Introduction

Many organizations are looking to implement the ITIL processes as a way to improve the structure and quality of the business.

The ITIL version 3 qualification scheme has been incredibly popular since its launch in 2007. In particular, the Intermediate Capability programs that focus on the practical side of process implementation, management, maintenance and reporting, in four specific areas of IT Service Management;

• Service Offerings & Agreements (SOA)
• Planning Protection & Optimization (PPO)
• Release Control & Validation (RCV)
• Operational Support & Analysis

The Operational Support and Analysis (OSA) Capability cluster enables IT organizations to deliver and support IT services, on a day-to-day basis. The focus is on effectively monitoring events, and responding to user requests, minimizing the impact of incidents, and identifying and proactively resolving underlying problems.

Practical guidance on the design and implementation of integrated end-to-end processes based on proven industry best practice guidelines.

It provides in-depth knowledge of the ITIL® OSA areas: Event Management, Incident Management, Request Management, Problem Management, Access Management, Service Desk, Technical Management, IT Operations Management and Application Management.

The purpose of OSA is to obtain knowledge of ITIL terminology, process structure, roles, functions and activities that will enable role-focused capability and competency in support of the Service Lifecycle approach as described in ITIL.

This document describes the contents of the Operational Support and Analysis Toolkit. The information found within the toolkit is based on the ITIL Version 3 framework, focusing on the processes found with the OSA Capability cluster.

The toolkit is designed to answer a lot of the questions centered around these processes and to provide you with useful guides and user-friendly templates.

There are also bonus additional resources that will enable you to improve your current policies, procedures and process maturity.

The toolkit serves to act as a starting point. It will give you a clear path to travel. It is designed to be a valuable source of information and activity.

There are a total of 58 documents in this toolkit:

They are broken up in to four main folders. Within each of the folders, there are documents that can be used in the education, assessment, implementation and management of the specific process areas.

There are a variety of document styles found within this toolkit such as PowerPoint presentations (6), Word Documents (44), PDF’s (4) and Excel documents (4).

Folder 1: Incident Management

Incident Management is one of the most integeral processes in the ITIL verison 3 framework. Start by viewing the presentation to familiarize yourself with the process, terminology, activities and essential concepts. The Incident Management Review Document is an excel spreadsheet designed around the specifics of the process. This can be used to assess your organizations current process maturity against the ITIL framework, and to identify gaps for areas of improvement and attention. The additional documents are resources that you can use within your own organization, or as a template to help you prepare your own bespoke documentation, to aid the implementation and maintenance of the Incident Management process.

Below is an itemized list of the documents.

Folder 1 Documents:

1. Incident Management ITILV3 Presentation
2. Business Justification document
3. Policies Objectives Scope
4. Objectives & Goals
5. Communication Plan
6. Communications
7. Example Simple Priority Coding System
8. Incident Category Definition Document
9. Incident Ticket Template
10. Integrated ITSM Technology
11. Incident Management - Roles and Responsibilities
12. Incident Management Reports KPI's & other metrics
13. Implementation Plan and Project Plan
14. Incident Management Review Document
15. ITIL V3 Incident Management Process Flow Diagram

Folder 2: Problem Management

Following on from Incident Management is Problem Management, the process that aims to minimize the adverse impact of Incidents and Problems on the business, that are caused by errors within the IT Infrastructure, and to prevent the recurrence of Incidents related to these errors.

Defined as two major processes:

• Reactive Problem Management
• Proactive Problem Management - initiated in Service Operation but generally driven as part of Continual Service Improvement.

This folder is packed full of resources which help and guide you through implementing, improving and maintaining this essential process within your organization. Including specific roles and responsibilities, as well as plans for activities and deployment.

Below is an itemized list of these documents.

Folder 2 Documents:

1. Problem Management ITILV3 Presentation
2. Business Justification document
3. Policies Objectives Scope
4. Objectives & Goals
5. Communication Plan
6. Example Business and IT Flyers
7. Example E-Mail Text
8. Problem & Known Error Category Definition
9. Problem Analysis
10. Problem Ticket Template
11. Known Error Ticket Template
12. Technology Considerations
13. Service Knowledge Management System
14. Roles and Responsibilities
15. Problem Management - Process Manager
16. Problem Management Reports KPIs other metrics
17. Implementation Plan & Project Plan
18. Problem Management Review Document
19. Problem Management Process Flow

Folder 3: Access Management, Event Management, Request Fulfillment.

These three Service Operation processes are new additions to the ITIL Version 3 Framework. Each of the activities required by these three process areas are carried out by the Service Operation Functions, predominantly the Service Desk. You will find detailed information with regards to the Service Operation Functions, specifically the Service Desk in the ‘Functions’ folder, within this toolkit. This folder provides a detailed presentation that covers all the essentails of these processes, includin all the terminology and activities. The supporting documents provide information on roles and responsibilities, mindmaps and implementation plans.

Below is an itemized list of the documents.

Folder 3 Documents:

1. Access Management ITILV3 Presentation
2. Event Management ITILV3 Presentation
3. Request Fulfillment ITILV3 Presentation
4. Business Justification Document
5. Communciation Plan
6. Implementation Plan_Project Plan
7. Technology Considerations
8. The Event Management Process
9. Event, Access, Request Fulfilment Management - Roles & Responsibilities
10. Event, Access, Request Fulfilment Team

Folder 4: Functions

Functions consist of a team or group of people and the tools they use to carry out one or more Processes or Activities. These functions provide units of organization responsible for specific outcomes. The ITIL Framework defines 4 functions:

• Service Desk
• Technical Management
• IT Operations Management
• Applications Management

This folder is packed full of resources which help and guide you through creating/ implementing/ improving the functions within your organization. The main focus of this folder is the integral and critical Service Desk function. The presentation covers the essential information, terminology and concepts of all four functions, and how they relate to each other. In addition to the templates and guides, there are example project plans, roles and responsibilities, and the all important review document.

Below is an itemized list of the documents.

Folder 4 Documents:

1. Functions ITILV3 Presentation
2. Business Justification
3. Objectives and Goals
4. Policies Objectives Scope
5. Communication Plan
6. Business and IT Flyers
7. Implementation Plan_Project Plan
8. Service Desk Outsourcing template
9. Service Desk Technology
10. Service Desk- Metrics
11. Service Desk - Roles and Responsibilities
12. Example Service Desk Project Plan
13. Service Desk Review Document