Information Technology Service Management - Case Study Example

Author’s Name: Institution: Course: Instructor’s Name: Date: Assignment 3 - IT Service Management Case Study Throughout the globe, a large majority of businesses have had tremendous effects due to IT developments. The fast growth of IT has introduced extremely powerful hardware, softwares of high versatility, with fast networks that connect a number of organizations to each other worldwide, these organizations have managed to develop information as well as dependent service largely as well as bring them to the market more quickly. Such developments mark transition of industrial age into the information age where everything is fast, dynamic and connected (Bon, 2007). The development of IT service management is due to a number of reasons. Firstly, the traditional hierarchical organizations have had difficulties in responding to the rapidly changing market, which has led to current organizational trends to become flatter and more flexible. This process has witnessed an effective shift from vertical silos to horizontal processes thus decision-making powers are increasingly bestowed on employees. IT services and their quality largely depend upon good relationships with customers of the concerned IT organization and users within a customers’ domain. Such relationships provide a basis for making and updating agreements. Thus, business relationship Management in regard to organizations, refer to addressing and maintenance of perfect relationships with customers, and coordinating with customer organizations, at the strategic, tactical and operational levels. Good business relationship management is based on understanding customers and their business drivers. In business relationship Management, challenges in existence are ensuring that good and effective relationships between an IT organization and the customer organization at all levels. For instance, most service Desks act on an operational level, while the control of service levels is a task for service Level Management, at a more tactical level of the organization. Business Relationship Management may also play a supportive role, for example, by organizing surveys among customers and users, providing information, and so forth. Business Relationship Management is essential in the development of strategic alignment involved between an organization that is purchasing IT services and the IT organization. Practically, this involves retaining connections with customer organizations, and exploring options that link strategic objectives of these organizations (Bon, 2007). Through this basis, there is the creation of long-term relationship, in which the IT organization focuses on the customer and proposes IT solutions that help customers achieve their business goals and objectives. If the nature of both the customer organization and IT organization is dynamic, it should be ensured that there is co-ordination in both organizations. As we all know, communication is the most important and essential element in any type of organization. Thus, if people affiliated to the organization are not aware of the processes or use wrong instructions or tools, the output may not be as anticipated. Organizations depend on people hence consider them as assets. This means that people are required to perform certain activities or come up with decisions due to their attractive and habitual methods of interacting. Suppose an organization applies highly detailed instructions for all its activities, it is end up being bureaucratic. On the other hand, an organization that has no rules put in place is most likely considered to be in chaos. With this it is likely that whatever balances an organization tries to find, will largely benefit from the process of communication of people within an organization. For the prosperity and improvement of organizations, IT teams and departments, as well as users, internal customers and service production teams, should ensure that communication exists between each other. Thus, communication stakeholders can, therefore, be found among all managers and employees who are involved in service delivery, in all the layers of the organization, and with all customers, users and suppliers. Excellent communication can deter problems hence all communication must have particular goals or results. Thus, to ensure this is achieved, every team in an organization, process and department must have clear communication policies in place to manage the significant investment in IT infrastructure (Bon, 2007). The Information Technology Infrastructure Library was developed in the 1980s as an approach, which was independent of external and internal supplier. The ITIL is composed of a collection of ‘bests practices’ found across the range of IT service providers. ITIL offers a range of systematic approach to the delivery of quality of services that pertain to IT. A detailed description is given concerning the most important processes in an IT organization, and includes checklists for task, procedures and responsibilities, which also determine need concerning individual organizations. In light of this, ITIL provides a broad coverage of helpful reference guides in many areas, which are used to develop new improvement goals for an IT organization that aid it prosper and mature. It is with no doubt that over the years, ITL has achieved relevancy in IT service Management. The ITIL encompasses components that include the core library and the Complimentary portfolio (Bon, 2007). The ITIL Core Library consists of processes such as Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation and Continual Service Improvement. This process gives a more extensive scope of the ITIL framework. Organizations that use the ITIL have the advantage of using this section as a guideline for developing a strategic overview of their ITIL-based capabilities. Thus, organizations I can foster improvements through synchronization between IT and business strategies. Service strategies offer a number of guidelines that help in setting customer-and market-oriented goals and objectives. A service strategy helps identify, select and prioritization of opportunities. Thus, a clear service strategy helps ensure that an organization is equipped to manage costs and risks within service portfolios. ISO 20000 standard, also referred to as the International Organization for Standardization was published on 15th December, 2005 with a solitary aim of focusing on the management controls required for effective service management aligned to ITL version 2. This move is aimed at recognizing the international nature of IT service Management, by ensuring that the language used in the standard was consistent with other ISO standards. ISO 20000 aims and objectives are to focus on performance, on continual improvement and on customer satisfaction. With the importance of communication in Service Management, the most important target of the standard is the creation of common terminology for service providers, their suppliers and customers. IT organizations worldwide have arrived at a plethora of terms for the same processes, functions, groups and job titles. Through this, organizations are hindered to