Study Guide by Taruu Flashcards
(129 cards)
1
Q
What are Services
A
Services are a means of delivering value to customers without requiring the customer to own specific costs and risks
2
Q
What is Service Management
A
Service Management is a set of specialized capabilities for delivering value to customers in the form of services. ITIL is a framework for IT Service Management
3
Q
What does “ITIL as a Good Practice Framework” mean?
A
Good practices are best practices which have gained wide acceptance and adoption. In short, Good Practices have withstood the test of time. Good Practices may come from a number of sources including: Standards, Public Frameworks, Academic Research, Proprietary knowledge
4
Q
What are the five phases of the Service Lifecycle which make up the core of ITIL?
A
Service Strategy Service Design Service Transition Service Operation Continual Service Improvement
5
Q
What are processes
A
Structured sets of activities designed to achieve a specific objective. Processes have four basic characteristics: 1. They transform inputs into outputs 2. They deliver results to a specific customer or stakeholder 3. They are measurable 4. They are triggered by specific events
6
Q
What are the components of the three-layered model of processes
A
- Process Control
- Process documentation
- Process Owner
- Process Policy
- Process Objectives
- Process Feedback
- The Process Itself
- Activities, Procedures
- Metrics
- Work Instructions
- Improvements
- Roles
- Process Enablers
- Resources
- Capabilities
7
Q
What are the processes involved in the Service Strategy (Lifecycle Phase)
A
- Service Strategy
- Service Portfolio Management
- Demand Management
- Financial Management
8
Q
What are the processes involved in the Service Design (Lifecycle Phase)
A
- Service Catalog Management
- Service Level Management
- Availability Management
- Capacity Management
- Service Continuity Management
- IT Security Management
- Supplier Management
9
Q
What are the processes involved in the Service Transition (Lifecycle Phase)
A
- Change Management
- Service Asset and Configuration Management
- Release and Deployment Management
- Transition Planning and Support*
- Service Validation and Testing*
- Evaluation*
- Knowledge Management*
* not covered in Foundations
10
Q
What are the processes involved in the Service Operation (Lifecycle Phase)
A
- Incident Management
- Problem Management
- Event Management
- Service Request Fulfillment
- Access Management
11
Q
What are the processes involved in the
Continual Service Improvement (Lifecycle Phase)
A
The Seven Step Improvement Process
12
Q
What are functions
A
Functions are self-contained subsets of an organization intended to accomplish specific tasks. They usually take the form of a team or group of people and the tools they use. Functions add structure and stability to organizations.
13
Q
___ generally map fairly directly to the organizational chart of an organization and are usually supported by budgets and reporting structures. ___, by contract, typically do not have budgets and reporting structures. Both ___ and ___ involve roles.
A
functions generally map fairly directly to the organizational chart of an organization and are usually supported by budgets and reporting structures. Processes, by contract, typically do not have budgets and reporting structures. Both functions and proceses involve roles.
14
Q
What are roles?
who holds roles?
A
Roles are defined collections of specific responsibilities and privileges.
Roles may be held by individuals or teams
15
Q
What are the 4 most important standard roles emphasized by ITIL
A
- Service Owner
- Accountable for the overall design, performance, integration, improvement, and management of a single service
- Process Owner
- Accountable for the overall design, performance, integration, improvement, and management of a single process
- Service Manager
- Accountable for the development, performance, and improvement of all services in te environment
- Product Manager
- Accountable for development, performance, and improvement of a group of related services
16
Q
What are four major functions that make up most of the discussion of how IT Service Management organizations can best be structured?
A
- Service Desk
- Technical Management
- Application Management
- IT Operations Management
17
Q
What does the Service Desk provide
A
a single point of contact between users and the IT organization
Processes inbound incidents, service requests, change requests, etc.
Usually (but not always) owns and executes the Incident Management process.
Hub for all communications internal to the IT Service Provider
18
Q
What are the four basic service desk configurations discussed within ITIL?
A
- Local
- Users and support staff are located on the same premises or campus
- Centralized
- Multiple user locations are serviced by a single support location
- Virtual
- Multiple user location are serviced by multiple support locations which by virtue of call routing and other technology are able to appear and respond to user requests as a single entity
- Follow the Sun
- Identical to a virtual Service Desk, but organized in such a way as to utilize support staff shifts working during normal daylight hours for all user requests coming from any time zone
19
Q
What is the Technical Management function?
A
Charged with procurement, development, and management of the technical skill sets and resources required to support the infrastructure and the IT Service Management effort.
20
Q
What is the primary objective of Technical Management?
A
to ensure that the Service Provider has the right skill sets available to deliver ther services it offers
(Technical Management is typically divided into specialty areas such as networking, security, database, storage, servers etc.)
