Process and Function

A process is a structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective

A process takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs

The four characteristics of Process

Measurability

Processes can be measured in a relevant manner. It is performance-driven

Managers want to measure cost, quality and other variables while practitioners are  

concerned with duration and productivity.

Specific results

The aim of a process is to deliver a specific result. This result must be individually  

identifiable  and accountable

Customers

Every process delivers its primary results to a customer or a stakeholder.

Customers may be internal or external to the organization, but the process must meet their 

expectations

Responsiveness to specific triggers

While a process may be on going or iterative, it must be traceable to a specific trigger.

Function

Function is a team or group of people and the tools or other resources they use to carry out 
       one or more Processes or activities. 

•  Service Desk
•  Technical Management
•   IT Operation Management 
•   Application Management

             

Service Management - Basic Concepts

A Service is a means of delivering value to the customer by facilitating outcomes that customer want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs and risks.

The outcome that a customer needs is the reason why they spent money for buying a 

service and  the value of the  service is directly dependent on how well these outcomes 

are facilitated.

Service management is a set of specialized organizational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services

These specialized  organizational  capabilities  include the processes,  activities,  functions  and roles that  service  providers  use to enable them to deliver  services  to their customers.  They also include the ability to organize  and manage knowledge, and understand how to facilitate outcomes that create value.

Service Management  is what enables service providers to:

• Understand the services they provide
• Ensure that the services facilitate the outcomes their customers want to achieve
• Understand the value of the services to their customers
• Understand and manage all the costs and risks associated with those services. 

IT Service  Management is the implementation  and management  of quality IT services that meet the needs of the business.

Stakeholders in service management

Stakeholders  have an interest  in an organization,  project  or services  and  may be 

interested  in the activities, targets, resources or deliverables from service management.

Why ITIL is Successful?

Vendor Neutral   ITIL  service   management   practices  are  applicable   in  any  IT  organization because they are not based on any particular technology  platform or industry type

Non-prescriptive ITIL offers robust, mature and time-tested  practices that have applicability to all types of service organizations.

Best practice   ITIL  represents  the  learning  experiences   and  thought  leadership  of the world's best-in-class  service providers.

What is ITIL®?

ITIL advocates that IT services are aligned to the needs of the business and support its core processes. It provides guidance to organizations and individuals on how to use IT as a tool to facilitate business change, transformation and growth.

The ITIL best practices are currently detailed within five core publications: 

• ITIL Service Strategy
• ITIL Service Design
• ITIL Service Transition
• ITIL Service Operation
• ITIL Continual Service Improvement. 

These five volumes map the entire ITIL Service Lifecycle, beginning with the identification of customer needs and drivers of IT requirements, through to the design and implementation of the service and finally, the monitoring and improvement phase of the service.

The ITIL framework is a source of best in Service Management.  ITIL has the following components

• ITIL Core. This includes the best-practice publications applicable to all organizations that provide services to a business

• ITIL Complementary Guidance.  This includes a complementary set of publications with guidance specific to industry sectors, organization types , operating models and technology architecture.                                  (