ITIL: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Set of practices for Information Technology (IT) development, management and support}}

The '''Information Technology Infrastructure Library''' ('''ITIL''') is a framework of [[best practice]] approaches intended to facilitate the delivery of high quality [[information technology]] (IT) services. ITIL outlines an extensive set of management procedures that are intended to support businesses in achieving both quality and value for money in IT operations. These procedures are supplier independent and have been developed to provide guidance across the breadth of IT infrastructure, development, and operations.

{{Other uses|Itil (disambiguation){{!}}Itil}}

{{Promotional|date=July 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}

Although developed during the 1980's, ITIL was not widely adopted until the mid 1990's. This wider adoption and awareness has led to a number of [[standardization|standards]], including [[ISO 20000|ISO/IEC 20000]] which is an international standard covering the [[IT Service Management]] elements of ITIL. ITIL is often considered alongside other best practice frameworks such as the [[ISPL|Information Services Procurement Library]] (ISPL), the [[Application Services Library]] (ASL), [[Dynamic Systems Development Method]] (DSDM), the [[Capability Maturity Model]] (CMM/CMMI), and is often linked with [[IT governance]] through [[COBIT|Control Objectives for Information and related Technology]] (COBIT).

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}

'''ITIL''' (previously and also known as '''Information Technology Infrastructure Library''') is a framework with a set of practices (previously processes) for IT activities such as [[IT service management]] (ITSM) and [[IT asset management]] (ITAM) that focus on aligning IT services with the needs of the business.<ref>{{Cite web |title=it-infrastructure-library|url=https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/it-infrastructure-library|access-date=2021-04-21 |publisher=IBM|language=en-us|archive-date=21 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421201813/https://www.ibm.com/cloud/learn/it-infrastructure-library|url-status=live}}</ref>

ITIL describes best practices, including processes, procedures, tasks, and checklists which are neither organization-specific nor technology-specific. It is designed to allow organizations to establish a baseline and can be used to demonstrate compliance and to measure improvements.

[[IT Service Management]] as a concept is related but not equivalent to ITIL. ITIL containins a subsection specifically entitled "IT Service Management" (the combination of the Service Support and Service Delivery volumes) which are a specific example of an ITSM framework, however it is important to note that other such frameworks exist. ITIL Service Management is currently embodied in the [[ISO 20000]] standard (previously [[British Standards|BS 15000]]).

There is no formal independent third-party compliance assessment available to demonstrate ITIL compliance in an organization. Certification in ITIL is only available to individuals and not organizations. Since 2021, the ITIL [[trademark]] has been owned by PeopleCert.<ref>{{cite web|title=PeopleCert completes Axelos acquisition|url=https://www.peoplecert.org/news-and-announcements/peoplecert-completes-axelos-acquisition|publisher=PeopleCert|accessdate=21 Jun 2021}}</ref>

ITIL is built around a process-model based view of controlling and managing operations often credited to [[W. Edwards Deming|W Edwards Deming]]. The ITIL recommendations were developed in the 1980's by the [[Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency]] (CCTA) of the UK Government in response to the growing dependence on information technology and a recognition that without standard practices, government agencies and private sector contracts were independently creating their own IT management practices and duplicating effort within their [[Information and Communications Technology]] (ICT) projects resulting in common mistakes and increased costs.{{fact}}<!-- {{POV-statement}} I can't see how this is POV if it said it worked then maybe but not structured like this --> <!-- Says who? -->

==History==

ITIL is published in a series of books, each of which covers a core area within IT Management. The names ''ITIL'' and ''IT Infrastructure Library'' are [[trademark|Registered Trade Marks]] of the [[Office of Government Commerce]] (OGC), which is an Office of the [[United Kingdom]]'s [[HM Treasury|Treasury]]. The content of the books is protected by [[Crown Copyright]].

Responding to growing dependence on IT, the UK Government's [[Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency]] (CCTA) in the 1980s developed a set of recommendations designed to standardize IT management practices across government functions, built around a ''process model''-based view of controlling and managing operations often credited to [[W. Edwards Deming]] and his [[PDCA|plan-do-check-act (PDCA)]] cycle.<ref>{{cite book |author1=David Clifford |author2=Jan van Bon |title=Implementing ISO/IEC 20000 Certification: The Roadmap |series=ITSM Library |publisher=Van Haren Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=978-90-8753-082-2}}</ref>

* In 1989, ITIL was released. It grew to a series of 30 books that recommended and provided IT best practices that focused on and catered for client and business needs.

