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- Management Reference Guide
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Strategic Management
- Establishing Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Aligning IT Goals with Corporate Business Goals
- Utilizing Effective Planning Techniques
- Developing Worthwhile Mission Statements
- Developing Worthwhile Vision Statements
- Instituting Practical Corporate Values
- Budgeting Considerations in an IT Environment
- Introduction to Conducting an Effective SWOT Analysis
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part One
- IT Governance and Disaster Recovery, Part Two
- Customer Management
- Identifying Key External Customers
- Identifying Key Internal Customers
- Negotiating with Customers and Suppliers—Part 1: An Introduction
- Negotiating With Customers and Suppliers—Part 2: Reaching Agreement
- Negotiating and Managing Realistic Customer Expectations
- Service Management
- Identifying Key Services for Business Users
- Service-Level Agreements That Really Work
- How IT Evolved into a Service Organization
- FAQs About Systems Management (SM)
- FAQs About Availability (AV)
- FAQs About Performance and Tuning (PT)
- FAQs About Service Desk (SD)
- FAQs About Change Management (CM)
- FAQs About Configuration Management (CF)
- FAQs About Capacity Planning (CP)
- FAQs About Network Management
- FAQs About Storage Management (SM)
- FAQs About Production Acceptance (PA)
- FAQs About Release Management (RM)
- FAQs About Disaster Recovery (DR)
- FAQs About Business Continuity (BC)
- FAQs About Security (SE)
- FAQs About Service Level Management (SL)
- FAQs About Financial Management (FN)
- FAQs About Problem Management (PM)
- FAQs About Facilities Management (FM)
- Process Management
- Developing Robust Processes
- Establishing Mutually Beneficial Process Metrics
- Change Management—Part 1
- Change Management—Part 2
- Change Management—Part 3
- Audit Reconnaissance: Releasing Resources Through the IT Audit
- Problem Management
- Problem Management–Part 2: Process Design
- Problem Management–Part 3: Process Implementation
- Business Continuity Emergency Communications Plan
- Capacity Planning – Part One: Why It is Seldom Done Well
- Capacity Planning – Part Two: Developing a Capacity Planning Process
- Capacity Planning — Part Three: Benefits and Helpful Tips
- Capacity Planning – Part Four: Hidden Upgrade Costs and
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 1
- Improving Business Process Management, Part 2
- 20 Major Elements of Facilities Management
- Major Physical Exposures Common to a Data Center
- Evaluating the Physical Environment
- Nightmare Incidents with Disaster Recovery Plans
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process
- Developing a Robust Configuration Management Process – Part Two
- Automating a Robust Infrastructure Process
- Improving High Availability — Part One: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Two: Definitions and Terms
- Improving High Availability — Part Three: The Seven R's of High Availability
- Improving High Availability — Part Four: Assessing an Availability Process
- Methods for Brainstorming and Prioritizing Requirements
- Introduction to Disk Storage Management — Part One
- Storage Management—Part Two: Performance
- Storage Management—Part Three: Reliability
- Storage Management—Part Four: Recoverability
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part One
- Twelve Traits of World-Class Infrastructures — Part Two
- Meeting Today's Cooling Challenges of Data Centers
- Strategic Security, Part One: Assessment
- Strategic Security, Part Two: Development
- Strategic Security, Part Three: Implementation
- Strategic Security, Part Four: ITIL Implications
- Production Acceptance Part One – Definition and Benefits
- Production Acceptance Part Two – Initial Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Three – Middle Steps
- Production Acceptance Part Four – Ongoing Steps
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part One – Objectives
- Case Study: Planning a Service Desk Part Two – SWOT
- Case Study: Implementing an ITIL Service Desk – Part One
- Case Study: Implementing a Service Desk Part Two – Tool Selection
- Ethics, Scandals and Legislation
- Outsourcing in Response to Legislation
- Supplier Management
- Identifying Key External Suppliers
- Identifying Key Internal Suppliers
- Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service
- Enhancing the Customer/Supplier Matrix
- Voice Over IP, Part One — What VoIP Is, and Is Not
- Voice Over IP, Part Two — Benefits, Cost Savings and Features of VoIP
- Application Management
- Production Acceptance
- Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications
- Assessing a Production Acceptance Process
- Effective Use of a Software Development Life Cycle
- The Role of Project Management in SDLC— Part 2
- Communication in Project Management – Part One: Barriers to Effective Communication
- Communication in Project Management – Part Two: Examples of Effective Communication
- Safeguarding Personal Information in the Workplace: A Case Study
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 1: Building a Manageable Schedule
- Combating the Year-end Budget Blitz—Part 2: Tracking and Reporting Availability
- References
- Developing an ITIL Feasibility Analysis
- Organization and Personnel Management
- Optimizing IT Organizational Structures
- Factors That Influence Restructuring Decisions
