White Paper

MELBOURNE
Level 4,
60 Albert Road
South Melbourne VIC 3205

SYDNEY
Level 21,
201 Miller Street
North Sydney NSW 2060

CANBERRA
Level 6,
60 Marcus Clarke Street
Canberra ACT 2600

BRISBANE
Level 30,
10 Eagle Street
Brisbane QLD 4000

AUCKLAND
Level 20,
135 Albert Road
Auckland New Zealand

WHITE PAPER

IT Service Management:
An Overview

Michael Davies
ProActive Services
WP 001
January, 2004

IT Service Management: An Overview

Contents
1. PREFACE ............................................................................................................................... 2
2. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 3
3. KEY COMPONENTS OF IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT............................................ 6
3.1 SERVICE DELIVERY...............................................................................................................................................6
3.2 SERVICE SUPPORT...............................................................................................................................................7
3.3 ALIGNMENT OF IT AND BUSINESS STRATEGY........................................................................................8

4. ESTABLISHING ITSM ......................................................................................................... 9

4.1 BROAD ITIL RECOMMENDATIONS..............................................................................................................9
4.2 ITSM MATURITY MODEL................................................................................................................................ 10
4.3 BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION (BSI)............................................................................................... 11
4.4 SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES.................................................................................................. 12
4.5 OTHER BEST PRACTICE FRAMEWORKS.................................................................................................. 12

5. BASEPLAN: PROACTIVE'S FRAMEWORK FOR ITSM IMPLEMENTATION .....15

5.1 BASECAMP - STRATEGY DEFINITION ....................................................................................................... 16
5.2 BASEONE - ASSESSMENT................................................................................................................................ 16
5.3 BASETWO- SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PLANNING ................................................................................ 16
5.4 BASETHREE - SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME ........................................................................ 16
5.5 BASES FOUR THROUGH TO SIX - PLAN, DESIGN, DEPLOY ............................................................. 16
5.6 BASESEVEN - RE-ASSESS / REVIEW .............................................................................................................. 17
5.7 CONSULTANCY SERVICES ........................................................................................................................... 17

6. THE WORLD OF ITSM ..................................................................................................18

6.1 ITSM TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION ................................................................................................... 18
6.2 ITSMF INTERNATIONAL ................................................................................................................................. 19

7. SUMMARY .........................................................................................................................20

ProActive Services: 28 January 2004

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IT Service Management: An Overview

Preface
The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with an introduction to the field
of IT Service Management (ITSM) using the best practice guidelines of the IT
Infrastructure Library (ITIL). It also explains how ProActive can assist IT service
providers with the transition from a technology focused to a customer focused
culture.
The paper examines the rationale behind the development of the library and
provides a very brief overview of the core ITSM functions that organisations should
implement to ensure the delivery of customer-focused IT services. It includes some
general information on developing an implementation plan and introduces the
concept of an ongoing service improvement programme.
Details are provided of formal certification options that are available for ITSM
professionals and other training offered by ProActive. Contact details for the IT
Service Management Forum (itSMF), the ITIL user group, are also included.
Your comments and feedback on this paper are welcomed and can be emailed to
the author at: info@proactiveservices.com.au.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

2. Introduction

The concept of a formal approach to the management of operational IT services

was developed during the mid-1980s in response to growing concerns about the
value for money delivered by IT Departments.
At that time, there had been considerable research into software development,
resulting in a number of development methodologies, some proprietary and others
in the public domain. One common deficiency in the methodologies that were
available was the lack of any detailed guidance on the operational stage of IT.
80% COST
CUS
80% FO

Idea
Decommission

Feasibility
study

Operate
Commission

100% VALUE!