In April, 2001 the CCTA was merged into the [[Office of Government Commerce]] (OGC) and disappeared as a distinct organization. <ref>Office of Government Commerce (UK). [http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1878 CCTA and OGC]. Retrieved May 5, 2005.</ref>

* In 1993, the examination institute [[EXIN]] developed the first certification scheme for ITIL.<ref>{{cite web |title=EXIN Milestones |url=https://www.exin.com/about-exin/ |website=EXIN.com |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref>

* In April 2001, the CCTA was merged into the [[Office of Government Commerce]] (OGC), an office of the [[HM Treasury|UK Treasury]].<ref>{{cite web |website=[[Office of Government Commerce]] (UK) |title=OGC - - CCTA Re-direct Page |access-date=2005-05-05 |url=http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1878 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050422073533/http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1878 |archive-date=22 April 2005 |date=1 April 2003}}</ref>

* In 2001, ITIL version 2 was released.

* In May 2007, ITIL version 3 was released (also known as the ITIL Refresh Project) consisting of 26 processes and functions, now grouped into only 5 volumes, arranged around the concept of Service lifecycle structure. ITIL Version 3 is now known as ITIL 2007 Edition.

* In 2009, the OGC officially announced that ITIL Version 2 certification would be withdrawn and launched a major consultation as per how to proceed.<ref>{{cite web |website=[[Office of Government Commerce]] (UK)|access-date=2009-08-19 |title=ITIL |url=http://www.ogc.gov.uk/guidance_itil.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909012325/http://www.ogc.gov.uk/guidance_itil.asp |archive-date=9 September 2009 |date=2009-07-13}}</ref>

* In 2009 and 2011, researchers investigated the benefits of the ITIL implementation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Marrone |first1=Mauricio |last2=Kolbe |first2=Lutz M. |date=2011-01-15 |title=Impact of IT Service Management Frameworks on the IT Organization |journal=[[Business & Information Systems Engineering]] |language=en |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=5–18 |doi=10.1007/s12599-010-0141-5 |issn=1867-0202 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pollard |first1=Carol |last2=Cater-Steel |first2=Aileen |date=2009-04-14 |title=Justifications, Strategies, and Critical Success Factors in Successful ITIL Implementations in U.S. and Australian Companies: An Exploratory Study |journal=Information Systems Management |volume=26 |issue=2 |pages=164–175 |citeseerx=10.1.1.631.8883 |doi=10.1080/10580530902797540 |issn=1058-0530 |s2cid=14096708}}</ref>

* In July 2011, ITIL 2011 was released.

* In 2013, ITIL was acquired by [[AXELOS]], a [[joint venture]] between [[Capita]] and the UK [[Cabinet Office]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cio.com/article/2439501/infrastructure-it-infrastructure-library-itil-definition-and-solutions.html |title=What is ITIL? Your guide to the IT Infrastructure Library |first1=Sarah K. |last1=White |first2=Lynn |last2=Greiner |date=January 18, 2019 |website=[[CIO magazine|CIO]] |access-date=7 May 2019 |archive-date=24 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424015940/https://www.cio.com/article/2439501/infrastructure-it-infrastructure-library-itil-definition-and-solutions.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

* In February 2019, ITIL 4 was released. With this release, the nomenclature of using a version number was replaced simply with the numerical number (v3 became 4) in a reference to the 4th industrial revolution. The main changes were: to consider end-to-end Service Management from holistic and value-centric perspectives, to align with philosophies such as Agile, DevOps, and Lean, and to reduce the emphasis on IT Service Management in favor of general Service Management.<ref>{{cite web |title=ITIL 4 |url=https://wiki.en.it-processmaps.com/index.php/ITIL_4 |website=IT Process Wiki |access-date=11 February 2022 |archive-date=14 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214234627/https://wiki.en.it-processmaps.com/index.php/ITIL_4 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{user-generated inline|date=June 2023}}

* In June 2021, PeopleCert completed the acquisition of Axelos.

==Guiding principles==

In December 2005, the OGC issued notice of an ITIL refresh <ref>Office of Government Commerce. [http://www.itil.co.uk/refresh.htm ITIL Refresh Statement]. Retrieved February 13, 2006.</ref>, commonly known as [[ITIL v3]], which is planned to be available in late 2006. [[ITIL v3|ITIL Version three]] publication is expected to initially include five core texts namely: IT Service Design, IT Service Introduction, IT Service Operations, IT Service Improvement and IT Service Strategies consolidating much of the current v2 practice around the Service Lifecycle.

