ISO/IEC 20000 Essentials

In a previous post I announced a few more words on ISO/IEC 20000. So here they are.

ISO/IEC 20000 is an international functionally based standard for IT Service Management. This functionally based means that it is not a broad general standard like ISO 90000. It was published by ISO (International Standards Organization) in mid December 2005., evolved from BS15000 with only a few minor changes.

HISTORY
During the ‘80s British Standard Institute’s Service Management Group worked on a code of service management practices, which covered 13 basic processes, aligned with the first version of ITIL. Final version of this code was promoted to a standard and published in 2000 as BS15000. It was the first world’s standard for Service Management. After initial testing on early adopters, additional polishing and changes for realignment with ITIL V2, it was republished in 2002. It was adopted by many service companies in UK, but also companies worldwide accepted it.

In 2005, BS-15000 was placed on the “fast track” by the ISO. By the end of the year it was published as ISO-20000 standard.

ISO/IEC 20000 and BS15000 are practically the same, only a few less significant changes were made in the process.


UNDER THE HOOD
ISO/IEC 20000 consists of two specifications: ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005 and ISO/IEC 20000-2:2005.

• ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005 is Specification and it defines Requirements for ITSM. Part 1 is very formal, it defines processes and provides assessment/ audit criteria.
  
• ISO/IEC 20000-2:2005 is a Code of Practice that gives HOW-TOs and describes best practices for implementation of Part 1.

The standard introduces elements of Quality Management (Plan-Do-Check-Act) in Service Management. Some parts of ISO17999 (ISO standard for internet security) are added. Also it is very much aligned with ITIL and speaks the same language. Basic ITIL processes are described and grouped in a following way:

1. Service Delivery:

• Service Level Management
• Availability Management
• Capacity Management
• Continuity Management
• Budgeting and Accounting for IT Services (Financial Management)
• Information Security Management
• Service Reporting

2. Relationship:

• Business Relationship Management
• Supplier Management

3. Resolution:

• Incident Management
• Problem Management

4. Control:

• Configuration Management
• Change Management

5. Release:

• Release Management

ISO/IEC 20000 Process Groups Model

WHO IS IT FOR?

All service oriented companies, and in particular for business organizations that provide IT services.

The way I see it, if you provide IT services, you need a fine balance of ITIL and ISO20000. ITIL gives you competence, and ISO20000 tells you how competent you are, protects company’s investment and knowledge, and gives you competitive advantage on the market.


CERTIFICATION
Certification Scheme for ISO/IEC 20000 is created and managed by itSMF. To formally confirm compliance with the norm, independent assessment can be performed by an itSMF Registered Certification Body.


ISO/IEC 20000 and ITIL
ISO20000 and ITIL are complementary, in a sense that:

• ITIL is a best practices framework which enables business organizations to establish a common language and understand + establish essential ITSM processes. ITIL says how things SHOULD BE.
  
  
• ISO20000 is a standard that enables business to implement and measure best practices. The main point is that the norm helps to objectively test if those practices have really been adopted. It says how things HAVE TO BE. And who is responsible if they aren’t.

Did ITIL V3 Ruin Everything?
In May 2007 ITIL V3 was published. Did this create a lack of balance between the two?
ISO20000 was aligned with ITIL V2. To be a true quality standard it had to adopt some ISO90000 and develop/evolve some processes. Primarily, it implemented Deming’s P-D-C-A lifecycle for continual improvement.




ITIL V3 caught up with ISO 20000, it is also lifecycle oriented, it adopted some of ISO20000 methods (PDCA) and processes (Security, Supplier Management and Service Reporting). In some aspects, we can say that ITIL and ISO20000 are more aligned now then before.

On the other hand, ITIL V3 significantly evolved in some higher level aspects. ISO will have to revise 20000 in the following years to anticipate this. But that doesn’t mean much to companies that are making first steps in standard adoption, since the early implementation path is focused on the basics, anyway.

