IT Service Management - Global Best Practices, Volume 1


Book Description

A very practical publication that contains the knowledge of a large number of experts from all over the world. Being independent from specific frameworks, and selected by a large board of experts, the contributions offer the best practical guidance on the daily issues of the IT manager.




Implementing Metrics for IT Service Management


Book Description

This book 'Implementing Metrics for IT Service Management' provides a measurement framework which is based on a continuous improvement lifecycle. The measurement framework is aligned with the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) set of best practices. The framework is compatible with the Control Objectives for IT (CobiT®) framework and supports ISO/IEC 20000 standards for IT Service Management. This book also provides the basic concepts around measurements for business/IT alignment, achieving compliance and driving operation excellence. Where possible, examples, case studies and check lists have been included along with a scorecard accelerator software tool to further improve the learning experience and accelerate the adoption of measurements. The goal of this book is to provide the reader with a measurement framework to align IT with the business objectives to create value through continuous improvements. This book is complimentary to the book 'Metrics for IT Service Management' also published by Van Haren Publishing.




IT Outsourcing Part 1: Contracting the Partner


Book Description

As companies focus on the core specialisms, most will look to the benefits of outsourcing some, if not all, of the IT services required. The benefits include: cost-efficient operations; delivery of IT services at lower cost through economies of scale; improvements in time-to-market of IT solutions; improvements in capability and quality of IT service delivery. This essential guide looks at the procedures needed to achieve all these benefits when contracting an outsourcing partner. It explains the benefits of a well thought-out and practical approach to selecting a partner; a partner, indeed, whose performance may make or break an organization s delivery to market. This book is a key reference guide to anyone procuring IT services and also to those who are responsible for maintaining the contract once signed. By covering all aspects of the Outsourcing contracting process, its guidance will help reduce risks and miscommunication. In addition its approach to the Request for Proposal (also known as Invitation to Tender) shows how clarity at this stage can deliver significant benefits as the services go live in the operational phase.




Process Management Based on SqEME®


Book Description

SqEME® is an open standard for developing a processed-centred architecture of an enterprise. It may be reproduced freely by any organization wishing to use it to develop a governance structure on the quality of their business processes. SqEME® Process Management is a method that facilitates discussion of the design of the organization, in a subtle but unambiguous way. Processes have to hold a prominent place in observing organizations: how are the different parts of the organization tuned to each other and how does adequate communication take place? SqEME® as a methodology views processes from four different perspectives. SqEME® calls these windows , by means of which one seeks for the Constitution, Chemistry, Correspondence and Construction of the enterprise. SqEME® is the result of more than twenty years experience with the management of business processes within various organizations. SqEME® has been applied successfully in industry (chemistry, automotive, construction, paper), in the business sector (IT service, healthcare), in the non-profit sector, and in public companies such as the Prosecution Counsel, County Councils and local authorities. This book is particularly aimed at professionals who are involved in the change process within process-driven organizations. Anyone wishing to familiarize themselves with process-centred thinking will be pleased to find that this book adopts an innovative, yet practice-proven approach. The SqEME® Foundation is a platform for discussing the method and its application, where insights into the basic assumptions and backgrounds are shared: www.sqeme.org.




ABC of ICT


Book Description

ABC is like an iceberg, much of it hidden beneath the surface, yet capable of inflicting enormous damage to your organization, or more importantly, your business! With growing importance of IT to business operations we can no longer afford to have our ITSM improvement programs and initiatives fail because of Attitude, Behavior or culture issues. This book describes what ABC is, why it is important and gives practical cases and examples in dealing with ABC issues. The book contains more than 35 case examples from industry experts and practitioners on what they have done to solve specific ABC issues. The book can be used in combination with the ABC of ICT card set for creating awareness, assessing your own worst practices and taking your first practical steps in solving them. This book provides a valuable addition on top of ITIL publications on how to ensure ITSM improvement programs can and do deliver lasting value




The Service Catalog


Book Description

The Service Catalog means many different things to many different people. However most would agree that a catalog that helps customers and users to quickly identify the services they require clearly adds value. In turn this helps organizations identify key services that support business processes, understand the contribution made by those services and manage them appropriately. This well-constructed book provides practical advice and information that will help organizations to understand how to design and develop a service catalog and to understand the role that the service catalog performs within the service portfolio. Readers will gain practical information and knowledge that will help with: understanding the full concept of the service catalog understanding the scope of the service catalog building an appropriate service catalog for your organization identifying the true value that the service catalog can deliver to your organization understanding services and the value that they provide to your organization and customers managing the service catalog In addition, a complete service catalog schematic is provided and the service portfolio pyramid, which is unique to this book, is introduced showing how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. Widely researched and reviewed by some of the world s leading experts, this book provides a down-to-earth and practical resource for not only those who are developing Service Catalogs for the first time but also for those looking to refine their services according to agreed and established best practice concepts.