ITIL 4 contains seven guiding principles:

*Focus on value

*Start where you are

*Progress iteratively with feedback

*Collaborate and promote visibility

*Think and work holistically

*Keep it simple and practical

*Optimize and automate

==Framework content==

One of the primary benefits claimed by proponents of ITIL within the IT community is its provision of common vocabulary, consisting of a glossary of tightly defined and widely agreed terms. A new and enhanced glossary has been developed as a key deliverable of the [[ITIL v3|the ITIL Refresh Project]].

ITIL 4 consists of 34 practices grouped into 3 categories:

*General management practices: some examples are: Strategy management, [[IT portfolio management|Portfolio management]], [[Information technology architecture|Architecture]] management and [[Risk management]]

*Service management practices: examples are: [[Service level|Service-level management]], Availability management and [[Capacity management|Capacity and performance management]]

*Technical management practices: including three practices: [[Deployment management]], Infrastructure and platform management and [[Software development]] and management.

== Certification ==

ITIL 4 certification can be obtained by different roles in IT management. Certification starts with ITIL 4 Foundation, followed by one of two branches:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://goodelearning.com/articles/who-uses-itil/ |title= Who Uses ITIL? The Applications of ITIL 4 |last1=Omniplex Learning|website=[[Omniplex Learning]] |access-date=21 December 2024}}</ref>

[[Image:Wearer of an ITIL Foundation Certificate pin.jpg|thumb|An ITIL Foundation certificate pin.]]

=== ITIL 4 Managing Professional ===

Individuals may achieve various official ITIL certifications. ITIL qualifications standards are managed by the ITIL Certification Management Board (ICMB) which comprises OGC, [[IT Service Management Forum|itSMF International]] and the two existing Examinations Institutes: EXIN (based in Holland) and ISEB (based in the UK).

* ITIL 4 Specialist: Create, Deliver & Support (CDS)

* ITIL 4 Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV)

* ITIL 4 Specialist: High Velocity IT (HVIT)

* ITIL 4 Specialist: Monitor, Support, and Fulfil (MSF)

=== ITIL 4 Strategic Leader ===

Examinations are administered and qualifications awarded by [http://www.exin-exams.com/ EXIN] and [http://www.bcs.org/BCS/Products/Qualifications/ISEB/ ISEB]. Both examinations institutions award qualifications at Foundation, Practitioner and Manager/Masters level currently in 'ITIL Service Management', at Practitioner level in 'ITIL Application Management' and at Manager/Masters level in 'ICT Infrastructure Management'.

* ITIL 4 Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve (DPI)

A voluntary registry of ITIL-certified practitioners is operated by the [http://www.certification-register.org ITIL Certification Register].

* ITIL 4: Digital & IT Strategy (DITS)

==See also==

It is not possible to certify an organization or a management system as "ITIL-compliant," however an organisation that has implemented ITIL guidance in [[IT Service Management]] may be able to achieve compliance with and seek certification under [[ISO 20000|ISO/IEC 20000]].

* [[Application Services Library]] – A similar framework for [[Application lifecycle management|application management]]

* [[Business Information Services Library]] (BiSL) – A similar framework for [[information management]] and [[functional management]]

* [[ISO/IEC 20000]] – An international standard for IT service management

* [[Tudor IT Process Assessment]] – A framework for assessment of IT service management maturity

==References==

In June 2006 the [http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002885&app=latest_news.asp&process=full_record&recordid=242 OGC announced] that ITIL accreditation will be taken over by the [http://www.apmgroup.co.uk/ APM Group], presumably ending the EXIN and ISEB roles in this activity. The OGC's failure to further formalize institutional relationships with the [[ITSMF]] as part of these activities has been controversial with ITSM figures such as Jan van Bon (editor of ''The Guide to IT Service Management'').<ref>{{cite web | author=Jan van Bon| year=2006| title=Next phase in ITIL poker game| format=HTML| url=http://en.itsmportal.net/news.php?id=2229|accessdate=2006-06-09}}</ref>

{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==

==ITIL history, precursors and alternatives==

{{Wikibooks|ITIL v3 (Information Technology Infrastructure Library)}}

What is now called ITIL version 1, developed under the auspices of the CCTA was entitled "Government Information Technology Infrastructure Method" (GITM) and over several years eventually expanded to 31 volumes in a project initially directed by Peter Skinner and John Stewart at the CCTA. The publications were retitled primarily as a result of the desire (by Roy Dibble of CCTA) that the publications be seen as guidance and not as a formal method and as a result of growing interest from outside of the UK Government.