ITIL gained a lot of popularity with IT professionals due to its earlier appearance, individual approach and market value for consulting/training companies. Last year's ITIL V3 hype also contributed to it.
Adoption of ISO20000 on the other hand, is a bit slower since it's primary value is to the company, and mixed individual interests of the stakeholders probably slow it down. Also it is more formal and strict, so that can scare away some businesses. With time, it will probably change, at least in companies that are really interested in return of their investment.

Related posts:
ITILV3: What's New?; ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme; Implementing ITIL and Staying Alive

And remember, last week I have put a few mindmaps for you to download:

• ISO/IEC20000 Specification Mind Map
  A set of requirements.
  
  
• ISO/IEC20000 Code of Practice Mind Map
  Guidance and recommendations on quality standards for ITSM.

Implementing ITIL and Staying Alive

At first sight, ITIL implementation path depends on who you are and what you do. And of course, with what do you do it. So: People, Processes, Technology.

At the beginning, let's move one starting dilemma out of the way: full frontal or phased approach? Phased, period. Strategically, you will have in mind full set of processes. But when you start, you want to dig deep and narrow, not broad and shallow. Hit the major pain points, ensure quick wins, and fly on the wings of starting success. This will enable you to move forward easier.

Critical factor number one? Management support. A lot of it.

From What Angle?

• You can try to imagine a well-organized company whose major pain is to know what it has, where it is and how it works. They have a stabile infrastructure with a low incident rate, and their Service Desk copes with it fine. But they implement a lot of changes and they want to gain more control over the Change and Configuration management. Of course, this is a fairy tale company, since a lot of hanges automatically means a lot of incidents, but just for the sake of the argument, this imaginary company would start it's ITIL journey in Change and Configuration Management.
  
• Or, maybe you are in a bank. Security is probably one of your biggest concerns. Maybe you want to start with Information Security and Access management. Depending on your country regulations, maybe you will even start ISO27000 certification. In some parts of the world it is a very likely case.
  
• Some service organizations with a high-end infrastructure (ASPs?) will be focused on geting their services definition right: Catalog, Portfolio, Demand, Suppliers, SLM...
  
• But, in nine out of every 9.1 cases, you are firefighting. In incidents up to your ears. Your left doesn't remember what your right has just done. Your customers are pissed. And because of the chaos you're in, you turned to ITIL. So you start from Incident Management. What a cliché.

So you decided to implement ITIL. How?

Simple: first you get a few ITIL Foundations certificates. Then you realize that you need a magic wand. What? Something to do the job for you. So, you realize that it is the tool that will take you on a journey. Of course, the TOOL.

You read some Gartner reports, evaluate some tools, and choose the best salesmen of evaluated tools. His implementing team is ITIL certified, his Tool is all Pink and shiny. Sadly, but this is usually the most critical point on your way.

You probably chose a good application, since most of the tools on the market are adequate for first steps in ITIL. At the end of the day, and at the beginning of your project, it all depends how good is your vendor. Because at most cases, he will be your ITIL consultant, too. So look closely. References, team certification, staff fluctuations.

To add some odds to your side, at least at the first phase of your project, hire an independent consultant. If you can afford one. This will probably save you a lot of effort, and eventually your job.

P.S.: If your company has ISO9000 certificate, it will be relatively painless for you to start preparing for ISO/IEC20000. You can implement the tool and ITIL processes, you can certify your people, but ISO 20000 offers you the mechanism for process definitions and audits. More on ISO/IEC20000 later, for now I've put a few mindmaps for you to download:

• ISO/IEC20000 Specification Mind Map
  A set of requirements.
  
  
• ISO/IEC20000 Code of Practice Mind Map
  Guidance and recommendations on quality standards for ITSM.

What ITIL books to read?

The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. - Mark Twain

What ITIL books to read? Depends on where do you want to go. Let's examine the main possible reasons for reading ITIL books:

• Say you just want to get acquainted with the matter and decide what to do next. Plenty of texts on the internet, executive summaries, and stuff bordering with copyright laws. That's all you need. If you have the money, you can hire an ITIL consultant and he will supply you with enough materials and knowledge in short time. This could save you a lot of effort searching and filtering, i.e. the before mentioned money. Also, read a free copy of An Introductory Overview of ITIL V3.
  