- Alternative Locations for the Help Desk
- Alternative Locations for Database Administration
- Alternative Locations for Network Operations
- Alternative Locations for Web Design
- Alternative Locations for Risk Management
- Alternative Locations for Systems Management
- Practical Tips To Retaining Key Personnel
- Benefits and Drawbacks of Using IT Consultants and Contractors
- Deciding Between the Use of Contractors versus Consultants
- Managing Employee Skill Sets and Skill Levels
- Assessing Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff
- Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside
- Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate
- 7 Tips for Managing the Use of Mobile Devices
- Useful Websites for IT Managers
- References
- Automating Robust Processes
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part One: Quality and Value
- Evaluating Process Documentation — Part Two: Benefits and Use of a Quality-Value Matrix
- When Should You Integrate or Segregate Service Desks?
- Five Instructive Ideas for Interviewing
- Eight Surefire Tips to Use When Being Interviewed
- 12 Helpful Hints To Make Meetings More Productive
- Eight Uncommon Tips To Improve Your Writing
- Ten Helpful Tips To Improve Fire Drills
- Sorting Out Today’s Various Training Options
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 1
- Business Ethics and Corporate Scandals – Part 2
- 12 Tips for More Effective Emails
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part One
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Two
- Management Communication: Back to the Basics, Part Three
- Asset Management
- Managing Hardware Inventories
- Introduction to Hardware Inventories
- Processes To Manage Hardware Inventories
- Use of a Hardware Inventory Database
- References
- Managing Software Inventories
- Business Continuity Management
- Ten Lessons Learned from Real-Life Disasters
- Ten Lessons Learned From Real-Life Disasters, Part 2
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 1
- Differences Between Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity , Part 2
- 15 Common Terms and Definitions of Business Continuity
- The Federal Government’s Role in Disaster Recovery
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 1
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 2
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 3
- The 12 Common Mistakes That Cause BIAs To Fail—Part 4
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 1
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 2
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 3
- Conducting an Effective Table Top Exercise (TTE) — Part 4
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part One
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Two
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Three
- The 13 Cardinal Steps for Implementing a Business Continuity Program — Part Four
- The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
- The Origins of ITIL
- The Foundation of ITIL: Service Management
- Five Reasons for Revising ITIL
- The Relationship of Service Delivery and Service Support to All of ITIL
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part One
- Ten Common Myths About Implementing ITIL, Part Two
- Characteristics of ITIL Version 3
- Ten Benefits of itSMF and its IIL Pocket Guide
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Delivery Processes
- Translating the Goals of the ITIL Service Support Processes
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part One: Service Delivery Processes
- Case Study: Recovery Reactions to a Renegade Rodent
- Elements of ITIL Least Understood, Part Two: Service Support
- Case Studies
- Case Study — Preparing for Hurricane Charley
- Case Study — The Linux Decision
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at an Aerospace Firm
- Case Study — Production Acceptance at a Defense Contractor
- Case Study — Evaluating Mainframe Processes
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part One: Quantitative Comparisons/Natural Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Two: Quantitative Comparisons/Man-made Disasters
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Three: Qualitative Comparisons
- Case Study — Evaluating Recovery Sites, Part Four: Take-Aways
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part One: Planning
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Two: Planning and Walk-Through
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Three: Execution
- Disaster Recovery Test Case Study Part Four: Follow-Up
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part One: Qualitative Measures
- Assessing the Robustness of a Vendor’s Data Center, Part Two: Quantitative Measures
- Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part One: What Did the Team Do Well
- (d) Case Study: Lessons Learned from a World-Wide Disaster Recovery Exercise, Part Two
This is the first of a two-part series describing those elements of the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) that are least understood. These elements cause confusion among those preparing for the examination for certification in ITIL Fundamentals, and also for those planning for the implementation of all or portions of the ITIL framework. I base this information on observations while implementing ITIL processes, and on feedback I have received from over 300 students whom I have certified in the Fundamentals of ITIL and Service Management.
