continue to be available Where is ITIL used? ITIL provides best practice guidance in almost all areas of IT; all areas of IT should have an awareness and knowledge of the library and its contents. The successful implementation of Service Management within an organization depends upon vision, direction and commitment from the very top, so the contents of the library should be used and applied from heads of IT and CIOs, through to practitioners, IT support technicians and administrators. However, there are quite a few organizations that have only used ITIL to improve a single specific process area, often with little or no impact on the organizational structure as a whole. The guidelines contained within ITIL are applicable to all IT organizations, whether they are internal IT service providers, or outsourcing or hosting service providers who are providing IT services to external customers Description and core graphics A key role of IT Managers is to co-ordinate the resources of the IT department and external service providers to effectively support an organization s use of IT. ITIL provides a set of processes for managing operational systems. If applied appropriately, ITIL can reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and increase the Return on Investment (ROI) of IT. The main method of realizing this goal is the operation of effective, stable processes and the provision of appropriate, value for money services. The correct processes need to be developed and implemented with continual improvement. Good IT management is all about the efficient use of the Four Ps (Figure 18.1): people processes 182

4 ITIL the IT Infrastructure Library People Processes Products Partners Figure 18.1 The Four Ps (source: OGC) products (tools and technology) partners (suppliers, vendors and outsourcers) Though management needs to develop joint strategies and plans for all the Ps, many organizations recognize them but do not use them to maximum advantage. All too often products are bought to manage areas of technology, and then the processes, partners and people roles are engineered to fit the technology and its limitations. The people and process issues must be addressed first and this is one of the core principles of ITIL. The main objective of ITIL is to enable IT service provider organizations to improve the overall quality of service to the business within target cost constraint, while improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of IT. Version 3, released in 2007, provides comprehensive best practice guidelines on end-to-end Service Management and covers the complete spectrum of people, processes, products and the use of partners. It is scoped and developed within an overall framework (Figure 18.2). This illustrates the relationship that each of the modules has with the business and the technology. 1 The new ITIL structure is based on the idea that delivering IT services is of strategic value to the business and a strategic goal to the IT organization. Consequently, the Service Strategy is the basis around which the Service Lifecycle evolves (Design, Transition, Operation). If you manage services through their lifecycle, it is logical that you learn how to do it better as you go along. This is where Continual Service Improvement comes in, touching on all of the other phases and activities The structure of the ITIL library The way in which ITIL v3 is now structured (when compared to ITIL v2), has switched from grouping the theory around specific fields of expertise (availability, incidents, etc.) to grouping topics around the lifecycle of services. For the section on ITIL version 3, several other itsmf publications were used as a source, among them Frameworks for IT Management A Pocket Guide (2007). J. van Bon (Ed.). Zaltbommel: Van Haren Publishing for itsmf. 183

5 Frameworks for IT Management The core of the ITIL Library consists of five publications. Each provides the guidance necessary for an integrated approach as required by the ISO/IEC standard specification: 1. Service Strategy explains how to design, develop and implement Service Management as an organizational capability and as a strategic asset. 2. Service Design deals with the design and development of services and Service Management processes. 3. Service Transition bridges the build and run worlds and ensures a smooth transition. 4. Service Operation provides guidance on achieving effectiveness and efficiency whilst running services in the operational environment. 5. Continual Service Improvement provides guidance in creating and maintaining value for customers through better design, introduction and operation of services. Version 3 moves to three sections of deliverables (Figure 18.2): A series of core ITIL volumes cover all the base aspects of the Service Lifecycle, including Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement. A series of complimentary publications will be targeted at focused topics, such as certification study aids, integration with best practices (ie COBIT, PRINCE2, PMBoK, AS 8015, TQM, etc.) and international standards (ISO/IEC 20000, ISO/IEC 27001, etc.), and focused industry solutions such as ITIL for Small Scale Implementations, ITIL for outsourcing, etc. A series of web based support services aid and assist practitioners in implementing ITIL, including White Papers, organizational charts, process flows and additional practitioner information. Core Complementary publications Continual Service Improvement Service Design Service Strategy Other best practices Certified training Continual Service Improvement Service Operation ITIL Service Transition Continual Service Improvement International standards Web support services Figure 18.2 ITIL v3 Structure (Source: OGC) 184