Test

Design
Develop

Figure 1:
The Service Lifecycle

Yet it is this operational stage of the software/service lifecycle that: usually covers
the greatest timespan; is when the customer business is dependent on the service
and would be adversely impacted by poor service quality. This is shown in Figure 2
(overleaf) which indicates that a service that may take 1 year to develop through to
live implementation will typically have a minimum operational life of 4 to 6 years
and perhaps considerably longer. Indeed, the author knows of one application in
Australia that ran for over 36 years, albeit with significant enhancements over this
time!
It can be seen that the operational stage is the critical phase of the lifecycle and that
failure to provide any guidance on managing this phase can result in unreliable,
slow, and generally poor quality IT services. In the mid-1980s, the British
Government's Central Computer & Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) launched
a major initiative to correct this lack of guidance.
A project was established to discover what worked and didn't work by tapping into
organisations' actual experiences. Although the CCTA was primarily concerned
with the public sector, it was realised that government did not have a monopoly on
good, or bad, ideas. It was important to involve the private sector in the project
and also to look beyond the boundaries of the UK: to Europe and the USA.

IMPLEMENTATION
S/W

IT Service Management

Development

Figure 2:
Example of Timescales
in the Service Lifecycle

ProActive Services: 28 January 2004

ELAPSED TIME IN YEARS

Page 3

IT Service Management: An Overview

The major outcome from the project was the publication of the IT Infrastructure
Library (ITIL). This is a library of books providing extensive guidance on what
constitutes best practice in the delivery of IT services that meet customer
requirements.
The first ITIL books were published in 1989 and the library has been expanded and
revised since then. The library consists of a number of component parts and
recently underwent extensive restructuring and revision.
The objectives of the revision were:
- to incorporate ten years of practical experience in using the ITIL guidance;
- to consolidate related process areas into single volumes in order to reduce
duplication and enhance navigation;
- to take into account changes such as the move to more distributed multi-tier
architectures and the growth in e-commerce and web-enabled applications; and
- to 'internationalise' the guidance.
As part of the revision changes, the new publications underwent extensive QA by
an international panel of ITSM practitioners. Figure 3 shows the new ITIL structure:

Figure 3:
Revised Structure of the
IT Infrastructure Library

This structure demonstrates that the intention of ITIL is to provide a strong linkage
between the business strategy and the investment in information & communications
technology (ICT).
The components of the new structure are:
Planning to Implement
Service Management

The Business Perspective

Page 4

This module provides guidance on establishing a

Continuous Service Improvement Programme (CSIP)
to establish the core ITSM processes. It describes the
need to:
- create a clear vision
- establish the current situation
- define the desired state and perform a gap analysis
- set priorities and initiate process improvement
- define critical success factors (CSFs) and key
performance indicators (KPIs) to show that the
desired objectives have been achieved.
This module aims to provide business management
with an insight to the capabilities of the ICT
infrastructure to support business processes and
ITSM's role in delivering end-to-end IT services.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

ICT Infrastructure
Management

With a focus on technology management, this module

covers all aspects of ICT Infrastructure Management
from the initial identification of business requirements
through tendering to testing, implementation,
deployment and ongoing support & maintenance.
Processes covered are Design & Planning, Deployment,
Operations and Technical Support.
Applications Management This module examines the entire software lifecycle
including identification of the business needs,
development, live running in a production environment
and eventual retirement of an application.
Service Support
This module focuses on the day to day processes for
the support of operational IT services. Section 3.2 of
this white paper provides more detail. As Figure 3
shows, this is considered to be a core ITIL component.
Service Delivery
This module groups together the core processes that
ensure cost-effective delivery of IT services that meet
agreed customer service levels.
These processes operate at a more tactical level than
the operational processes of Service Support and link
closely with an organisation's annual planning cycle.
Section 3.2 provides more detail.
Security Management
This module provides guidance to the IT manager on
how to organise and maintain an adequate level of
security within the ICT infrastructure. It was published
in 1999.
Some of the existing ITIL modules have not been incorporated into the revised
structure, but are still in print. Some of this guidance, particularly the Manager's
Set, remains very relevant in organisational planning and strategic alignment of IT
with the Business.
Some key benefits of the ITIL are:
- it describes a proven practical framework for the planning and delivery of
operational IT services, based on actual experience, rather than a purely
theoretical approach;
- it provides non-proprietary and impartial guidance that is applicable to both
public and private sector organisations and is independent of the hardware and
software being used;
- it is public domain and can be used without payment of any licence fees;
- its guidance is consistent with British Standard BS 15000:2000 Specification for
IT Service Management;
- it has a global network of user groups, providing peer support;
- its process approach & customer focus are strongly aligned to the ISO
9001:2000 quality standard and will support an organisation's quality
management system.
In 2000, the UK Government established the Office of Government Commerce
(OGC) as an office of HM Treasury. The OGC incorporates the CCTA, which
no longer operates as a separate agency.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

