foundation glossary Flashcards
acceptance criteria
A list of minimum requirements
that a service or service component must meet for it
to be acceptable to key stakeholders.
Agile
An umbrella term
for a collection of frameworks and techniques
that together enable teams and individuals
to work in a way that is typified by
- collaboration,
- prioritization,
- iterative
- and incremental delivery,
- and timeboxing.
There are several specific methods (or frameworks) that are classed as Agile, such as
- Scrum,
- Lean, and
- Kanban
architecture management practice
The practice
of providing an understanding of
all the different elements
that make up an organization
and how those elements relate to one another
asset register
A database or list of assets,
capturing key attributes
such as ownership and financial value.
availability
The ability of an IT service
or other configuration item
to perform its agreed function when required.
availability management practice
The practice
of ensuring that services deliver
agreed levels of availability
to meet the needs of
customers and users.
baseline
A report or metric
that serves as a starting point
against which progress or change
can be assessed.
best practice
A way of working
that has been proven
to be successful
by multiple organizations
big data
The use
of very large volumes
of structured and unstructured data
from a variety of sources
to gain new insights.
business analysis practice
The practice
of analysing a business or some element of a business,
defining its needs and recommending solutions
to address these needs and/or solve a business problem,
and create value for stakeholders.
business case
A justification
for expenditure of organizational resources,
providing information about
- costs,
- benefits,
- options,
- risks,
- and issues.
business impact analysis (BIA)
A key activity
in the practice of service continuity management
that identifies vital business functions
and their dependencies.
business relationship manager (BRM)
A role
responsible for maintaining good relationships
with one or more customers.
call
An interaction (e.g. a telephone call)
with the service desk.
A call could result in
an incident or a service request
being logged.
call/contact centre
An organization or business unit
that handles large numbers
of incoming and outgoing calls
and other interactions.
capability
The ability
- of an organization,
- person,
- process,
- application,
- configuration item,
- or IT service
to carry out an activity
capacity and performance management practic
The practice
of ensuring that services
achieve agreed and expected performance levels,
satisfying current and future demand
in a cost-effective way.
capacity planning
The activity of creating a plan that manages resources to meet demand for services.
change
The
- addition,
- modification,
- or removal
of anything that
could have a direct or indirect effect on services
change authority
A person or group
responsible for authorizing a change.
change control practice
The practice
of ensuring that risks are properly assessed,
authorizing changes to proceed
and managing a change schedule
in order to maximize the number
of successful service and product changes.
change model
A repeatable approach
to the management
of a particular type of change
change schedule
A calendar
that shows planned
and historical changes
charging
The activity
that assigns a price
for services.
cloud computing
A model
for enabling on-demand network access
to a shared pool of configurable computing resources
that can be rapidly provided
with minimal management effort
or provider interaction.
compliance
The act of ensuring
that a standard or set of guidelines is followed,
or that proper, consistent accounting or other practices
are being employed.
confidentiality
A security objective
that ensures information
is not made available or disclosed
to unauthorized entities.
configuration
An arrangement of configuration items (CIs)
or other resources that work together
to deliver a product or service.
Can also be used to
describe the parameter settings for one or more CIs.
configuration item (CI)
Any component
that needs to be managed
in order to deliver
an IT service.
configuration management database (CMDB)
A database
used to store configuration records
throughout their lifecycle.
The CMDB
also maintains the relationships
between configuration records.
configuration management system (CMS)
A set of tools, data, and information
that is used to support
service configuration management.
configuration record
A record
containing the details of a configuration item (CI).
Each configuration record documents
the lifecycle of a single CI.
Configuration records are stored
in a configuration management database.
continual improvement practice
The practice
of aligning an organization’s practices and services
with changing business needs
through the ongoing identification and improvement
of all elements involved in the effective management
of products and services.
continuous deployment
An integrated set of practices and tools
used to deploy software changes
into the production environment.
