Overview

SolutionMethod™ describes a service methodology framework for ITSM that is based on ITIL best practices. The focus of SolutionMethod™ is to enable service, its delivery and management. It is an iterative methodology that has multiple entry points but most typically begins with business end-users/Customer requirements and concludes with a qualification and quantification of services provided to satisfy those requirements both tactically and strategically.

This evolutionary approach enables organizations the ability to adaptively integrate best practices based on their specific maturity level and priorities. SolutionMethod™ employs a phased approach to ITSM that consists of assessment, architecture and design, planning, implementation, and support. With each phase 5 perspectives of people, process, technology, organization, and integration are evaluated.

The high level goal for ITSM structure encompasses the following:

1. Determine the current, existing IT infrastructure, processes, and services

2. Develop some desired future state of IT and the services that it needs to provide

3. Architect a "roadmap" that depicts how to get to the desired state from the current state

4. Determine the steps needed to execute the "roadmap"

The SolutionMethod™ ITSM framework for each of the ITIL Service Delivery and Service Support areas is a 5 phase model:

• Assessment - determine the current state and begin to collect and understand the metrics for the future desired state

• Architect and Design - develop a mature design for the future desired state

• Planning - develop those plans necessary to achieve the future desired state in a phased evolutionary fashion

• Implementation - implement and deploy the plans within IT and across the enterprise to achieve the future desired state

• Support - manage, maintain, and improve the future desired state being able to adaptively integrate enhancements as needed or required

Within this framework, SolutionMethod™ effectively enables managing IT as an enterprise wide, service oriented entity comprised of 5 separate and distinct perspectives:

• People - quantity and quality of expertise and knowledge

• Process - IT and organization specific practices, procedures, guidelines, etc. and the level of complexity and sophistication of them

• Technology - total logical and physical technology infrastructure consisting of hardware, software, communication networks, applications, DBMS, etc.

• Organization - internal and external business factors that affect IT, how IT and the organization interface, what is the organizations "corporate culture", what are the organization's direction and how does that affect IT

• Integration - how is IT integrated within the business model, what services does IT provide, how are the services provided, and how are best practices employed within IT

The relationship between perspectives and the 5 phase ITSM implementation framework is described in ITSM Perspectives:

Download the White Paper -     (PDF, 71 KB)

Assessment Services

In order to determine the existing status of the IT infrastructure, the processes that support it, and the services it provides, an assessment of the current environment should to be done.

This is described in ITSM Assessment Service Brief:

Download the White Paper -     (PDF, 109 KB)

This practical approach consists of 2 necessary components to assess the current status in ITIL best practices for both Service Support and Service Delivery areas. The first is an ITSM Health Check that focuses on defining and determining the current status in each area, assigning criticality based on unique requirements, and then deriving a priority ranking for tactical and strategic ITSM enhancements. The second is a set of ITSM best practices reference guidelines that describes the essential components, benefits, and possible roadblocks that will have to be considered with ITSM assessment, planning, and implementation.

In order to assist in defining the IT infrastructure, evaluate the alignment between the IT infrastructure and the appropriate business units, the business requirements, and the services that IT provides, a higher level definition of these areas should to be done.

This is described in ITSM: Using Templates to Define an IT Infrastructure:

Download the White Paper -     (PDF, 74 KB)

This practical approach uses templates to create a high level definition of appropriate areas in IT infrastructure and business requirements. Templates such as workstation, server, main frame, DBMS, data, application development, network, and organizational.

The development of these templates is based on organization and business unit mission statements and critical success factors.

Planning Services

(Click on Any Process Box)

Requirements Definition Process

• Business Strategy - the organizations business strategy, how are the current business requirements are linked to technology infrastructure, what are the processes that do so 

• Service Planning - how does IT provide services internally and externally for the organization, what are the processes for doing so, what is the Customer Relationship Management processes

• Organizational Planning - how does the organization adapt to internal and external business factors that impact the IT infrastructure, what is the impact of corporate culture on IT, how is IT integrated within the organization

• Technology Planning - how does IT plan its technology infrastructure internally and externally around the organizations business requirements and model

Implementation and Support Services

IT Service Management Processes

Service Support Processes  (Click on Any Process to Download the ITSM Service Brief)

• Incident Management - the day-to-day process that restores normal acceptable service with a minimal impact on business

• Change Management - standard methods and procedures for effective managing of all changes

• Problem Management - the diagnosis of the root causes of incidents in an effort to proactively eliminate and manage them

• Release Management - testing, verification, and release of changes to the IT environment

• Configuration Management - physical and logical perspective of the IT infrastructure and the IT services being provided

• Performance Management - the day-to-day monitoring and reporting of resource performance and utilization

• Service Continuity - managing an organization's capability to provide the necessary level of service following an interruption of service

• Service Desk (Function) - a function not a process, this provides a central point of contact between users and IT

Service Delivery Process  (Click on Any Process to Download the ITSM Service Brief)

• Service Level Management - maintain and improve the level of service to the organization

• Availability Management - optimize IT infrastructure capabilities, services, and support to minimize service outages and provide sustained levels of service to meet business requirements

• Capacity Management - enables an organization to tactically manage resources and strategically plan for future resource requirements

• Financial Management - managing the costs associated with providing the organization with the resources needed to meet requirements

An overview of the SolutionMethod™ approach to ITSM implementation is described in Policy Based IT Service Management:

Download the White Paper -     (PDF, 76 KB)

A description of resource and subject matter expertise requirements needed for a successful ITSM implementation effort is described in ITSM Infrastructure Support:

Download the White Paper -     (PDF, 39 KB)

Additional White Papers, Service Briefs, Spreadsheets, and Questionnaires

SolutionMethod™ Service Delivery and Service Support Assessment and Planning Service Reference Documents can be found by clicking here - Downloads Page

Home |  ITIL | ITSM |  SolutionMethod |  Services | Links | Downloads | Announcements | About Us | Search | Feedback

Email: Info@ITSM.info

NOTE: This website and the information contained herein is maintained by Rick Leopoldi of RL Information Consulting LLC. Some information is considered "public domain" and contained here as a central repository, all other portions of IT Service Management information is proprietary to RL Information Consulting LLC.