3. Key Components of
IT Service Management
The Service Support and Service Delivery modules comprise the core elements of
IT Service Management and form the syllabus for the ITSM qualifications described
in section 6.1. There are other sets that are very useful, but the above sets cover
the key activities that provide a secure foundation for service quality. Once this
foundation is in place, other processes can be added as the ITSM capability
increases.
3.1 SERVICE DELIVERY
The Service Delivery functions are closely related to the annual planning cycle and
ongoing review during the year and therefore form a logical grouping.
The 5 functions are:
Service Level Management
Financial Management for IT Services
IT Service Continuity Management
Capacity Management
Availability Management
Figure 4 shows how these functions underpin the delivery of IT service quality.

Figure 4:
Service Delivery Functions

If high quality IT services are to be provided, then it is essential to know the

criteria by which this quality will be judged. Service Level Management is of great
value because the creation of service level agreements (SLAs) provides a
mechanism for documenting customer requirements and defining performance
targets. Once agreements have been negotiated, ongoing monitoring is needed to
ensure that all parties to the agreements remain satisfied.
By itself, Service Level Management cannot guarantee IT service cost effectiveness.
Other activities are also required:
- Financial Management is needed to determine and control the costs of
providing the IT services and then, optionally, to recover those costs from
customers in an equitable manner.
- Capacity Management is responsible for ensuring that the IT infrastructure is
of adequate, but not excessive, capacity to provide agreed levels of service. This
includes planning for future changes in the business and scheduling future
hardware and software acquisitions accordingly.
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IT Service Management: An Overview

IT Service Continuity Management is concerned with taking steps to

reduce risk to IT services and to have plans in place to restore an acceptable
level of service to customers in the case where a total or partial disaster
occurs.

Availability Management is a term used to describe the activities carried

out to ensure that IT services are available to customers when they are
required. It will include the monitoring of service availability and the taking of
any necessary steps to improve availability.

3.2 SERVICE SUPPORT

The Service Support elements are concerned with day to day operations, although
Change Management can also have a longer term view when dealing with businessdriven change rather than IT-initiated. The British Standards Institution (BSI)
describes Service Support as providing a number of related types of process:
- The control processes of (Asset &) Configuration Management and Change
Management
- The release process of Release Management
- The resolution processes of Incident Management and Problem Management.
In addition, Service Support includes the Service Desk function that in most
organisations owns the Incident Management process. The relationships between
the elements are shown in Figure 5.

C
u
s
t
o
m
e
r
s

Figure 5:
Service Support Functions

Release
Management
Service
Desk

Configuration

Incident
Management

Management

Change
Management

Problem
Management

All requests for service from end-users, i.e. customers, should be captured by the
Service Desk, which provides first-line support and provides information to the end
user domain. The Service Desk usually has end-to-end responsibility for Incident
Management, even though other tiers of support may assist in resolving incidents.
Calls which cannot be resolved at first-line, are passed to Problem Management for
further diagnosis. Should a new problem be identified, a decision is made on
whether to fix it or to live with it (usually with an avoidance action to prevent or
minimise the impact of recurrences). Problem Management also has a proactive
role to identify weaknesses in the IT infrastructure, areas of concern in the service
support processes and potential problems indicated by adverse trends in
management reports; and to initiate corrective action to address them. Problem
Management can be viewed as providing the Corrective and Preventive Action
element of an ISO 9000 compliant quality management system for IT Services.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