6 ITIL the IT Infrastructure Library 18.4 Approach/how to There is no universal answer to the implementation of Service Management solutions. Each organization is unique in terms of its business, people and culture. ITIL provides best practice guidelines and should be adopted and adapted to fit specific situations. The framework should be adopted as the process guidance, to use within an organization. Specific content should then be adapted to implement processes that are effective and efficient for the unique requirements for each organization. The only approach to the implementation of effective Service Management processes is to establish continual improvement to ensure that processes are regularly developed and improved (Figure 18.3). This involves continual assessment and review of the current situation, setting new targets, identifying improvement actions and measuring the effect of those completed actions. Business driven metrics, Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) need to be established to measure the success of the process implementation and ongoing improvement Service Strategy Service Strategy explains how to design, develop and implement Service Management as an organizational capability and as a strategic asset. It shows how to develop Service Management policies, guidelines and processes across the ITIL Service Lifecycle. Organizations are provided guidance in setting much more customer focused objectives and expectations for their market place, as well as how to prioritize all the demand that is generated by the internal Line of Business units. It helps move away from a purely operational effectiveness to one of managing a set of strategic services by way of an organizational asset portfolio. What is the vision? Business vision, mission, goals and objectives Where are we now? Baseline assessments How do we keep the momentum going? Where do we want to be? Measureable targets How do we get there? Service & process improvement Did we get there? Measurements & metrics Figure 18.3 Continual Improvement (Source: OGC) 185

7 Frameworks for IT Management Service Strategy sets the context for the other books. It includes the development of markets, internal and external, service assets, Service Catalogue and implementation of strategy through the Service Lifecycle. Financial management, Service Portfolio Management, organizational development and strategic risks are among the other major topics. It helps to answer the question why something has to be done before thinking of the how. Answers to the first type of question are closer to the customer s business. Service Strategy expands the scope of the ITIL framework beyond the traditional audience of IT Service Management professionals. The volume discusses the following topics: services and strategy financial management Return on Investment (ROI) service portfolio management demand management strategy and organization Service Design Service Design deals with the design and development of services and Service Management processes. It covers methods for converting strategic objectives into portfolios of services and service assets. Service Design provides guidance on how to bring all the different disciplines together to ensure that you are not only delivering on strategic objectives, but that they are (cost) effective. The scope of Service Design is not limited to new services. It includes the changes and improvements over the lifecycle of services, the continuity of services, achievement of service levels, and conformance to standards and regulations. It guides organizations on how to develop design capabilities for Service Management. One trigger for this process is business process change. Service Design starts as soon as the business requirements are clear. The volume discusses the following topics: service catalogue management service level management capacity management availability management IT service continuity management information security management supplier management Service Transition Service Transition bridges the build and run worlds and ensures, as the name suggests, a smooth transition. It deals with capabilities for implementing new and changed services. After setting a strategy and designing a service, this book explains how the service can be effectively realized, while controlling the risks of failure and disruption. It provides guidance on the disciplines that need to be employed in the build environment to deliver on the design objectives. 186

8 ITIL the IT Infrastructure Library The book combines release management, programme management and risk management in the practical context of Service Management. It shows how to manage the complexity of changes to services and to Service Management processes. It also explains how to hand over control of services between customers and service providers. The volume discusses the following topics: utilities and warranties policies for Service Transition transition planning and support change management service asset and configuration management (SACM) release and deployment management service validation and testing evaluation knowledge management Service Operation Strategic objectives are ultimately realized through Service Operations, making it a critical capability. Service Operations provides guidance on achieving effectiveness and efficiency whilst running services in the operational environment. It assists with the break and fix processes and ensures that the operational objectives, which are set forth as part of the Service Strategy and Service Design, are delivered in an operational context. It supports operations with new models and architectures, such as shared services, utility computing, web services and mobile commerce. The volume discusses the following topics: event management incident management request fulfillment problem management access management operational activities of processes covered in other lifecycle phases common service operations activities Service Operation organization Continual Service Improvement This volume describes the process overarching the Service Lifecycle. It provides guidance in creating and maintaining value for customers through better design, introduction and operation of services. It combines principles, practices and methods from quality management, change management and capability improvement. Organizations learn to realize incremental and largescale improvements in service quality, operational efficiency and business continuity. Guidance is provided for linking improvement efforts and outcomes with Service Strategy, Design and Transition. A closed-loop feedback system, based on the P-D-C-A model specified in ISO/IEC 20000, is established and capable of receiving inputs for change from any planning perspective. 187