These software changes
have already passed
pre-defined automated tests.
continuous integration/continuous delivery
An integrated set of practices and tools
used to merge developers’ code,
build and test
the resulting software,
and package it
so that it is ready for deployment
control
The means
of managing a risk,
ensuring that a business objective is achieved,
or that a process is followed.
cost
The amount of money
spent on a specific activity or resource.
cost centre
A business unit or project
to which costs are assigned.
critical success factor (CSF)
A necessary precondition
for the achievement of intended results.
culture
A set of values
that is shared by a group of people,
including expectations about
- how people should behave,
- ideas,
- beliefs,
- and practices.
customer
A person
who defines the requirements for a service
and takes responsibility for the outcomes
of service consumption.
customer experience (CX)
The sum
of functional and emotional interactions
with a service and service provider
as perceived by a service consumer.
dashboard
A real-time graphical representation of data
deliver and support
The value chain activity
that ensures services are delivered and supported
according to agreed specifications
and stakeholders’ expectations.
demand
Input to the service value system
based on opportunities and needs
from internal and external stakeholders.
deployment
The movement
of any service component
into any environment.
deployment management practice
The practice
of moving new or changed
- hardware,
- software,
- documentation,
- processes,
- or any other service component
to live environments
design and transition
The value chain activity
that ensures products and services
continually meet stakeholder expectations for
- quality,
- costs,
- and time
to market.
design thinking
A practical and human-centred approach
used by product and service designers
to solve complex problems
and find practical and creative solutions
that meet the needs of an organization and its customers
development environment
An environment
used to create or modify
IT services or applications.
DevOps
An organizational culture
that aims to improve the flow of value to customers.
DevOps focuses on
- culture,
- automation,
- Lean,
- measurement,
- and sharing
(CALMS).
digital transformation
The evolution of traditional business models
to meet the needs of highly empowered customers,
with technology playing an enabling role
disaster
A sudden unplanned event
that causes great damage
or serious loss to an organization.
A disaster results in an
organization failing to provide critical business functions
for some predetermined minimum period of time.
disaster recovery plans
A set of clearly defined plans
related to how an organization will recover
from a disaster as well as return to a pre-disaster condition,
considering the four dimensions of service management.
driver
Something that influences strategy, objectives, or requirements.
effectiveness
A measure
of whether the objectives
of a practice, service or activity
have been achieved.
efficiency
A measure
of whether the right amount of resources
have been used by a practice, service, or activity.
emergency change
A change that must be introduced as soon as possible.
engage
The value chain activity
that provides a good understanding of
- stakeholder needs,
- transparency,
- continual engagement,
- and good relationships with all stakeholders.
environment
A subset of the IT infrastructure
that is used for a particular purpose,
for example a live environment or test environment.
Can also mean the external conditions
that influence or affect something.
error
A flaw or vulnerability
that may cause incidents.
error control
Problem management activities
used to manage known errors.
escalation
The act of sharing awareness
or transferring ownership
of an issue or work item.
event
Any change of state
that has significance for the management of a service
or other configuration item.
external customer
A customer
who works for an organization
other than the service provider.
failure
A loss of ability to
operate to specification,
or to deliver the required output or outcome
feedback loop
A technique
whereby the outputs of one part of a system
are used as inputs to the same part of the system.
four dimensions of service management
The four perspectives
that are critical to the effective and efficient facilitation
of value for customers and other stakeholders
in the form of products and services
goods
Tangible resources
that are transferred or available for transfer
from a service provider to a service consumer,
together with ownership and associated rights and responsibilities.
governance
The means by which an organization is directed and controlled.
identity
A unique name
that is used to identify
and grant system access rights
to a user, person, or role.
improve
The value chain activity
that ensures continual improvement
of products, services, and practices
across all value chain activities
and the four dimensions of service management.
incident
An unplanned interruption
to a service
or reduction in the quality of a service.
incident management
The practice
of minimizing the negative impact of incidents
by restoring normal service operation
as quickly as possible.
information and technology
One of the four dimensions of service management.