If a decision is made to proceed with a change, this is controlled by Change

Management to ensure that the change does not have any adverse impact on
services. Implementation of changes is covered by the Release Management
discipline to ensure that the changes are built using the correct authorized versions
of the software and hardware and are deployed as required throughout the
operational IT infrastructure.
Each of the process disciplines is supported by Configuration Management and,
ideally, an integrated Configuration Management database (CMDB) that can
maintain the data required by each discipline.
3.3 ALIGNMENT OF IT AND BUSINESS STRATEGY
Alignment of IT and business strategies is very important to the effective use of IT
services. Too often, an IT strategy is developed by the IT division with little or no
input from the rest of the organisation. In effect, the IT division is acting both as a
customer (in defining strategic IT requirements) and as a service provider. The
business units must take more responsibility for the formulation of an IT strategy if
that strategy is to support business strategies effectively and efficiently.
The Service Support and Service Delivery processes ensure that the interfaces
between Customers and the IT service provider are established at the operational
and tactical level. Once these are working effectively, the guidelines of the
Manager's Set can be used to establish the strategic interface as shown in Figure 6.
The key objective must be to provide high quality, cost effective services that
contribute significantly to the overall success of the organisation.

Business Units
Business
Plans

IT Department
Strategic

IT
Planning

Tactical
Service Level Agreements (SLA's)

Service Level
Requirements

Service Level
Management

Operational

Figure 6:
Aligning IT with
the Business

Page 8

Customers

Service
Desk

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IT Service Management: An Overview

4. Establishing ITSM

Section 3 describes the situation where all base ITSM functions have been
established and some synergy is starting to develop. For many organisations, the
challenge is one of deciding where to start. The ITIL framework recognises that
different organisations will have different requirements for IT service management.
This flexibility and the corresponding lack of very detailed guidance can make
implementation seem a daunting prospect.
4.1 BROAD ITIL RECOMMENDATIONS
The ITIL does suggest that the usual order of implementation is to establish the
Service Support functions first together with the other first-line control functions
of Network Management and Computer Operations Management. This has the
advantage of focusing on the day-to-day relationship between customers and the IT
service provider so that the customer will see immediate benefit.
There are some obvious dependencies. For example, Configuration Management
relies on Change Management to provide control processes and should be
implemented at the same time, or after, Change Management is established.
Similarly, Problem Management cannot function effectively without the Service
Desk and Incident Management.
It is important to ascertain what the major issues are as far as the customers are
concerned and use this to determine the order of implementation. For example, if
most of the problems are caused by uncontrolled change, then Change
Management would be a priority. Where there is no obvious weak area, or where
areas are equally weak, then the following order of implementation is suggested
(Figure 7).
Service
Desk

Problem Configuration
Mngmnt
Mngmnt

Figure 7:
Possible order for
Service Support
Implementation

Release
Mngmnt

Collect basic
inventory data

Review/
Implement the
Service Desk

T
I
M
E

Change
Mngmnt

Plan &
Implement
Change
Management
processes

Establish
Incident
Management

Initiate
Establish
Plan &
Management processes for establish the
Reporting
Problem & Error
CMDB
Control

Establish
proactive PM
activities

Conduct SW
audit

Establish
definitive SW
library

Establish
processes for
release build,
distribution &
implementation

Once the Service Support and other control functions have been established, the
service provider is in a position to implement the Service Delivery processes.
Again, there is no rigid order of implementation and, in practice, a significant
amount of parallel activity can occur.
For example:
1 The development of a service catalogue is a necessary stage in the
implementation of both Service Level Management and IT Service Continuity
Management.
2 Business impact analysis and risk analysis & management are relevant to both
Availability Management and IT Service Continuity Management.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

Many organisations will want to implement Service Level Management as a priority

and the ITIL recognises this. However, it does recommend that at least some
elements of Availability Management (reporting) and Capacity Management
(performance management & application sizing) are established at the same time so
that realistic targets can be agreed in SLAs, monitored and consistently achieved. It
may also be necessary to produce cost estimates for different levels of service in
order to select the most appropriate one. This will require some Financial
Management capability.
The remaining elements of Availability and Capacity Management can be
implemented at a later stage, as can more detailed Financial Management and IT
Service Continuity Management.
Figure 8 shows this approach, where activities in the different process areas may be
carried out in parallel.
Financial
Mngmnt

