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ITIL® Basic knowledge

Why companies should rely on ITIL®

The ITIL®4 framework, which was published in fall 2019, is intended to support organizations with better structuring and continuously developing their service management processes in the IT and non-IT environment. As a software developer and digitalization partner, OMNINET offers companies an ITIL®-compliant ITSM tool. The primary objective of the globally established best practice catalog is to design ITSM processes more efficient in order to save resources, increase the quality of services and improve customer satisfaction.

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Increase service values

Services & products with better quality

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Optimize all workflows

Enterprise-wide efficient processes

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Eliminate sources of error

Trouble-free processes for more satisfaction

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Digitize easily & efficiently

Smart workflows and automated processes

ITIL®-compliant IT service management software for sustainable and efficient ITSM and ESM processes

Advantages at a glance:

  • Efficiency for services of all departments
  • Flexible customizing with low-code
  • Simple automation thanks to BPMN

Use the benefits of ITIL®-compliant service management software, with which you can design your company processes in a targeted manner, as well as flexibly adapt and expand them at any time. OMNITRACKER ITSM Center is a service management software with low-code elements that can be configured easily and quickly.

OMNITRACKER IT Service Management Center is an ITSM software that has been certified ITIL® compliant.

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Connect departments to increase efficiency

Central to ITIL® is the idea of value creation, i.e., structuring and designing business processes as efficiently as possible. On the one hand, this is achieved through the lean and targeted modeling of each workflow. On the other hand, the aim is to network services across processes and departments. This holistic approach eliminates silo structures and identifies optimization potentials. In addition, synergy effects with enormous resource benefits are created if, for example, the same IT infrastructure is used as comprehensively as possible.

Configuring instead of programming with low-code

ITIL® is centrally concerned with the continuous development of service processes. Feedback should be regularly incorporated into the redesign of workflows. To ensure that this also succeeds in practice with reasonable effort, the OMNITRACKER platform consists of low-code elements (fields, forms, new work steps, rules and triggers), which can be adapted and supplemented even without programming knowledge.

Smooth automation of business processes

A critical examination of workflows reveals optimization potentials, correlations, and dependencies. On the one hand, this makes it clear what the value-adding core elements of a process are, and on the other hand, where information is queried or which other workflows have a supporting effect. This process knowledge facilitates automation with BPMN technology.

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History and development of the ITIL® framework

With over 30 years of history, ITIL® is now considered the worldwide de facto standard in IT service management (ITSM). During this time, the guide for service processes has been repeatedly adapted and extended in order to keep pace with the developments of its time.

How did ITIL® emerge?

In the late 1980s, the Central Computing and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA), a British government agency, developed the IT Infrastructure Library. Due to the poor quality of IT services purchased by the British government, the CCTA was challenged to find a way to improve these services permanently while reducing costs. Particularly purposeful and economical practices for the provision of IT services were evaluated, brought together and collected by the CCTA in a catalog of proven best practices.

Since then, it has been regularly expanded and adapted. The result is a best practices catalog—known today as ITIL®.

Why has ITIL® been developed?

Traditionally, IT organizations primarily focused on software and hardware. The requirements of the customers were not always necessarily paramount. Since the end of the 1980s, ITIL® has been representing the core idea that IT services have to be aligned with the needs of customers. Moreover, companies should explicitly agree with their customers on the provided services. Hereby, effective processes and clearly defined responsibilities are decisive.

As an awareness of service and customer orientation is increasingly developing among IT managers, ITIL® has become the de facto global standard for IT service management in recent years. 

The ITIL® recommendations are generally valid—they reflect the requirements of most companies and organizations, regardless of their size or industry.

30 years of ITIL®—is it still relevant?

ITIL® is constantly being developed further. The latest version of the catalog (Version 4, published 2019) focuses on the topic of end-to-end service management—from demand to value creation.