* [https://www.ibm.com/topics/it-infrastructure-library IBM.com - "What is IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL)?"]

{{Authority control}}

Many of the core service management concepts did not originate within the original CCTA project to develop ITIL. IBM claims that its "Yellow Books" (''A Management System for the Information Business'')<ref>{{cite book | author= IBM |title=A Management System for the Information Business| year= 1980| month= | publisher= IBM| ___location= White Plains, New York}}</ref> were key precursors. According to IBM:

[[Category:ITIL| ]]

: "In the early 1980s, IBM documented the original Systems Management concepts in a four-volume series called ''A Management System for Information Systems.''[''sic''] These widely accepted “yellow books,” ... were key inputs to the original set of ITIL books."<ref>{{cite web | author=IBM Global Services| year=2003| title=IBM and the IT Infrastructure Library| format=PDF | url=http://www-5.ibm.com/services/ch/ism/download_ism/itil.pdf| accessdate=2006-05-31}}</ref> and <ref>{{cite web | author=IBM Global Services| year=2003| title=IBM's commitment to ITIL| format=HTML| url=http://www-1.ibm.com/services/us/index.wss/detail/its/a1000593?cntxt=a1000429|accessdate=2006-06-08}}</ref>.

[[Category:Information technology consulting]]

<!-- added additional link as first once wasn't working for me M Gillett-->

[[Category:Method engineering]]

Other IBM Publications <ref> {{cite web |author= Son Pham, IBM| year=2003| title =IBM and hte IT Infrastructure Library at the TIVOLI User Conference| format =pdf|url=http://www.tivoli-ug.org/presentations/M24_IBM_and_the_IT_Infrastructure_Library_ITIL.pdf|accessdate=2006-06-09}}</ref> and comments by ITIL authors clarify that the "yellow books" weere a significant input to ITIL Service Support but that the Service Delivery volume didn't draw on them to the same extent.

Further evidence on this (pro or con) is lacking, but the ongoing involvement of IBM (as well as many other vendors and consultants) in ITIL authorship is a matter of record, visible in the front matter of the ITIL volumes.

<!--no financial interest in IBM but this is of legit historical interest I believe. I have the first volume in this series and it does contain content substantiating IBM's representation. The actual title is A Management System for the Information Business. C Betz-->

===Alternatives===

Outside of ITIL, the [http://www.harriskern.com/index.php?m=p&pid=1 Enterprise Computing Institute] publishes a set of coordinated books covering general issues of large scale IT management.

==Criticisms of ITIL==

ITIL has come in for criticism on several fronts. Concerns include:

* The fact that many ITIL advocates seem to think it is a holistic, all-encompassing framework for IT governance

* Its tendency to turn into a religion

As Jan van Bon (author and editor of many IT Service Management publications) notes,

''There is a lot of confusion about ITIL, stemming from all kinds of misunderstandings about its nature. ITIL is, as the OGC states, a set of best practices. The OGC doesn’t claim that ITIL’s best practices describe pure processes. The OGC also doesn’t claim that ITIL is a framework, designed as one coherent model. That is what most of its users make of it, probably because they have such a great need for such a model...''<ref>{{cite book|author=van Bon, J.(Editor)|title=The guide to IT service management|publisher=Addison Wesley|year=2002|id=ISBN 0201737922}}</ref>

''CIO Magazine'' columnist Dean Meyer has also presented some cautionary views on the framework,<ref> Meyer, Dean, 2005. [http://www.cio.com/leadership/buzz/column.html?ID=4186 "Beneath the Buzz: ITIL"], ''CIO Magazine,'' March 31, 2005</ref> including five pitfalls such as "becoming a slave to outdated definitions" and "Letting ITIL become religion." As he notes, "...it doesn't describe the complete range of processes needed to be world class. It's focused on ... managing ongoing services."

The quality of the library's volumes is seen to be uneven. For example, van Herwaarden and Grift note, “the consistency that characterized the service support processes … is largely missing in the service delivery books."<ref>van Herwaarden, H. and F. Grift (2002). "IPW(tm) and the IPW Stadia Model(tm) (IPWSM)". ''The guide to IT service management.'' J. Van Bon. London, Addison-Wesley: 97-115.</ref>

<!--this is a book section and I don't see a suitable template, assistance appreciated-->

==Overview of the Library==

{{confusing}}

The IT Infrastructure ''Library'' (ITIL) is so named as it originated as a collection of books each covering a specific 'practice' within IT management. After the initial published works, the number of publications quickly grew (within ITIL v1) to over 30 books. In order to make ITIL more accessible (and affordable) to those wishing to explore it, one of the aims of the ITIL v2 project was to consolidate the works into a number logical 'sets' that aimed to group related sets of process guidelines for different aspects of the management of Information Technology systems, applications and services together.