21
Q
what is application management concerned with?
A
the end to end management of applications in the environment
22
Q
Application Management does not replace, but rather executes and is supported by core processes such as:
A
Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Availability Management, etc.
23
Q
What is IT Operations Management concerned with and what are the two sub functions:
A
the day to day maintenance of the IT infrastructure and the facilities which house it
The sub functions are Operations Control and Facilities Management
24
Q
What is Operations Control concerned with?
A
Operations control is a sub function of IT Operations management that is concerned with regular maintenance cycles associated with infrastructure management.
Activities included in Operations Control include:
Console Management
Backup and Restore Operations
Media Management
Batch Job Execution
25
What is facilities management concerned with?
Facilities Management is a sub function of IT Operations Management that is concerned with maintenance of the facilities which house IT operations, eg. data centers, call centers, developement facilities, etc.
Areas of responsibility includes things like:
* HVAC
* Fire suppression
* Facilities access
* Power
26
The RACI model holds particular value for ensuring that roles are appropriately filled or covered within processes.
What does it stand for and what is each of its components
Thoe in the R = Responsible role for a given activity are charged with actually executing or performing the activity or task
The single entity in the A = accountable role owns the task or activity and must answer for its outcomes (only one party can be accountable for a given task/activity)
Those in the C = consulted role review and provide advice and authorization around the task or activity
Those in the I = informed role recevie updates as the task or activity progresses
27
For the task "Draft Requirements" how might RACI but used to assign roles to the following positions:
Applications Developer
Application Owner
Business Representative
Business Analyst
* Applications Developer
* none
* Application Owner
* Accountable
* Business Representative
* Consulted
* Business Analyst
* Responsible
28
For the task "Validate Requirements" how might RACI but used to assign roles to the following positions:
Applications Developer
Application Owner
Business Representative
Business Analyst
* Applications Developer
* Responsible
* Application Owner
* Accountable
* Business Representative
* Responsible
* Business Analyst
* Responsible
29
For the task "Create Logical Design" how might RACI but used to assign roles to the following positions:
Applications Developer
Application Owner
Business Representative
Business Analyst
* Applications Developer
* Responsible
* Application Owner
* Consulted
* Business Representative
* Informed
* Business Analyst
* Responsible
30
For the task "Create Data Design" how might RACI but used to assign roles to the following positions:
Applications Developer
Application Owner
Business Representative
Business Analyst
* Applications Developer
* Accountable/Responsible
* Application Owner
* Informed
* Business Representative
* None
* Business Analyst
* Responsible
31
For the task "Validate Design" how might RACI but used to assign roles to the following positions:
Applications Developer
Application Owner
Business Representative
Business Analyst
* Applications Developer
* None
* Application Owner
* Accountable/Responsible
* Business Representative
* Consulted
* Business Analyst
* Responsible
32
What is Service Strategy
Service are selected so that they will:
Service Strategy is about the selection of services a Service Provider will offer to customers
* Provide value to customers
* enable the Service Provider to capture value
* Fall within cost parameters acceptable to the Service Provider
* Fall with risk parameters acceptable to the Service Provider
33
Business Value: How does Service Strategy offer value to Service Providers and customers? (4 points)
* Ensuring that the services they offer align with business objectives
* Ensuring that the services they offer are likely to offer value
* Ensuring that customers can be charged for the services or that some mechanism exists by which the services allow the value offered by the Service Provider to be recognized
* Ensuring that the Service Provider is in a position to handle the costs and risks associated with the services it offers
34
What is a Business Case
Business Cases are used when:
a structured and documented justification for investment in something expected to deliver value in return, e.g. an IT Service
Used during Service Strategy to evaluate the feasibility and desirabililty of creating and providing various IT Services
35
What does the value of Service consist of?
Utility and Warranty - Services must offer both utility and warranty in order to have value
36
The way to determine value in a service is Utility and Warranty what do these two terms mean?
Utility - also called 'fitness for purpose' involves the ability of the service to remove constraints on increase the performance of the customer.
Warranty - also called 'fitness for use' is the ability of the service to operate reliably
37
What are the questions that are asked as part of determining the Utility of a Sevice
Performance supported?
Constraints removed?
These result in "Fit for purpose"?
38
What are the questions that are asked as part of determining the Warranty of a Sevice
* Available enough?
* Capacity enough?
* Continuous enough?
* Secure enough?
These questions together result in the question "fit for use?"
39
Service Assets or (more generally) assets refer to what?
resources and capabilities which a Service Provider must allocate in order to offer a service
40
What are resources
the raw materials which contribute to a service, such as money, equipment, time, staff etc.
