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IT Service ManagementProcess MapsSelect Your Route to ITIL® Best PracticeBrian Johnson — VP and WW ITIL Practice Manager, CA Inc.Nancy Hinich — Solution Manager, Technical Services, CA Inc.Pete Waterhouse — Director, Business Service Optimization, CA Inc.June 2006

Table of ContentsIntroduction ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3ITIL Revisited ........................................................................................................................................................................................................3The ITIL Journey ..................................................................................................................................................................................................4ITIL — Descriptive -v- Prescriptive ..................................................................................................................................................................5A Lesson from Engineering History ................................................................................................................................................................5Continuous Improvement ..................................................................................................................................................................................5The ITSM Subway or Underground System ..................................................................................................................................................5ITIL is Simple (Really, it is) ................................................................................................................................................................................6CA’s ITSM Subway System Maps ....................................................................................................................................................................6An Example Journey............................................................................................................................................................................................7

Service Support............................................................................................................................................................................................8Service Delivery ..........................................................................................................................................................................................8

Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................................................................................8About the Authors ..............................................................................................................................................................................................9

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IntroductionThe Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL®)has become the de facto standard in IT Service Manage-ment (ITSM) best practice and the lens through whichthe value of IT service is viewed and measured. From itshumble beginning as a collection of best practices in 1988,ITIL has almost achieved ‘cult’ status in IT operationsmanagement. And while global adoption rates vary, manyIT organizations are turning to ITIL to improve the qualityand cost effectiveness of the services they provide tothe business.

Many IT organizations, however, start on their IT ServiceManagement journey believing the ultimate goal anddestination is to implement ITIL. But as the old adagesays, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road willget you there”. ITIL is a vehicle used to help reach theultimate destination, which is to improve service. Whatare really needed are maps that chart a course towardsthese goals.

This paper presents a unique approach to charting theITIL journey through a visual representation of the ITILframework and its interdependent processes, utilizing theconcept of an urban underground transport system. UsingITSM process maps as a set of resource guides, it providesIT executives, strategists and implementers with a commonreference point for ITIL understanding, communicationand successful project planning and implementation.

ITIL RevisitedITIL can be applied in any organization, regardless of size,type and structure. Like many business quality initiatives,it is based on the principles of W. Edwards Deming, anAmerican statistician who argued that supplying productsor services require activities, and the quality of a servicedepends upon the way activities are organized. Deming’squality cycle (see Figure 1) proposed a system ofcontinuous improvement, with the appropriate levels ofquality delivered by adhering to the following steps:

• PLAN. Design or revise components to improve results.

• DO. Ensure the plan is implemented

• CHECK. Determine if the activities achieved theexpected results

• ACT. Adjust the plan based on results gathered duringthe check phase.

ITIL provides information on numerous ITSM best practices,including detailed process activity requirements, procedures,roles and responsibilities which can be tailored to anyorganization. These practices have been defined as a seriesof processes covering the major activities that should beprovided by any IT organization. These processes aregrouped into two major areas: service support and servicedelivery.

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Time

Mat

urit

yPD

C A

2 1 3 4

Quality Management1 – PLAN2 – DO3 – CHECK4 – ACT

ContinuousImprovement

Figure 1. Deming’s Quality Circle.

Service Support. This describes how customers can accessthe appropriate IT services to support their business. Inmany ways, service support describes the day-to-dayoperational foundation services used to meet customerneeds (see Figure 2). Service support processes include:

• Incident Management. To restore services with minimalbusiness disruption.

• Problem Management. To minimize the adverse affectof IT problems.

• Change Management. To determine required changes,and implement with minimum adverse impact.

• Configuration Management. To identify, control andverify configurations supporting IT services.

• Release Management. To ensure that only tested andcorrect versions of hardware and software are provided.

• Service Desk (function). To provide a single, centralpoint of contact for all users of IT within the organiza-tion. At a minimum, the service desk function handlesall incidents, service and changes requests and providesan interface to all of the other service support processes.

Service Delivery. This describes the five processes thathelp IT organizations deliver the requisite businessservices (see Figure 3). Transformational in nature, theprocesses are concerned with the planning and delivery ofquality IT services. Service Delivery processes include:

• Service Level Management. To make serviceagreements with customers about IT services, and toimplement and monitor those agreements.

• Availability Management. To ensure the appropriatelevel of resources to support the availability of ITservices.

• Financial Management for IT Services. To provide costeffective control over IT assets and resources.

• Capacity Management. To ensure that adequatecapacity is available to meet business requirements,balancing supply with demand.