The role of a company's IT department has been changing fundamentally over the past few years. Nowadays, in addition to in-house software and hardware, it also has to take care of IT services from a wide variety of suppliers. This includes software for payroll, an externally booked ticketing system or the control of the fire protection system. It requires corporate IT to orchestrate, plan and monitor the interaction of internally and externally executed services: IT Service Management (ITSM for short).

In context of this development, the major challenge is communication: ITSM is required to develop cross-company processes. In order to avoid misunderstandings among all parties involved, it is essential to have a uniform level of communication with clearly defined terms and a common set of objectives.

This is precisely why ITIL® as a common standard is more important today than ever before.

What is new in ITIL®4?

With the previous version, ITIL® v3, criticism arose that the processes described were too rigid for a meaningful and practical implementation.

Therefore, a lot of emphasis was placed on company- and industry-specific flexibility when revising the ITIL® standards. In addition, ITIL®4 includes evaluation cycles so that organizations can react better to trends and environmental influences. PeopleCert, the company behind ITIL®, has thus focused on a stronger practical orientation in the development of the latest best practice catalog and responded to the needs of IT service providers.

The topics of cloud, IT security and modern communication tools are also covered.

Learn more about the ITIL®-based features of OMNITRACKER ITSM Center in our ITIL® flyer.

 

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Key concepts of the ITIL® framework

ITIL4 Value Chain

The latest ITIL® version provides a flexible foundation for organizations to combine different frameworks and methods. It also describes approaches for companies to efficiently implement new technologies and digital services. This concept is considered in the so-called Service Value System (SVS) and in the 4-dimension model. It describes a holistic approach and contains dependencies as well as frameworks. Value is the key concept here, i.e., the added value of products or services when processes (= work steps with defined actions and dependencies) are run through (image source: PeopleCert).

4-dimension model

The 4-dimension model defines generally applicable framework conditions of service management that must be taken into account in a holistic implementation of value creation strategies:

  • Organizations and employees: How is the communicational and organizational structure and working climate in the company?
  • Information and technologies: Which software and hardware is used and how? What knowledge is required for this?
  • Partners and suppliers: Which process participants and stakeholders are involved and which (contractual) relationships apply? 
  • Value streams and processes: Which framework conditions are given and which dependencies, sequences and control mechanisms are relevant in processes to achieve the objectives?
Service Value System (SVS)

The so-called Service Value System describes overarching dependencies and basic principles in service management that should apply to all organizations. As with ITIL®4 as a whole, the SVS aims to increase value. Based on a demand or opportunity, precise instructions for action and process-specific practices are applied in order to continuously optimize services as well as to enhance their value (better quality or resource savings).

  • Basic principles: The SVS identifies 7 generally applicable guiding principles that provide practical instructions for action in every industry, company and for any service.
  • Governance: In the governance section, suggestions are provided for good corporate governance, since top management is the first point of contact and control in matters of communication as well as strategic direction.
  • Service Value Chain: The so-called Service Value Chain defines a series of linked activities, describing the roles of process participants and dependencies of the (sub)activities included. The chain starts with the idea or planning and includes all process-related communication, as well as the design and creation of a product or service. It provides the result and value is generated from this overall process.
  • Practices: 34 practices address different topics and are further broken down into 3 categories:
    • 17 Service Management Practices
    • 14 General Management Practices
    • 3 Technical Management Practices
7 Guiding principles in SVS

In the SVS, 7 guiding principles are defined that apply to every service process and include general, industry-independent recommendations:

