Using a Process Model – A Different ITIL Approach
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You are responsible for the IT Operations department, and to improve the functioning of the department. You want to reduce costs, higher productivity and better customer reach, and the best possible use of knowledge and experience. You look for the answer in ITIL, the famous collection of successful practices for IT Service Management. But documentation is in eight thick books and what may seem unpalatable out. Maybe you helped with a good set of process models. There are several companies that prepare for ITIL process models. To help the process go forward in implementing ITIL, you have a great selection. One of the best known tools for building process models' Corporate Modeler "of the company Casewise. This is a modeling tool that lets you build models for business and IT processes for the organization of the company (human and technical resources in the implementation of the processes involved), the sites of the company (where the various processes occur) and the stored data. But the software is also used for the technical aspect: the software applications, hardware and IT infrastructure. The models in Corporate Modeler take the form of diagrams, with accompanying texts. All items are stored in a central repository. One can consult the models through the company intranet. OVERLAPPING THEORIES
Companies and their IT departments have different theories. On the business side should not only take into account the ISO standards for quality: in companies listed on a stock exchange in the U.S. is one of each number in a financial report to identify the origin (Sarbanes-Oxley), banks are legally obliged to hedge against operational risks (Basel II), etc.. On the IT side, there are several frameworks successful practices that can be used, eg Cobit, ITIL and CMMI. Casewise put a number of consultants working on the challenging assignment of several theories that process into process models, and in between also here take into account the considerable overlap. Thus arose the "Best Practice & Compliance (BPC) Accelerator". Helmut Schindlwick, senior ITIL consultant: "Some companies have two or more of these theories implement. From the cell "organization" than multiple audit teams. These teams investigate the state of the business and IT processes, and each other while running for the feet. Some business people and some IT people should also audit several times the same questions. That is absurd and expensive to avoid situation, a company can deploy BPC Accelerator. " The tool also supports research through audits, reporting and monitoring of the actions taken. "A process model approach has many advantages," Schindlwick told, "First and foremost in the field of communication: the people who participate in the discussion to see and understand how the process is executed, if a step was missed, that rapidly observed. Even if two process descriptions are contradictory, it is notable. The process models can also be used to staff explain a new job or new staff to train. " "Our customers can also adapt the process models and create new models," he continues, "When a clear view on the processes, one can quickly determine where to intervene first. Another advantage: a clear vision of the process also helps in the selection of tools. " MODELS FOR THE ITIL PROCESSES
ITIL is one of the theories presented by the consultants of Casewise was taken in hand, and translated into process models. BPC Accelerator translates the detailed guidelines from seven ITIL books to a visual model. The persons concerned may examine the processes through the intranet to navigate through the model. That way they can study the best practice processes, and subsequent introduction. With the same approach can also present in the business processes and document the differences between the current and future situation analysis. Helmut Schindlwick: "BPC Accelerator also includes questionnaires, which our customers can start work immediately. They ask the questions to the business and IT people. So they get a picture of the current situation in the field of IT Operations. They also see the processes where improvement is most needed and will yield the greatest results. " BPC Accelerator compares the entered answers to ITIL Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). "BPC Accelerator can also collect performance data from other systems," said Schindlwick. Suppose you've examined the current processes, and a process improvement project started. With this tool you can indicate where changes need to happen: in business (operations personnel, equipment and software applications), in the processes of IT Operations, the resources (personnel and equipment), databases, applications and hardware. PROCESS DESCRIPTIONS
What you see, if you use this tool? We put it out on the basis of one example: the Incident Management process (one of the processes of Service Support). For each process you find the diagram, the process description (taken from the book on ITIL), the critical success factors, Key Performance Indicators, the audit questions and the roles. The Incident Management process that:
- Description: The primary goal of the Incident Management process is to restore normal service as quickly as possible following loss of service, etc..
- The roles: Incident Manager, Service Desk Analyst, Service Desk Manager
- Critical success factors: knowledge base, close links with the Service Level Management, effectively automated system, up-to-date CMDB
- Key Performance Indicators: average cost per incident, incidents processed per Service Desk Workstation, average time (elapsed time) to solve an incident or a workaround to offer, number and percentage of incidents resolved remotely, percentage of incidents closed by the Service Desk without referral to other levels of support, percentage of incidents handled within the scheduled time, total number of incidents.
- The audit questions, for example: Is the process documented?
- The diagram The chart above shows the breakdown of the process in processes of a lower level. The Incident Management process consists then of the processes' Understand Incident Management "," Plan and implement Incident Management ',' Consider tool requirements for Incident Management ", etc..
For those underlying processes is always a model of the diagram, the process description, the critical success factors, Key Performance Indicators, the audit questions and the roles. And so it goes on. ROLES
In IT Operations everyone one or more roles, one role for one or more persons. ITIL has a few dozen rolls, for example Chief Information Officer, Service Support Manager, Service Delivery Manager, etc.. For each role can find the description (taken from the book on ITIL), the roles of which this person was the manager, the role of the manager of that person and the processes whereby the person involved. For example, the Change Manager role:
- Description: The Change and Configuration Management role is responsible for Change, Release, and Configuration Management, etc..
- The roles of which this person was the manager: Change Owner
- The role of the manager of that person: Service Support Manager
- Processes which that person is involved: TOP LEVEL Application Management Christiane Vandepitte is an independent consultant. This article was printed in Dutch by http://www.itprofessional.be
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