41
What are Capabilities
the specialized skills or abilities an organization applies to resources in order to create value.
Capabilities include such things as skills, organization, processes, management, etc.
42
Resources and Capabilities are both types of \_\_\_
Assets
43
What is the Service Portfolio
What are its major parts
The entire set of services under management by a Service Provider
Service Pipeline, Service Catalog, Retired Services
44
What are the possible classifications of Servies in the Service Portfolio
* Under Consideration
* In Design
* In Development
* In Testing
* In operation
* Retired
45
The three major parts of the Service Portfolio are the: Service Pipeline, Service Catalog, and Retired Services. What is going on in each
Service Pipeline - Services planed or under development
Service Catalog - Services currently available to customers
Retired Services - Services no longer available to customers
46
What is the concept of the Service Belt
In the course of delivering services, Service Provider assets are engaged with customer assets as a means of increasing the performance of customer assets. This causes customer demand for services. Customers express that demand by purchasing services which in turn transfers resources to the Service Provider. The Service Provider uses payment to replace or augment assets it uses to provide the services.
47
What are the four major activities of the Service Strategy Process and what are the questions needed for each
* Understand the Market
* Who is the customer
* What do they value
* how do they define value
* Develop the Offerings
* What service offerngs would provide value to customers as defined above
* How can we as a service provider offer unique or distinctive value
* Develop strategic assets
* What resources would be required to offer the services identified
* What capabilities would be needed to offer the services identified
* Prepare for execution
* How can we prepare to build or develop the service
* What are our specific objectives for the service
* What specific critical success fasctors must we meet in order to achieve those objectives
48
The Service Portfolio Management process is concerned with:
Management of the information concerning services in the Service Portfolio. Service Portfolio Management organizes the process by which services are identified, described, evaluated, selected, and chartered.
49
What is the Demand Management process concerned with
Understanding and influencing customer demand. Unmanaged demand is a source of both cost and risk to Service Providers
50
What are the two things Demand Management models demand in terms of:
User Profiles - which characterize different typical groups of users for a given service
Patterns of Business Activity - which represent the way that users in different user profiles access a service over the course of a given time period
51
What does IT FInancial Management provide
a means of understanding and managing costs and opportunities associated with services in financial terms.
At a minimum, IT Financial Management provides a clear means of generating useful data for decision support around the management of services
52
What are the three basic activities included in IT Financial Management
Accounting - tracking how money is actually spent by a Service Provider
Budgeting - Planning how money will be spent by a Service Provider
Charging - Securing payment from customers for services provided
53
# Fill in the blanks for the ways in which Service Design offers value:
* Ensuring that services are aligned with ___ \_\_\_
* Ensuring that services are able to provide the ___ and ___ required for them to meet the objectives outlined during Service Strategy
* Ensuring that service management systems and tools are capable of supporting ___ \_\_\_
* Ensuring that service \_-\_\_\_ processes are capable of supporting service offerings
* Ensuring that ___ are constructed according to agreed architectural standards
* Ensuring that services are designed so as to be ___ efficiently
* Ensuring that services are designed so that their ___ can be measured
* Ensuring that services are aligned with business objectives
* Ensuring that services are able to provide the utility and warranty required for them to meet the objectives outlined during Service Strategy
* Ensuring that service management systems and tools are capable of supporting service offerings
* Ensuring that service-e management processes are capable of supporting service offerings
* Ensuring that services are constructed according to agreed architectural standards
* Ensuring that services are designed so as to be implemented efficiently
* Ensuring that services are designed so that their performance can be measured
54
The Service Design lifecycle phase is structured to support the emphasis on building quality into IT services, processes, and other aspects of Service Management. How does the service design phase support this emphasis
by including processes for clear specification of quality targets (Service Level Management) followed by processes for achieving the major warranty ingredients of quality: Availability, Capacity, IT Service Continuity, and Security Management. Targeting quality during Service Design ensures that quality can be delivered during Service Operations.
55
# Fill in the following blanks about the Service Catalog:
The service catalog is a subset of the ___ \_\_\_ which contains services currently available customer and users.
The Service Catalog is often the only portion of the Service Portfolio ___ to \_\_\_
Typically the Service Catalog is implemented as a ___ and is often \_\_\_-\_\_\_
The Service Catalog commonly acts as the ___ \_\_\_ for all information regarding services in the live environment.