It includes the information and knowledge
used to deliver services,
and the information and technologies
used to manage all aspects
of the service value system.
information security management practice
The practice
of protecting an organization
by understanding and managing risks
to the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information.
information security policy
The policy
that governs an organization’s approach
to information security management.
infrastructure and platform management practice
The practice of overseeing
the infrastructure and platforms
used by an organization.
This enables the monitoring
of technology solutions available,
including solutions from third parties.
integrity
A security objective
that ensures information is only modified
by authorized personnel and activities.
internal customer
A customer
who works for the same organization
as the service provider.
Internet of Things
The interconnection of devices
via the internet
that were not traditionally thought of as IT assets,
but now include embedded computing capability and network connectivity.
IT asset
Any financially valuable component
that can contribute to the delivery
of an IT product or service.
IT asset management practice
The practice
of planning and managing
the full lifecycle of all IT assets.
IT infrastructure
All of the
- hardware,
- software,
- networks,
- and facilities that
are required to
- develop,
- test,
- deliver,
- monitor,
- manage,
- and support
IT services.
IT service
A service
based on the use
of information technology
ITIL
Best-practice guidance
for IT service management.
ITIL guiding principles
Recommendations
that can guide an organization
in all circumstances, regardless of changes in its
- goals,
- strategies,
- type of work,
- or management structure.
ITIL service value chain
An operating model for service providers
that covers all the key activities
required to effectively manage
products and services.
Kanban
A method
for visualizing work,
identifying potential blockages and resource conflicts,
and managing work in progress
key performance indicator (KPI)
An important metric
used to evaluate the success
in meeting an objective.
knowledge management practice
The practice
of maintaining and improving
the effective, efficient, and convenient use
of information and knowledge
across an organization.
known error
A problem
that has been analysed
but has not been resolved.
Lean
An approach
that focuses on improving workflows
by maximizing value
through the elimination of waste
lifecycle
The full set of
- stages,
- transitions,
- and associated statuses
in the life of a
- service,
- product,
- practice,
- or other entity.
live
Refers to a service or other configuration item
operating in the live environment.
live environment
A controlled environment
used in the delivery
of IT services
to service consumers
maintainability
The ease
with which a service or other entity
can be repaired or modified
major incident
An incident
with significant business impact,
requiring an immediate coordinated resolution.
management system
Interrelated or interacting elements
that establish policy and objectives
and enable the achievement of those objectives.
maturity
A measure
of the
- reliability,
- efficiency and
- effectiveness
of an
- organization,
- practice, or
- process.
mean time between failures (MTBF)
A metric
of how frequently
a service or other configuration item
fails.
mean time to restore service (MTRS)
A metric
of how quickly
a service is restored
after a failure.
measurement and reporting
The practice
of supporting good decision-making
and continual improvement
by decreasing levels of uncertainty.
metric
A measurement or calculation
that is monitored or reported
for management and improvement.
minimum viable product (MVP)
A product
with just enough features
to satisfy early customers,
and to provide feedback
for future product development.
mission statement
A short but complete description
of the overall purpose and intentions
of an organization.
It states what is to be achieved,
but not how this should be done.
model
A representation of a
- system,
- practice,
- process,
- service,
- or other entity
that is used to
understand and predict
its behaviour and relationships.
monitoring
Repeated observation of a
- system,
- practice,
- process,
- service,
- or other entity
to detect events
and to ensure that the current status is known.
monitoring and event management practice
The practice
of systematically observing
services and service components,
and recording and reporting selected changes
of state identified as events.
obtain/build
The value chain activity
that ensures service components are available
when and where they are needed,
and that they meet agreed specifications.
operation
The routine
running and management of an
- activity,
- product,
- service,
- or other configuration item.
operational technology
The hardware and software solutions
that detect or cause changes
in physical processes
through direct monitoring and/or control
of physical devices such as valves, pumps, etc.
organization
A person or a group of people
that has its own functions
with responsibilities, authorities, and relationships
to achieve its objectives.
organizational change management practice
The practice
of ensuring that changes in an organization
are smoothly and successfully implemented
and that lasting benefits
are achieved by managing
the human aspects of the changes.
organizational resilience
The ability
of an organization to
- anticipate,
- prepare for,
- respond to,
- and adapt to
unplanned external influences.
organizational velocity
The
- speed,
- effectiveness, and
- efficiency
with which an organization operates.