  • Value orientation: In every activity and process, the generation of value is focused. A value can be, for instance, an increase in quality or a reduction in costs.
  • Start where you are: Existing, functioning structures and processes should not be completely rebuilt, but rather developed further purposefully.
  • Iterative development with feedback: Processes are subject to constant change, with regular evaluations serving to optimize them. This change occurs gradually so that successes can also be reliably measured.
  • Promote collaboration and transparency: Departmental silos (isolated work) must be dissolved, as the combined expertise of a company must be available for innovations. The goal is a guided exchange of knowledge and know-how between all stakeholders.
  • Think and work holistically: When making decisions about process changes, all dependencies and framework conditions should be taken into account. Transparent communication within the organization and with customers and suppliers is recommended.
  • Pay attention to simplicity and practicability: The number of sub-steps should be reduced as much as possible. This improves the understanding of processes and, moreover, dependencies are easier to recognize. In the standard process, there is no need to have a solution for every exception.
  • Optimize and automate: Once processes have been streamlined, they should be automated as much as possible when it makes sense to do so. Despite automation, compliance regulations, budget limits and other factors should be taken into account.

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10 steps to implement a ITIL®-compliant service management software

The introduction of service management according to ITIL® always follows a typical pattern, regardless of the size and industry of a company. Based on this pattern, a project blueprint in 10 steps was developed, which has proven itself in practice.

Step 1: Preparing the project

In order to prepare for an ITIL® implementation project, key people within an organization need to familiarize themselves with the basics of ITIL®. They should be able to explain the benefits of ITSM best practices and their implementation steps to all stakeholders.

In order to introduce ITIL® in your company, it is not sufficient to rely on the knowledge of external consultants. The acceptance of such a project increases considerably if the departments concerned can competently communicate the associated benefits and clarify the steps required for implementation.

Since ITIL® projects involve the definition and introduction of several new processes, it is important to create the means for documenting and managing processes at the beginning of such a project. If your organization does not yet use a tool for documenting business processes, the start of an ITIL® project is a good time to introduce one.

For familiarization with ITIL®, the official ITIL® publications, ITIL® training courses and seminars, as well as the ITIL® wiki are all useful resources.

Step 2: Defining services

At the beginning of an ITIL® project, it is advisable to define the services that are to be covered.

After all, the main motivation for introducing ITIL® is a stronger service focus.

A distinction should be made between services provided to customers and those that are only visible within the service provider organization (the so-called supporting services). Customer services are characterized by the fact that they represent a value for the customer.

If a customer wants a functioning internet connection (customer service), it is irrelevant what kind of technical infrastructure is required for this (supporting service).

To begin with, you should create a list of all business services from existing agreements and documentation. Once it is clear which services will be provided to the customers, you can define the necessary supporting services. These are often directly linked to specific parts of the technical infrastructure, such as an SAP platform.

With the list of all services, you only need to record their relationships to each other to define the service structure.

Later, this service structure is an important basis for implementing the service catalog management process.

Step 3: Select and fill roles

For the success of an ITIL® implementation, it is important that the people who will later take responsibility for the execution of certain processes are involved in designing these processes right from the start. This ensures that as much experience as possible is incorporated into the process definition, and that the role owners can identify with the changes in workflow that ITIL® will bring.

The required roles are derived directly from the new ITIL® disciplines to be introduced. For instance, if Problem Management is to be established, the role of the Problem Manager has to be filled.

Particularly in large companies, ITIL® roles may also need to be divided into further sub-roles, e.g., if one Problem Manager alone cannot deal with all the tasks that arise in this position.

In this step, the roles do not have to be defined in detail directly as this is done implicitly in the course of the detailed definition of the processes in later project phases.

Step 4: Analyze current processes—ITIL® Self-Assessment

Every new ITIL® implementation and process reorganization should be preceded by an analysis of the current situation. Thus, it is easier to decide which processes require urgent action and which ones might be postponed. Moreover, this approach will often save time.

However, not all processes should be surveyed, analyzed and documented in detail, as this effort is usually not in reasonable proportion to the result.

An ITIL self-assessment is usually conducted in form of structured interviews with the IT management and selected functional managers. The interviewers guide through the questionnaire and, if it is required, help with background information on specific questions.

