The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework is a defacto standard for a holistic Service Management approach. In its third version a five stage lifecycle model provides principles, roles, processes and functions next to a plurality of information for the history of a service from the cradle to the grave. Preceding activities ensure an efficient implementation of ITIL framework for different kinds of management systems used by IT departments or service providers for small and medium-sized business (SMB). This master thesis reviews the corresponding theory of ITIL and organisational change management as well as project management methods necessary for ITIL framework implementation. Most small and medium-sized businesses rush into the implementation of ITIL framework because an essential analytic planning was not or ineffectually done. The dependences and coherences between the Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation as well as Continual Service Improvement allege how to efficiently implement the holistic ITIL framework.
Based on a survey of SMBs experiences and level of organisational maturity this information gets combined and framed in an implementation plan in due consideration of all coherences and dependencies to assure optimum quality of implementation. With such a plan, SMBs are in a position to generate as much as possible achievement compared with an adequate scale of effort. SMB has also the assurance that only the appropriate parts of ITIL framework are affected for its System or Service Management approach. The chain of causation starts with a summary of all five ITIL lifecycle stages and its interfaces next to a survey of SMB’s experiences with such a framework and level of organisational maturity. It ends with an implementation plan based on the participators statements and adequate project management methods for definition of objectives, pinpointing of dependencies, object and work breakdown structures and environment analysis. My major conclusion of this master thesis is that costs saving characteristics of ITIL framework do not appear by ITIL framework implementation. They appear in case of consistent application.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Motivation
1.2 Problem Description
1.3 Objective
1.4 Structure of this master thesis
2 IT Service Management
2.1 Definitions of terms by ISO
2.2 Definition of terms by itSMF
2.3 Definition of terms by OGC
3 ITIL framework in version 3
3.1 Service Strategy
3.1.1 Financial Management
3.1.2 Return on Investment
3.1.3 Demand Management
3.1.4 Service Portfolio Management
3.2 Service Design
3.2.1 Service Catalogue Management
3.2.2 Service Level Management
3.2.3 Capacity Management
3.2.4 Availability Management
3.2.5 IT Service Continuity Management
3.2.6 Information Security Management
3.2.7 Supplier Management
3.3 Service Transition
3.3.1 Transition Planning and Support
3.3.2 Change Management
3.3.3 Service Asset and Configuration Management
3.3.4 Release and Deployment Management
3.3.5 Service Validation and Testing
3.3.6 Evaluation
3.3.7 Knowledge Management
3.4 Service Operation
3.4.1 Event Management
3.4.2 Incident Management
3.4.3 Request Fulfilment
3.4.4 Problem Management
3.4.5 Access Management
3.4.6 Service Desk
3.4.7 Technical Management
3.4.8 Application Management
3.4.9 IT Operations Management
3.5 Continual Service Improvement
3.5.1 The 7-Step Improvement Process
3.5.2 Service Measurement
3.5.3 Service Reporting
4 Experiences of SMBs with ITIL framework
4.1 Structure of the questionnaire
4.2 Method of data aggregation
4.3 Statistic conclusions about business in general
4.4 Statistic conclusions about level of organisational maturity
4.5 Statistic conclusions about ITIL implementation and experiences
5 An efficient holistic implementation plan
5.1 Concepts of planned organisational change
5.1.1 Business Reengineering
5.1.2 Organisational Development
5.1.3 Comparison of Business Reengineering and Organisational Development
5.2 The principle of Evaluation
5.3 The planning phase
5.3.1 Environment analysis
5.3.2 Analysis of known problems and unsatisfied customer requirements
5.3.3 Definition of the nominal state
5.3.4 Setup of an organisational change project
6 Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This thesis aims to develop an efficient, holistic implementation plan for the ITIL framework version 3 tailored specifically for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). It addresses the challenge that many SMBs struggle with the complexity of ITIL, leading to either unsuccessful implementations or the avoidance of the framework entirely despite its potential for quality improvement. The central research question focuses on how to reduce the extensiveness of ITIL methods and recommendations while considering dependencies and coherences to ensure an optimal balance between effort and achieved quality.
- Review of ITIL theory and organizational change management.
- Analysis of SMB experiences and organizational maturity regarding ITIL.
- Development of a tailored implementation plan considering business coherences.
- Application of project management methods for organizational change.
- Evaluation of cost-saving characteristics vs. consistent application.
Excerpt from the Book
3.4.1 Event Management
ITIL defines an event as “A change of state that has significance for the management of a Configuration Item or IT Service. The term Event is also used to mean an Alert or notification created by any IT Service, Configuration Item or Monitoring tool. Events typically require IT Operations personnel to take actions, and often lead to Incidents being logged.” (OGC 2007c, p. 232) Event Management is the process that manages all notifications from an IT Service, its CI or a monitoring tool. An event may indicate that something is not functioning correctly, indicate normal activities or a need for routine tasks like changing a tape. Event Management should be applied to any object within Service Management which requires fast control und can be automated with software tools. Events may be classified as:
Events that indicate a normal operation
Events that indicate an abnormal operation
Events that signal an unusual but not exceptional operation
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter outlines the motivation, problem description, objectives, and structure of the master thesis.
2 IT Service Management: This section provides an overview of ITSM, including relevant definitions from ISO, itSMF, and OGC.
3 ITIL framework in version 3: This chapter describes the core ITIL practices, covering the service lifecycle stages including Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continual Service Improvement.
4 Experiences of SMBs with ITIL framework: This chapter presents the results of a survey regarding the experiences, needs, and organizational maturity of SMBs with the ITIL framework.
5 An efficient holistic implementation plan: This chapter describes how the ITIL framework should be tailored and implemented in SMBs, focusing on organizational change, evaluation principles, and project management methods.
6 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the findings, emphasizing that ITIL success relies on consistent, planned application rather than partial or secondary implementation.
Keywords
ITIL, Service Management, SMB, Implementation Plan, Organizational Change, Service Lifecycle, Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, Continual Service Improvement, Project Management, IT Infrastructure Library, Organizational Maturity, Business Reengineering.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis focuses on creating a practical and efficient implementation plan for the ITIL framework version 3 specifically designed for small and medium-sized businesses.
What are the primary challenges for SMBs when adopting ITIL?
The main challenges are the complexity of ITIL publications and the difficulty of determining which methods are essential versus those that are unnecessary or too resource-intensive for an SMB environment.
What is the primary objective of this work?
The goal is to provide a holistic implementation roadmap that balances ITIL's best practices with the resource constraints of SMBs, ensuring optimum implementation quality.
Which methodology is used to develop the implementation plan?
The author combines theoretical ITIL framework reviews with an empirical survey of SMB experiences, supplemented by project management standards and organizational development concepts.
What topics does the main body of the work cover?
The main body covers a comprehensive overview of the ITIL service lifecycle (Strategy, Design, Transition, Operation, Improvement), an analysis of SMB survey data, and a detailed guide on organizational change and project management for ITIL rollout.
How would you characterize the primary findings of the thesis?
A major conclusion is that cost-saving benefits of ITIL are not inherent to the framework itself, but only manifest through consistent, planned, and top-down supported application.
How does the author define an SMB for this research?
The author adopts the European Union definition from 2003, primarily using the criterion of having fewer than 250 employees.
What role does the "Service Lifecycle" play in the proposed implementation plan?
The service lifecycle acts as the foundational model for grouping ITIL processes into manageable work packages, tailored to the specific organizational maturity and technical environment of the SMB.
- Quote paper
- Jochen Höfenstock (Author), 2009, An efficient holistic implementation plan of the ITIL® framework version 3 for SMB, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/139732