operate effective service management processes. It is, therefore, clear that the aim of ISO 20000 attained its inheritance from BS 15000 which provided a common reference standard for any enterprise offering IT services to internal or external customers. Thus, the ISO 20000 offers a uniform terminology and approach to service management, thereby facilitating improvement in the provision of services. In addition, terms and definitions such as availability, incident, document, record and baseline are specified in the standard. In terms of specification, The ISO 20000 is composed of two major parts which fall under the title Information technology Service Management. Alternatively, there exists a code of specification, which describes best practices in detail, and provides guidance and recommendations for service management processes within the scope of the formal standard. As a general idea, the list contained in part 1 of the standard contains mandatory controls that service providers must comply with, in order to become certified. In part 2, a list containing guidelines and suggestions exist, which are to be addressed by service providers who have the intentions of being certified. A list of objectives and controls that ISO 20000-1 provides is not meant to be exhaustive in any way. Thus, an organization may need additional objectives and controls to meet its particular business needs. Hence ISO 20000-1 states that the nature of business relationship between the service provider and business will determine how the requirements in ISO 20000-1 are implemented in order to meet the overall objectives put in place. The standard ISO 20000 follows the process approach of ISO 9000:2000, which focuses on continual improvement. Other quality management principles of ISO 9000: 2000 include: customer focus, process approach, involvement of people, leadership, system of approach to decision-making, continual improvement, factual approach to decision-making, and system approach to management. With proper use of these qualities, it is with no doubt that the standard ISO/IEC 20000 provides good practice frameworks for IT service management. Case Study Huron Consulting Group was formed in 2002 by a group of operational and financial consultants that formerly worked for the recently split Arthur Andersen Company. It assists clients in various industries to improve performance, reduce costs, comply with complex regulations, recover from economic distress and stimulate growth. The company works in collaboration with its clients so as to deliver measurable and sustainable results. Huron provides services to a wide variety of companies including healthcare organization, academic institutions and law firms. The mission of Huron Consulting Group is to serve their clients with integrity and earn their trust. The mission also involves seeking out competent employees with diverse skills and new perspectives of the business world. It also involves maximization of profits while contributing consistently to the community. The Vision of the Huron Consulting Group is to become a noble servant that forms strong relationships which are maintained by proud, ethical and loyal people. The headquarters of Huron Consulting Group is in Chicago, Illinois. It has various branches in Atlanta, Boston, Amman, Beaverton, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, New York, Portland, Washington D.C., Riyadh, London and Dubai. Huron is a fast growing organization; by the end of 2006 it had more than 1000 workers. Huron is a consulting firm that provides its services through three major business segments which include: Financial Consulting, Health & Education Consulting, and Legal Consulting. Huron is facing stiff competition from other consulting firms such as FTI Consulting Inc, Navigant Consulting Inc and LECG Corporation. The success of organizations in the consulting industry lies in finding and retaining the best talent available. According to Huron management, their products are people, meaning their expertise, relationship building skills and innovative thinking. The use of IT technology to improve consulting services is reduced to a minimum. Data intake, hosting, processing and production activities are carried out at the headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. The system is not complex and does not need too many personnel to manage. However, the Huron Consulting Company has recently discovered that their IT services and operations need upgrading in order to work more efficiently. They thus sort the help of ABC which is a global leader in providing technology-enabled business solutions and services. ABC is a multinational IT managed service provider which provides a range of services, varying from technology, business consulting to systems integration and outsourcing. ABC is involved in managing IT applications, infrastructure, business processes and systems in such a way that reduces costs and improves service levels. This helps clients to create and sustain a competitive edge in the business world. The ABC consultation team has come up with an IT management strategy that aims to improve IT service management of the Huron Consulting Company. The strategy involves identifying the kind of technology which would best suite a particular need by the company and cataloguing the specific IT services the components involved, their delivery scope and cost. The strategy will take into consideration the needs of Huron’s customers which are ultimately the goal of the company. Huron’s customers require advice that is based on current and valid information. They need to be able to foresee the fruits of their current choices, through valid and accurate projections. The customers also need to be able to contact their consultants at Huron Company frequently and effectively through an uninterrupted media. The information given and passed to clients by the Huron Consultants needs to be kept confidential. IT Services Business customers of the service Information retrieval Clients in the business, health and legal sectors Referral services All clients of the business The new strategy aims at providing IT services with a focus on customer needs. The discipline is not concerned about the details of using a specific product or with the technical systems under management, but instead provides a structure of IT-related activities and interactions of technical personnel with clients and customers. The service of retrieving information involves the use of high speed internet and data retrieval systems. The running of these data retrieval systems would be done by a Data Housing Operations Associate at the headquarters. This job requires a person who is very organized and has the motivation to manage multiple projects simultaneously. The candidate should have knowledge in relativity systems, IT service management and case administration. Each branch of Huron should also have its own Data Operations Associate who will liaise and work with the Data Housing Operations Associate to ensure that information is ready and accessible for all personnel and clients of the Huron Consulting Company. The process is intended to enhance the efficiency of the data retrieval system at the