Hello again, to my fellows on this journey of ITIL certification. So far in this “ITIL for Newbies…(Like Me) – An ITIL Overview” series, we have covered the ITIL Introduction, the Service Strategy Stage, and the Service Design Stage. In this 4th installment, we will tackle the 3rd stage of the ITIL Lifecycle, Service Transition. Read on for the definition and processes that belong to this stage, and don’t forget to make note of the orange words as you continue studying.
SERVICE TRANSITION – ITIL V3 GLOSSARY DEFINITION:
Service Transition – includes a number of Processes and Functions and is the title of one of the Core ITIL publications. See Transition.
Transition – A change in state, corresponding to a movement of an IT Service or other Configuration Item from one Lifecycle status to the next.
NEWBIE TRANSLATION:
No making changes willy nilly, with ITIL. Service Transition is responsible for ensuring that all aspects of a new or changed service are smoothly transitioned to the live environment or real world phase, with the minimum impact on the business as possible. This stage is also responsible for maintaining the integrity of assets (Because nobody likes to address, stamp, and seal 4 MILLION letters apologizing to patients after a couple of computers were swiped) and creating a streamlined, repeatable process for future transitions. Another important feature of this stage is the management of the Service Knowledge Management System or SKMS (See below), the place you want to go for answers on nearly any question regarding the history of a service, supplier contracts, tools, solutions to known errors, etc.
PROCESSES:
CHANGE MANAGEMENT – Responsible for controlling the lifecycle of a change and managing the risks involved, to avoid Service disruptions
- Know: Normal, Standard, and Emergency Changes
- RFC – Request for Change
- RFC Process – review, classify, authorize, plan, implement
SERVICE ASSET & CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT – Responsible for keeping track of and managing the assets and configuration items used by the organization, as well as maintaining the CMDB
- Configuration Item – (CI) Configuration Items can be ANYTHING, which plays a role in delivering the service, including the service itself, support staff, a computer, an instance in a database, etc.
- CMDB- (Configuration Management Database) responsible for maintaining information about CI’s & their relationships to each other
RELEASE & DEPLOYMENT MANAGEMENT – Plans, designs, schedules, and controls the movement of releases to Test and Live environments.
- Ensures that the integrity of the live environment is protected & that the correct components are released
- Other responsibilities: Release policy, testing, campaigns for acceptance, training, preparation for the installation
- Release Environments: Development, Test, Live
– The following processes are not extensively covered in the ITIL Foundations Exam, but you should have a basic understanding of them. –
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT – Supports the capture and effective publishing of knowledge, throughout the service lifecycle.
- Manages the SKMS (Service Knowledge Management System) which contains the Service Portfolio, Configuration Management Database, Supplier Contract Database, and much more.
TRANSITION PLANNING & SUPPORT – Provides broader support for large-scale transitions and releases. Helpful for an organization implementing a greater volume of change.
SERVICE VALIDATION & TESTING – Consists of a more focused support for testing prior to release. Very important for organizations that have a greater focus on quality and error control.
EVALUATION – Provides support for post-release evaluation and confirmation of customer acceptance of new and changed services
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“OHHH we’re half way theeere!”
Ok, maybe I should stick to ITIL and let Bon Jovi do the singing. What can I say? I’m excited to have wrapped up the 3rd ITIL stage, Service Transition. Only two more to go! Next week we’ll cover the Service Operation Stage in the 5th installment of “ITIL for Newbies…(Like Me) – An ITIL Overview” series.
Also check out…
ITIL for Newbies…. (Like Me) – Part 1: An Introduction to ITIL
ITIL for Newbies…. (Like Me) – Part 2: Service Strategy
ITIL for Newbies…. (Like Me) – Part 3: Service Design
ITIL for Newbies…. (Like Me) – Part 4: Service Transition
ITIL for Newbies…. (Like Me) – Part 5: Service Operation
ITIL for Newbies…. (Like Me) – Part 6: Continual Service Improvement
