Dr. Michael Hammer and his co-author James Champy wrote the groundbreaking work Re-Engineering the Corporation. Dr. Hammer has long championed the concepts of using processes to accomplish work outputs and outcomes. Dr. Hammer spoke of three categories of work (or process output). Because a service can be defined as "work done for others," we can equate the types of work described by Hammer with the categories of services described by ITIL. The three categories of work according to Hammer are: ·     Value-Add (ITIL Core services) : This type of work (or services) provides direct value in the form of utility and warranty to the customers and users. Customers pay directly for this work or services. This work generates the revenue of your organization. This is "why you exist" and "what you do" as a business. ·     Non Value-Add (ITIL Enabling and Enhancing services) : This type of work supports, underpins and enables your Value-Add work or Core Servic

I often get asked when discussing operational activities or event management about how we should monitor our environment.   There are several methods to accomplish this depending on what you’re monitoring, what resources you have available and the criticality of what you’re monitoring.   Defining these elements will then help you choose one or more of the following methods. Active monitoring: Ongoing device interrogation to determine its status. Resource intensive. Usually used proactively for critical devices or systems Passive monitoring: Transmits event to a listening device. Most commonly used method Requires good definition of events and instrumentation of systems being monitored. Reactive Monitoring: Requests or triggers action following an event or failure Used for exceptions and normal operations Can be used to diagnose which device is causing the failure and under what conditions. Proactive Monitoring: Used to detect event patterns that can indicate

The purpose of Business Relationship Management (BRM) is to establish and maintain a business relationship between the IT service provider (SP) and the customer.   This relationship needs to be based on an understanding of the customer and their business needs (what services the customer needs now and in the future).   BRM must also help to establish an understanding of the requirements (utility & warranty) a customer is going to expect and to insure the service providers ability to meet those expectations. The customer portfolio is a database used to record all customers of the IT service provider.   It is used by many processes but is defined and maintained in the business relation management process.   It provides insight into the customer and is developed from the point of view of the business relationship manger.   It allows the service provider to understand who the customers are and make the distinction between customers and users.   This enables the BRM to be able to

One of the lesser utilized yet powerful ideas in ITIL is the concept of systems or feedback loops. ITIL defines a system as A group of interacting, interrelated or interdependent components that form a unified whole, operating together for a common purpose. There are two types of systems: ·          Open-loop systems – value of outcome has no influence on input; performs a specific activity regardless of environmental conditions ·          Closed-loop systems – value of outcome influences input; responds to changes in the environment Using these concepts we can establish a powerful approach for managing and improving the ITIL processes we have implemented. One technique is called the Monitor-Control Loop. The loop consists of a set of steps that produces feedback to help improve individual process steps, the process as a whole, the stages of the lifecycle and the lifecycle as a whole. ·          Begin the loop by conducting an individual process step by taking inputs and

Both the Service Design Package (SDP) and the Service Catalog are produced in the service design stage of the service lifecycle and to some extent both drive the activities that happen in all subsequent stages of the service lifecycle.   The SDP will detail all aspects of a service and its requirements throughout the entire lifecycle.   A service design package is produced for all new services, major changes to an existing service or the removal of a retired service.    From a high level the service design package will contain the following: ·     Business requirements ·     Service applicability requirements (how/where used) ·     Service contracts ·     Service functional requirements ·     Service and operational management requirements ·     Service design and topology (including service definition and model ·     Organizational readiness assessment ·     Service Program (timescales and phasing of transition, operation and improvement of the new s

One of the key processes in the ISO/IEC 20000 standard is Business Relationship Management. This process “establishes and maintains a good relationship between the service provider and the customer based on understanding the customer and their business drivers.” Business Relationship Management (BRM) within ISO/IEC 20000 is one of the Relationship Processes (along with Supplier Management). These processes help to establish the links in what Harvard Professor Michael Porter described as the “value chain”. BRM creates the link between the service provider (including IT, but full delivery may involve other organizational functions) and the customers and users, both internal (“the business”) or external (“the end customer”). Business Relationship Management is now a formalized process in newest (2011) edition of ITIL. With the newest edition, the authors recognized the importance of having BRM as an extent process, rather than as guidance embedded in other ITIL processes (such as Ser

In a previous blog we discussed the revised 7 step improvement process.  Step 6 of that process is to present and use the information.  There are various levels of management in an organization. When presenting this information and implementing improvements it is important to understand which level to focus on and have a good understanding of the perspectives of each level and what their drivers are. This will enable us to derive the maximum value and benefit out of the information delivered. First order drivers:   At the highest level of the organization are the strategic thinkers.  The reports delivered at this level need to be short, quick to read and deliver precise data about risk avoidance, protecting the image or brand of the organization, profitability and cost savings.  These are the drivers that will support your reasons for improvement efforts. Second order drivers: The second level of management is occupied by vice presidents and directors.  Here, reports can be more