The subsequent evaluation covers the following points:

  • Level of maturity achieved in the individual ITIL® disciplines.
  • Deviations in the assessment of the processes by individual interviewees.
  • Weaknesses in current processes, including underlying causes, and opportunities.
Step 5: Developing target process structure

In this step, you build on the results of the as-is analysis from step 4 and define the target process structure.

First, create a list of the ITIL® processes and sub-processes that need to be introduced or improved. In this way, it is determined what the process structure, including its sub-processes, should ultimately look like.

As a rule, the new ITIL® processes to be introduced are derived directly from the specific goals of the implementation project.

For example, if user support is to be expanded, incident management must be implemented or improved. Due to the close link with Incident Management, Problem and Configuration Management should also be included in the project scope.

This selection of ITIL® processes is the focus of this project step.

The target process structure does not yet contain detailed process descriptions, as these will only be developed in a later step.

Step 6: Defining process interfaces

This step determines both the inputs that the individual ITIL® processes receive from others and which outputs they must deliver in order for subsequent processes to function.

Frequently, weaknesses occur where one process ends and another one begins. If the information required for a smooth process is not exchanged as intended, this often manifests itself in interruptions in the data flow or in system breaks.

Therefore, the definition of interfaces must take place as a separate step even before defining detailed process flows.

First of all, it must be determined which inputs from the preceding processes can be built upon and which outputs are necessary for the successor process before the actual activities within an ITIL® process are defined.

This determination of necessary process interfaces builds on the process structure developed in the previous project step.

A particular challenge in defining interfaces is the fact that normally not all ITIL® processes are introduced at once. Frequently, this means that some of the inputs required for a process are not yet available.

For example, the Privacy Security Management practice might not yet be explicitly defined, while the Service Desk practice already requires inputs such as security alerts.

Step 7: Setting up process controlling

As soon as the ITIL® process structures have been established and the interfaces have been defined, process controlling can be set up. Its sequence can only be designed sensibly after it has been determined which quality criteria a process has to fulfill.

Controlling defines suitable methods to ensure that the processes meet their expectations. A well thought-out concept not only serves as an instrument for evaluating the achievement of objectives, it also provides the key figures required for continuous improvement within the service lifecycle in the long term.

In order to be able to decide whether a process is "running well" or not, objective quality criteria (so-called key performance indicators, or KPIs for short) must be defined.

For this purpose, the overarching goals of the ITIL® project must be defined—for example, the highest possible first resolution rate in the service desk. With these objectives in mind, you can determine the KPIs suitable for assessing successful process implementation.

The final selection of the KPIs depends—among other things­—on the determination options available in the company. Ideally, the KPIs are calculated automatically via a service desk system. Therefore, the measurement methods defined here are also requirements for the systems to be implemented.

However, more is not always better. In practice, it often turns out that a metrics structure that is too complex and entails a disproportionately large amount of work is not well accepted. Therefore, it is no longer used after a short time.

Instead, you should rather define a few but meaningful key figures in order to keep the determination effort and the reporting within a reasonable range.

Moreover, it is not advisable to set any fixed target values in the initial phase. First, you should rather set suitable quality indicators and determine measured values. After some time, when a statistically meaningful number of measurement results are available, target values can be defined on a solid basis.

Step 8: Elaborate processes in detail

This step specifies the activities to be performed within each process and the checklists and guidelines that will be used to support their execution.

Usually, the process owners are assigned this task, but all affected parties should be involved, especially the employees who will execute the processes in the future. This ensures that the greatest possible level of experience and knowledge is incorporated into the process design.

Process designs are usually documented as flowcharts, so that the required activities and their sequence are depicted without going into too much detail. The diagrams also specify which roles are responsible for performing the activities.

In order to avoid overloading the process diagrams, you should attach additional information to support process execution as checklists and document templates to the diagrams.

For instance, these could be detailed instructions for registering and forwarding incidents and service requests in 1st-level support.

Step 9: Set up technical infrastructure

Now, the process design is complete and the implementation can begin.