While the Service Management sets (Service Support and Service Delivery) are by far the most widely used, circulated and understood ITIL publications, ITIL is as a whole is more comprehensive and is believed by its proponents to provide a comprehensive set of guidance that provides management processes linking the ''technical'' implementation and operations guidelines recommended by specific equipment or software manufacturers and the [[strategic management]], [[operations management]] and [[financial management]] of a modern business.

The eight ITIL books and their disciplines are:

The [[IT Service Management]] sets

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Service Delivery|Service Delivery]]'''

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Service Support|Service Support]]'''

Other operational guidance

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#ICT Infrastructure Management|ICT Infrastructure Management]]'''

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Security Management|Security Management]]'''

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#The Business Perspective|The Business Perspective]]'''

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Application Management|Application Management]]'''

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Software Asset Management|Software Asset Management]]'''

To assist with the implementation of ITIL practices a further book was published providing guidance on implemetation (mainly of Service Managemnet):

# '''[[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Planning To Implement Service Management|Planning to Implement Service Management]]'''

and this has more recently been suplemented with guidlines for smaller IT units, not included in the original eight publications:

# '''ITIL [[Information Technology Infrastructure Library#Small-Scale Implementation|Small-Scale Implementation]]'''.

==Details of the ITIL Framework==

{{POV-section}}

===Service Support===

The Service Support<ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=Service Support|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2000|id=ISBN 0113300158}}</ref> ITIL discipline is focussed on the ''User'' of the ICT services and is primarily concerned with ensuring that they have access to the appropriate services to support the business functions.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:ProcessServiceSupport.jpg|thumb|640px|left|none|Service Support - Process Model]] -->

To a business, customers and users are the entry point to the process model. They get involved in service support by:

* Asking for changes

* Needing communication, updates

* Having difficulties, queries.

The service desk is the single contact point for the customers to record their problems. It will try to resolve it, if there is a direct solution or will create an [[ITIL glossary#Incident|incident]]. ''Incidents'' initiate a chain of processes: Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, Release Management and Configuration Management (see following sections for details). This chain of processes is tracked using the Configuration Management Database (CMDB), which records each process, and creates output documents for traceability (Quality Management).

====Service Desk====

{{main|Service Desk (ITSM)}}

====Incident Management====

{{main|Incident Management (ITSM)}}

====Problem Management====

The goal of Problem Management is to minimize the adverse impact of incidents and problems on business that are caused by errors within the IT infrastructure, and to prevent recurrence of incidents related to these errors.

A `problem' is an unknown underlying cause of one or more incidents, and a `known error' is a problem that is successfully diagnosed and for which a work-around has been identified. The CCTA defines problems and known errors as follows:

''A '''problem''' is a condition often identified as a result of multiple Incidents that exhibit common symptoms. Problems can also be identified from a single significant Incident, indicative of a single error, for which the cause is unknown, but for which the impact is significant.''

''A '''known error''' is a condition identified by successful diagnosis of the root cause of a problem, and the subsequent development of a Work-around.''

''Problem management'' is different from ''incident management''. The principal purpose of ''problem management'' is the detection, resolution, and prevention of incidents; ''incident management'' records the incident.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Problem management process.jpg|thumb|800px|center|none|Problem management process]] -->

The above diagram shows the details of the problem management process. The problem management process is intended to reduce the number and severity of incidents and problems on the business, and report it in documentation to be available for the first-line and second line of the help desk.

The proactive process identifies and resolves problems before incidents occur. These activities are:

* Trend analysis;

* Targeting support action;

* Providing information to the organization.

The ''Error Control Process'' is an iterative to process known errors until they are eliminated by the successful implementation of a change under the control of the Change Management process.

The ''Problem Control Process'' aims to handle problems in an efficient way. Problem control identifies the root cause of incidents and reports it to the service desk. Other activities are:

* Problem identification and recording;

* Problem classification;

* Problem investigation and diagnosis.

The standard technique for identifying the root cause of a problem is to use an ''[[Ishikawa diagram]]'', also referred to as a cause-and-effect diagram, tree diagram, or fishbone diagram. An Ishikawa diagram is typically the result of a brainstorming session in which members of a group offer ideas to improve a product. For problem-solving, the goal will be to find the cause and effect of the problem.

