4. Service Leadership

4.1 Accept responsibility for service management. 

4.1.1 Demonstrate a commitment to service management.

•  Demonstrate your support for service provision and your
commitment to the service management system (SMS).

•  Show that you are committed to planning the development and
implementation of your organization's services and its SMS.

•  Define the scope of your organization's SMS.

•  Establish a comprehensive service management policy.

•  Develop achievable service management objectives.

•  Formulate an effective service management plan.

•  Show that you are committed to establishing
your organization's services and its SMS.

•  Provide evidence that shows that your organization's top
management supports its services and is committed to its SMS.

4.1.2 Show that you support your service management policy.

•  Ensure that your service management policy is suitable.

•  Communicate support for your service management policy.

•  Review the ongoing suitability of your service management policy.

4.1.3 Clarify responsibilities and define communication procedures.

•  Define all service management authorities and responsibilities.

•  Establish service management communication procedures.

4.1.4 Appoint a manager to oversee service management activities.

•  Appoint someone to establish your service management system.

•  Establish your organization's service management system (SMS).

4.2 Control processes operated by other parties. 

•  Identify all processes, and parts of processes, which
are operated by other internal or external parties.

•  Demonstrate that governance structures and methods for
directing and controlling processes and parts of processes
operated by other parties have been established.

•  Manage and monitor other parties whenever they
operate parts of your organization’s processes.

4.3 Manage your service documents and records. 

4.3.1 Establish and maintain service documents.

•  Develop documents to make sure that your SMS is effective.

•  Develop documents to support SMS planning activities. 

•  Develop documents to support SMS operating activities. 

•  Develop documents to support SMS control activities. 

•  Establish documents for your organization’s SMS.

•  Document your service management policy. 

•  Document your service management objectives. 

•  Document your service management plan. 

•  Document your catalogue of services. 

•  Document your service level agreements (SLAs). 

•  Document your service management processes. 

•  Use documents to support your organization’s SMS.

4.3.2 Establish a procedure to control service documents.

•  Develop a procedure to control your SMS documents.

•  Define document control authorities and responsibilities. 

•  Define controls to manage your SMS documents. 

•  Control how SMS documents are created. 

•  Control how SMS documents are distributed. 

•  Control how SMS documents are used. 

•  Control how SMS documents are reviewed. 

•  Control how SMS documents are changed. 

•  Document your document control procedure.

4.3.3 Establish a procedure to control service records.

•  Develop a procedure to control your SMS records.

•  Define your SMS record keeping controls. 

•  Control how SMS records are identified. 

•  Control how SMS records are stored. 

•  Control how SMS records are protected. 

•  Control how SMS records are retrieved. 

•  Control how SMS records are retained. 

•  Control how SMS records are disposed of. 

•  Establish records for your organization’s SMS.

•  Use your procedure to control your SMS records.

4.4 Support your service management system.

4.4.1 Identify and provide service management resources.

•  Identify the resources that your SMS and services need.

•  Identify resources needed to support your organization's SMS. 

•  Identify resources needed to improve the effectiveness of your SMS. 

•  Identify resources needed to enhance customer satisfaction. 

•  Provide the resources that your SMS and services need.

4.4.2 Ensure the competence of your service personnel.

•  Ensure the competence of personnel who could affect
your organization’s ability to meet service requirements.

•  Identify the competence requirements of personnel who could
affect your organization’s ability to meet service requirements.

•  Provide training or take other suitable steps to ensure
that your SMS personnel can meet service requirements.

•  Maintain appropriate records that can show that
your organization’s SMS personnel are competent.

4.5 Establish your service management system. 

4.5.1 Define the scope of service management system.

•  Define the scope of service management system.

•  Identify the name of the service provider. 

•  Identify the services that are being delivered. 

•  Include your scope definition in service management plan.

4.5.2 Develop a plan to implement service management system.

•  Plan how you’re going to implement your organization’s SMS.

•  Include or refer to your service management policies. 

•  Include or refer to your service management requirements. 

•  Include or refer to your service management obligations. 

•  Include or refer to your service management standards. 

•  Include or refer to your service management technology. 

•  Include or refer to your service management objectives. 

•  Include or refer to your service management approach. 

•  Include or refer to your service management framework. 

•  Include or refer to your service management methods.  

•  Implement your organizations service management plan.

•  Review service management plan at planned intervals.

•  Update your service management plan when appropriate.

4.5.3 Implement and operate your service management system.

•  Use your service management plan to implement your SMS.

•  Operate your organization’s service management system (SMS).

•  Allocate and manage service oriented funds and budgets. 

•  Provide service resources (human, technical, and information). 

•  Assign service roles, responsibilities, and authorities. 

•  Identify, assess, and manage service management risks. 

•  Manage service management processes and interfaces. 

•  Monitor your organization’s service management activities. 

•  Report on the performance of service management activities. 

4.5.4 Monitor and review your service management system.

4.5.4.1 Establish suitable monitoring and measuring methods.

•  Formulate SMS monitoring and measuring objectives.