If a new or modified technical infrastructure is required to support the processes, this is now procured and set up. The individual steps that are required depend entirely on your project and the implemented processes. Therefore, the following example only describes the requirements definition of application systems.

Functional requirements for the supporting infrastructure can often be derived from the process design. This design defines which work steps have to be supported by the applications.

The process input and output definitions describe which data is to be processed by the systems. For example, the incident management process generates incident records. Therefore, the system supporting this process must be able to manage such data.

Finally, non-functional requirements must also be included.

This results in the following structure for the requirements catalog:

  • Functional requirements
    • Reference to detailed process models
    • Additional functional requirements
    • Definitions of process outputs (data structures)
    • Functions of reporting system
  • Non-functional requirements
    • Requirements regarding capacities and quantities
    • Performance and throughput
    • Scalability/expandability
    • Availability
  • Requirements from an operational point of view
    • Requirements from IT security point of view
    • Interfaces to other systems
    • Appendix
      • Process models
      • Data to be imported from existing systems

Once the catalog is complete, extract a prioritized list of individual items that will serve as an evaluation matrix for selecting a suitable (external) system. The requirements should be organized by category, as in the following example:

  • K.O. criteria (priority 1)
  • Important requirements (priority 2)
  • Desirable requirements (priority 3)
Step 10: Process implementation and training

If all key parties have been involved in designing the processes, there should be no need to explain the new processes further to the responsible employees.

However, it may be necessary to train your team on how to use new application systems.

In addition, customers may need to be informed if, for example, a new support group has been established in 1st-level support. Therefore, the procedure for reporting incidents has changed.

In conclusion:

Be sure to communicate changes in processes to all involved parties early on. If process participants are not informed about new process flows until the final phase of an ITIL® project, a lack of acceptance is inevitable. Therefore, as many of the employees, who will be affected later, as possible should be involved in the design of the processes during the earlier phases of the project.

Our experienced consulting team gladly supports you in the ITIL®-compliant digitization of your business processes—from project planning to go-live.

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Practices

Since ITIL®4, a total of 34 practices have been described that target different management processes. In this way, ITIL® places a lot of emphasis on simple, practicable solutions. The 34 practices are divided thematically into 17 Service Management Practices, 14 General Management Practices and 3 Technical Management Practices.

General Management Practices

Architecture Management

Architecture Management describes how different elements of an organization interrelate and work towards business goals. It is used to improve, design and transition value chain activities.

Continuous Service Improvement

The purpose of Continuous Service Improvement is to learn from past successes and failures. This is intended to continuously improve the effectiveness and efficiency of IT processes and services.

Information Security Management

Information Security Management ensures that all information, data, goods and IT services of a company are protected from unauthorized access at all times.

Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management serves to capture, analyze, store and make available information and knowledge within the organization.

Measurement and Reporting

This practice deals with determining metrics and creating reports to improve forecasting and decision making at all levels of the organization, from planning to user support.

Organizational Change Management

Organizational Change Management collects management techniques and competencies. It focuses on people and addresses the organizational aspects of change.

Portfolio Management

Portfolio Management ensures the availability of products, services and processes within an organization so that business goals can be achieved with the available budget.

Project Management

The goal of Project Management is to plan and coordinate resources when rolling out a major release within the intended cost, time and quality framework.

Relationship Management

Relationship Management is concerned with relationships between all stakeholders, including customers, and meeting their needs.

Risk Management

Risk Management is the systematic identification, evaluation and monitoring of risks. This includes analyzing the value of corporate assets, identifying potential threats to these assets and evaluating the risk.

Service Financial Management

The purpose of Service Financial Management is to help the management decide where to allocate financial resources. The practice is responsible for the overall management of budgeting, cost accounting and accounting activities in the company.

Strategy Management

The objective of Strategy Management is to assess the competition, range of offerings, competencies, and current or potential market segments to be served in order to develop a strategy for service delivery. In addition, the practice is also responsible for implementing this strategy.