<!--The following diagram is an example of an Ishikawa diagram. -->

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Appli meta model.jpg|center|frame|Ishikawa diagram - Tree diagram]] -->

Ishikawa diagrams can be defined in a meta-model.

First there is the main subject, it's the backbone of the diagram what we try to solve or improve, the main subject is derived from a cause.

The relationship between a cause and an effect is a double relation, a cause is result of effects, and the effect is the root of causes. But there is just one effect for several causes and one cause for several effects.

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Metamodel.jpg|center|frame|Ishikawa meta-model]] -->

====Configuration Management====

Configuration Management is a ''process'' that tracks all of the individual Configuration Items (CI) in a system. A ''system'' may be as simple as a single server, or as complex as the entire IT department. Configuration Management includes:

* Creating a parts list of every CI (hardware or software) in the system.

* Defining the relationship of CIs in the system

* Tracking of the status of each CI, both its current status and its history.

* Tracking all Requests For Change to the system.

* Verifying and ensuring that the CI parts list is complete and correct.

There are five basic activities of Configuration Management:

*'''Planning''': The Configuration Management plan covers the next three to six months in detail, and the following twelve months in outline. It is reviewed at least twice a year and will include a strategy, policy, scope, objectives, roles and responsibilities, the Configuration Management processes, activities and procedures, the [[CMDB]], relationships with other processes and third parties, as well as tools and other resource requirements.

*'''Identification''': The selection, identification and labelling of all CIs. This covers the recording of information about CI's, including ownership, relationships, versions and unique identifiers. CIs should be recorded at a level of detail justified by the business need, typically to the level of "independent change".

*'''Control''': This gives the assurance that only authorised and identifiable CIs are accepted and recorded from receipt to disposal. It ensures that no CI is added, modified, replaced or removed without the appropriate controlling documentation e.g. approved [[RFC]], updated specification. All CIs will be under Change Management Control.

*'''Status Accounting''': The reporting of all current and historical data concerned with each CI throughout its life-cycle. It enables changes to CIs and tracking of their records through various statuses, e.g. ordered, received, under test, live, under repair, withdrawn or for disposal.

*'''Verification and Audit''': This is a series of reviews and audits that verifies the physical existence of CIs, and checks that they are correctly recorded in the [[CMDB]]. It includes the process of verifying Release and Configuration documentation before changes are made to the live environment.

====Change Management====

{{main|Change Management (ITSM)}}.

<!--My intention is to do this for ALL ITIL sections. This has been posted on the talk page for some time, with no disagreement. Please speak now or forever hold your peace. CTB -->

====Release Management====

Release Management is used for platform-independent and automated distribution of software and hardware, including license controls across the entire IT infrastructure. Proper Software and Hardware Control ensure the availability of licensed, tested, and version certified software and hardware, which will function correctly and respectively with the available hardware. Quality control during the development and implementation of new hardware and software is also the responsibility of Release Management. This guarantees that all software can be conceptually optimized to meet the demands of the business processes.

The goals of release management are:

*Plan to rollout of software

*Design and implement procedures for the distribution and installation of changes to IT systems

*Communicate and manage expectations of the customer during the planning and rollout of new releases

*Control the distribution and installation of changes to IT systems

The focus of release management is the protection of the live environment and its services through the use of formal procedures and checks.

===Service Delivery===

The Service Delivery <ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=Service Delivery|series=IT Infrastructure Library''|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2001|id=ISBN 0113300174}}</ref> discipline is primarily concerned with the pro-active and forward looking services that the business requires of its ICT provider in order to provide adequate support to the business users, it is focussed on the business as the ''Customer'' of the ICT services (compare with: [[#Service support|Service Support]]). The discipline consists of the following processes, explained in subsections below:

* Service Level Management

* Capacity Management

* IT Service Continuity Management

* Availability Management

* Financial Management

<!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Servicedelivery.jpg|frame|center|Service Delivery Process]] -->

<!--The diagram above shows the relationships between the processes -->

====Service Level Management====

Service Level Management provides for continual identification, monitoring and review of the levels of IT services specified in the [[Service Level Agreement]]s (SLAs). Service Level Management ensures that arrangements are in place with internal IT support providers and external suppliers in the form of Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) and Underpinning Contracts (UpCs). The process involves assessing the impact of change upon service quality and SLAs. The service level management process is in close relation with the operational processes to control their activities. The central role of Service Level Management leads to it being the natural place for [[metrics]] to be established and monitored against a [[benchmark]].