Organizational velocity influences
- time to market,
- quality,
- safety,
- costs,
- and risks.
organizations and people
One of the four dimensions of service management.
It ensures that the way
an organization is structured and managed,
as well as
- its roles,
- responsibilities,
- and systems of authority
- and communication,
is well defined and supports
its overall strategy and operating model.
outcome
A result
for a stakeholder enabled
by one or more outputs
output
A tangible or intangible deliverable of an activity.
outsourcing
The process
of having external suppliers
provide products and services
that were previously provided internally.
partners and suppliers
One of the four dimensions of service management.
It encompasses the relationships an organization
has with other organizations
that are involved in the
- design,
- development,
- deployment,
- delivery,
- support,
- and/or continual improvement of services.
partnership
A relationship
between two organizations
that involves working closely together
to achieve common goals and objectives.
performance
A measure
of what is achieved or delivered
- by a system,
- person,
- team,
- practice,
- or service.
pilot
A test implementation of a service
with a limited scope in a live environment.
plan
The value chain activity
that ensures a shared understanding
- of the vision,
- current status,
- and improvement
direction for all four dimensions and all products and services across an organization.
policy
Formally documented management expectations and intentions,
used to direct decisions and activities
portfolio management practice
The practice of ensuring
that an organization has the right mix of
- programmes,
- projects,
- products,
- and services
to execute its strategy
within its funding and resource constraints.
post-implementation review (PIR)
A review
after the implementation of a change,
to evaluate success and
identify opportunities for improvement.
practice
A set of organizational resources
designed for performing work
or accomplishing an objective.
problem
A cause, or potential cause, of one or more incidents.
problem management practice
The practice
of reducing the likelihood and impact of incidents
by identifying actual and potential causes of incidents,
and managing workarounds and known errors.
procedure
A documented way to carry out an activity or a process.
process
A set of interrelated or interacting activities
that transform inputs into outputs.
A process takes one or more defined inputs
and turns them into defined outputs.
Processes define the sequence of actions
and their dependencies
product
A configuration
of an organization’s resources
designed to offer value for a consumer
production environment
See live environment.
programme
A set of related projects and activities,
and an organization structure
created to direct and oversee them.
project
A temporary structure
that is created for the purpose
of delivering one or more outputs (or products)
according to an agreed business case.
project management practice
The practice
of ensuring that all an organization’s projects
are successfully delivered.
quick win
An improvement
that is expected to provide a return on investment
in a short period of time
with relatively small cost and effort.
record
A document
stating results achieved
and providing evidence of activities performed.
recovery
The activity
of returning a configuration item
to normal operation after a failure.
recovery point objective (RPO)
The point to which information used by an activity
must be restored to enable the activity
to operate on resumption.
recovery time objective (RTO)
The maximum acceptable period of time
following a service disruption
that can elapse before the lack
of business functionality severely impacts the organization.
relationship management practice
The practice
of establishing and nurturing links
between an organization and its stakeholders
at strategic and tactical levels.
release
A version of a
- service
- or other configuration item,
- or a collection of configuration items,
that is made available for use.
release management practice
The practice
of making new and changed services
and features available for use.
reliability
The ability of a product, service, or other configuration item
to perform its intended function
for a specified period of time or number of cycles.
request catalogue
A view of the service catalogue,
providing details on service requests
for existing and new services,
which is made available for the user.
request for change (RFC)
A description of a proposed change used to initiate change control.
resolution
The action of solving an incident or problem.
resource
A person, or other entity,
that is required for the execution of an activity
or the achievement of an objective.