* The Service Catalog is the subset of the Service Portfolio which contains services currently available to customers and users
* The Service Catalog is often the only portion of the Service Portfolio visible to customers
* Typically the Service Catalog is implemented as a database and is often web-accessible
* The Service Catalog commonly acts as the entry portal for all information regarding services in the live environment
56
What are the four P's of Service Design
* People
* Human resources and organizational structures required to support the service
* Processes
* Service Management Processes required to support the service
* Products
* Technology and other infrastructure required to support the service
* Partners
* Third parties which provide services required to support the service
57
The five Aspects of Service Design are areas which should also receive design focus as part of the overall effort design a service. the areas include:
1. The new or changed service itself - with special attention to service requirements
2. Service Management processes required to support the service
3. Service Management systems and tools required to support the service (especially the Service Portfolio)
4. Technology Architectures used or referenced by the service
5. Measurement systems and metrics necessary to understand the performance of the service
58
Service Catalog Management involves management and control of the Service Catalog which contains information about services currently available to customers for use.
Typically such information includes:
* Features of the service
* Guidelines for appropriate use of the service
* Means of accessing the service
* Pricing Information (where relevant)
* Key contact information
* Service Level Agreement information
59
Service Level Management is what
the process charged with securing and managing agreements between customers and the service provider regarding the levels of performance (utility) and levels of reliability (warranty) associated with specific services
60
\_\_\_ ___ \_\_\_ is part of the Service Design lifecycle phase primarily because it provides an opportunity to establish performance requirements early on so that design work may be specifically directed to meet such requirements.
Service Level Management is part of the Service Design lifecycle phase primarily because it provides an opportunity to establish performance requirements early on so that design work may be specifically directed to meet such requirements.
61
Service Level Management results in the creation of ___ \_\_\_ ___ (\_\_\_s) between customers and the provider.
Service Level Management results in the creation of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) between customers and the provider.
62
Operational Level Agreements (OLA’s) are performance agreements nearly identical in nature to SLAs except that
they exist between parts of the service provider organization specifically for the purpose of supporting ‘upstream’ SLAs which require dependable performance by multiple business units, functions, or teams within the service provider organization.
63
The availability management process is concerned with
management and achievement of agreed availability requirements as established in Service Level Agreements.
64
In ITIL, availability is defined as:
And may assist with:
The ability of a system, service, or configuration item to perform its function when required.
* Development of availability Service Level Targets which make up part of an overall Service Level Agreement
* Design of services capable of meeting or exceeding agreed availability requirements
* Measurement and monitoring of availability achievements
* Responses to availability-related incidents
65
Capacity Management is concerned with
Ensuring that cost-effective capacity exists at all times which meets or exceeds the agreed needs of the business as established in Service Level Agreements
66
ITIL capacity is defined as:
the maximum throughput a service, system, or device can handle
67
What are the three major activities that Capacity Management is divided into
Capacity Planning is carried out top-down!
Business Capacity Management \>
Service Capacity Management \>
Component Capacity Management
68
Define: Business Capacity Management (BCM)
Business Capacity Management (BCM) addresses capacity factors which exist primarily at the business level such as mergers, acquisitions, plans for new facilities, reductions in force, etc. Typically, BCM factors are addressed first in the overall Capacity Management effort.
69
Define: Service Capacity Management (SCM)
Service Capacity Management (SCM) addresses capacity factors at the service level. Business capacity factors in turn drive Service capacity requirements. The primary task of Service Capacity Management is to translate business capacity factors into capacity requirements for services.
70
Define: Component Capacity Management (CCM)
Component Capacity Management (CCM) addresses capacity factors at the level of components or Configuration Items. The primary task of CCM is to translate Service Capacity Management factors into capacity requirements for individual components or Configuration Items.
71
What is the IT Service Continuity Management process (ITSCM) responsible for
The IT Service Continuity Management process (ITSCM) is responsible for ensuring that the IT Service Provider can always provide minimum agreed Service Levels. ITSCM is largely concerned with management of risks and with planning for the recovery of IT Services in the event of disaster.
72
IT Service Continuity Management uses techniques such as ___ \_\_\_ ___ (\_\_\_) and ___ of ___ (\_\_\_) and is driven by the larger Business Continuity Management effort. ITSCM results in the production of the IT Service Continuity Plan which is an aspect of the overall Business Continuity Plan.
IT Service Continuity Management uses techniques such as Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Management of Risk (MOR) and is driven by the larger Business Continuity Management effort. ITSCM results in the production of the IT Service Continuity Plan which is an aspect of the overall Business Continuity Plan.
73
IT Security Management is the process concerned with:
the protection of IT assets (including services) from security threats.
IT Security Management is driven the larger security management efforts and policies of the organization. IT Security Management is charged development and management of the IT Security Policy which is executed and implemented as a part of the Access Management process in Service Operations.
