Body
Statement of Best Practice
IT Service Management (ITSM) is a discipline of best practices that enable IT organizations to deliver the highest quality services and outcomes to their business partners within the constraints afforded to them. The practice encompasses the people, processes, and tools used to design, build, and operate those services. Within this practice, there are generally five roles present in every capability process:
- LT Sponsor: provide leadership direction to process owners and service owners
- Process Owner: accountable for ensuring a process is fit for purpose
- Process Manager: accountable for operational management of a process
- Process Practitioner: responsible for carrying out one or more process activities
- Service Owner: accountable for delivery of a specific IT service and is a primary stakeholder in all underlying IT processes which enable or support the service
- Configuration Item Owner: accountable for the warranty of a managed component to ensure the component is fit for use and fit for purpose.
- Business Owner: deploying IT services to achieve business objectives.
In addition, specific processes contain specific roles, such as:
- Knowledge Management: Knowledge Management Librarian; Knowledge Creator
- Change Management: Change Authority; CAB Member; CAB Chair; Change Initiator
Contact
- Assistant Director, IT Process and Planning
Definitions
Roles and Responsibilities
Process Owner
The process owner is accountable for ensuring a process is fit for purpose. This should be a senior position in an organization so that the process can be championed effectively. Tasks of the process owner include:
- Documenting and publicizing the process
- Defining, reviewing and taking action on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Assisting with, being ultimately responsible for the design of the process
- Improving process effectiveness and efficiency
- Reviewing proposed enhancements to the process and addressing any issues
- Providing input into the Service Improvement Plan (SIP)
- Ensuring that staff are trained and are aware of their process roles
- Ensuring the process and its associated roles and responsibilities are regularly reviewed and audited
- Ensuring needed resources are available
Each process has an associated LT sponsor to assist and provide leadership direction. The sponsor is explicitly defined for each process.
Process Manager
The process manager is accountable for operational management of a process. It is possible that multiple managers exists for a process. This role may be combined with or separate from the process owner role. Tasks include:
- Planning and coordinating all process activities with the process owner
- Ensuring that all activities are carried out as required throughout the service lifecycle
- Ensuring people are appointed to the required roles
- Managing assigned resources
- Ensuring the smooth running of services in conjunction with service owners and other process managers
- Process performance monitoring and reporting
- Identifying improvement opportunities
- Assisting the CSI manager and process owner in reviewing and prioritizing improvements listed in CSI register
- Making process implementation improvements
Process Practitioner
The process practitioner is responsible for carrying out one or more process activities. An example of a process practitioner would be a change analyst or a member of a technical team filling out a request for change. Responsibilities typically include:
- Performing one or more activities of a process
- Understanding their role’s impact on the overall delivery of service and creation of business value
- Ensuring that their contributions are effective and the inputs, outputs and interfaces are correct
- Proper creation or updating of records to indicate that activities have been correctly carried out
Service Owner
The service owner is accountable for the delivery of a specific IT service and is a primary stakeholder in all of the underlying IT processes which enable or support the service. Defining a single point of accountability for a service is essential in providing the level of attention and focus required to ensure a service is managed with a business focus. Responsibilities include:
- Understand and representing the service throughout the organization
- Providing input for service attributes such as performance, availability, etc.
- Serving as a point of escalation for major incidents
- Representing the service during Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings for management of change affecting the service under their care
- Providing input for and prioritization of Continual Service Improvement (CSI) efforts
- Participating in service review meetings within IT and with the business
- Ensuring the entry in the Service Catalog is accurate and is maintained
- Participating in negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreement (OLAs)
Each service has an associated LT sponsor to assist and provide leadership direction. The sponsor is explicitly defined for each service.
LT Sponsor
The LT sponsor is the sitting leadership team member who has ultimate accountability for the design and delivery of a particular process or service. They work closely with the process/service owner to ensure success.
- Sign-off on service/process definition and design
- Review adoption/compliance and performance metrics quarterly
- Set targets
- Prioritize improvement opportunities
- Acquire resources for implementing improvement plans
- Represent the service/process with other members of the LT and campus community
The Configuration Item Owner is accountable for the warranty of a managed component to ensure the component is fit for use and fit for purpose. Responsibilities include:
- Reviewing the Memorandum of Understanding in coordination with the Business / Service Owner and IT Procurement*
- Monitoring utilization relative to contracted allowances*
- Providing expert-level support for unsolved incidents and service requests escalated by lower support tiers*
- Understanding and representing the application throughout the organization
- Ensuring the entry in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) is accurate and is maintained (all its tabs in TD)
- Providing input for performance, availability, etc.
- Serving as a point of escalation for major incidents
- Representing the application during Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings
- Reviewing Knowledge articles for accuracy and completeness
- Participating in service review meetings within IT and with the business
- Providing input for and prioritization of Continual Service Improvement (CSI) efforts
Business Owner
The Business Owner is accountable for deploying IT services to achieve business objectives.
Responsibilities include:
- Understand and representing the service throughout the organization
- Providing input for service requirement such as performance, availability, etc.
- Providing input for and prioritization of Continual Service Improvement (CSI) efforts
- Participating in service review meetings within IT and with the business
- Participating in negotiating Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
- Identification of funding to pay for acquisition and operation
- Represent users of IT Services to the IT Service Owner
Related Documents, Forms, and Tools