•  Establish SMS monitoring and measuring methods.

•  Use internal audits and reviews to identify nonconformities.

•  Record the results of internal audits and management reviews.

•  Communicate your results and actions to interested parties.

4.5.4.2 Plan and perform internal service management audits.

•  Develop an internal service management audit procedure.

•  Implement your internal service management audit procedure.

•  Use your procedure to plan your service audit program.

•  Use your procedure to perform internal service audits.

•  Use your procedure to record internal audit activities. 

•  Use your procedure to report internal audit results.

4.5.4.3 Review your service management system and services.

•  Study information (inputs) about your SMS.

•  Study information about your customers.

•  Study information about your services.

•  Study information about your processes.

•  Study information about your capabilities.

•  Study information about your resource levels.

•  Study information about your previous audits.

•  Study information about your previous reviews.

•  Study information about your organization’s risks.

•  Study information about corrective and preventive actions.

•  Study information about possible changes and trends. 

•  Perform management reviews at planned intervals

•  Assess the suitability and effectiveness of your SMS.

•  Maintain a record of management review results and activities.

4.5.5 Maintain and improve service management system (SMS).

4.5.5.1 Create a policy and a procedure on continual improvement.

•  Establish a policy to continually improve SMS and services.

•  Include criteria for evaluating improvement opportunities.

•  Develop a procedure to continually improve SMS and services.

•  Define all improvement authorities and responsibilities.

•  Address the causes of potential and actual nonconformities.

•  Take corrective actions to resolve actual nonconformities.

•  Take preventive actions to resolve potential nonconformities. 

4.5.5.2 Manage your continual improvement decisions and activities.

•  Use evaluation criteria to make improvement decisions.

•  Develop service management system improvement plans.

•  Manage your SMS and service improvement activities.

•  Establish SMS and service management targets.

•  Implement approved SMS and service improvements.

•  Measure SMS and service improvements against targets.

• Take necessary actions whenever targets aren’t achieved.

•  Report on the improvements that were implemented.

•  Revise your approach to service management (if necessary).

5. Service Development

5.1 Control the design and redesign of your services. 

•  Establish a service change management process.

•  Control changes to services and related items.

•  Use your change management process to
control the development of new services.

•  Use your change management process to
control the modification of existing services.

5.2 Plan service additions, changes, and removals. 

•  Identify the service requirements that services must meet.

•  Consider the impact that service transformations could have.

•  Consider the impact that new services or changes could have.

•  Consider the impact that the removal of services could have.

•  Plan your service additions, modifications, and removals.

•  Plan new services and changes to existing services.

•  Plan for the removal of existing services and components.

5.3 Design new services and redesign existing services. 

•  Design and document new services and service modifications.

•  Document service delivery authorities and responsibilities.

•  Document new or changed service delivery elements.

•  Document new or changed service delivery activities.

•  Document new or changed service plans and policies.

•  Document new or changed service delivery procedures.

•  Document new or changed contracts and agreements.

•  Document new or changed needs and requirements.

•  Verify that your new designs fulfill service requirements.

•  Use your documented designs to develop new services.

5.4 Test new or changed services prior to deployment. 

•  Test new or changed services before you implement them.

•  Verify that they meet design and service requirements.

•  Consult your interested parties if services are unacceptable.

•  Deploy new or changed services into your live environment.

•  Use a formal release and deployment management process.

•  Evaluate service deployment once the transition is complete.

•  Compare expected outcomes against outcomes achieved.

6. Service Delivery

6.1 Establish agreements to control service delivery.

•  Control the delivery of services to your customers.

•  Establish a catalogue of services for your customers.

•  Establish agreements to control the delivery of services.

•  Monitor the services that are delivered to your customers.

•  Review the services that are delivered to your customers.

•  Manage changes to all services delivered to your customers. 

6.2 Establish reporting methods and prepare reports. 

•  Describe the nature and purpose of each service report.

•  Discuss service reporting methods with interested parties.

•  Develop service reports and take remedial action.

•  Compare performance against service targets.

•  Present information about significant events.

•  Summarize workload characteristics.

•  Discuss customer service complaints.

•  Describe your service continuity plan.

•  Identify nonconformities and causes.

•  Analyze information about service trends.

6.3 Establish service continuity and ensure service availability.

6.3.1 Clarify your continuity and availability requirements.

•  Assess your service continuity and availability risks.

•  Identify service continuity and availability requirements.

•  Describe service continuity and availability requirements.

6.3.2 Formulate service continuity and availability plans.

•  Establish service continuity plans.

•  Clarify recovery requirements.

•  Define service availability targets.

•  Include service continuity contact lists.

•  Develop service continuity procedures.

•  Explain how normal service will be resumed.

•  Establish service availability plans.

•  Clarify your availability requirements.

•  Define your service availability targets.

6.3.3 Monitor and test service continuity and availability.

•  Monitor the availability of your services.

•  Test service continuity and availability plans.