74
What are the five basic qualities of information assets that IT Security Management Focuses on
* Confidentiality
* Assuarance that the asset is only available to appropriate parties
* Integrity
* Assurance that the asset has not been modified by unauthorized parties
* Availability
* Assurance that the asset may be utilized when required
* Authenticity
* Assurance that transactions and the identities of parties to transactions are genuine
* Non-Repudiation
* Assurance that transactions, once completed, may not be reversed without approval
75
What is the Supplier Management Process for?
Supplier Management plays a very similar role to that of Service Level Management but with respect to
Supplier Management is critical to effective design because
Supplier Management handles
Obtaining value for money from third-party suppliers
external suppliers rather than internal suppliers and internal/external customers
for nearly all IT organizations, dependency on external suppliers is increasingly central to their ability to deliver services to their own customers
supplier evaluation, contract negotiations, performance reviews, renewals and terminations
76
Service Transition is concerned with
managament of change and, more specifically, with the introduction of new and changed services into the live environment
77
# Fill in the blanks about how Business Value is added to Service Transitions
* ___ business change
* ___ impact to the business which might otherwise result from unmanaged change
* ___ the business to make use of new and changed services
* ___ that designs for services are implemented as intended
* Ensuring that the ___ \_\_\_ organization is prepared to support new and changed services
* Reducing the number of ___ introduced into the live environment
# Fill in the blanks about how Business Value is added to Service Transitions
* Enabling business change
* Minimizing impact to the business which might otherwise result from unmanaged change
* Enabling the business to make use of new and changed services
* Ensuring that designs for services are implemented as intended
* Ensuring that the Service Management organization is prepared to support new and changed services
* Reducing the number of defects introduced into the live environment
78
The Service V-Model defines
progressive levels activity and corresponding levels of testing/valid toward a define objective such as a release or major change. Testing at each level prior to moving to the next level helps progressively reduce risk
79
Describe the Service V-Model
80
How does ITIL define a Change
ITIL® defines a change as the addition, removal, or modification of anything that could have an effect on an IT service. All changes involve risk.
81
What is a Request for Change
A Request for Change or RFC is a documented request to alter a service or other Configuration Item. RFCs may be issued by any one: customers, IT staff, users, etc. and are received by the Service Desk and handled via the Change Management process.
82
List and describe the three types of change
* Normal Changes
* changes which meet predefined criteria that qualify them for handling via the normal change management process
* Standard Changes
* changes which are pre-approved for implementation. Generally standard changes are low risk and occur frequently in the environment. Exmaples might be things such as:
* Password resets
* New hire procedures
* Office moves
* Emergency Changes
* Changes which meet predefined criteria that qualify them for handling via the Emergency Change Management process. In most environments, Emergency Changes are those which cannot be foreseen and which unless addressed quickly put the environment at high risk of impact. Emergency changes are reviewed by the Emergency Change Advisory Board (ECAB)
83
In ITIL® the entity charged with approval of a Request for Change is called the ___ \_\_\_. In most environments, the identity of the ___ \_\_\_ varies with the type of change under consideration. For many ordinary changes, the Change Manager may act as the ___ \_\_\_. However, for extremely large changes, the ___ \_\_\_ may be an executive or even the board of directors.
In ITIL® the entity charged with approval of a Request for Change is called the Change Authority. In most environments, the identity of the Change Authority varies with the type of change under consideration. For many ordinary changes, the Change Manager may act as the Change Authority. However, for extremely large changes, the Change Authority may be an executive or even the board of directors.
84
What is the Change Advisory Board
The Change Advisory Board or CAB is a group of experts convened by the Change Manager to advise on the approval/rejection and planning for a specific change. The membership of the CAB usually varies with the change under consideration.
85
What is the Emergency Change Advisory Board
The Emergency Change Advisory Board or ECAB is a special group convened by the Change Manager to advise on the approval/rejection and planning for Emergency Changes as part of the Emergency Change Management Process. The membership of the ECAB usually includes persons with the experience and organizational authority required to make rapid and often difficult decisions and to accept the consequences of those decisions.
86
What is a Change Model and for what is it used
A Change Model is a template or pre-defined set of steps, procedures, and guidelines for execution a specific type of change. Change Models are used to help minimize risk, save costs, and improve the consistency of execution around changes.
87
What is a Release
A release is a collection of changes which must be implemented together in order accomplish a specific objective or set of objectives.
88
What is a Release Unit
The Release Unit for a release is selected as part of the
A Release Unit is the particular set of configuration items released together for a specific deployment effort.
The Release Unit for a release is selected as part of the Release and Deployment Management process based upon both technical and business criteria.