Supplier Management

Supplier Management enables proper management of an organization's suppliers and third-party vendors. This ensures that the received products and services are of high quality and on-time deliveries are not compromised. In addition, the practice helps in maintaining a healthy and profitable relationship with the suppliers.

Workforce and Talent Management

Workforce and Talent Management ensures that the organization employs the right people and has the proper competencies and skills to achieve its business goals. The practice deals with all activities related to recruitment, onboarding, employee engagement, training, development and performance measurement.

Service Management Practices

Availability Management

Availability Management defines, analyzes, plans, measures and improves all factors that are essential for the availability of IT services. The practice is responsible for ensuring that the entire IT infrastructure and its processes, tools and roles are suitable for achieving the agreed availability targets.

Business Analysis

The practice of Business Analysis is used to analyze a business or one of its sub-elements. In this way, it is possible to identify problems at an early stage so that the need for change can be communicated in an understandable way, and solutions can be proposed.

Capacity and Performance Management

To ensure effective service management, the services provided by an organization must perform as expected without exceeding the agreed costs. Capacity and Performance Management is designed to ensure this.

Change Enablement

Change Enablement manages the lifecycle of all changes. The practice aims to enable beneficial changes while avoiding negative impacts on services

Incident Management

Incident Management manages all incidents throughout their lifecycle. The goal of this practice is to restore a disrupted (or unavailable) service to users as quickly as possible.

IT Asset Management

IT Asset Management assists in planning and managing the entire lifecycle of all components that contribute to the delivery of an IT service. This makes it easier for the organization to manage costs and risks, increase value and make better purchasing decisions.

Monitoring and Event Management

Monitoring and Event Management ensures that configuration items (CIs) and services are continuously monitored. The practice filters and categorizes events to take appropriate action when needed

Problem Management

The goal of Problem Management is to prevent problems and resulting incidents as well as to resolve recurring incidents. It also helps minimize the impact of incidents that cannot be prevented.

Release Management

Release Management is used to compile, test and roll out new and changed services that meet agreed service requirements. In this way, the practice ensures that all stakeholders in the organization are satisfied.

Service Catalogue Management

Service Catalogue Management ensures the development and maintenance of a service catalog that contains precise information about all services in operation and planned services. The practice provides all other ITIL® service management processes with essential information, such as details about the services, the current state, and information about interdependencies.

Service Configuration Management

Service Configuration Management provides information on configuration items (CIs) required to deliver IT services.

Service Continuity Management

Service Continuity Management provides business continuity guidelines and ensures that IT operations and all services can be resumed after a crisis. This is done by means of reducing risks and targeted recovery planning for services.

Service Design

Service Design helps to develop products and services that are a precise fit for the company's ecosystem. In addition, the practice facilitates value creation and helps identify business objectives.

Service Level Management

Service Level Management ensures that Service level agreements (SLAs) are concluded with customers and that services are designed to meet the agreed service level targets. The practice also ensures that the agreements made at the operational level are effective.

Service Request Management

Service Request Management is responsible for processing service requests. In most cases, these are minor changes such as a request for a password change or information requests.

Service Validation and Testing

This practice ensures quality testing of rolled out releases and the resulting services. It evaluates whether IT operations are able to adequately support the new service.

Service Desk

The Service Desk serves as a contact point for the service provider and all users. Service requests and incident reports from all channels are recorded here, and, if necessary, are forwarded to the relevant persons responsible.

Technical Management Practices

Deployment Management

Deployment Management deals with the deployment of new or changed hardware or software, as well as with new or changed processes or any other component in the live environment.

Infrastructure and Platform Management

This practice deals with the management of technologies used in the organization.

Software Development and Management

The Software Development and Management practice provides an overview of the activities of Software Development and Management.

Rely on the modularly expandable service management solution OMNITRACKER. Contact us to talk about your individual requirements in the area of ITSM.

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