Capacity
Mngmnt

Service Level Availability IT Service

Mngmnt
Mngmnt Continuity
Develop the Service Catalogue
Conduct a business impact analysis

Establish initial
costing model

T
I
M
E

Risk analysis & identification of

counter measures
Performance management
& reporting

Availability
reporting

Establish SLAs
for existing
services

Figure 8:
Possible order for
Service Delivery Implementation

CATERING FOR NEW SERVICES

Availability Disaster recovery
Service Level
Application sizing requirements requirements requirements
Implement
Establish full other
Capacity
costing model Mngt
elements

Availability
planning

Implement
Disaster recovery
plan

Establish Service Improvement Programme

4.2 ITSM MATURITY MODEL

In 1997, the CCTA introduced a five-level process maturity model, based on similar
models that had been developed for software production units, e.g. the Software
Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and ISO's Software
Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination (SPICE).
The five levels were:
1. Organisational commitment
2. Performance ability
3. Actual activity
4. Measurement & analysis
5. Verification of the actual process
This was later revised by OGC and intermediate levels added to create nine levels
of increasing maturity ranging from prerequisites to customer interface as shown in
Figure 9.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

Figure 9:
OGCs ITSM Maturity Model

Level 5: Customer Interface

Level 4.5: External Integration
Level 4: Management Information
Level 3.5: Quality Control
Level 3: Products
Level 2.5: Internal Integration
Level 2: Process Capability
Level 1.5: Management Intent
Level 1: Prerequisites

In conjunction with this model, the OGC have developed two self-assessment
questionnaires that can be of assistance in determining an organisation's current
level of ITSM implementation. Copies of the questionnaires may be obtained free of
charge from the ITIL website at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/itil
A service improvement programme can take the service provider beyond a
maturity of 4; up towards the top level of 5, where external review and process
validation occur. This is the point at which optimisation occurs and the provider is
committed to ongoing quality improvement, rather than just maintaining the status
quo.
Although the OGC's questionnaires can be used for self assessment, we have also
deployed them very successfully with clients wanting external assessment. We have
found that the questionnaires provide a clear indication of process maturity, to
which we also add an assessment of efficiency and effectiveness based on our
experience with other organisations. Our BaseOne assessment process also serves
as a high-level gap analysis that identifies what needs to be done to improve
capability and maturity.
4.3 BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION (BSI)
The BSI has played a significant role in the development of standards for ITSM. It
formed DISC (Delivering Information Solutions to Customers) to manage
standards in document management and ICT. There are three relevant publications
in the ITSM field:
PD 0005: 2003 IT Service Management A Managers Guide
Originally published in 1995, with a second edition in 1998, this book has provided
an excellent management summary for ITSM. In recognition of this, and to clarify
its purpose, it has been republished in 2003 with the above title. It is targeted at:
-

ProActive Services: 28 January 2004

Newly appointed service managers

Existing managers involved in major change
Staff requiring awareness of, or contemplating a role in, ITSM
Those wishing a greater understanding of BS 15000
Customers using services that might benefit from improved service
management or who have an interest in best practice.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