  
• Maybe you just want to certify in ITIL Foundation, without further ambitions, let's say that your company wants you to. Go to the training, they will supply all the necessary material. Find the question examples on the internet, practice a little, and you have some 70% chance of passing the exam. Read ITIL3 Foundations Exam Questions and ITIL3 Foundations Exam Questions2. Also, if you have the access to Introduction to the ITIL Service Lifecycle (ITIL Version 3), take it home and read it overnight. Not the night before the exam, you want to get a good night sleep before it.
  This is a VERY good book. All the important graphics and tables are in there, all stages described on a moderate detail level. If it was just a bit more specific on process details, it would be ideal one-in-all book for Foundation exam preparation.
  
  
• Finally, maybe you want to become an expert in ITIL. Download and browse all you want, but in the end, you will want to read these books:
  Itil Lifecycle Publication Suite, Version 3: Continual Service Improvement, Service Operation, Service Strategy, Service Transition, Service Design
  Borrow, steal, or buy them. Or better, make your company obtain them. Just READ them. Remember, this is a recommendation, not a self-purpose advertisement. I am not some copyright freak or light-minded advertiser, I deeply believe that knowledge should be more available to people, but if one is serious about things he/she wants to accomplish, then some investments have to be made. And this is a good one. These are well written books and reading them in this starting ITIL v3 era will give you a serious competitive advantage.
  

As for the version choice, you can read the ITSkeptic article about it. Interesting, I had this article half written and then his one appeared in my RSS feed. And I had to rewrite most of this. Damn.

Ok, so books are available in three versions: PDF, online and hardcopy. My company bought hardcopies of five books set and then we purchased a PDF version of Introduction.
My advice: stick to the hardcopy version. Here is a copy/paste of my comment on ITSkeptic site: PDF is such a drag, we still didn't manage to move it to another PC (and we have 40 hardcore IT system consultants), printer copy is nowhere near usability of a real book and printing more then once is next to impossible.
So go for the real book version. Those who prefer piracy will soon have a plenty of cracked copies on their P2P networks, and good citizens like us will enjoy our books, appreciating the price of our knowledge.

Related articles:

• ITIL V3 Foundations exam: Go/No Go?
  What do I think about current V3 Foundations Exams.
  
  
• ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme
  The new scheme for ITIL V3 credit collectors.
  
  
• ITIL Service Manager Exam Quick Reference
  Additional materials for SM certificate aspirants.
  

ITIL Service Manager Exam Quick Reference

As I can see, a lot of people are still training for V2 ITIL Service Manager exam. Just for their convenience, I have added a few .pdf documents that I created while preparing for this exam.

Documents are not very tidy, maybe there is a typo here and there and they are not polished for publishing, but they are full of referent facts. And of course, they are free.

So here they are for you:

• Service Support Quick Reference PDF
• Service Delivery Quick Reference PDF

ITIL SM 2007 Recap

Here is a short recapitulation of 2007 themes on this blog:

ITIL SM 05-2007: ITIL
This was a short overview of ITIL V2.

ITIL SM 05-2007: Service Support
Here I covered ITIL V2 Service Support process & functions:- Service Desk- Problem Management- Change Management- Release Management- Configuration Management

ITIL SM 05-2007: Service Desk
Service Desk basics.

ITIL SM 05-2007: Service Desk Quick Facts
Service Desk quick reference data: Objectives, Activities, CSFs, Benefits.

ITIL SM 05-2007: Incident Management Elements
Incident Management Basics: Goal, Roles, Inputs, Activities, Output, Benefits, CSFs, KPIs

ITIL SM 05-2007: All About Incident Classification
Incident classification: categories, subcategories, problem type, product type, category tree, Assignment Queue...

• Assignment and escalation
• Problem analysis
• Reporting.