• IT Service Continuity Management. To address thepreparation and planning of disaster recoveryprocedures for IT services.

The ITIL JourneyMany IT organizations are looking to ITIL as a solutionwithout really understanding the problem. A commonmisconception is that ITIL can be implemented like anytechnology or application. This may be due, in part, tothe technology-centric nature of the acronym (ITIL), orprocess names themselves (e.g. availability management).

ITIL is a catalyst to change the way an organizationoperates. Traditionally, IT has operated in functional siloswith separate goals and objectives. But in today’s environ-ment, IT must become a service oriented culture, wherecross-functional teams are unified in the common pursuitof service excellence. ITIL is founded on this premise, butITIL itself cannot change an IT organizational culture.Senior IT and business management must also endorseITIL. Endorsement from the business is particularly criticalfor success since ITIL is not an IT project, but a programfocused on driving business growth and aligning businessand IT processes. Confining ITIL to the IT department is arecipe for disaster, since there will be no mutual agree-ment on overall business objectives and deliverables. Inaddition, the optimization of many ITIL processes, suchas Service Level Management, is dependent on thecollaboration between business and IT

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Achievements& Alerts

IT ServiceContinuity

Management

SecurityManagement

AvailabilityManagement

FinancialManagement

for IT Services

Service LevelManagement

CapacityManagement

Metrics &Targets

BusinessRequirements

Figure 3. Service Delivery Processes.

IncidentManagement IT

Operations

ProblemManagement

ChangeManagement

ConfigurationManagement

ReleaseManagement

RFCServ

ice

Des

k

RFC

Incident

Figure 2. Service Support Processes.

Consider Figure 4, and the relationship between Change,Release, Incident and Problem Management. Here we cansee that Change Management should be considered as aPLANning type process, with the specific goal of introducingIT improvements, often based on business imperatives.Release Management implements the changes (a DOactivity), and Incident Management is a CHECKing process,determining if the activities achieved the desired results,by monitoring any incidents introduced as a result ofthe change.

Problem Management finds the root-cause of any problemsintroduced and feeds this back, often in the form of Requestfor Changes (RFC’s) to the Change Management process.Thus, the continuous improvement cycle starts again.

The ITSM Subway orUnderground SystemOf course, IT Service Management is far more complexthan an underground transit system However, the analogyof a transit map—be it the London Underground, NewYork subway system or Paris Metro—can be applied togood effect in ITSM.

By visualizing the ITIL framework in a similar fashion to theunderground transit maps, it is possible to clearly illustrateevery process (or track), each activity (or station) and thekey interfaces (junctions) that are needed to chart andnavigate a journey of continuous IT service improvement.

ITIL—Descriptive –v- PrescriptiveFor the most part, ITIL describes what needs to be done toimprove service without explaining how to do it. Simplyhaving ITIL documentation describe repeatable manage-ment processes will not translate into actual serviceimprovement. Organizations need to take the descriptiveelements of ITIL and prescribe the actionable guidelinesand blueprints to put ITIL theory into IT Service Manage-ment best practice. In many ways, navigating ITIL can belike trying to find your way across an urban undergroundtransit system using a multi-volume street atlas. You knowwhere you want to go, but too much detail and superfluousinformation will not help you optimize your journey,especially if you have to change lines to arrive at yourdestination.

A Lesson from Engineering HistoryLondon’s massive underground transit system is a marvelof engineering. Similar to the ITIL framework it comprisesa series of linked tracks (like ITIL processes), with carefulconsideration to given to the placement of junctionsthat would facilitate optimum transportation. Much likethe ITIL framework, the whole was perceived to be anintegrated piece, with many moving parts to coordinateand manage.

For the benefit of travellers a single map of the entireunderground system was produced. It presented everytrack and junction point in a clear and simple way, ignoringirrelevant details and enabling everyone to easily navigatetheir way across the network.

Continuous ImprovementMany organizations start their ITIL journey with a narrowfocus on service support processes. But planning toimplement just one process without thinking of the impacton other processes will lead to “continuously revisiting”instead of continuously improving.” For example, idealIncident Management is difficult to achieve if mostincidents are the result of unauthorized change activities.In this case, a journey towards improvement in oneprocess will involve many side-routes.

ITIL implementations should be looked at holistically,using the principles of Deming to drive and ensure thatcontinuous improvement is always being applied. Therelationships between ITIL processes must always beconsidered with rigorous attention to their place and rolein a continuous improvement cycle of PLAN, DO, CHECKand ACT (P-D-C-A).