BS 15000-1: 2002 IT Service Management Specification

BS 15000-2: 2003 IT Service Management Code of Practice
Originally issued in 2000, and reissued in 2 parts in 2002 / 2003, the standard
provides a formal basis for the assessment of managed IT services to ensure that
delivery is of acceptable quality to customers. Part 1 of the standard defines the
requirements and Part 2 provides guidance to auditors and also to organisations
planning for service improvement.
PD 0015: 2002 IT Service Management Self-assessment Workbook
The BSI also has a Self-assessment Workbook, PD0015, for use with the standard
in determining the conformance of an organisation's IT services to the
requirements of the standard. The Workbook has questions covering:
Process overview
Process scope
Procedures
Automation
Control & reporting
Auditing
The Workbook does not provide an assessment of process maturity, but does help
an organisation to identify gaps between current practice and the BSI 15000:2000
Further information on the above publications can be found at www.bsi.org.uk.
4.4 SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMMES
The ITIL recommends service improvement programmes as a formal mechanism
for improving the quality of IT services. Figure 8 shows a service improvement
programme as the final stage once the Service Support and Service Delivery
functions have been established. In this scenario, the programme provides a
framework for ongoing continuous quality improvement.
However, there are benefits in initiating a programme at a much earlier stage. The
programme can then coordinate the implementation of ITSM as well as the ongoing
quality improvement that is needed to move to the higher stages of the maturity
model.
Early implementation of a service improvement programme is the approach
recommended by ProActive, as it has proven effective both in Australia and
overseas.
4.5 OTHER BEST PRACTICE FRAMEWORKS
COBIT Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology.
COBIT has been developed by the Information Systems Audit and Control
Foundation (IASCF) as a resource for professionals in IT audit and control. It has a
broader scope than that normally accepted as the realm of ITSM and has 34 highlevel control objectives with 302 recommended detailed objectives.
The COBIT framework has 4 domains:
1. Planning & Organisation
2. Acquisition & Implementation
3. Delivery & Support
4. Monitoring

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IT Service Management: An Overview

A simplified schematic is shown in Figure 10 (adapted from COBIT Executive

Summary, 2nd Edition, April 1998, ISACF).

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES
CoBIT
INFORMATION
MONITORING
IT RESOURCES

Figure 10:
CobiT schematic

DELIVERY &
SUPPORT

PLANNING &
ORGANISATION

AQUISITION &
IMPLEMENTATION

ITSM processes do not map exactly onto COBIT, as the ITIL Service Delivery
functions tend to have both planning and operational activities that relate to
different COBIT domains. A high-level mapping is attempted in Figure 11, below:

CoBIT
PLANNING &
ORGANISATION

AQUISITION &
IMPLEMENTATION

Figure 11:
CobiT high-level mapping

DELIVERY &
SUPPORT

ITIL
Financial Management
Capacity Management
Availability Management
IT Service Continuity

Change Management
Release Management
Service Desk
Incident Management
Problem Management
Configuration Management
Service LEvel Management

Further details on COBIT can be found at www.isaca.org.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

MOF Microsoft Operations Framework

Microsoft have developed MOF as an extension of the generic ITIL guidance for
organisations using their products and technologies.
MOF has 4 quadrants covering:
Optimising

Changing

Service Level Management

Capacity Management
Availability Management
Financial Management

Change Management
Configuration Management
Release Management

Workforce Management

Service Continuity
Management
Supporting

Operating

Service Desk
Incident Management
Problem Management

Security Administration
System Administration
Network Administration
Service Monitoring & Control
Directory Services Admin
Storage Management
Job Scheduling
Print & Output Management

ITSM processes are indicated in italics in the above table. Further information on
MOF can be found on Microsofts TechNet.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

5. BasePlan: ProActive's
Framework for ITSM
Implementation
The rationale for ProActive's approach is that many organisations have a need to
make rapid improvement in service quality, as perceived by the customers, whilst
having to achieve this on a limited budget. For this reason, we provide a framework
that allows the implementation to be broken down into manageable and affordable
stages, and to prioritise these stages according to the positive impact that they will
have on customer satisfaction. At the same time, the processes that are designed
and implemented at each stage will cater for the requirements of future stages to
avoid unnecessary duplication of work.

Ba
s

Base Plan provides a structured yet flexible approach to the implementation of

ITSM that caters for an organisation's specific needs and circumstances. The
framework is shown in Figure 12 and shows three initial stages: BaseCamp,
BaseOne and BaseTwo, followed by the establishment of an environment for
continuous service improvement, BaseThree. Within BaseThree there are a
number of components providing a cycle for continuous improvement that is
analogous to the Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle used in quality management.
BasePlan has been developed as a collaborate effort between ProActive and our
partners in the ITSM Alliance.
- CSIP Managem
en
ree
h
t
eT

BaseFour BaseFive

Plan, Process
Implementation

BaseTwo
SIP Planning

Design

BaseSeven BaseSix
Reassess

Deploy

BaseOne
assessment

Figure 12:
ProActives
BasePlan Framework

BaseCamp

strategy definition

A highly flexible approach to achieving

your IT Service Management goals

Although many of our clients choose to start with the BaseCamp stage, there is no
reason why the framework cannot be entered at any point. For example, a client
may already have a clear mission and strategy and may wish to start with a
BaseOne assessment.
Brief details of the BasePlan approach follow.