Service Level Management is the primary interface with the Customer (as opposed to the User who is serviced by the [[Service Desk]]). Service Level Management is responsible for ensuring that the agreed IT services are delivered on when and where they are supposed to be and for liasing with [[Availability Management]], [[Capacity Management]], [[Incident Management]] and [[Problem Management]] to ensure that the required levels and quality of service are achieved within the resources agreed with [[Financial Management]] and appropriate [[IT Service Continuity]] plans have been made to support the business and it's continuity requirements.

The Service Level Manager is reliant upon all the other areas of the Service Delivery process to provide the necessary support which ensures the agreed services are provided in a cost effective, secure and efficient manner.

====Capacity Management====

[[Capacity management|Capacity Management]] supports the optimum and cost effective provision of IT services by helping organizations match their IT resources to the business demands. The high level activities are: Application Sizing, Workload Management, Demand Management, Modeling, Capacity Planning, Resource Management, and Performance Management.

====IT Service Continuity Management====

IT Service Continuity Management helps to ensure the availability and rapid restoration of IT services in the event of a disaster. The high level activities are: Risk Analysis, Manage Contingency Plan Management, Contingency Plan Testing, and Risk Management.

====Availability Management====

Availability Management allows organizations to sustain the IT service availability in order to support the business at a justifiable cost. The high level activities are: Realize Availability Requirements, Compile Availability Plan, Monitor Availability, and Monitor Maintenance Obligations.

====Financial Management for IT services====

Financial Management for IT services is responsible for budgeting for IT services, accounting for expenditure and where required implementing charging for IT services. Financial Management also assesses the Total Cost Of Ownership and oversees activities in demonstrating value for money (VFM).

===Planning To Implement Service Management===

{{main|ITIL Planning to implement service management}}

The ITIL discipline - Planning To Implement Service Management <ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=Planning To Implement Service Management|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2002|id=ISBN 0113308779}}</ref> attempts to provide practitioners with a framework for the alignment of [[business]] needs and [[Information Technology|IT]] provision requirements. The processes and approaches encorporated within the guidelines suggest the development of a Continuous Service Improvement Programme (CSIP) as the basis for implementing other ITIL disciplines as projects within a controlled, programme of work. Planning To Implement Service Management is mainly focused on the Service Management processes, but also generically applicable to other ITIL disciplines.

An approach to implement or improve service management is the Continuous Service Improvement Programme (CSIP). This programme consists of the following steps regarding ''one single'' improvement:

* create vision

* analyze organization

* set goals

* implement IT service management

* measure progress towards goals using [[Key performance indicators|Key Performance Indicators (KPI)]]

===Security Management===

{{main|ITIL Security Management}}

The ITIL-process Security Management <ref>{{cite book|author=Cazemier, Jacques A.; Overbeek, Paul L.; Peters, Louk M.|title=Security Management|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2000|id=ISBN 011330014X}}</ref> describes the structured fitting of information security in the management organization. [[ITIL Security Management]] is based on the code of practice for information security management also known as [[ISO/IEC 17799]].

A basic concept of the Security Management is the [[information security]]. The primary goal of information security is to guarantee [[safety]] of the [[information]]. Safety is to be protected against [[risks]]. [[Security]] is the means to be safe against risks. When protecting information it is the value of the information that has to be protected. These values are stipulated by the confidentiality, integrity and availability. Inferred aspects are privacy, anonymity and verifiability.

:: The current move towards [[ISO/IEC 27001]] may require some revision to the ITIL Security Management best practices which are often claimed to be rich in content for physical security but weak in areas such as software/application security and logical security in the ICT infrastructure.

===ICT Infrastructure Management===

<!-- removed elongation as ICT is the official title of the practice -->ICT Infrastructure Management <ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=ICT Infrastructure Management|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2002|id=ISBN 0113308655}}</ref> processes recommend best practice for requirements analysis, planning, design, deployment and ongoing operations management and technical support of an ICT Infrastructure.

The Infrastructure Management processes describe those processes within ITIL that directly relate to the ICT equipment and software that is involved in providing ICT services to customers.

*'''ICT Design and Planning'''

*'''ICT Deployment'''

*'''ICT Operations'''

*'''ICT Technical Support'''

These disciplines are less well understood than those of Service Management and therefore often some of their content is believed to be covered 'by implication' in Service Management disciplines.