ITIL SM 06-2007: Incident Priority - What Everyone Should Know
Incident priority is primarily formed out of it's Impact and Urgency. There are also additional elements, like size, scope, complexity and resources required for resolution.
Also, here are additional facts about Incident Escalation:

• Functional Escalation
• Hierarchical Escalation

I see a lot of visitors coming on this and the previous page.

ITIL SM 06-2007: Configuration Management Basics
Configuration Management Basics: Goal, Roles, Inputs, Activities, Output, Possible Problems, Benefits, CSFs, KPIs.
Configuration Management mind map (mmap).

ITIL SM 06-2007: CMDB - What You Need To Know
Some basics on Configuration Management Database.

ITIL SM 07-2007: Change Management Quick Reference
Change Management Quick Reference: Goal, Roles, Process, Inputs, Activities, Output, Possible Problems, Benefits, Responsibilities, CSFs, KPIs.

ITIL SM 07-2007: ITIL Service Support Process Interaction
ITIL Service Support Process Interaction in CMAP. Less people visited this page so I decided not to analyze too much in further posts.

ITIL SM 07-2007: ITIL V3 - What's New?
At this time, I've already read most of the new ITIL v3 books, so this is my view of what's new.

SERVICE LIFECYCLE:

• Service Strategy: Creating the set of services that help achieve business objectives.
• Service Design: Designing services, from technical and business perspective.
• Service Transition: How to change live production infrastructure, implementing the needed services.
• Service Operation: Day-to-day IT business, operating. A place to start if you are new to ITIL.
• Continual Service Improvement: Evaluating and improving services in support of business goals.

ITIL SM 09-2007: ITIL V3 And The Vacuum
Waiting for the additional ITIL V3 complementary material.

ITIL SM 09-2007: ITIL V2 Mind Maps Free Download
Offered ITIL V2 Mind Maps for Free Download.

ITIL SM 09-2007: A Brief History of ITIL
A Brief (but not too brief) History of ITIL.

ITIL SM 10-2007: ITIL V3 Mind Map Download
Offered ITIL V3 Mind Map Download. I have created a simple mind map for the purpose of my own data organization. I thought that sharing it with a community would be a good idea. So I have put it for download.

ITIL SM 10-2007: ITIL V3 Service Portfolio, Pipeline and Catalogue
In ITIL V3, the customer is more into focus then technology. In V2, customer and his satisfaction were important on a declarative level, but minimum effort was made to point out methods, the whats and hows to improve the customer satisfaction. Instead of CMDB, the Service Catalogue is in charge now.

ITIL SM 10-2007: ITIL Foundations Exam - Go/No Go?
What about attending ITIL V3 Foundations?

ITIL SM 11-2007: ITIL V3 Introductory Overview: 'Littler ITIL' Free to Download
Finally a short overview of ITIL V3 by itSMF UK in association with Best Management Practice.

ITIL SM 12-2007: ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme
ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme for very smart people, and dummies also.

This year I will post about details in V3 that interest me the most, there will be updates to ITILv3 Mindmap. Right now I am researching tools for ITIL process automation, and I plan to give a critical comparison very soon.

ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme

The Ever-Changing Scheme Of Things

So there is an almost complete ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme for the people!
The scheme is comprised of five distinct levels. Every completed level or module earns specific amount of credit points, and upper levels sometimes have prerequisite of minimum credit points from the previous levels or bridged V2 levels.

For now, all of the exams are supervised, closed book exams. Candidates approaching the exam in their non-native language usually get 20-30% bonus time from the original defined duration.

Picture 1: ITIL V3 Qualification Scheme

1. Foundation
ITIL Foundation is an entry level introductory course. It is targeted to IT professionals who need understanding of basic ITIL skills and comprehension/awareness of the following:

• Service Management as a practice (Comprehension)
• Service Lifecycle (Comprehension)
• Key Principles and Models (Comprehension)
• Generic Concepts (Awareness)
• Selected Processes (Awareness)
• Selected Roles (Awareness)
• Selected Functions (Awareness)
• Technology and Architecture (Awareness)
• ITIL Qualification Scheme (Awareness)

Foundation certificate earns you 2 credits. There is a recommended syllabus-based 16.25h classroom instruction, but it is not a prerequisite.