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ConfigurationManagement

CMDB

ReleaseManagement

[DO]

ProblemManagement

[ACT]

ChangeManagement

[PLAN]

IncidentManagement

[CHECK]

Innovation

Correct

AnalyzeResults Install

BuildRFC’s

Figure 4. Continuous Process Improvement.

ITIL is Simple (Really, it is)Two basic concepts explain how ITSM and ITIL can beviewed in the same way as a subway system or undergroundtransport map. First, as discussed above, best practices—including ITIL—are based on the Deming quality cycle of‘Plan-Do-Check-Act; and focus on gradual continuousimprovement using this approach. The second is a meansto assess and measure improvement.

In IT, the most common method is to assess levels ofmaturity using the capability maturity model (CMM)developed by Carnegie Mellon University or one of themodels based on similar principles. This approach isrelevant for the current and next release of ITIL, which willcontinue to be based on the Deming principles and levelsof maturity.

CA’s ITSM Process MapsWith the ITSM process map concept, we are simplifyingITIL in terms of abstracting and presenting a sensible,clear, and easy-to-understand visual framework. As withsubway and underground transit maps, CA’s ITSM processmaps provide only the relevant information needed tochart a journey.

We have created two process maps: Service Support (seeFigure 5) and Service Delivery (see Figure 6), since mostITSM discussions are focused around these two criticalareas.

The Service Support map represents a journey ofimproving day-to-day IT service support lines that are thefoundation upon which to build business value.

The Service Delivery journey is more transformational andshows the processes that are needed to support futurebusiness requirements.

The two maps also illustrate how increased organizationalmaturity ‘levels’ are achieved by planning holistically sothat operational, tactical and strategic processes arediscussed at the outset. With proper planning to how the“levels” will be achieved, the goals of both business and ITwill be considered for your ITIL and ITSM projects.

Close examination of the maps shows that the P-D-C-Acycle has, in effect become a ‘circle’ or ‘central’ line of thecontinuous improvement cycle. The ITIL process ‘tracks’are located in the most appropriate location to a P-D-C-A‘junction’ to illustrate both process inter-relationships and‘direction’. Notice too, how major ITIL process activitiesbecome the ‘stations’ on the route towards a goal or‘destination’.

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Figure 5. The Service Support Subway.

ITIL can’t be definitive because of the broad nature ofthe guidance—but it can be illustrated in a manner thatenables us to think about the big picture journey withoutgetting too distracted by the all the ITIL documentationand detail.

If we select a ‘track’ that we feel is most important to ourorganization, the P-D-C-A junctions also serve as referencepoints to ascend or descend to another track level, or as ameans to think about the planning implications or reviewissues when deciding to implement a process in isolation.

An Example JourneyThe most commonly ‘implemented’ ITIL process is IncidentManagement. The track shows the most important sub-processes, or stations, but it doesn’t attempt to contextualizethe business issues or IT support. It crosses the CHECKjunction because it gauges the effectives of other processes.Of course, the main purpose of Incident Management is torestore services so it makes sense that the ACT junctionstation is also crossed.

Along the route towards the destination or IncidentManagement terminus (‘Restore Service’) all the stationsor process activities that need to be in place for processoptimization are illustrated. Notice too, how the major

P-D-C-A junctions serve as a means to gather inputs fromother process tracks, or even change direction if the needarises. For example, Incident Management will never beoptimized if unauthorized changes are introducing moreincidents. Finally, these junctions also serve as ‘elevators’to higher levels of IT service management maturity. Forexample, a baseline of support performance can be usedto better negotiate Service Level Agreements.

As ITSM continues to mature, most organizations willwant to link Incident and Problem management. FromFigure 5, you will see that the Problem Management trackstarts out at the ACT junction because it is a processfocused on eradicating problems. It then proceeds rightthrough the P-D-C-A cycle. Why? Because we need toconsider how process relationships will drive continuousimprovement. For example finding the root-cause of aproblem will result in the need for a change request, whichwhen accepted will need to be deployed by the ReleaseManagement process.

And what holds everything together? ConfigurationManagement, which drives right through the heart ofChange Management and the P-D-C-A cycle. Notice toohow the Release Management track ends near the start ofIncident Management. This is because every time achange is released, we could see more incidents.

Figure 6. The Service Delivery Subway.