This first part discusses nine common misunderstandings associated with the six infrastructure processes of Service Delivery. These processes are listed in Figure 1. Part two will discuss elements of Service Support that tend to be least understood.
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Figure 1 Service Delivery Processes
Nine Elements of ITIL Service Delivery Often Misunderstood
Figure 2 below lists nine common elements of Service Delivery that are frequently misunderstood by those initiating a study of the ITIL framework. Each of these will be discussed in more detail.
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Figure 2 Misunderstood Elements of ITIL Service Delivery
- Distinguishing Service Delivery from Service Support – The 12
entities (11 processes and one function) associated with ITIL fall into one of
two groupings: Service Delivery and Service Support. Understanding the basic
differences between these two categories helps to prioritize the implementation
of these processes, and may help in terms of a certification exam question. Many
students struggle with these differences. Figure 3 lists the primary differences
between these two groupings.
Category
Service Delivery
Service Support
Human Interface
Customer-Facing
User-Facing
Process Focus
Tactical
Operational
Planning Horizon
Weeks-to-Months
Hours-to-Days
Orientation
Management-Oriented
Enduser-Oriented
Figure 3 Differences Between Service Delivery and Service Support
- Distinguishing Customer from User – In ITIL terms, the Customer is the person who requests and usually pays (in one way or another) for the IT services provided. Customer are the decision makers as to the quality of IT services delivered, are often the managers of Users and are associated with the Service Delivery processes. Users are those who utilize the IT services on a daily basis. Their jobs depend on and are supported by IT services, and they associated with the Service Support processes.
- Understanding Roles of Customer, IT Provider and Vendor in Relation to Service Level Management – The Customer (not the User) provides service requirements to, and negotiates service levels with, the IT Provider (the IT person designated to represent IT). Among other roles, the IT Provider acts as a supplier when negotiating service levels with the Customer and acts as a customer when negotiating service levels with external vendors. Vendors provide external support services to IT.
- Distinguishing SLAs from OLAs from UCs – An SLA (service
level agreement) is a document agreed to and signed by the Customer and the IT
provider that stipulates the quality targets for various IT services. An OLA
(operating level agreement) is a document similar to an SLA but is between an IT
functional group directly involved with users such as the Service Desk and an IT
support group such as Data Base Administration. The OLA describes the level of
response that the support will provide to the IT functional group.
SLAs and OLAs are internal agreements and not considered to be legally binding. A UC (underpinning contract) is a legally binding document between the IT Provider and an external support vendor such as a telephone company or an Internet Service Provider.
- Understanding Responsibilities Associated with Charging – Company management is responsible for setting policy concerning charging for IT services. The first policy is whether or not to charge at all because ITIL views charging as optional. Financial Management is responsible for establishing the charging system itself.
- Distinguishing Financial Management from Asset Management – ITIL does not include asset management as one of it processes as some may think. Financial Management involves the budgeting, accounting and optional charging for IT services. Asset management involves the accounting for all IT resources, including those outside the realm of the infrastructure.
- Additional Roles of Capacity Management – Most students of ITIL understand the primary role of Capacity Management of forecasting and providing adequate resources to meet IT service requirement. But many do not recognize that this process also has the secondary roles of tuning, modeling and evaluating new technologies.
- Distinguishing the Responsibilities Between Availability Management and Security Management – There is one primary aspect about Availability Management and Security Management that those learning about ITIL often misunderstand. This involves security policy, which is set by company management. Availability Management is responsible for ensuring that new applications restrict availability when security policies are violated. Security Management is responsible for ensuring that new applications are in compliance with all current security policies.
- Understanding the Relationships Among Business Continuity, Service Continuity and Disaster Recovery – Business continuity involves the proactive mitigation of impacts to critical business processes in the event of a sustained disaster. Disaster recovery involves the reactive restoration of the IT infrastructure. The ITIL notion of Service Continuity is both the proactive mitigation of impacts to business processes that utilize IT services as the result of a disaster, and the reactive restoration of IT services after a sustained outage.
Summary
This first of a two-part series on common misunderstandings of ITIL dealt with elements associated with Service Delivery. In part two, I will present similar areas of confusion involving the Service Support processes of ITIL.