Still there? I think we have some gluttons for punishment out there… Just kidding! You can see that ITIL isn’t all that bad right? And just think, we only have two stages left in the “ITIL for Newbies…(Like Me)” series. In this post, we’ll cover the 4th stage of the ITIL lifecycle, the Service Operation Stage and its processes. As always, keep an eye on those orange words.
SERVICE OPERATION – ITIL V3 GLOSSARY DEFINITION:
Service Operation – includes a number of Processes and Functions and is the title of one of the Core ITIL publications. See Operation.
Operation – Day-to-day management of an IT Service, System, or other Configuration Item.
NEWBIE TRANSLATION:
In the Service Operation Stage, value is delivered to the end-user (finally). This stage is responsible for providing the services agreed upon, to the level agreed upon (remember all that Availability, Capacity, & Continuity stuff from the Service Design Stage), preventing any interruptions or reductions in quality, and finally with restoring services after any interruptions or reductions that may occur.
Within this stage is the very important Service Desk…what we like to call customer service. This is the primary point of contact for the end-users, taking requests and either handling it themselves or initiating the proper processes (Incident, Problem, or Service Request Management) to resolve the situation.
Think back to that question that I posed in the 1st post of the series – “If ITIL is the best practice, what does an IT Service Provider, that isn’t implementing ITIL look like?” If an organization hasn’t implemented ITIL, their IT Services may look something like a very lonely Service Operation Stage, often lacking the organized strategizing, designing, transitioning, and later improving processes that come with implementing ITIL. It is understandable that this is the primary focus, being the stage that actually interacts with the end-users.
PROCESSES:
EVENT MANAGEMENT – Responsible for the detection of events within the IT infrastructure and the selection of appropriate response
- Is mostly an automated process – Such as monitoring and alerts regarding software and tools
- Know Types: Informational (no action) Warning (could cause incident) Exception (intervention required)
- Early detection of events helps reduce the number of incidents & improves performance
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT – Focuses on the rapid restoration of services after an incident has occurred, while minimizing the impact on the business
- Incident – an unplanned disruption or failure of a service to perform
- Often owned by the Service Desk
- Know steps: Detect, Log, Classify, Prioritize, Investigate & Diagnose, Escalate, Resolve, Close
PROBLEM MANAGEMENT – Identifies and corrects the flaws or errors in the environment which cause Incidents
- Problem – the unknown cause of an Incident
- Can have either a Re-Active or Pro-Active approach
- Minimize the impact of and prevent incidents from happening, as well as creating a workaround or temporary solution
SERVICE REQUEST FULFILLMENT - Responds to small, common situations or requests from the end-user that don’t actually cause an interruption in the service.
- Can reduce the work load of Incident Management & Change Management by taking care of the minor, non-incident requests
- Example: Request for the installation of software on a unit
ACCESS MANAGEMENT – Provides authorized parties with appropriate access to a service or information
- Helps protect Confidentiality, Integrity & availability
- Executes Information Security Policy (which is set by IT Security Management)
-Following definitions come from the Taruu Study Guide
TECHNICAL MANAGEMENT – function charged with procurement, development, and Management. of technical skill sets & resources required to support infrastructure & IT Serv. Management.
- Ensure that provider has right skill sets available to deliver services it offers
- Right people with the right skills in the right place
APPLICATION MANAGAMENT – Responsible for end-to-end management of applications and for cultivating specialized skill sets to support the organizations applications
IT OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT – Manages the day-to-day maintenance of IT infrastructure & facilities
- Divided into : Operations Controls (regular maintenance cycles) & Facilities Management
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One more ITIL stage down and only one left! In our final installment of the “ITIL for Newbies…(Like Me)” series, we will cover Continual Service Improvement.
Hang in there, we are almost finished!
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