For example, for the deployment of an accounting package the release unit might be determined to be the accounts payable and payroll modules, but not the tax computation module.
89
In the context of Service Transition generally and, more specifically, in the context of the Service Asset and Configuration Management process, the term Baseline refers to:
the documented and validated configuration of a component, system, service, etc.
Baselines are used within Service Asset and Configuration Management to provide a roll-back point useful in managing risk around changes in the environment.
90
What is the Configuration Management System
What is the purpose of the CMS
The Configuration Management System is the controlled repository and interfaces for management of information concerning items under configuration control (Configuration Items) in the environment.
The purpose of the CMS is to provide accurate and up-to-date information regarding how the environment is configured. The CMS stores records of Configuration Items in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). Importantly, the CMS/CMDB differs from a traditional asset database in that it also provides information regarding how Configuration Items are related to each other.
91
What is a Configuration Item
How are Configuration Items tracked
A Configuration Item or CI is anything which has significance for the delivery of an IT Service. Configuration Items can include hardware and software, but also documentation, process definitions, facilities, etc.
Configuration Items are tracked using the Configuration Management System which stores records of them in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). At a bare minimum, the record of a Configuration Item should include a unique identifier and the location of the CI.
92
What is change management concerned with
Change Management is concerned with recording, evaluating, approving, testing, and reviewing changes to services, systems, and other Configuration Items.
93
As such Change Management is largely concerned with managing risk associated with change. The major activities which make up the Change Management process include:
* Recording of RFCs
* involves logging of the RFC in the Change Management system. Recording must include all details required to assess the RFC
* Review of RFCs
* involves checking to see if the RFC is complete and free of obvious defects which would make it impractical or impossible to implement
* Assessment and Evaluation of RFCs
* involves further review and consideration of the RFC, usually by the Change Advisory Board, for the purpose of determining the desirability and feasibility of the requested change
* Authorization of RFCs
* involves identification of the appropriate Change Authority and the determination by the Change Authority to approve or deny the RFC
* Planning
* involves identification and scheduling of the activities required to implement the change, including any testing which may be required to manage risk associated with the change
* Implementation Coordination
* Review and Closure
94
What is the purpose of Transition Planning and Support
Transition Planning and Support provides broader support for large-scale transitions and releases and would be helpful for an organization anticipating an unusual volume of change, as for example would be the case during a merger or acquisition scenario.
95
What is Service Validation and Testing
Service Validation and Testing provides separate and more focused support for testing prior to release. Organizations for which quality and error control are of paramount importance might especially benefit from implementation of Service Validation and Testing as a separate process. In such a scenario, Release and Deployment Management would focus more exclusively on deployment/release logistics and testing would become the domain of the new process.
96
What does Evaluation provide?
Evaluation provides support for post-release evaluation and confirmation of customer acceptance of new and changed services. It would be useful in situations characterized by customer satisfaction challenges and in situations where other factors might require closer management of customer acceptance.
97
What is the purpose of Knowledge Management
Knowledge Management provides support for the capture and effective publishing of knowledge which surfaces during the Service Transition lifecycle phase and elsewhere. From a practical perspective, Knowledge Management belongs in Service Transition simply because Service Transition has responsibility for most testing and validation where the most valuable operational data is gathered prior to release into the live environment.
98
Service Operation overview
The Service Operation phase of the Service Lifecycle is concerned with ensuring that services operate within agreed parameters. When service interruptions do occur, Service Operation is charged with restoring service as quickly as possible and with minimizing the impact to the business.
99
Service Operation is the only lifecycle phase in which value is actually realized by customers. Whereas all other phases of the Service Lifecycle contribute to and enable value, it is only experienced during Service Operation.
Service Operation also adds business value by:
* Ensuring that services are operated within expected performance parameters
* Restoring services quickly in the event of service interruption
* Minimizing impact to the business in the event of service interruption
* Providing a focal point for communication between users and the Service Provider organization
100
Because Service Operation is the first lifecycle phase in which the Service Provider organization must respond to rather than plan for and drive user and customer demand, balance is difficult to maintain. Accordingly, ITIL® emphasizes the importance of striving to achieve and maintain balance during Service Operation in the form of specific balances between:
* Reactive and Proactive Focus
* Internal and External Focus
* Cost and Quality
* Stability and Flexibility
101
During Service Operation, the importance and criticality of communication is especially acute. ITIL stresses the importance of communication:
* Between users and the IT Service Provider
* Between customers and the IT Service Provider
* Between different processes, functions, teams, etc. within the IT Service Provider
* Between the IT Service Provider and its suppliers
102
What is an incident
An incident is any occurrence which causes or may cause interruption or degradation to an IT Service
103
What is a problem
A problem is the unknown underlying cause of one or more incidents. A problem is NOT just a particularly serious incident.
