Overview

Service Operation is the phase in the ITSM Lifecycle that is responsible for ‘business-as-usual’ activities.

Service Operation can be viewed as the ‘factory’ of IT. This implies a closer focus on the day-to-day activities and infrastructure that are used to deliver services. However, this publication is based on the understanding that the overriding purpose of Service Operation is to deliver and support services. Management of the infrastructure and the operational activities must always support this purpose.

Well planned and implemented processes will be to no avail if the day-to-day operation of those processes is not properly conducted, controlled and managed. Nor will service improvements be possible if day-to-day activities to monitor performance, assess metrics and gather data are not systematically conducted during Service Operation.

Service Operation staff should have in place processes and support tools to allow them to have an overall view of Service Operation and delivery (rather than just the separate components, such as hardware, software applications and networks, that make up the end-to-end service from a business perspective) and to detect any threats or failures to service quality.

As services may be provided, in whole or in part, by one or more partner/supplier organizations, the Service Operation view of end-to-end service must be extended to encompass external aspects of service provision – and where necessary shared or interfacing processes and tools are needed to manage cross-organizational workflows.

Service Operation is neither an organizational unit nor a single process – but it does include several functions and many processes and activities, which are described in Chapters 4, 5 and 6

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 896