The IT Service Part 2 - The Handbook


Book Description

Since the early 2000s numerous external scenarios and drivers have added significant pressures upon the IT organisations. Among many, these include:Regulatory compliance: data privacy requirements and corporate scandals have focused a requirement for transparency with high impact on IT organisationsEconomic pressures: require IT organisations to more closely align with business imperatives.The outcome has been an explosion of standards and frameworks each designed to support the IT organisation as it demonstrates to the world that they are the rock of an organisation: strong, reliable, effective and efficient. Most of these standards and frameworks have great elements but no organisation can adopt them all and many were created without sufficient considerations for interoperability.The IT Service (in 2 parts) looks at the key and very simple goals of an IT organisation and clearly and succinctly presents to the reader the best rock solid elements in the Industry. It then shows how all the key elements can easily crystallise together with great templates and check-lists.In Part 1 (another book) the reader is presented with the simple objectives that the IT department really must address.In Part 2 (this book) the reader gains expert advice on how the components of IT Service are crystallised in a real environment. There s a delightfully simple set of steps:OVERVIEW OF THE SERVICE DESIGN PACKAGETHE SERVICE STRATEGYASPECTS Of SERVICE DESIGNOUTPUTS OF THE SERVICE DESIGN PHASEOUTPUTS OF THE SERVICE TRANSITION PHASEOUTPUTS OF THE SERVICE OPERATION PHASEWithin these the Author gives a very simple set of templates (or tells you where they are to be found), practical guidance and very simple checklists. It s up the reader how far you develop each stage: a lot depends on the nature of your business of course. The joy of this approach is that the reader knows that all basic components are identified -- and that more extensive resources are referred to if the reader wishes to extend.




The ISM method Version 3


Book Description

This book describes a revolutionary approach on how to successfully implement IT service management (ITSM) in an easier, faster, cheaper, and especially more effective way. In the book, the lessons of 30 years are used to put an end to the chaos and complexity of ineffective ITSM projects. Based on simple paradigms, a single and compact solution is described for the integrated service management with People, Process and Product. This is not achieved by setting ITIL or ASL aside, but by rearranging the many valuable elements of these frameworks into a simple logical structure, and filling the gaps. Although the paradigms are explained extensively in the book, the solution is very practical and has been proven in recent years in dozens of projects with small and large organizations. This publication describes the implementation method, with a strong focus on quality assurance and cultural change, a comprehensive definition list, and an example of a compact process model.




IT Financial Management


Book Description

It is now accepted that IT functions are a fundamental part of the competitive business model. Instead of simply offering services IT must 'create value' for the business. This practical title describes the strong financial skills that IT managers must have in order to support: Operations: Finance departments rely heavily on IT managers being able to identify, track and measure costs sometimes at a very granular level Budgeting: the very technical nature of IT operations means that budgeting can be more complex than many other areas Project Delivery: large technical project deliveries means that costs can be correspondingly complex to account for Business Modeling; pricing models rely heavily on IT managers skills and accuracy. Where one service supports many commercial offerings a strong model is needed to apportion costs appropriately Investment and business cases: a sound understanding of the financial contribution the IT assets make to the overall business is critical to gain support for ongoing investment This outstanding title covers the main financial concepts that managers need to be familiar with in order for IT to take its proper senior place as a contributor to the business. It assumes a basic level of financial understanding and builds on the techniques required almost daily; therefore it is overwhelmingly practical and based on real world scenarios. Not only are the techniques fully described but issues such as roles, implementation, daily management and even tooling are detailed.




Service Agreements - A Management Guide


Book Description

Note: This book is available in several languages: Chinese, English. This book provides a more thorough approach to service agreements than available so far. It takes the material from ITIL best practices one step further, by providing a more comprehensive and holistic approach to service agreements.