104
What is an error
An error is the known underlying cause of one or more incidents.
105
What is a known error
A known error is the known cause of an incident for which a workaround also exists.
106
What is an event
An event is any change of state of an infrastructure or other item which has significance for the delivery of a service
107
Incident Management - Concerned with/owned by
Incident Management is concerned with the rapid restoration of services and with minimization of impact to the business. In most but not all cases the Incident Management process is owned and executed by the Service Desk.
108
Within ITIL, Incident Management consists of a number of basic activities or steps:
* Detection – The incident becomes known by any mechanism, e.g. user call, system alert, etc.
* Logging – Details of the incident are recorded in the incident management system.
* Classification – The incident is categorized according to predefined criteria for the purpose of facilitating diagnosis and prioritizing its handling relative to other incidents.
* Prioritization – The impact and urgency of the incident are determined and factored together to determine its relative priority among other incidents.
* Investigation and Initial Diagnosis – Additional details regarding the incident are gathered and used along with tools such as the Known Error Database to attempt resolution.
* Escalation – If necessary, the incident may be forwarded to the appropriate handling group.
* Resolution and Recovery – Service is restored and users are provided assistance to allow them to resume work.
* Closure – Successful resolution of the incident is verified with the user, the incident resolution details are recorded, and the incident is flagged as being closed in the incident management system.
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Problem Management is concerned with the identification and correction of flaws or errors in the environment which cause incidents. Problem Management helps reduce and prevent incidents. Problem Management is broadly divided into two major sub-processes:
* Reactive Problem Management
* is charged with responding to problems as they arise in the environment, usually driven by the Incident Management process.
* Proactive Problem Management
* is charged with proactively seeking out improvements to services and infrastructure before incidents occur.
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Problem Management uses techniques such as Kepner-Tregoe, Ishikawa diagramming, and Fault Tree Analysis to identify the ___ \_\_\_ of incidents. Once the ___ \_\_\_ of an incident is determined, Problem Management may issue a ___ \_\_\_ ___ to initiate action toward implementation of a permanent fix for the underlying cause or, if a permanent solution is not feasible, may assist in the development of a ___ \_\_\_ for use in restoring service and minimizing the impact of associated incidents.
Problem Management uses techniques such as Kepner-Tregoe, Ishikawa diagramming, and Fault Tree Analysis to identify the root cause of incidents. Once the root cause of an incident is determined, Problem Management may issue a Request For Change to initiate action toward implementation of a permanent fix for the underlying cause or, if a permanent solution is not feasible, may assist in the development of a Work Around for use in restoring service and minimizing the impact of associated incidents.
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What is the Known Error Database (KEDB)
The production and maintenance of the Known Error Database (KEDB) is one of the most important outputs of the Problem Management process. The Known Error Database is used by the Incident Management process to more rapidly resolve incidents.
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Event Management is concerned with:
Event Management is concerned with detection of events in the infrastructure and with selection of appropriate response actions. By facilitating early detection of incidents, Event Management helps reduce the number of incidents which impact users and can greatly improve the performance of the Incident Management process itself.
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As described earlier, an ___ is any change of state which has significance for the delivery of a service. As such, ___ \_\_\_ mainly focuses on IT detecting and addressing issues at the infrastructure level and is most commonly a largely automated process.
As described earlier, an Event is any change of state which has significance for the delivery of a service. As such, Event Management mainly focuses on IT detecting and addressing issues at the infrastructure level and is most commonly a largely automated process.
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What are the three basic types of events and their descriptions:
Informational - No action is required. The event information is logged for potential future reference
Warning - An infrastructure item is aproaching a predefined performance or capacity threshold which could cause an incident or require intervention
Exception - An infrastructure item has exceeded a threshold or is no longer operating within defined parameters. Intervention is required
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Service Request Fulfillment is the process charged with assisting users in situations where no ___ \_\_\_ or ___ is involved. Service Request Fulfillment provides a means of addressing common user requests for non-incident support, new equipment, training, etc. Service Request Fulfillment frequently makes use of ___ \_\_\_ and automation to meet user requests more efficiently.
Service Request Fulfillment is the process charged with assisting users in situations where no service degradation or interruption is involved. Service Request Fulfillment provides a means of addressing common user requests for non-incident support, new equipment, training, etc. Service Request Fulfillment frequently makes use of Standard Changes and automation to meet user requests more efficiently.
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In much the same way that Event Management supports the Incident Management process by addressing incidents before they impact users, ___ \_\_\_ ___ can reduce the load on the Incident Management process by providing a means of addressing non-incident related requests before they enter the Incident Management stream.
