ITIL Life cycle

ITIL Life cycle

ITIL life cycle is a core of ITIL, which helps ITSM to improve upon value to business/customer in the form of services

Above illustrated Life cycle is core framework of ITIL around which all ITIL process and functions works, it involves 26 process and 4 functions which enable IT service management to provision all service related activity activities in efficient and effective way.

As we already knew from our previous self notes that SS-Service Strategy, SD-Service Design, ST-Service Transition, SO-Service Operations and CSI-Continual Service Improvement which is illustrated in above figure how this service are well connected to each other to expand the Service management capabilities to out perform objectives of the organization.

ITIL process and functions are divided into different core volumes which will be discussed in depth in upcoming self notes from me.

Right now we will proceed with understanding process and functions.

Process:

Process are different set of predefined initiatives adopted by organizations to enable effective and efficient delivery of their objectives to delivery service, it define and comprises Activities, work instructions, Standards, policy and guidelines.

Following this process if the desired inputs provided they produce the desired results.

Functions:

Functions are the group of people and work tools which gets engaged in working towards organizations desired results. So they are the one who carries out process.

Process and functions are dependent to each other to carry out and drive effective management across IT service organizations.

What is ITIL

Self study notes : ITIL defined SS3

What is ITIL?

ITIL is a framework for excellent delivery of service, enable organization in a way which help service management by collaboration of best IT management practices prooven over past three decades by different government and private organizations.

ITIL is not a standard for IT service delivery but it is complementary framework to IT ISO standard.

It is a framework of best practices that means: "Managing specific situations in best possible way", that means ITIL is a library of best possible management methods for IT services.

ITIL's methods such as roles, functions, checklists and tasks are not organization specific but it can be applied to any organization. It is purely generic in nature hence organization can apply ITIL as they like.

History

ITIL was first introduced in 1989 in UK by Government Of Commerce since then it has been dynamically enhancing the capabilities of IT service management.

Who needs ITIL

It is designed for professional IT managers and business managers who deals in service delivery to help and enhance their capabilities by providing them specialized knowledge, best practices and case studies brought together over the the past 27 years which are collaborated with successful service oriented business IDEAs of past century.

Why ITIL

This question will help you better understand how ITIL help its user in better management of service, following are the reasons why any organization or service provider or IT manager would ever need ITIL framework:

• ITIL is useful tool for IT service Strategic planning
• Business objectives alignment and resource integration and alignment to fulfill delivery requirements.
• Implementation of service in effective way which generates desired value to the customer.
• Testing and improving service and taking ownership of it.
• Collaborating right resources and skills together to achieve objectives.
• Reducing cost and generating  effective service to reduce total cost and cost of ownership.
• Help check competitive capablities and help improve on it.
• Improved business delivery.
• IT represents importance of IT to business. By demonstration of value created by service to the customer.
• It help test and measure efficiency of service provider and help improve.
• It helps correlate business and IT to each other.

ITIL core:
ITIL foundation covers topics about  two core of volumes of ITIL framework which includes :

1. Service support - First written in year 2000-2001
2. Services delivery - First written in year 2000-2001

ITIL - What is Service Management

Self Study Notes: SS2

Now as we understood what Service is let's talk about service management.

SERVICE MANAGEMENT

"Service Management is a set of specialised organisational capabilities for
providing value to customers in the form of services."

"Service Management is a customer-focused approach to delivering information technology.Service Management focuses on providing value to the customer and also on the customer relationship."

"Service Management is efforts of organization to understand and deliver customer demands, objectives, expectations and delivering this service by creation of value to the customer through proper strategy, design and implementation of organizational resources."

Role of Service management in enabling below features to the service providers are:

1. Better understanding between Customers and service providers about the services they offer, share and use, and knows each others expectations and perspectives.
2. Ensuring the outcomes facilitates the requirements of customer.
3. Understanding the value of service from customers point of views.
4. Management of cost and risks involved in providing services.

Service management is Specialized organizational capabilities which involves different roles, functions, activities and processes which are important elements of Service Management and it enables the outcomes which facilitates service with a value as per customers requirements. Service management also help organization to structure, align and manage acquired knowledge.

ITIL - What is Service ?

ITIL Self study Notes 1

ITIL is framework for ServiceManagement, to understand ITIL first we have to understand Service management.

INTRODUCTION

Before we discuss about what Service Management and ITIL are, and why they a re so important to a service provider, we need to understand what service is in sense of ITIL service management and in which ways Service Management can support enterprises to deliver and manage these services.

Definition of service in ITIL Terminology:

SERVICE
"A service is a means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes
that customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks."

"Service is a means of delivering value to customers by achieving customer's desired results while working within given constraints."

The objectives that customers want to achieve are the outcomes why they purchase or use a service.

It could be any specific service or services under specific business objectives.

For an example: We withdraw money from any banks ATM, Bank is a service provider we being customer are an user of service, we do not take any ownership of ATM center and not at all concerned about what security needed for keeping ATM center risk free(ownership of Service provider), but only concern which remain in our mind is to withdrawal of money in easy, faster and efficient way without any failure(expectations of customers).

