12. IT-Service Management Flashcards
Difference between event-oriented and systems-oriented service management?
Even-oriented as a steep curve up and above performance goal and then drops down again. Because we are just focusing on solving problems when they arise and this is costly, and it is irritating. Systems-oriented is instead focusing on slowly getting closer to the goal performance level and this is what we want.
What is the two constituent parts of service?
Utility + warranty.
Utility = the functionality offered by a produce or service to meet a particular need. “What the service does”
Warranty = assurance that this product/service will meet agreed requirements. “How the service performs”
Who bears the risk in service provision?
The service provider. The customer just want the service delivered and the service provider must make sure that everything that supports the delivery is functioning.
Utility increases… what? (think of the normal distribution function)
Performance average! So it shifts the whole curve to a better performance. The curve’s shape/variation is still the same.
Warranty reduces… what? (think of the normal dist)
Performance variation! So the tails are smaller due to smaller standard deviation. The probability of failing the service provision is lower. More likely to achieve the goals, even if the curve does not shift.
If we change a service (ex change the quizzes in the lecture) what is important for value generation? (3 things on the balance våg)
Supported outcomes (1), costs removed (2) and risks removed(3) must be larger than the affected outcomes, costs introduced and risks introduced.
Difference between service consumer, service user and service sponsor?
- Consumer = person who defined the requirements for a service and takes responsibility for the outcomes of the service consumption.
- User = person who uses services.
- Sponsor = person who authorises budget for service consumption.
Service vs product
Services are means of enabling value co-creation. by facilitating outcomes that customers want to achieve, w/o the customer having to manage specific costs and risks.
Products are instead configurations for an organization’s resources designed to offer value for a consumer.
So, services are based on products. Ex the service of driving a car is based on the product.
What is the embedded nature of services within organization that is very much alike service provision across organizations?
The embedded nature is that we have services on different levels in organizations.
For example:
1 - in the bottom we have resources, capabilities and humans, who all contribute to the generation of services.
2. These services supports business processes, like for example credit checks in a bank.
3. The businesses processes are produced by for example making transactions for bank clients.
4. So the highest level of services are those that goes directly to the consumer/user externally, like the bank transaction.
How does services build on each other internally to deliver the business outcomes?
The business is at the top of the hierarchy and the business are build on key services that are specified in SLAs. However these services in turn are build on infrastructure (network, data, systems, applications etc) from IT service providers. The IT service providers provide supporting services which can be done internally - support teams with specified OLAs or externally by suppliers with underpinning contracts.
How does business and IT link together?
Supply and demand! We have managers who see that there is a demand on a service, for ex the emailing system. Either the demand is well-served or unserved. If it is unserved we have to look at “is this a popular service, a viable service or a service to retire?” Then we use the service assets to provide the services demanded. Some assets are well-utlilized and others are unused. AND the services they provide, which should link to the demand, can also be P, V or R.
What is ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library)?
It is a handbook for best-practices and de-facto Standard for the management of IT systems. It describes WHAT to do, not exactly how.
What is the core of ITIL version 3?
The plan, do, run cycle: it says that we start with a service strategy and to fulfil this we need three things:
- Service design - ex how data structure should look like.
- Service transition - how integration and release it.
- Service operation - how to continuously run it, handling incidents etc.
And on top of that we have continuous improvements.
What differs version 4 from 3 in ITIL?
The new version takes a step away from the waterfall approach and is a more flexible value chain to adapt to multiple approaches, incl. DevOps and centralised IT. This adaptability makes it easier to react to changing demands from stakeholders in a more efficient way.
How does the core model of ITIL version 4 look like?
The core focus is on value generation. So in the middle were have a line that goes from opportunity/demand through a service value chain and delivers value. This core line is support by practices and governance, which in turn are surrounded by continuous improvement and guiding principles.
