Effective Governance of ICT Services

IT organisations will have a number of core functions, practices and processes in place. In some IT organisations the structure can sometimes have been partly defined along IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL®) version 2 lines, with a relatively clear split between the ITIL version 2 ‘Service Delivery’ and ‘Service Support’ processes.

Whilst these existing functions and processes also form the core of the ITIL version 3 framework (released in 2007 and updated in the 2011 edition), there is a need to more clearly distinguish between the different service lifecycle phases of Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition and Service Operation. There is also often a disconnect between these processes and the way the major programs and projects are managed.

The lack of integration between these two traditionally separate domains (i.e. ITIL vs. project management methodologies) is a common cause for poor service quality, particularly in the early stages in the operation of services or changes to services.

Additionally, there is a need to identify what additional processes, roles and capabilities are needed to support an integrated service lifecycle approach. This is needed to ensure that there are appropriate hand-offs between the stages of the lifecycle and there are clear accountabilities for strategy development and planning, service investment analysis and decision making, business engagement, expectation and relationship management at both the strategic (demand) and operational (supply) ends of the service lifecycle.

Whilst it is important for IT service providers to have a clear, long term vision of how they foresee their IT organisation operating in the future (with as suggested above a better and integrated lifecycle management approach), for many however, simply implementing and adopting some key fundamental IT Service Management (ITSM) practices and processes is in itself an early challenge to address.

A critical factor to the ultimate success of any Integrated ICT Service Lifecycle Framework, are the appropriate controls, practices, roles and structure required to enable ICT to control and govern activity across all functions in support of the ongoing management of the ICT services Lifecycle. In other words, what is needed to enable and support ongoing ICT governance of services and processes? The answer for many is the idea of designing and implementing a Service Management Office (SMO). The concept of an SMO is alluded to in the ITIL 2011 edition.

ProActive Services sees the SMO as key to driving the adoption of core ITIL principles.

Additionally, we see the SMO as forming part of what we term a Lifecycle Management Office (LMO), where the LMO would support the longer term goal of an end-to-end Integrated ICT Service Lifecycle Framework. However, designing and implementing an SMO can and should start ahead of establishing an LMO where it makes sense to do so.
ProActive helps organisations to achieve governance by adopting a Service Management Office (SMO). A SMO can be either virtualised or physically central, depending on organisational requirements.

The purpose of the SMO is to ensure adherence and compliance to all ITSM related polices and standards across the ICT Service Lifecycle and to provide best practice advice and guidance, all in support of overall ICT and Business governance. It is also often associated with Continual Service Improvement (CSI) and service and process performance reporting.

The SMO must be designed and implemented in line with, as part of, the design and implementation of ITSM practices and processes, and therefore it will mature and grow itself through the various phases of the ITSM improvement program.

More information can be found in our guidance paper – Lifecycle Governance of ICT Services.
This paper describes how an SMO can support adherence and compliance to ITSM policies and standards. It also describes the SMO in the context of an LMO which supports an Integrated ICT Service Lifecycle Framework.