====ICT Design and Planning====

ICT Design and Planning provides a framework and approach for the Strategic and Technical Design and Planning of ICT infrastructures. It includes the necessary combination of Business (and overall IS) strategy, with technical design and architecture. ICT Design and Planning drives both the Procurement of new ICT solutions through the production of Statements of Requirement ("SOR") and Invitations to Tender ("ITT") and is responsible for the initiation and management of ICT Programmes for strategic business change. Key Outputs from Design and Planning are:

:* ICT Strategies, Policies and Plans

:* The ICT Overall Architecture & Management Architecture

:* Business Cases, Feasibility Studies, ITTs and SORs

====ICT Deployment Management ====

ICT Deployment provides a framework for the successful management of design, build, test and roll-out (deploy) projects within an overall ICT [[program management|programme]]. It includes many [[project management]] disciplines in common with [[Prince2]], but has a broader focus to include the necessary integration of Release Management and both functional and non functional testing.

====ICT Operations Management====

ICT Operations Management provides the day-to-day technical supervision of the ICT infrastructure. Often confused with the role of Incident Management from Service Support, Operations is more technical and is concerned not solely with Incidents reported by users, but with Events generated by or recorded by the Infrastructure. ICT Operations may often work closely alongside Incident Management and the Service Desk, which are not-necessarily technical in order to provide an 'Operations Bridge'. Operations, however should primarily work from documented processes and procedures and should be concerned with a number of specific sub-processes, such as: Ouput Management, Job Scheduling, Backup and Restore, Network Monitoring/Management, System Monitoring/Management, Database Monitoring/Management Storage Monitoring/Management. Operations are responsible for:

:* A stable, secure ICT infrastructure

:* A current, up to date Operational Documentation Library ("ODL")

:* A log of all operational Events

:* Maintenance of operational monitoring and management tools.

:* Operational Scripts

====ICT Technical Support====

ICT Technical Support is the specialist technical function for infrastructure within ICT. Primarily as a support to other processes, both in Infrastructure Management and Service Management, Technical Support provides a number of specialist functions: Research and Evaluation, Market Intelligence (particularly for Design and Planning and Capacity Management), Proof of Concept and Pilot engineering, specialist technical expertise (particularly to Operations and Problem Management), creation of documentation (perhaps for the Operational Documentation Library or Known Error DataBase).

===The Business Perspective===

The Business Perspective is the name given to the collection of best practices<ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=The Business Perspective|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2005|id=ISBN 0113308949}}</ref> that is suggested to address some of the issues often encountered in understanding and improving IT service provision, as a part of the entire business requirement for high IS quality management. These issues are:

* ''Business Continuity Management'' describes the responsibilities and opportunities available to the business manager to improve what is, in most organizations one of the key contributing services to business efficiency and effectiveness.

* ''Surviving Change''. IT infrastructure changes can impact the manner in which business is conducted or the continuity of business operations. It is important that business managers take notice of these changes and ensure that steps are taken to safeguard the business from adverse side effects.

* ''Transformation of business practice through radical change'' helps to control IT and to integrate it with the business.

* ''Partnerships and outsourcing''

This volume is related to the topics of [[IT Governance]] and [[IT Portfolio Management]].

===Application Management===

ITIL ''Application Management''<ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=Application Management|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2002|id=ISBN 0113308663}}</ref> set encompasses a set of best practices proposed to improve the overall quality of IT software development and support through the life-cycle of software development projects, with particular attention to gathering and defining requirements that meet business objectives.

This volume is related to the topics of [[Software Engineering]] and [[IT Portfolio Management]].

===Small-Scale Implementation===

ITIL ''Small-Scale Implementation'' <ref>{{cite book|author=Office of Government Commerce|title=ITIL Small Scale Implementation|publisher=The Stationery Office|year=2005|id=ISBN 0113309805}}</ref> provides an approach to the implementation of the ITIL framework for those with smaller IT units or departments. It is primarily an auxilliary work, covering many of the same best practice guidelines as Planning To Implement Service Management, Service Support and Service Delivery but provides additional guidance on the combination of roles and responsibilities and avoiding conflict between ITIL priorities.

==References==

<references />

==External links==

* [http://www.itil.co.uk/ The OGC website]

* [http://www.itsmf.com/ IT Service Management Forum]

* [http://www.itil.org.uk/ The ITIL definition site]

* [http://www.itilcommunity.com The ITIL Forum]

* [http://www.itlibrary.org/ The Itil Open Guide]

* [http://itil.technorealism.org ITIL Wiki]

* [http://www.govtech.net/magazine/channel_story.php/95672 American ITIL]

[[Category:Information technology management]]

[[Category:Standards]]

[[Category:Method engineering]]

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