Translating ITIL® Into Real-World Results: Keys to
Effective Service Management
ITIL® (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) is rapidly gaining widespread acceptance as the standard framework for IT Service Management. But ITIL only answers the question “what?” Where to go and how to get there are the keys to effective implementation of ITIL and other guidance principles. Maryville’s best-practice approach –the result of many years’ experience across the entire spectrum of IT disciplines –identifies the critical success factors for effective IT Service Management:
1: Business Service Definition and Alignment
2: Service Level Objective Definition and Mapping
3: Operational Plan Definition
4: Implementation and Performance Reporting
5: Service Forum Review
6: Service Level Optimization & Service Improvement
Maryville’s ITRO® Methodology Provides the Roadmap
Maryville’s Information Technology Resource Optimization® (ITRO®) methodology is a highly integrated, best-practice approach to implementing an effective IT Service Delivery infrastructure based on a combination of execution experience and industry standards such as ITIL and CobIT®. ITRO focuses upon core IT operational disciplines: Service Desk & Support Management, Data Center Service Management, Financial Management, and Work & Labor Management. By improving availability and performance while lowering the cost of operations, ITRO ensures that the right IT processes are defined and optimized to provide the greatest value to the business organization. ITRO enables IT to capitalize on automation, prioritize IT work to reflect the significance of business impact, and quickly adapt to new business needs.
ITRO® Methodology Facilitates Approach Definition and Communication
Maryville’s proven process definition, software applications & tools and pre-defined templates help IT organizations jump-start their journey to best practice adoption. Listed below are several of the key approach aspects that are defined and provided as part of Maryville’s Delivery Methodology and associated ITRO definition:
IT Process Scorecard
Our Scorecard approach is grounded in ITIL theory and utilizes the ITIL Scorecard Framework, ensuring compliance with industry standards. Based on a series of interviews across the organization, the Scorecard provides an assessment of IT’s current position by process area and maturity level, as well as opportunities for “Quick Wins” and an associated Implementation Roadmap.
IT Service Catalog
The Service Catalog provides an inventory of all IT Services, including name and description of the service, contact information for the service provider, and service levels associated with the service.
Service Component Map
The Service Component Map (SCM) depicts a hierarchical model of an IT Service, the results of which are used for service level requirements definition and are implemented in a configuration management database. A SCM consists of a collection of IT functional units and physical devices including dependencies, interfaces, and handoffs that exists between the functional units and devices. SCMs determine all supporting infrastructure components that comprise an IT Service and identify potential Service failure points and control points.
Playbooks
Playbooks provide the detailed operational plans for achieving the defined service level business objects and the associated IT service level requirements. Playbooks provide definition and guidance on how the infrastructure will be instrumented in order to manage its performance in accordance with the defined service level requirements. Along with its entility Playbook® application that automates the creation, maintenance and integration of the Playbook operational procedures, Maryville provides starter Playbooks for a wide range of technology domains, including but not limited to Unix Servers, WIN Servers (packages with IIS and AD, Network, Websphere, Exchange, and Oracle.
Service Review Forum
The IT Service Review Forum strives for continuous IT Service improvement by identifying weak areas where service level targets are not being met and taking appropriate service improvement actions. Review meetings are held with key IT management stakeholders to review service achievement results and cover topics such as:
-
Service level achievement for the current period
-
Service level achievement compared to the previous twelve months to determine significant trends
-
Service Improvement Program progress
-
Recommended capacity and asset changes to improve IT Service availability and performance
-
Requests for new service levels or changes to existing service levels