IT Service Management
Encyclopedia
IT service management is a discipline for managing information technology
(IT) systems, philosophically centered on the customer's perspective of IT's contribution to the business. ITSM stands in deliberate contrast to technology-centered approaches to IT management and business interaction. The following represents a characteristic statement from the ITSM literature:
No one author, organization, or vendor owns the term "IT service management" and the origins of the phrase are unclear.
ITSM is process-focused and in this sense has ties and common interests with process improvement movement (e.g., TQM
, Six Sigma
, business process management
, CMMI) frameworks and methodologies. The discipline is not concerned with the details of how to use a particular vendor's product, or necessarily with the technical details of the systems under management. Instead, it focuses upon providing a framework to structure IT-related activities and the interactions of IT technical personnel with business customers and users.
ITSM is generally concerned with the "back office
" or operational concerns of information technology management (sometimes known as operations architecture
), and not with technology development. For example, the process of writing computer software
for sale, or designing a microprocessor
would not be the focus of the discipline, but the computer systems used by marketing and business development staff in software and hardware companies would be. Many non-technology companies, such as those in the financial, retail, and travel industries, have significant information technology systems which are not exposed to customers.
In this respect, ITSM can be seen as analogous to an enterprise resource planning
(ERP) discipline for IT – although its historical roots in IT operations may limit its applicability across other major IT activities, such as IT portfolio management
and software engineering
.
(or information management
) objectives.
The concept of "service" in an IT sense has a distinct operational connotation, but it would be incorrect then to assume that IT Service Management is only about IT operations. However, it does not encompass all of IT practice, and this can be a controversial matter.
It does not typically include project management
or program management
concerns. In the UK for example, the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), a government-developed ITSM framework, is often paired with the PRojects IN Controlled Environments
(PRINCE2) project methodology and Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method for systems development.
ITSM is related to the field of Management Information Systems (MIS) in scope. However, ITSM has a distinct practitioner point of view, and is more introspective (i.e. IT thinking about the delivery of IT to the business) as opposed to the more academic and outward facing connotation of MIS (IT thinking about the 'information' needs of the business).
IT Service Management in the broader sense overlaps with the disciplines of business service management
and IT portfolio management, especially in the area of IT planning and financial control.
(ITSMF), which has a semi-official relationship with ITIL and the ITSM audit standard ISO/IEC 20000
. There is also a global professional association, the IT Service Management Professionals Association (IT-SMPa).
, (ITIL) an official publication of the Office of Government Commerce
in the United Kingdom
. However, while a version of ITSM is a component of ITIL, ITIL also covers a number of related but distinct disciplines and the two are not synonymous.
The current version of the ITIL framework is the 2011 edition. The 2011 edition, published in July 2011, is a revision of the previous edition known as ITIL version 3 (published in June 2007).It was a major upgrade from version 2 (2001). Whereas version 2 was process orientated (split in 2 groupes: service support and service delivery), version 3 is service orientated. Since ITIL V3, the various ITIL processes are grouped into 5 stages of the service lifecycle: service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation and Continual service improvement (or CSI).
The use of the term "Service Management" is interpreted by many in the world as ITSM, but again, there are other frameworks, and conversely, the entire ITIL library might be seen as IT Service Management in a larger sense.
and prescriptive methods, there is debate between lightweight versus heavyweight approaches to IT service management. Lighter weight ITSM approaches include:
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
(IT) systems, philosophically centered on the customer's perspective of IT's contribution to the business. ITSM stands in deliberate contrast to technology-centered approaches to IT management and business interaction. The following represents a characteristic statement from the ITSM literature:
Providers of IT services can no longer afford to focus on technology and their internal organization[;] they now have to consider the quality of the services they provide and focus on the relationship with customers.
No one author, organization, or vendor owns the term "IT service management" and the origins of the phrase are unclear.
ITSM is process-focused and in this sense has ties and common interests with process improvement movement (e.g., TQM
Total Quality Management
Total quality management or TQM is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of products and processes....
, Six Sigma
Six Sigma
Six Sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola, USA in 1986. , it is widely used in many sectors of industry.Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and minimizing variability in manufacturing and...
, business process management
Business process management
Business process management is a holistic management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. It promotes business effectiveness and efficiency while striving for innovation, flexibility, and integration with technology. BPM attempts to...
, CMMI) frameworks and methodologies. The discipline is not concerned with the details of how to use a particular vendor's product, or necessarily with the technical details of the systems under management. Instead, it focuses upon providing a framework to structure IT-related activities and the interactions of IT technical personnel with business customers and users.
ITSM is generally concerned with the "back office
Back office
A back office is a part of most corporations where tasks dedicated to running the company itself takes place. The term "Back office" comes from the building layout of early companies where the front office would contain the sales and other customer-facing staff and the back office would be those...
" or operational concerns of information technology management (sometimes known as operations architecture
Operations architecture
Operations architecture allows the ongoing support and management of IT services infrastructure of an enterprise . The IT infrastructure of an enterprise will typically comprise many different systems and platforms, often in different geographic locations...
), and not with technology development. For example, the process of writing computer software
Computer software
Computer software, or just software, is a collection of computer programs and related data that provide the instructions for telling a computer what to do and how to do it....
for sale, or designing a microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
would not be the focus of the discipline, but the computer systems used by marketing and business development staff in software and hardware companies would be. Many non-technology companies, such as those in the financial, retail, and travel industries, have significant information technology systems which are not exposed to customers.
In this respect, ITSM can be seen as analogous to an enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning
Enterprise resource planning systems integrate internal and external management information across an entire organization, embracing finance/accounting, manufacturing, sales and service, customer relationship management, etc. ERP systems automate this activity with an integrated software application...