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CA’s ITSM process maps provide an excellent way ofvisualizing the journey of continuous improvement andcan serve as a common point of reference for managers,practitioners and implementers alike. To support moredetailed analysis, CA’s ITIL experts have preparedindividual ITIL process track white papers. Each whitepaper illustrates the major process goals, and illustrateseach process activity or ‘station’ throughout the journeythat needs to be optimized. Additionally, the role oftechnology is discussed as a means of integrating andautomating ITIL processes, activities and workflows.Thought leadership and white papers are available in thefollowing areas:

Service SupportIncident Management. Discusses the journey towardsrestoring service, the major process activities, and thecritical role technology plays in rapid incident detection,diagnosis and resolution.

Problem Management. Shows what is needed toproactively prevent the occurrence and reoccurrence ofmajor IT problems, taking into consideration techniquesfor rapidly identifying the root cause of infrastructurebreakdown.

Change Management. Discusses the critical methods andprocedures needed for the efficient handling of all changeswith minimal adverse impact on the business.

Release Management. Examines the activities neededto support the implementation of authorized softwarechanges within IT.

Configuration Management. Guides the reader along thecritical journey of identifying, controlling, and verifyingconfiguration components supporting IT services.

Service DeliveryOrganizations that are planning to implement servicedelivery generally have either implemented most servicesupport processes, or have recognized delivery issues tothe business as being more critical. In both instances, theorganization is at a higher level of planning and maturity.Unfortunately, most ITSM reference material provideslittle guidance on these more transformational processes.To help fill this void, CA is providing thought leadershipmaterial in the following areas:

Service Level Management. Guides the reader on thejourney towards agreeing, reporting and monitoring ITservice achievements in accordance with businessobjectives, Here the critical role a Service Catalog plays inbuilding and presenting customer facing IT services isdiscussed.

Financial Management for IT Services. Takes the readeron a journey of ‘managing IT as a business’, discussingstrategies in costing IT services, budgeting, andchargeback.

Capacity Management. Describes the activities thatenable IT to understand future business requirements ofIT resources, balancing supply and demand.

Availability Management. Discusses the journey ofdelivering sustainable and cost effective availability ofservices.

IT Service Continuity Management. Examines themeasures that need to be in place to support overallbusiness continuity.

Conclusion The destination of any Service Management project is toimprove service by optimizing technology, controlling costsand utilizing the appropriate level of resources. To this end,ITIL provides an excellent vehicle upon which to develop aprogram of continuous improvement.

Remember, though, that ITIL is a series descriptions andguidelines, and doesn’t prescribe a solution. Failure to lookat ITIL goals holistically and consider the bigger picturewill result in constantly revisiting completed work.

CA’s ITSM process maps present the big picture. Byestablishing a comprehensive, visual representation of theoverall ITIL framework and the interdependent processes,IT staff of all levels of expertise can be easily guidedduring the course of their IT planning and implementationefforts. CA’s unique process maps are a strategiccomponent of CA Service Management Accelerator, asolution designed specifically to unify people, process andtechnology in common pursuit of IT service excellence.

By standardizing and automating the full range of ITSMprocesses, CA Service Management Accelerator enableITIL processes to be optimized, enabling low-cost deliveryof consistently superior service.

To deliver value quickly and assuredly, CA provides a richset of software solutions for ITIL process automation, ITILeducation, workshops, maturity assessment services andimplementation blueprints — both directly and throughworld-renowned ITIL partners

For more information please visitwww.ca.com/itil

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About the AuthorsBrian Johnson is the founder and Honorary Life VicePresident of itSMF, and was part of the British governmentteam that developed the standards for ITIL. He is now theWorldwide ITIL Practice Manager for CA. Brian led thefirst successful government implementation of ITIL bestpractices as well as the first private sector implementation.He has authored more than 15 titles on ITIL guidelines andrelated topics.

Peter Waterhouse is Director of Product Marketing inCA’s Business Service Optimization business unit. Peter has15 years of experience in Enterprise Systems Management,with specialization in IT Service Management, ITGovernance and best practices.

Nancy Hinich is a World Wide ITIL Solution Managerwhere she advises senior management of customerorganizations to identify the opportunity for ITIL bestpractices and implementation programs for businessservice improvements. She has 10 years of IT experienceand holds a Manager’s Certificate in IT ServiceManagement.

Copyright © 2006 CA. All rights reserved. All trademarks, trade names, service marks and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies. This document is for your informationalpurposes only. To the extent permitted by applicable law, CA provides this document “AS IS” without warranty of any kind, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability,fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. In no event will CA be liable for any loss or damage, direct or indirect, from the use of this document, including, without limitation, lost profits,business interruption, goodwill or lost data, even if CA is expressly advised of such damages. ITIL® is a registered trademark and a registered community trademark of the UK Office of Governmentand Commerce (OGC) and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. MP302940606