Resources used by an organization
may be owned by the organization or used according
to an agreement with the resource owner.
retire
The act of permanently withdrawing a
- product,
- service,
- or other configuration item
from use.
risk
A possible event
that could cause harm or loss, or make it more difficult to achieve objectives.
Can also be defined as uncertainty of outcome,
and can be used in the context of measuring the probability
of positive outcomes as well as negative outcomes.
risk assessment
An activity to identify, analyse, and evaluate risks.
risk management practice
The practice
of ensuring that an organization understands
and effectively handles risks.
service
A means of enabling value co-creation
by facilitating outcomes
that customers want to achieve,
without the customer having to manage specific costs and risks.
service action
Any action
required to deliver a service output to a user.
Service actions
may be performed
- by a service provider resource,
- by service users,
- or jointly.
service architecture
A view
of all the services provided by an organization.
It includes interactions between the services,
and service models
that describe the structure
and dynamics of each service.
service catalogue
Structured information
about all the services and service offerings
of a service provider,
relevant for a specific target audience.
service catalogue management practice
The practice
of providing a single source of consistent information
on all services and service offerings,
and ensuring that it is available to the relevant audience.
service configuration management practice
The practice
of ensuring that accurate and reliable information
about the configuration of services, and the configuration items that support them,
is available when and where needed.
service consumption
Activities
performed by an organization
to consume services.
It includes the management of the consumer’s resources
needed to use the service,
service actions performed by users,
and the receiving (acquiring) of goods (if required).
service continuity management practice
The practice
of ensuring that service availability and performance
are maintained at a sufficient level
in case of a disaster.
service design practice
The practice
of designing products and services
that are fit for purpose, fit for use,
and that can be delivered by the organization and its ecosystem.
service desk
The point of communication between the service provider and all its users.
service desk practice
The practice of capturing demand
for incident resolution and service requests
service financial management practice
The practice
of supporting an organization’s strategies and plans
for service management
by ensuring that the organization’s financial resources and investments
are being used effectively.
service level
One or more metrics
that define expected
or achieved service quality.
service level agreement (SLA)
A documented agreement
between a service provider and a customer
that identifies both services required
and the expected level of service.
service level management practice
The practice
of setting clear business-based targets
for service performance
so that the delivery of a service
can be properly
- assessed,
- monitored,
- and managed
against these targets.
service management
A set of specialized organizational capabilities
for enabling value for customers in the form of services.
service offering
A formal description of one or more services,
designed to address the needs of a target consumer group.
A service offering may include
- goods,
- access to resources,
- and service actions.
service owner
A role
that is accountable
for the delivery of a specific service.
service portfolio
A complete set of products and services
that are managed throughout
their lifecycles by an organization.
service provider
A role
performed by an organization
in a service relationship
to provide services to consumers
service provision
Activities
performed by an organization
to provide services.
It includes
- management of the provider’s resources, configured to deliver the service;
- ensuring access to these resources for users;
- fulfilment of the agreed service actions;
- service level management;
- and continual improvement.
It may also include the supply of goods.
service relationship
A cooperation
between a service provider and service consumer.
Service relationships include
- service provision,
- service consumption,
- and service relationship management.
service relationship management
Joint activities
performed by a service provider and a service consumer
to ensure continual value co-creation
based on agreed and available service offerings.
service request
A request
from a user or a user’s authorized representative
that initiates a service action
which has been agreed a
s a normal part of service delivery.
service request management practice
The practice
of supporting the agreed quality
of a service by handling all pre-defined, user-initiated service requests
in an effective and user-friendly manner.
service validation and testing practice
The practice
of ensuring that new or changed products and services
meet defined requirements.
service value system (SVS)
A model
representing how all the components and activities
of an organization work together
to facilitate value creation.
software development and management practice
The practice
of ensuring that applications
meet stakeholder needs in terms of
- functionality,
- reliability,
- maintainability,
- compliance,
- and auditability
sourcing
The activity
of planning and obtaining resources
from a particular source type,
which could be internal or external,
centralized or distributed,
and open or proprietary.
specification
A documented description
of the properties of a
- product,
- service,
- or other configuration item.
sponsor
A person
who authorizes budget for service consumption.