In much the same way that Event Management supports the Incident Management process by addressing incidents before they impact users, Service Request Fulfillment can reduce the load on the Incident Management process by providing a means of addressing non-incident related requests before they enter the Incident Management stream.
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What is the purpose of the Access Management process
The Access Management process is charged with is providing authorized parties with appropriate access to service and information as specified in the Information Security Policy. Access Management executes the Information Security Policy as defined by the Information Security Management process, but does not itself set policy.
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Overview of Continual Service Improvement
Continual Service Improvement is about the alignment and re-alignment of services, processes, functions, etc. with changing business needs. It is also concerned with the consistent application of quality management methods to the overall Service Management effort.
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What business value does Continual Service Improvement offer to the Service Provider and customer organizations
* Ensuring that services, processes, and other aspects of the Service Management effort are aligned with business objectives
* Ensuring that services meet agreed levels of performance
* Ensuring that the efficiency (cost) of service delivery improves steadily
* Ensuring that all aspects of the Service Management effort undergo regular and consistent reviews
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Measurement plays a critical role within ITIL®, both as a part of Continual Service Improvement, but also within Service Level Management and as an essential part of all processes. Measurements can be used for four basic purposes as shown below:
* To JUSTIFY a proposed course of action
* To DIRECT activity
* To INTERVENE when corrective action is required
* To VALIDATE actions which have already been taken
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Measurements are the end result of a hierarchy of activities which link measurements to business objectives
Objectives
Critical Success Factors
Key Performance Indicators
Metrics
Measurements
* Objectives establish the reason for measurement. Measurement in itself has no value. Rather, it only has value inasmuch as it supports achievement of specific objectives
* Critical Success Factors define specific things that must happen if objectives are to be achieved
* Key Performance Indicators are metrics which specifically indicate progress or performance around or toward Critical Success Factors
* Metrics are the definitions of what will be measured and how it will be measured
* Measurements are the actual readings taken based upon a specific metric.
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What is the Deming Cycle
The Deming Cycle is an improvement model originally created by W. Edwards Deming and used to great success in the Japanese auto industry. It consists of four simple steps (Plan, Do, Check, Act)
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What is the Continual Service Improvement Model
a simple set of guiding questions which can be used to organize and perpetuate an improvement program. It closely mirrors the basic approach also used in the ITIL 7 - Step Improvement Process
* What is the vision?
* Where are we now?
* Where do we want to be?
* How do we get there?
* Did we get there?
* How do we maintain momentum
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A Service Improvement Plan or Service Improvement Program is the primary output of periodic service reviews carried out as part of ___ \_\_\_ ___ or as part of the Service Level Management process. The SIP maps specific improvement objectives for an identified time period between one service review and the next.
A Service Improvement Plan or Service Improvement Program is the primary output of periodic service reviews carried out as part of Continual Service Improvement or as part of the Service Level Management process. The SIP maps specific improvement objectives for an identified time period between one service review and the next.
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The Seven Step Improvement Process provides a simple means of using measurement to guide the improvement and correction of service performance. The steps are:
* Decide what should be measured
* Decide what can be measured
* Gather the data
* Process the data
* Analyze the data
* Present and use the data
* Implement corrective action
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What activities and objectives do Service Level Management and Continual Service Improvement share?
Both Service Level Management and Continual Service Improvement emphasize regular measurement and review of services and other aspects of the Service Management effort.
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In the most fundamental sense, automation and technology play an important role in IT Service Management by helping human decision makers effectively confront vastly more complex scenarios than they might otherwise be able to. Some examples include:
* Use of automation to identify patterns and trends in large data sets such as event logs, incident logs, etc.
* Use of automation to help guarantee consistency during design efforts
* Use of automation to accurately record high volumes of detailed data, e.g. incident logs
* Use of automation to avoid arbitrary assignment of priority to incidents, problems, changes, etc.
* Use of automation to respond to events in real time
ITIL® urges the point that all phases of the Service Lifecycle can be supported very effectively using technology and automation.
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ITIL® offers some discussion of how automation can best be used to support processes. It’s most essential recommendations include:
* Process definition should precede attempts to purchase or apply technology to processes
* Processes should be simplified prior to automating them
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ITIL® describes a number of information systems which represent the application of technology/automation to the IT Service Management effort. The most important of these include:
* Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS)
* Service Portfolio/Catalog
* Availability Management Information System (AMIS)
* Configuration Management System/Configuration Management Database (CMS/CMDB) Capacity Database (CDB) or Capacity Management Information System (CMIS)
* Known Error Database (KEDB)
* Security Management Information System (SMIS)