Exam duration is 60 min (75 min non-native + allowed dictionary), 40 multiple choice questions, with only one answer per question correct. False answers are not penalised.

There are online and paper based versions.

Pass Score is 65% (26 correct answers). No distinction level.

I have seen the course material and mock-questions. I have also seen some real exams. In some cases these two are very loosely related. My opinion from the previous post did not change much. If I hear anything new, I will let you know here.

2. Intermediate Level
This level kind of inherits the former practitioners course. It is divided in two modular streams, Lifecycle and Capability stream. Lifecycle stream is for people who need understanding of Service Lifecycle concept and its stages. Capability stream is oriented towards process/functions/roles type of IT Professionals.

2.a Lifecycle Modules
Five standard lifecycle modules - Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, Continual Service Improvement.

Each completed module earns 3 credits.

Prerequisites are a Foundation certificate and 21h of accredited classroom module course.

Recommended 21h of personal study.

Exam duration is 90 min (120 min non-native speakers + allowed dictionary), complex multiple choice, multi-part scenario based. One answer is most correct and earns maximum points. Two other options are consecutively less correct, marked slightly less then the correct answer. One option is incorrect and earns no marks. This is called Gradient Scoring.

Pass score is 65%, distinction score is 75%.


2.b Capability Modules
Four modules representing functional clusters:

• Planning, Protection and Optimization (Availability Management, Capacity Management, IT Service Continuity Management, Demand Management, Risk Management, Information Security Management)
• Service Offerings and Agreements (Service Portfolio Management, Service Level Management, Service Catalogue Management, Demand Management, Supplier Management, Financial Management)
• Release, Control and Validation (Change Management, Service Release and Deployment Management, Service Validation and Testing, Service Asset and Configuration Management, Knowledge Management, Request Fulfillment, Service Evaluation)
• Operational Support and Analysis (Event Management, Incident Management, Request Fulfillment, Problem Management, Access Management, Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management, Application Management)

Each completed module earns 4 credits. Less modules, larger module scope, more points then lifecycle stream.

Prerequisites are a Foundation certificate and 30h of accredited classroom module course. Recommended 12h of personal study.
Exam duration is 90 min (120 min non-native speakers + allowed dictionary), complex multiple choice, multi-part scenario based. Grading method is Gradient Scoring, the same as in Lifecycle stream.
Pass score is 65%, distinction score is 75%.
Exams can be online or paper based.

Capability stream is more to my liking, looks like sleeve-roll up stream for the guys in the trenches.

You can choose modules which are aligned with your current or intended job position, no defined order here. Logical to me would be to take one or two Lifecycle modules (Operation & Transition) and then a few practical Capability modules.

Earn 17 credits, and you can proceed to

3. Managing Across the Lifecycle
This title is a bit pompous and clumsy at the same time. Like some other things in V3, it looks like it was worked out in haste. Never mind. This course is meant for managers, and includes "ancillary" (this English kills me sometimes :-D) knowledge:

• Introduction to IT Service Management
• Business & Managerial Issues
• Managing the Planning and Implementation of IT Service Management
• Management of Strategic Change
• Risk Management
• Managerial Functions
• Understanding Organizational Challenges
• Lifecycle Project Assessment
• Understanding Complementary Industry Guidance

Credits: 5
Prerequisites are a Foundation certificate and 30h of accredited course (classroom based or e-learning). Recommended 28h of personal study.

Exam duration is 90 min (120 min non-native speakers + allowed dictionary), complex multiple choice, multi-part scenario based. Grading method is Gradient Scoring.

Pass score is 65%, distinction score is 75%.

Exams can be online or paper based.


