What ITSM processes actually are
ITSM processes are the elements of a framework, which support its major concepts and describes the way of IT service management. ITSM processes are divided into five stages:
Service Strategy (SS) is the first and foremost stage. This stage helps determine what exactly customers need and verify whether the service is financially viable. Service Strategy contributes to the overall understanding of a company’s services with respect to the Service Portfolio, Financial Management, Business Relationship Management, etc.
Service Description (SD) is the ‘wingman’ of Service Strategy. It complements strategic identifications with a detailed description of a company’s services. SD ensures that the IT service delivery meets the requirements, that a company has enough capacity to deliver the services, and that these services will be available, secure, etc.
Service Transition (ST) is responsible for the auctioning of the company’s services. ST maintains stability of the services, while allowing them to be dynamic by introducing changes judiciously. The processes at this stage, for instance, are Change Management, Release Management, Knowledge Management, etc.
Service Operation (SO) makes sure that the services work, and any disruptions are warded off promptly. There are 6 main processes that help SO do that:
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Event management - Monitors and provides notifications on how services run
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Incident management - Aims at restoring the normal flow of IT processes as soon as possible, in case of disruptions
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Problem management - Deals with the underlying cause of incidents
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Request fulfillment – Helps Change Management in ST and deals with low-risk, repeated and pre-defined situations
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Access management - Deals with accounts and passwords Continual Service Improvement (CSI) - Constant perfection of the services delivered