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IT Service Management: An Overview

5.1 BASECAMP - STRATEGY DEFINITION

The BaseCamp stage is conducted as a facilitated workshop for the IT management
team for the purpose of establishing a clear vision for ITSM and an outline strategy
for aligning IT services to the needs of the business. BaseCamp helps to set the
scope for a BaseOne assessment and overall direction for subsequent stages of
BasePlan.
5.2 BASEONE - ASSESSMENT
Before embarking on the journey of service improvement, it is important to
establish the current position of the IT service provider. BaseOne establishes the
current maturity of ITSM processes using the OGC's ITSM maturity model as a
reference and also assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of each process area.
The assessment documents a historical benchmark against which future
improvement can be measured.
BaseOne is usually conducted as a number of group interviews, at management and
team leader level with each group interview covering a specific ITSM process area.
We have found that basing sessions on ITSM process rather than organisational
unit leads to a more efficient and accurate assessment process. Most ITSM
processes cross organisational unit boundaries and the level of maturity may differ
for different units. These differences can be reconciled more easily when all
relevant parties are at the same meeting and the overall situation established.
As well as a score for process maturity, efficiency and effectiveness, BaseOne also
includes a gap analysis of current practice against recognised best practice. This
results in a set of recommendations for improvement that forms a key input into
the BaseTwo stage.
5.3 BASETWO- SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PLANNING
The BaseTwo stage builds on the vision and strategic intent developed by
BaseCamp and the BaseOne assessment to justify and establish a programme of
service improvement initiatives. These initiatives are best implemented as formal
projects using a recognised project management methodology. BaseTwo takes the
form of a management workshop to agree and prioritise the projects that will run
within the BaseThree improvement framework.
5.4 BASETHREE - SERVICE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME
As already mentioned in the Introduction and in section 4.4, ITIL strongly
advocates the establishment of a Continuous Service Improvement Programme
(CSIP) as a framework for implementing ITSM initiatives. The interrelationships &
dependencies between process areas necessitate that improvement be undertaken
in a co-ordinated way so that processes can be effectively integrated. BaseThree
assists our clients in establishing an effective environment for programme & project
management.
5.5 BASES FOUR THROUGH TO SIX - PLAN, DESIGN, DEPLOY
These stages correspond to the Plan, Design and Deploy activities of an ITSM
project:
BaseFour is concerned with the creation of an effective project plan.
BaseFive contains the Design activities incorporating the required elements of
people, process and technology to achieve the stated objectives.
BaseSix covers the Deploy stage of the project including general awareness
campaigns and specific training for staff directly involved in the relevant process
area(s).

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5.6 BASESEVEN - RE-ASSESS / REVIEW

This is a critical component of BasePlan and serves a number of purposes:
To review specific process area(s) in order to verify the outcomes of an ITSM
project and to assess ongoing efficiency and effectiveness
To assess the progress made with service improvement by comparing the
current state with a previous assessment (historical benchmarking)
To verify that a Continuous Service Improvement Programme is delivering the
desired outcomes within the expected timescales and to identify any
risks/impediments that could affect future progress.
5.7 CONSULTANCY SERVICES
Our consultancy services are provided by highly experienced ITSM professionals,
who are also responsible for delivering our training courses.
This dual role ensures that:
they can ensure effective ITSM skills transfer to the client's staff
they are conversant with the latest developments in ITSM through their
research and regular contact with organisations implementing ITSM
Our focus on skills transfer ensures that the client organisation is capable of
maintaining and improving its ITSM processes once the consultancy service has
been concluded. Of course, our consultants remain available to provide further
assistance as required but we feel that it is important that the client retains full
ownership and control over its processes.