4. ITIL Service Management Expert Certification
By accumulating a minimum of 22 credits in the previous modules, one is entitled to this certificate. You get 2 credits from Foundation and 5 from mandatory Managing Across the Lifecycle. The other 15 you can collect from collecting Lifecycle and Capability modules credits. OGC says something about a balanced approach, which boils down to minimum two modules from each stream. Have a look at the Figure 3 table in the original document.
The other way to achieve ITIL Service Management Expert Certificate is to arrive from ITIL V1 or V2 Managers Certificate (17 credits) and obtain a V3 Managers Bridge (5 credits) certificate.

Picture 2: ITIL V2-V3 Bridging

5. Advanced Level is something I won't discuss here because it is still in development. I usually do not update my posts, but this particular one will be updated as soon as I have new info, since you people keep coming from all over, mostly via search engines and I know you would mind getting stale data on ITIL Exams.
Bridging
I choose not to go deeper into the bridging subject, since it's basics are obvious from the Picture 2, and it is well covered in the OGC/APMG original document. There is only one case which is benig discussed on http://itsmfi-forum.org/view_topic.php?id=5&forum_id=12&jump_to=323#p323 that still needs some clarification: what will a V2 Practitioner do if he/she didn't collect 12 credits. When it becomes clear, I will update this post.
Here is a short summary table with exam-specific parameters:

Picture 3: ITIL V2-V3 Bridging

Best of luck to anyone sitting an ITIL exam anywhere on the globe!

And of course, the complete Official Scheme PDF document with much more details can be viewed at http://www.best-management-practice.com/gempdf/ITILV3_Qual_Scheme_v3_0.pdf

Additionally, have a look at available syllabi at ITIL-OfficialSite:

• ITIL V3 Foundation Certificate Syllabus
• ITIL V3 Foundation Bridging Course Syllabus
• ITIL V3 Managers Bridge Course Syllabus

Update September 08 - Syllabi for the Intermediate Level:
Capability Stream

• Operational Support and Analysis Certificate Syllabus
• Planning, Protection and Optimization Certificate Syllabus
• Release, Control and Validation Certificate Syllabus
• Service Offerings and Agreements Certificate Syllabus

Lifecycle Stream

• Service Strategy Certificate Syllabus
• Service Design Certificate Syllabus
• Service Transition Certificate Syllabus
• Service Operation Certificate Syllabus
• Continual Service Improvement Certificate Syllabus
• Managing Across the Lifecycle

ITIL V3 Introductory Overview: 'Littler ITIL' Free to Download

itSMF UK in association with Best Management Practice published a high-level overview of ITIL V3 - "An Introductory Overview of ITIL V3.

This is a small pocket book providing an executive level overview of the new ITIL V3 and its five lifecycle phases. Book has some 50 pages and reminds me of a similar IT Service Management book from 2001. This older one was about Support/Delivery in V2 and was very, very useful, since it was possible back then to put a complete detailed quick reference the core ITSM in cca 70 pages.

Now, in V3, scope being so seriously broadened, it would be difficult to compress it in a similar manner to less then 200-300 pages, so this is probably the best we can get (at this moment).

Basic lifecycle points are covered briefly and simply, main processes and their cross-references are touched, and it says a few in the end about the qualifications/certification, at least as it is in this moment (I hope to see some changes there).

Anyway, in this beginning era of ITIL V3, there was a need for this kind of publication, and here it is. Good for executive overview and introductory purposes. Maybe in next versions we will see some more meat in it, namely more basic process info and cornerstone diagrams.

For now, you can order it at your local itSMF chapter or download the .pdf from itSMF UK or Best Management Practice site.

ITIL Foundations Exam - Go/No Go?

Some of my friends and colleagues sat the ITIL V3 Foundations exam this week. Since I am in the business for some time, I helped them prepare. Of course, I was anxious what do the training, materials and the exam look like. I have seen some critiques and exam reviews in blogosphere, and first impression was that things are not very pink (ha, get it?).