•  Record results of continuity and availability tests.

•  Review your service continuity performance.

6.4 Establish a service budgeting and accounting process. 

•  Establish a budgeting and accounting process for services.

•  Develop budgeting and accounting policies and procedures.

•  Manage and monitor your organization’s service costs.

•  Control the cost of changes to service management system.

6.5 Establish capacity plans and provide sufficient capacity. 

•  Identify service capacity and performance requirements.

•  Establish a service capacity plan for your organization.

6.6 Establish information security management methods.

6.6.1 Develop your information security policy.

•  Clarify your information security policy requirements.

•  Prepare your organization’s information security policy.

•  Explain why information security management is important.

•  Explain how information security risks should be managed.

•  Explain how information security objectives should be set.

•  Explain how internal information security audits are done.

•  Implement your information security policy.

•  Discuss your policy with all appropriate parties.

•  Conduct security risk assessments at planned intervals.

•  Set information security management objectives.

•  Carry out internal information security audits.

6.6.2 Implement your information security controls.

•  Plan your information security controls.

•  Identify your security risks and requirements.

•  Discuss plans with recipients of service or information.

•  Develop your information security controls.

•  Document your information security controls.

•  Implement your information security controls.

•  Operate your information security controls.

•  Monitor your information security controls.

•  Review your information security controls.

6.6.3 Manage your security changes and incidents.

•  Assess information security change requests.

•  Identify potential information security risks.

•  Identify the potential impact that change could have.

•  Manage your information security incidents.

•  Develop incident management procedures.

7. Service Relationships    

7.1 Manage your relationship with service customers. 

•  Establish a customer relationship management process.

•  Identify your service recipients and related interested parties.

•  Designate a relationship manager for each customer.

•  Create a communication mechanism for each customer.

•  Develop a service complaint management procedure.

•  Measure customer satisfaction at planned intervals.

•  Review your service performance at planned intervals.

•  Control changes to service requirements and agreements.

•  Control changes to your documented service requirements.

•  Control changes to your service level agreements (SLAs).

7.2 Manage your relationship with service suppliers. 

•  Establish a supplier relationship management process.

•  Identify suppliers that you use to help deliver your services.

•  Designate a relationship manager for each service supplier.

•  Manage the relationships you have with service suppliers.

•  Monitor the performance of suppliers at planned intervals.

•  Measure supplier performance against service targets.

•  Record the results of supplier performance measurements.

•  Review performance to identify causes of nonconformities.

•  Document the contracts you have with service suppliers.

•  Include or refer to the scope of service delivery activities.

•  Include or refer to the requirements that should be met.

•  Include or refer to the targets that suppliers must achieve.

•  Include or refer to workload characteristics and exceptions.

•  Include or refer to relevant authorities and responsibilities.

•  Include or refer to organizational interdependencies.

•  Include or refer to how services will be charged (invoiced).

•  Include or refer to the reports that suppliers must provide.

•  Include or refer to how services can be terminated.

•  Include or refer to service levels suppliers must maintain.

•  Include or refer to how service contracts can be changed.

8. Service Resolution

8.1 Establish procedures to manage incidents and requests. 

•  Establish an incident and service request management process.

•  Establish a procedure for managing service incidents.

•  Establish a procedure for managing service requests.

•  Apply your incident and service request management process.

•  Use your incident management procedure to manage incidents.

•  Use your request management procedure to manage requests.

8.2 Establish a procedure to identify and manage problems. 

•  Develop a service problem management process.

•  Prepare a problem management procedure.

•  Document your problem management procedure.

•  Implement your service problem management process.

•  Apply your problem management procedure.

•  Monitor your service problem management process.

•  Review the effectiveness of problem resolution process.

•  Report on the effectiveness of problem resolution process.

9. Service Control

9.1 Establish an effective configuration management (CM) process. 

•  Create a definition for each type of configuration item.

•  Prepare a procedure to manage configuration items (CIs).

•  Develop a configuration management database (CMDB).

•  Manage your configuration management database (CMDB).

•  Store master copies of CIs in physical or electronic libraries.

•  Clarify how your CM process interacts with other processes.

•  Monitor others if they provide CM services on your behalf.

9.2 Establish a comprehensive change management process. 

•  Develop a change management process.

•  Formulate a change management policy.

•  Prepare procedures to manage change.

•  Implement your change management process.

•  Use your process to help manage and control changes.

•  Use your process to reverse or remedy unsuccessful changes.

•  Use your process to record and track all successful changes.

•  Monitor your change management process.

•  Monitor other parties if they help manage your changes.

•  Review your change management process.

•  Study the effectiveness of the changes you have made.

•  Analyze your change requests at planned intervals.

9.3 Establish a release and deployment management process. 

•  Develop a release and deployment policy.

•  Prepare release and deployment plans.

•  Build and test releases prior to deployment.

•  Deploy approved releases into live environments.

•  Manage the unsuccessful deployment of releases.

•  Monitor the success or failure of all releases.

•  Share information about release deployment.