Value of service

Service providers responsibilities are to facilitate customers with offered services, and the value of service directly depends upon how well a service providers fulfill offered services and how well they takes care of ownerships they have taken to provide services.

In this process service provider is responsible for managing business cost
with. The value of the service to the customer is directly dependent on how well a service facilitates these outcomes.
Although the enterprise retains responsibility for managing the overall costs of the business, they often wish to devolve responsibility for owning and managing defined aspects to an internal or external entity that has acknowledged expertisein the area.

Take an example of an enterprise who takes care of all the cost required for buying a service. Enterprises buy services because they do not have expertise or time or resources(overloaded sometimes), so they outsource their work to other service provider to manage it, how well the service provider works on it and brings benefits to enterprise is a value of service, where enterprise saves or earn money from management by service provider.

Basic concept that applies to the purchase of any service, let's consider example of financial planning, Customet recognise that he don’t have the required skills, expertise and time or lack of intrest toward doing it and management of individual investments that are required. So the customer appoints
the  professional manager to get it served. If service provider's service is worth profit, and profit is value of service.

Traditional approach was that the service provider used to focus only on their offered services, technologies, products, supply etc. But they never checked back how it is impacting their customers in terms of expectations, quality, affordability and profitability, but it has changed now and its two ways approach with the help of service management.

Difference between service and product:

Products

1. Products are tangible one can touch and feel it.
2. Products can be stored and used whenever required.
3. Product is sole creation of manufacturer.
4. Product can not be produced and consumed at same time.
5. Products are consistent, that means they will remain same every time you buy specific product of specific brand for years.

Services

1. Service is not tangible but it is a value to desired result for which consumer paid for.
2. Service can not be stored it has agreed timeframe in which customer can demand for it.
3. Service generates by interaction between service provider and customer 
4. Service can be produced and used at same time.
5. Service are inconsistent and they totally depends upon situations.

Now as we understood what is service and service value, so we are ready to proceed to next chapter where we will understand about service management.

Terminologies used in ITIL

We have already discussed abbreviations, now we will talk about most commonly used terminologies in ITIL.

S.N.	ITIL Terminologies
1.	ITIL Information Technology Infrastructure Library is a framework of best practices used in Information Technology service management, it help organization to delivery services to thier customers to meet thier objectives with estimated cost, time and quality.
2.	Service Service is a desired outcome by customer, which he pays for to service provider in exchange of value created to attain desired outcome by delivery of value.
3.	Service LevelService level is a measurement of service offerings to customer against service level targets.
4.	Service Level AgreementSLA is contract between service provider and customer, which describe conditions of meeting Service level adherence, mutual consent and ownership of service provider.
5.	Service Strategy Service strategy is a management tool which helps to analyse, plan, design, develop, test and implement services, it is core of ITIL and other frameworks of service lifecycles which help improve organization capabilities and strategies.
6.	Service Model Service model is a detailed presentation of service and its aligned supporting elements which helps to deliver offered service.
7.	Service Portfolio Service portfolio is a indepth details and powerful presentation of all type of services offered by service provider.
8.	Service Catalogue Service Catalog is a detail description of specific service details to specific customer by service provider.
9.	Customer Portfolio Customer portfolio is a records of all customers with details maintained by service provider.
10.	Demand Management Demand management is a important process of service strategy, it is very useful in understanding customer needs, value desired by customers in order to fulfill offered service.
11.	Pattern of Business Activity Pattern of business activity PBA is a business process of analysis which help to understand pattern of customer demands to enhance upon and to be future ready to offer better services by following the patterns of customers and arising business needs.
12.	Service DesignAnother important core process of ITIL which followed service strategy, offer blueprints to develop and implement new service and improvise upon existing service.
13.	Operational Level Agreement (OLA) Operation level agreement OLA is a agreed process collaboration among different functions of organization to deliver service to customer.
14.	Service Level Report It gives insight into a service provider’s ability to deliver the agreed service quality.
15.	Service Level Requirements Service Level Requirements is a documented details of required initiatives to be taken by organization to achieve service level targets in a way to deliver value desired by the customer.
16.	Service Asset Service Assets are organizational resources and abilities to generate service delivery to the customer.
17.	Configuration Item Configuration item CI is a part of service assets such as servers, networks, applications and other IT tools which have direct impact on genration of service to the customer.
18.	Service Assets and Configuration Management (SACM) SACM is a management of upto date database to maintain details of Service assets including CIs which can be utilized to generate multiple services.
20.	Change Change is modification of currently offered service.
21.	Event Event is occurrence of detectable action that has significance impact on the delivery of IT service. Events can be generated by Configuration Item (CI) or auto events could be monitored through the monitoring tools.
22.	Incident Incident is an identified as any disruption in IT service. Incident could be managed by incident manager or service desk team as per reported occurrence of event.
23.	Service Request Whenever incident or event takes place by demand of customers and the reference to it is a service request.
24.	Problem Problem is a unknown error which does not have existing solution to it and occurred in one or more incident.
25.	Known Errori Know error is a reported  problem from previously solved incident and for which organization established a known solution. Such incident resolution gets stored in Known Error Data Base KEDB.