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6. The world of ITSM

When the CCTA developed the ITIL, a second key objective was to ensure that
the books, once published, did not sit on bookshelves gathering dust. It was
important to create an environment that encouraged take up of the guidelines by a
broad range of organisations.
The three major initiatives in this area were:
1. The development of accredited training courses and a certification process to
ensure that staff and consultants engaged in the implementation of ITSM
processes are competent and have a clear understanding of the ITIL guidelines
and their application within organisations.
2. The involvement of the private sector in ITSM training, consultancy and the
development of ITIL-compliant support tools.
3. The formation of the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) as a user group
to promote IT Service Management.
6.1 ITSM TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION
There are a number of organisations offering training courses based on the ITIL
guidelines. There are three levels of certification:
Foundation Certificate in ITSM: Awarded upon success in a multiple-choice
examination after a three-day course that provides an overview of the core ITSM
processes. This level of accreditation is intended for staff at team-leader or similar
level, working in an organisation that is implementing ITSM. It is also a prerequisite
for the Manager's Certificate.
Practitioner's Certificate in ITSM: This level of certification demonstrates a
detailed understanding of one or more of the core ITSM processes and is intended
for IT staff who specialise in a specific process area. Upon completion of a two or
three-day course, candidates are assessed on coursework and an examination.
Manager's Certificate in ITSM: Awarded after attending the equivalent of ten
days training (either as two one-week, or four two and three-day courses) and
passing two three-hour written papers. It is expected that candidates who hold
Practitioner Certificates in one or more specialisations will not require further
training in those areas. The requirement to sit both written examinations will still
remain. This level of accreditation is intended for senior staff or consultants with
responsibility for implementing and/or managing ITSM functions within an
organisation.
All levels of certification are available in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, through
ProActive.
ProActive offers a wide range of training courses and can tailor a training
programme to meet the specific needs of our clients. Full details of courses and our
public course schedule can be obtained from our web site:
http://www.proactiveservices.com.au/tcbook.htm.
We believe that one of the key benefits that our courses provide is the opportunity
for participants to share their experiences and concerns with others and to learn
from each other. These discussions complement the formal teaching and ensure
that participants gain good practical knowledge that they can put to use.

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6.2 itSMF INTERNATIONAL

The IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) operates in a number of countries
under the umbrella organisation itSMF International. The original organisation was
formed as the IT Infrastructure Management Forum (itSMF) in the UK in 1992. The
name change occurred in 1997 to reflect its service focus. Individual forums
operate in the UK, the Netherlands, USA, Australia, South Africa and Switzerland /
Austria / Germany.
itSMF Australia was launched in May 1998 and runs seminars in Sydney, Melbourne
Perth, Brisbane and Canberra that are coordinated by a national committee. An
annual conference is also held in June of each year. These events offer members
and guests the opportunity to hear about new developments in ITSM, learn from
organisations that have implemented ITSM processes and network with other
professionals.
For further information on the itSMF, please contact:
itSMF Australia
Unit 11, 149 Heidelberg Road
Ivanhoe VIC 3079
Email: info@itsmf.org.au Web site: http://www.itsmf.org.au/

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7. Summary

IT Service Management (ITSM) provides a comprehensive framework to deliver

high quality, cost effective IT services that are closely aligned to the needs of the
customer. The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is an invaluable source of impartial
and non-proprietary guidance that is gaining worldwide acceptance by ITSM
practitioners.
There is no 'standard' route for the implementation of ITSM. Some possibilities
have been discussed in section 4 but it is important to recognise that each
organisation must determine its own priorities that focus on addressing any issues
identified.
Organisations implementing ITSM can obtain assistance from a number of sources:
1. By purchasing relevant ITIL books, particularly those in the Service Support
and Service Delivery sets. The books are published by the Stationery Office
(previously HMSO) in London and are available in Australia from the itSMF.
2. By training staff in ITIL concepts to Foundation/Manager's Certificate level
3. By employing the services of consultancy firms that have ITIL qualified staff
4. By joining the itSMF and networking with other organisations using ITSM.

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