Part one – ITIL v3 Service management as a Practice.

Before we can dive into the world of ITIL v3 Framework there are a few things we need to understand, Understanding ITIL  Terminology is the most importnat so over the next few posts we will concentrate on getting them nailed first.

So let’s start by asking one question, what is a service?

ITIL defines a ‘service’ as a means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks.

Right, of course, huh?

Outcomes are possible from the performance of tasks and are limited by the presence of certain constraints, so broadly speaking; services facilitate outcomes by enhancing the performance and reducing the grip of constraints. The result is an increase in the possibility of desired outcomes. While some services enhance performance of tasks, others have a more direct impact. They perform the task itself.

Picture this conversation over a coffee with someone trying to understand the ITIL v3 definition of ‘what is a Service’…

Now this casual conversation about the definition and meaning of services, is intended to be framed in operational terms

Services facilitate outcomes by enhancing the performance of associated tasks and reducing the effect of constraints, the result is an increase in probability of the desired outcome.

So, I hear you ask, what is a service?

A ‘service’ as a means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks. Outcomes are possible from the performance of tasks and are limited by the presence of certain constraints.

For example here are some examples of outcomes:

• Book airline reservations online

• Pay-at-the-pump gas transactions

• Register students for classes

·      

Examples of constraints:

• ·         Insufficient CPU capacity

• ·         Skills shortage

You get the picture.

OK, so now we know what a Service is, then what is Service Management?

Service management is a set of specialised organisational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services.

These capabilities include the Functions and processes used to manage services over their lifecycle

Service Management is a set of specialised organisational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services. The capabilities take the form of functions and processes for managing services over a lifecycle, with specialisations in strategy, design, transition, operation, and continual improvement. The capabilities represent a service organisation’s capacity, competency, and confidence for action. The act of transforming resources into valuable services is at the core of service management.

Without these capabilities, a service organisation is merely a bundle of resources that by itself has relatively low intrinsic value for customers.

Service Management is also a professional practice supported by an extensive body of knowledge, experience, and skills. A global community of individuals and organisations in the public and private sectors fosters its growth and maturity. Formal schemes exist for the education, training, and certification of practicing organisations and individuals influence its quality.  Industry best practices, academic research and formal standards contribute to its intellectual capital and draw from it.

Then along comes a framework that ties it all together.

IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)

IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is:

Best Practices for IT Service Management – Proven good Practice that is in wide industry use.

Provides implementation detail to support other industry frameworks and standards. For example: COBIT, ISO/IEC 20000

First Published by UK Government in the late 80’s

Updated to V2 in 2001 – improved for international audiences and new types of service delivery.

Updated to V3 in 2007 – Additional Lifecycle model and greater focus on strategy and business outcomes.

Best Practice and Good Practice?

Best Practice provides a set of generic guidelines based on the successful experiences of a number of organisations, These guidelines are at a high level and do not answer questions about how they should be applied in specific types of organisation or industry sectors. While best practices are very helpful in defining solutions, they have to be adapted for specific organisations.

Good practice could be either an application of best practice, or an input into best practice.

Next we talk about ‘Fuctions, Roles and Processes’ so be sure to sign up for a free account here and be added to our mailing list.