# IT Service Management/Additional Topics

Additional topics related to ITSM include functions, roles, and technology and architecture.

## Objectives and Skills

Objectives and skills of additional topics for ITIL Foundation certification include:
* Explain the role, objectives and organizational structures for the service desk function
* State the role and objectives of:
** The technical management function
** The application management function with application development
** The IT operations management function
* Account for the role and the responsibilities of the
** Process owner
** Process manager
** Process practitioner
** Service owner
* Recognize the responsible, accountable, consulted, informed (RACI) responsibility model and explain its role in determining organizational structure
* Understand how service automation assists with expediting service management processes

## Readings

* Wikipedia: Call centre
* Wikipedia: Help desk
* Wikipedia: Service provider
* Wikipedia: Responsibility assignment matrix
* Archive.org: ITIL.org - Service Desk
* Archive.org: ITIL.org - Technical Management
* Archive.org: ITIL.org - Application Management
* Archive.org: ITIL.org - Operations Management

## Multimedia

* YouTube: Technical Management
* YouTube: Application Management
* YouTube: IT Operations Management
* Vimeo: The Role of The IT Service Owner
* YouTube: Simplilearn: IT Service Management: Role of Service Owner, ITIL V3 Foundation Training Online
* YouTube: RACI Model

## Activities

* Explain the role, objectives and organizational structures for the service desk function.
* State the role and objectives for one or more of the following, including examples:
** The technical management function
** The application management function with application development
** The IT operations management function
* Describe for the role and the responsibilities of the following, with examples:
** Process owner
** Process manager
** Process practitioner
** Service owner
* Explain the responsible, accountable, consulted, informed (RACI) responsibility model and explain its role in determining organizational structure. Include examples of each part of the model.
* Describe how service automation assists with expediting service management processes. Include examples from your organization, your school, or a service desk you've contacted recently.
* Case Project - Continue the hypothetical organization and service desk design your team documented in the previous lesson. Add the following information to the Functions and Responsibilities section.
** Describe the technical management, application management, and operations management functions with respect to the new or changed services.
** Describe the role and responsibilities for the process owner, the process manager, the process practitioner, and the service owner.
** Describe how the team will determine and assign these roles and responsibilities.
** Describe any automation that would be used to implement the new or changed services and how it would impact capacity, measurement, optimization, and knowledge capture.
* Use the Discuss page to post comments and questions regarding this lesson.
* Review the lesson summary, key terms, review questions and assessments below.

## Lesson Summary

* The service desk serves as the single point of contact between the service provider and the users. A typical service desk manages incidents and service requests, and also handles communication with the users.
* The technical management function is responsible for providing technical skills in support of IT services and management of the IT infrastructure. Technical management defines the roles of support groups, as well as the tools, processes and procedures required.
* The application management function is responsible for managing applications throughout their lifecycle.
* The IT operations management function performs the daily activities needed to manage IT services and the supporting IT infrastructure. IT operations management includes IT operations control and facilities management.
* The process owner is the person who is held accountable for ensuring that a process is fit for purpose. The process owner’s responsibilities include sponsorship, design, change management and continual improvement of the process and its metrics. This role can be assigned to the same person who carries out the process manager role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations.
* The process manager is responsible for the operational management of a process. The process manager’s responsibilities include planning and coordination of all activities required to carry out, monitor and report on the process. There may be several process managers for one process – for example, regional change managers or IT service continuity managers for each data centre. The process manager role is often assigned to the person who carries out the process owner role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations.
* The process practitioner performs the activities required to carry out, monitor, and report on the process.
* The service owner is responsible for managing one or more services throughout their entire lifecycle. Service owners are instrumental in the development of service strategy and are responsible for the content of the service portfolio.
* RACI is a model used to help define roles and responsibilities. RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed.
* Service automation assists with expediting service management processes through capacity management, measurement automation, optimization, and knowledge capture.

## Key Terms

Key Terms definitions are copyright © AXELOS Limited 2011. All rights reserved. Material is reproduced with the permission of AXELOS.

### application management

    The function responsible for managing applications throughout their lifecycle.

### function

    A team or group of people and the tools or other resources they use to carry out one or more processes or activities.

### IT operations management

    The function within an IT service provider that performs the daily activities needed to manage IT services and the supporting IT infrastructure, including operations control and facilities management.

### process manager

    A role responsible for the operational management of a process.

### process owner

    The person who is held accountable for ensuring that a process is fit for purpose.

### RACI

    A model used to help define roles and responsibilities, which stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed.

### role

    A set of responsibilities, activities and authorities assigned to a person or team.

### service desk

    The single point of contact between the service provider and the users.

### service management

    A set of specialized organizational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services.

### service owner

    A role responsible for managing one or more services throughout their entire lifecycle.

### technical management

    The function responsible for providing technical skills in support of IT services and management of the IT infrastructure.

## Review Questions

Click on a question to see the answer.
* The service desk serves as _____. A typical service desk manages _____. The service desk serves as the single point of contact between the service provider and the users. A typical service desk manages incidents and service requests, and also handles communication with the users.
* The technical management function is responsible for _____. Technical management defines the roles of _____, as well as _____. The technical management function is responsible for providing technical skills in support of IT services and management of the IT infrastructure. Technical management defines the roles of support groups, as well as the tools, processes and procedures required.
* The application management function is responsible for _____. The application management function is responsible for managing applications throughout their lifecycle.
* The IT operations management function performs _____. IT operations management includes _____ and _____. The IT operations management function performs the daily activities needed to manage IT services and the supporting IT infrastructure. IT operations management includes IT operations control and facilities management.
* The process owner is _____. The process owner’s responsibilities include _____. This role can be assigned to the same person who carries out the process manager role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations. The process owner is the person who is held accountable for ensuring that a process is fit for purpose. The process owner’s responsibilities include sponsorship, design, change management and continual improvement of the process and its metrics. This role can be assigned to the same person who carries out the process manager role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations.
* The process manager is _____. The process manager’s responsibilities include _____. There may be several process managers for one process – for example, regional change managers or IT service continuity managers for each data center. The process manager role is often assigned to the person who carries out the process owner role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations. The process manager is responsible for the operational management of a process. The process manager’s responsibilities include planning and coordination of all activities required to carry out, monitor and report on the process. There may be several process managers for one process – for example, regional change managers or IT service continuity managers for each data center. The process manager role is often assigned to the person who carries out the process owner role, but the two roles may be separate in larger organizations.
* The process practitioner _____. The process practitioner performs the activities required to carry out, monitor, and report on the process.
* The service owner is _____. Service owners are _____. The service owner is responsible for managing one or more services throughout their entire lifecycle. Service owners are instrumental in the development of service strategy and are responsible for the content of the service portfolio.
* RACI is _____. RACI stands for _____. RACI is a model used to help define roles and responsibilities. RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted and informed.
* Service automation assists with _____. Service automation assists with expediting service management processes through capacity management, measurement automation, optimization, and knowledge capture.

## Assessments

* Flashcards: Quizlet: IT Service Management - Additional Topcis
* Quiz: Quizlet: IT Service Management - Additional Topics

## See Also

* IT Process Maps: ITIL Roles