9 Frameworks for IT Management The CSI improvement process takes the following steps: 1. Define what you should measure. 2. Define what you can measure. 3. Gather data. 4. Process data. 5. Analyze data. 6. Present and use the information. 7. Implement corrective action Relevance to IT management ITIL enables and encourages IT management to recognize that, no matter how good an organization is at providing IT services, it can always improve. It gives a robust framework for taking a Service Lifecycle approach to providing what the business wants. Not just alignment, but true integration with the business and its requirements on an on-going basis, whilst providing Continual Service Improvement. By taking this lifecycle approach it seeks to address many of the problems associated with the delivery of high quality services and gives advice on how such issues can be avoided. It provides guidance, so as to avoid common problems such as the lack of proper prioritization of inefficiencies, which may cause: a lack of vision, direction and senior management commitment poor visibility and relationship with the business poor quality of service and the resulting low levels of customer satisfaction inefficiencies that cost real money repeated disruption and failure of IT services poor track record of delivering IT services to the business A key change to ITIL under v3 has been a focus on the integration of IT and the business ; on the management of IT throughout the complete lifecycle, and on the importance of creating business value, rather than just the execution of processes Strengths and weaknesses ITIL is the only universally accepted best practice guidance on the implementation of IT Service Management. Version 3 of ITIL extends the guidance to include additional prescriptive information, unlike many other frameworks, architectures and standards. Strengths include: Service Lifecycle architecture scalable to any size of organization depth of experience and knowledge embedded within the guidance business benefits derived from its adoption and implementation worldwide, universal adoption of the framework written in conjunction with industry subject matter experts 188

10 ITIL the IT Infrastructure Library a large number of management tools that have been produced to support the implementation of ITIL-based solutions breadth of planned supplementary guidance breadth of publications and White Papers on ITIL and its implementation from the industry However, care must be taken when developing IT Service Management within an organization. It is easy to view and interpret ITIL as bulky and bureaucratic and, as a result, to implement processes that inhibit change rather than facilitate it. A pragmatic adopt and adapt approach towards implementing ITIL should be taken, as it will be hard to apply all of the guidance to your specific organization. The key is to start providing best practice IT Service Management. Then, ITIL provides an ideal guide and framework from which each IT service provider can engineer and implement a unique and appropriate set of processes for their own specific situation Cross-references/relationships ITIL was the first comprehensive set of guidance to be produced within the Service Management area based on the combined knowledge of UK Government Service Management experts. It has evolved internally over the years, whilst also providing the basis for many other frameworks, architectures and standards that have subsequently been produced. ITIL itself is not a standard, and as such cannot be certified against; consequently, the UK Government created the BS15000 standard: Service Management, which was based on the ITIL disciplines. Australia and New Zealand both adopted this standard and now it has been ratified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) as the international standard for IT Service Management, ISO/IEC This important development has provided a key set of controls against which an organization s Service Management process implementation can be assessed and audited. ITIL has also been used as the underlying framework to deliver components of COBIT, as well as supporting the SOX legislation in the United States and various regional spin offs. It can also be used with several quality and management frameworks, such as TQM, ASL, MOF and CMMI Links and literature Books and articles on ITIL Service Strategy (2007). OGC, London: TSO Service Design (2007). OGC, London: TSO Service Transition (2007). OGC, London: TSO Service Operation (2007). OGC, London: TSO Continual Service Improvement (2007). OGC, London: TSO Foundations of IT Service Management based on ITIL v3 (2007). J. van Bon (Ed.). Zaltbommel: Van Haren Publishing for itsmf. IT Service Management An Introduction based on ISO and ITIL v3 (2007). J. van Bon (Ed.). Zaltbommel: Van Haren Publishing for itsmf. 189

11 Colophon Title: A publication of: Editors: Publisher: Frameworks for IT Management itsmf-nl Jan van Bon (chief editor) Tieneke Verheijen (editor) Van Haren Publishing, Zaltbommel, ISBN(10): ISBN(13): Edition: First edition, first impression, September 2006 First edition, second impression, November 2006 Design and Layout: Printer: CO2 Premedia, Amersfoort - NL Wilco, Amersfoort -NL For any further enquiries about Van Haren Publishing, please send an to: [email protected] The International itsmf organization, through its International Publications Executive Subcommittee (IPESC), comprised of a council of members from global itsmf chapters has given its formal itsmf International endorsement to this book. itsmf-nl 2006 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form by print, photo print, microfilm or any other means without written permission by the publisher. Although this publication has been composed with much care, neither author, nor editor, nor publisher can accept any liability for damage caused by possible errors and/or incompleteness in this publication. TRADEMARK NOTICES PRINCE2, M_O_R and ITIL are Registered Trade Marks and Registered Community Trade Marks of the Office of Government Commerce, and are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. COBIT is a registered trademark of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA)/IT Governance Institute (ITGI). The PMBoK is a registered trademark of the Project Management Institute (PMI). etom is a registered trademark of the TeleManagement Forum. Copyright protected. Use is for Single Users only via a VHP Approved License. For information and printed versions please see IV