I have read all five books this summer (some of them a few times) and my impression was that in 3 days of Foundations training you can't cover much more then some kind of extended glossary for these 32 ITIL V3 disciplines. People had two days to cover 11 disciplines (Processes/function(s)) in V2. Extending a training for one day to accommodate (a lot) more then 50% of increase in scope looks very brave and optimistic. What do the students say?

From what can be seen in student materials and exam questions, authors had a very high opinion on future attendees. Preparation questions were easy for me, I think I could guess my way thru at least 30 questions. But the EXIN set of exam questios was completely different thing. Without preparation, I would have flunked flat on this one.
I have no particular objection to the questions, they are understandable, do not suffer from English/English phrases and questions were rather equally divided between lifecycle stages. They were just too difficult for an introductory course.

Some of the new prep and real questions can be found on the web.

I have read somewhere that the syllabus is going to change a lot in Q1 2008. All the problems occurring in this phase were expected (at least by me), since this is all a matter of rough feedback-based tuning. So the first exam candidates will pay the price. If someone asked me, I would not sit an ITIL exam for at least six next months, like I wouldn't buy any (not even Japanese) car if a model is less then a year old. People invest three work days, some money and a piece of professional reputation here, only to end up ITIL exam guinea pigs. They should at least get some benefits for that (better price, longer training, free attempts...).

For now, the only thing stimulating people to show up on an exam is their ignorance. And some hype too. Everybody's doing IT(IL). But OGC and APMG people should have in mind that the Market is a bitch.

ITIL V3 Service Portfolio, Pipeline and Catalogue

View Upload your own

In ITIL V3, the customer is more into focus then technology. In V2, customer and his satisfaction were important on a declarative level, but minimum effort was made to point out methods, the whats and hows to improve the customer satisfaction.

In the age of V2, more palpable problems were of technological nature. Also, primary concern, especially in non-IBM IT communities was IT organisation, processes and procedures. So the main hub of all stories was the infamous CMDB, an organisational gadget with a techie name.

Now, the IT mindset is of a grown up, and we turn to what and how we are doing it. Following this thread backwards, we conclude that the main question is Why. We design services according to a market demand, for some of our present and future customers. So why should a customer by a service, why would he buy it from us, what are our competitive advantages, how are we going to charge for the services, what resources do we have... These are some of the strategic questions that need to be answered.

We define, analyse, approve and charter services in this phase. We are at the beginning of the Service Portfolio, in the Service Pipeline.

Thru transition processes, these services are introduced to operation, therefore they are in the Service Catalogue. Have in mind that this is the only profitable phase in this lifecycle perspective. Services that are no more needed are retired through Transition process

The objective is to manage the information contained within the Service Catalog and to ensure that it is accurate and reflects the current details, status, interfaces and dependencies of all services that are being run, or are in preparation to run in the live environment.

It has to be available and comprehensive to all parties involved, therefore it is divided into:

• Business Service Catalog – A customer view: IT services delivered to the customer, including relations to business units and business processes it supports.
• Technical Service Catalog – IT Services related to customer – related with infrastructure: supporting and shared services and CIs that support the provision of service. This view should not be presented to a customer.

KPIs , critical success factors and main risks of Service Catalogue Management process remind me a little of a former version Configuration Management and it's CMDB. Service Catalogue is pretty difficult to create and maintain, and yet, everyone already talks about it, and there are some people that say they have it.

Things become even more complex when we know that Service Portfolio encompasses Service Pipeline, Service Catalogue and retirement processes. For all this we have to have operative connections to a lot of acronyms: SKMS, CMS... Better part of it is served via the Service Level Management, the process that gave birth to portfolio and catalogue since the last version.

All this looks a bit confusing at a first glance, but when you seriously get into it you really get scared ;-)

Simplified, ITIL V3 is very customer oriented. There is a Service in every of the five books title (OK, I wanted this to be funny). Most of the stuff is hard to achieve, but in the end of the day, with V3, Service providers know better where to go and what to do. The mark is up there, everyone can decide for himself how close he wants to approach it.