(ERP) discipline for IT – although its historical roots in IT operations may limit its applicability across other major IT activities, such as IT portfolio management
IT portfolio management
IT portfolio management is the application of systematic management to large classes of items managed by enterprise Information Technology capabilities. Examples of IT portfolios would be planned initiatives, projects, and ongoing IT services...
and software engineering
Software engineering
Software Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
.
Context
IT Service Management is an enabler of information technology governanceInformation technology governance
Information Technology Governance, IT Governance is a subset discipline of Corporate Governance focused on information technology systems and their performance and risk management...
(or information management
Information management
Information management is the collection and management of information from one or more sources and the distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that information...
) objectives.
The concept of "service" in an IT sense has a distinct operational connotation, but it would be incorrect then to assume that IT Service Management is only about IT operations. However, it does not encompass all of IT practice, and this can be a controversial matter.
It does not typically include project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
or program management
Program management
Program management or programme management is the process of managing several related projects, often with the intention of improving an organization's performance...
concerns. In the UK for example, the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), a government-developed ITSM framework, is often paired with the PRojects IN Controlled Environments
PRINCE2
PRojects IN Controlled Environments 2 is a structured project management method endorsed by the UK government as the project management standard for public projects. The methodology encompasses the management, control and organisation of a project...
(PRINCE2) project methodology and Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method for systems development.
ITSM is related to the field of Management Information Systems (MIS) in scope. However, ITSM has a distinct practitioner point of view, and is more introspective (i.e. IT thinking about the delivery of IT to the business) as opposed to the more academic and outward facing connotation of MIS (IT thinking about the 'information' needs of the business).
IT Service Management in the broader sense overlaps with the disciplines of business service management
Business Service Management
Business service management is an approach used to manage business-aligned IT services. A BSM philosophy promotes a customer-centric and business-focused approach to Service Management, aligning business objectives and priorities with IT or ICT from strategy through to operations and continual...
and IT portfolio management, especially in the area of IT planning and financial control.
Frameworks
There are a variety of frameworks and authors contributing to the overall ITSM discipline. There are a variety of proprietary approaches available.Professional organizations
There is an international, chapter-based professional association, the IT Service Management ForumIT Service Management Forum
The IT Service Management Forum is an independent and internationally-recognised forum for IT Service Management professionals worldwide....
(ITSMF), which has a semi-official relationship with ITIL and the ITSM audit standard ISO/IEC 20000
ISO 20000
ISO/IEC 20000 is the first international standard for IT service management. It was developed in 2005, by ISO/IEC JTC1 SC7 and revised in 2011. It is based on and intended to supersede the earlier BS 15000 that was developed by BSI Group....
. There is also a global professional association, the IT Service Management Professionals Association (IT-SMPa).
Information Technology Infrastructure Library
IT Service Management is often equated with the Information Technology Infrastructure LibraryInformation Technology Infrastructure Library
The Information Technology Infrastructure Library , is a set of good practices for IT service management that focuses on aligning IT services with the needs of business. In its current form , ITIL is published in a series of five core publications, each of which covers an ITSM lifecycle stage...
, (ITIL) an official publication of the Office of Government Commerce
Office of Government Commerce
The Office of Government Commerce is part of the Efficiency and Reform Group of the Cabinet Office, a department of the Government of the United Kingdom...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. However, while a version of ITSM is a component of ITIL, ITIL also covers a number of related but distinct disciplines and the two are not synonymous.
The current version of the ITIL framework is the 2011 edition. The 2011 edition, published in July 2011, is a revision of the previous edition known as ITIL version 3 (published in June 2007).It was a major upgrade from version 2 (2001). Whereas version 2 was process orientated (split in 2 groupes: service support and service delivery), version 3 is service orientated. Since ITIL V3, the various ITIL processes are grouped into 5 stages of the service lifecycle: service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation and Continual service improvement (or CSI).
The use of the term "Service Management" is interpreted by many in the world as ITSM, but again, there are other frameworks, and conversely, the entire ITIL library might be seen as IT Service Management in a larger sense.
Other frameworks and concern with the overhead
Analogous to debates in software engineering between agileAgile software development
Agile software development is a group of software development methodologies based on iterative and incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing, cross-functional teams...
and prescriptive methods, there is debate between lightweight versus heavyweight approaches to IT service management. Lighter weight ITSM approaches include:
- ITIL Small-scale Implementation colloquially called “ITIL Lite” is an official part of the ITIL framework.
- FITS was developed for UK schools. It is a simplification of ITIL.
- Core Practice (CoPr or “copper”) calls for limiting Best Practice to areas where there is a business case for it, and in other areas just doing the minimum necessary.
- OpenSDLC.org A Creative Commons ITSM/SDLC Framework Wiki
- MOF 4 Microsoft Operations Framework covers the IT service management lifecycle with a practical focus
Governance and audit
Several benchmarks and assessment criteria have emerged that seek to measure the capability of an organization and the maturity of its approach to service management. Primarily, these alternatives provide a focus on compliance and measurement and therefore are more aligned with corporate governance than with IT service management per se.- ISO/IEC 20000 (and its ancestor BS15000). This standard is not identical in taxonomy to ITIL and includes a number of additional requirements not detailed within ITIL and some differences. Adopting ITIL best practices is therefore a good first step for organizations wishing to achieve ISO 20000 certification for their IT Service Management processes.
- COBITCOBITCOBIT is a framework created by ISACA for information technology management and IT Governance. It is a supporting toolset that allows managers to bridge the gap between control requirements, technical issues and business risks.-Overview:...
(or the lighter COBIT Quickstart) is comprehensive and widely embraced. It incorporates IT Service Management within its Control Objectives for Support and Delivery.