Can also be used
to describe an organization or individual that provides financial
or other support for an initiative.
stakeholder
A person or organization that has an interest or involvement in an organization, product, service, practice, or other entity.
standard
A document,
established by consensus and approved by a recognized body,
that provides for
- common and repeated use,
- mandatory requirements,
- guidelines,
- or characteristics
for its subject.
standard change
A low-risk, pre-authorized change
that is well understood and fully documented,
and which can be implemented without needing additional authorization
status
A description
of the specific states
an entity can have at a given time.
strategy management practice
The practice
of formulating the goals
of an organization
and adopting the courses
of action and allocation of resources
necessary for achieving those goals.
supplier
A stakeholder
responsible for providing services
that are used by an organization
supplier management practice
The practice
of ensuring that an organization’s suppliers
and their performance levels
are managed appropriately
to support the provision
of seamless quality products and services.
support team
A team
with the responsibility to maintain normal operations
address users’ requests,
and resolve incidents and problems
related to specified
- products,
- services,
- or other configuration items.
system
A combination
of interacting elements
organized and maintained
to achieve one or more stated purposes.
systems thinking
A holistic approach
to analysis that focuses
on the way that a system’s constituent parts work, interrelate, and interact over time, and within the context of other systems.
technical debt
The total rework backlog
accumulated by choosing workarounds
instead of system solutions that would take longer
test environment
A controlled environment
established to test
- products,
- services,
- and other configuration items.
third party
A stakeholder external to an organization
throughput
A measure
of the amount of work performed by a
- product,
- service,
- or other system
over a given period of time
transaction
A unit of work
consisting of an exchange between two or more participants or systems.
use case
A technique
using realistic practical scenarios
to define functional requirements and to design tests
user
A person who uses services
utility
The functionality
offered by a product or service
to meet a particular need.
Utility can be summarized as ‘what the service does’
and can be used to determine whether a service is ‘fit for purpose’.
To have utility,
a service must either support the performance of the consumer
or remove constraints from the consumer.
Many services do both
utility requirements
Functional requirements
which have been defined by the customer
and are unique to a specific product.
validation
Confirmation that the
- system,
- product,
- service,
- or other entity
meets the agreed specification.
value
The perceived benefits, usefulness, and importance of something
value stream
A series of steps an organization undertakes
to create and deliver products and services
to consumers.
value streams and processes
One of the four dimensions of service management.
It defines the
- activities,
- workflows,
- controls,
- and procedures
needed to achieve the agreed objectives.
vision
A defined aspiration
of what an organization would like to become in the future.
warranty
Assurance
that a product or service
will meet agreed requirements.
Warranty can be summarized as ‘how the service performs’
and can be used to determine whether a service is ‘fit for use’.
Warranty often relates to service levels aligned with the needs of service consumers.
This may be based on a formal agreement, or it may be a marketing message or brand image.
Warranty typically addresses such areas as the availability of the service, its capacity, levels of security, and continuity.
A service may be said to provide acceptable assurance, or ‘warranty’, if all defined and agreed conditions are met.
warranty requirements
Typically non-functional requirements
captured as inputs
from key stakeholders and other practices.
waterfall method
A development approach
that is linear and sequential with distinct objectives
for each phase of development
work instruction
A detailed description
to be followed
in order to perform an activity
workaround
A solution
that reduces or eliminates the impact
of an incident or problem
for which a full resolution is not yet available.
Some workarounds reduce the likelihood of incidents
workforce and talent management practice
The practice
of ensuring that an organization has the right people
with the appropriate skills and knowledge
and in the correct roles to support its business objectives
