Continual Service Improvement Models and Processes in ITIL, ITIL Course
Continual Service Improvement
Models and Processes
Introduction
Models and processes are necessary in order to execute systematic and coordinated improvement activities.
In Continual Service Improvement, several approaches and processes are identified to support the improvement of services and processes.
Deming Cycle
The Deming Cycle is described as below:
• Also known as Plan-Do-Check–Act
• Basis for quality management and improvement
• Quality management can be successful if management and staff are committed and aim to achieve the same goals.
The Deming Cycle is critical at two points in CSI: implementation of CSIs, and for the application of CSI to services and service management processes. At implementation, all four stages of the Deming Cycle are used. With ongoing improvement, CSI draws on the check and act stages to monitor, measure, review and implement initiatives.
The four key stages of Deming Cycle (Plan, Do, Check and Act) should be performed for quality improvement of a service.
• Plan
Scope of CSI
Objectives and requirementsfor CSI
Process activities to be developed
Framework of management roles and responsibilities
Methods and techniques to measure, assess, analyze and report on the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of services and Service Management processes
• Do (implement)
Funding and budgets required to support CSI
Documenting and allocating of roles and responsibilities to work on CSI
initiatives
Documenting and maintaining CSI policies, plans and procedures
Ensuring monitoring, analysis, trend evaluating and reporting tools are in place
• Check (monitor, measure and review CSI activities)
Monitoring, measuring and reviewing that the CSI objectives and plans are being achieved
Reporting against plans
Documenting review
Conducting process assessments and audits
Identifying and recommending CSI process improvement opportunities
• Act
Implementing the actual CSI enhancements
Updating CSI policies, procedures, roles and responsibilities
The consolidation phaseenables the organization to ensure that improvements are embedded and thus prevents the ‘cycle’ from ‘rollingdown the hill’.
CSI Model
The CSI Model can be described as below:
• High-level approach for improvingIT Service Management
• Assess current situation by asking critical questions, where, what and how
• Establish a baseline for all levels for future comparisons of services carried out
Improvement projects should be related to a vision, and the related goals and objectives of the IT organization. These will help to set priorities.
A baseline assessment helps determining the current position of the organization or service. This can be used for later comparison to see if the improvement effort actually brought what was expected.
Improvement projects need realistic and measurable targets, withoutthese, projects may lose focus and effectiveness. Once the organization has gained useful insight based on measurements and targets set, the organization shouldplan and execute service and processimprovements.
Continual Service Improvement Models and Processes in ITIL, ITIL Course
Seven Step Improvement Process: Overview
Fundamental to CSI is the concept of measurement. The seven-step improvement process is a crucialpart of CSI.
It is obvious that all the activities of the improvement process assist CSI in some way. It is relatively simple to identify what takes place but more difficult to understand exactly how this will happen. The improvement process spans not only the management organization but the entire service lifecycle. Thisis a cornerstone of CSI, the main steps of which are as follows:
1. Identify the strategy for improvement
Identify the overall vision, business need,the strategy and the tacticaland operational goals
2. Define what you will measure
Service strategy andservice design should have identified this information early in the lifecycle. CSI can then start its cycle all over again at ‘Where are we now?’ and ‘Where do we want to be?’ This identifies the ideal situation for both the business and IT. CSI canconduct a gap analysis to identify the opportunities for improvement as well as answering the question ‘How do we get there?’
3. Gatherthe data
In order to properly answer the question ‘Did we get there?’, data must first be gathered (usually through service operations). Data can be gathered from many differentsources based on goals and objectives identified. At this point the data is raw and no conclusions are drawn.
4. Process the data
Here the data is processed in alignment with the critical success factors (CSFs) and KPIs specified. This means that timeframes are coordinated, unaligned data is rationalized and made consistent, and gaps in the data are identified. The simple goal of this step is to process data from multiple disparate sources to give it context that can be compared. Once we have rationalized the data we can begin analysis.
5. Analyze the information and data
As we bring the data more and more into context it evolves from raw data into information where we can start to answer questions about who, what, when, where and how as well as trends and the impact on the business. It is the analyzing step that is most often overlooked or forgotten in the rush to present data to management.
6. Present and use the information
Here the answer to ‘Did we get there?’ is formatted and communicated in whatever way necessary to present to the various stakeholders an accurate picture of the results of the improvement efforts. Knowledge is presented to the business in a form and manner that reflects their needs and assists them in determining the next steps.
7. Implement improvement
The knowledge gained is used to optimize, improve and correct services and processes. Issues have been identified and now solutions are implemented – wisdom is applied to the knowledge. The improvements that need to be taken to improve the service or process are communicated and explained to the organization. Following this step the organization establishes a new baseline and the cycle begins anew.
Seven Step Improvement Process: Purpose and objectives
The purpose of the seven-step improvement process is to define and manage the steps needed to identify, define, gather, process, analyze, present and implement improvements.
The objectives of the seven-step improvement process are to:
• Identify opportunities for improving services, processes, tools etc.
• Reduce the cost of providing services and ensuring that IT services enable the required business outcomes to be achieved.
• Identify what needs to be measured, analyzed and reported to establish improvement opportunities.
• Continually review service achievements to ensure they remain matched to business requirements; continually align and re-align service provision with outcome requirements.
• Understand what to measure, why it is being measured and carefully define the successful outcome.
Improvements in quality should not be implemented if there is a cost associated for the improvement and if this cost has not been justified. Every potential improvement opportunity will have to have a business case justification to show that the business will have an overall benefit. For small initiatives the business case does not have to be a full blown report but could be a simple justification. The seven-step improvement process is not free-standing and will only achieve its desired outcomes when applied to technology, services, processes, organization or partners.
Continual Service Improvement Models and Processes in ITIL, ITIL Course
Seven Step Improvement Process (Scope)
The seven-step improvement process includes analysis of the performance and capabilities of services, processes throughout the lifecycle, partners and technology. It includes the continual alignmentof the portfolio of IT services with the current and future business needs as well as the maturity of the enabling IT processes for each service.
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