Huron Consulting Group. The Candidate for this position will be required to be well vast in data intake, processing and extraction techniques. He should be able to develop and create image and document databases, conduct quality control evaluations of data reception and production. He should also be able to resolve any software or hardware concerns that relate to support applications. A secure network of data transfer will be formed through connecting all branches of Huron Consulting Company to each other and to other source networks. The network will allow information to be able to flow smoothly to points of retrieval. The Data Associate Personnel will ensure that the information reaches its correct destination as soon as possible. Clients will therefore be able to access information and be able to make informed decisions that will give them an edge in today’s competitive business world. ISO/IEC 20000 certification has various advantages and disadvantages. One of the major advantages of ISO certification is that there is the involvement of a third party assessment. This process involves the checking of quality of products and services against the rest of the industry. This provides the company with relevant information that will help it improve its products and services. Through gauging the value of products in relation to the market industry, a company is able to determine the ranking of its services and products in the overall market and therefore make the necessary adjustments to improve. Secondly, the ISO certification assessment involves the manager of the business or organization in the process and thus brings to light many issues that may be affecting the efficiency of an organization. Problems within the organizations are therefore brought to the relevant level of the organization; the manager is able to witness firsthand the status of the organization and therefore approve measures to improve the status of the organization in the global rankings. Thirdly, the ISO certification is very common and therefore makes it easy to implement new systems and hire personnel when changes occur. It is estimated that they are currently over 200 ISO certified IT service organizations in the world. This means that in the gauging of quality of organizations is valid. This also means that there are very many institutions which offer courses in ISO certification and assessment, therefore, the personnel involved in the assessment are highly skilled and available in case of any changes in the industry. ISO certification also has various disadvantages. It creates the illusion that it helps organizations produce better products or services which is wrong. ISO certification does not guarantee better services or products, all it does is provide a method or way of gauging the products and services offered by an organization with that of the overall industry, in this case, the IT industry. Organizations themselves have to use the information gotten from the assessment to try and improve their products and services; this can be done through making appropriate changes. Secondly, the focus of the organization becomes the ISO certification. This means that there is no room for improvement. Once the organization has achieved ISO certification and achieved high standards, there tends to be laxity in service delivery and product efficiency. Achieving the organization’s mission and vision becomes a very difficult task if the standards that proficiency is being gauged against are very low. Another major disadvantage is that auditing of firms is done frequently, mostly three times a year therefore much time is spent on preparing for the audit. This draws attention from the real work of achieving the organization’s mission and vision. ISO/IEC 20000 is a global standard for IT Service Management. Over two hundred organizations in the world have become ISO certified. In order to achieve ISO, awareness has to be created through all the levels of the organization. So as to achieve accreditation investment and commitment is required from the senior management in an organization. Another step would be the gathering of evidence. The process involves collection of information and primary documentation in a bid to support policies, procedures and processes which support the organization and its intentions of becoming ISO certified. The following step is assessment of the collected documents; an in-depth analysis is undertaken of the existing processes. The assessment usually covers the areas of: service delivery, control processes, release process, resolution processes and relationship processes. The step that follows is the evidence review which involves preparing a report: The report provides details of areas that comply with ISO and those that require attention, and in some circumstances processes that need to be introduced into the organization. The report should contain recommendations on the next steps to take, potential benefits to be achieved and an indication of the number of man-days required to implement the recommendation. It may also be appropriate and of significant value to the organization to have a high-level project plan produced as a deliverable of the report. A final consideration is to have the high-lights of the report presented back to the Senior Management team. Project Board Sign-Off: The success of any ISO initiative requires the 'buying and commitment' of the most Senior Management team in the organization without this the project is destined to fail.  Eliminate the Gaps: The project undertakes the activities to eliminate the gaps that were identified as part of the initial assessment. Depending on the timescales of the organization to achieve ISO certification there may be a necessity to employ third party ISO experienced resources, which may also assist to fast-track the elimination of some of the gaps.  Prepare for Audit: As part of the preparation for the ultimate Audit it is recommended that a dry-run is undertaken. Engage an independent individual or organization that has not been involved with the project to date to undertake the audit with 'fresh-eyes'. A report should be produced detailing any observations that require attention. Certification Audit: The organization needs to contact a Registered Certification Body (RCB) and apply for certification. It should be noted that an RCB cannot be a company providing ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) consultancy due to the potential conflict of interest. Celebration and Communication: After considerable time, effort and commitment achieving certification is worthy of a celebration. Furthermore it is also worth shouting about your success from a commercial perspective, so consider promoting your success on your organizations website, marketplace publications. Retain Certificate: Having achieved ISO certification the organization needs to continue to maintain its compliance. Surveillance Audit: To ensure compliance to ISO periodic 'surveillance audits' will take place. Failure of the audit may lead to the potential loss of the organizations ISO certification. References Bon, .V, J, (2007), ITSM Library for itSMF Iternational, Van Haren Publishing, Zaltbommel. Read More