Marko Jäntti

Challenges in Implementing IT
Service Management Systems
ICONS 2012 Conference
Agenda

• Introduction
• Research Settings
• Challenges in Implementing IT Service Management Systems
• Conclusion

2.3.2012 2
1. Introduction

Location of University of Eastern Finland

Kuopio and Joensuu

2.3.2012 3
1. Introduction
• Keys to IT Service Management and Effective Transition of Services
(KISMET) is a research project funded by TEKES ERDF and industrial
partners.
• The goal of the KISMET is to
1. Examine the transition of IT services and service management
processes
2. Enhance the knowledge sharing on IT service management
procedures, methods and concepts both in IT service provider
organizations and IT customer organizations
3. Provide organizations a discussion forum to share experiences in
IT service management

Process descriptions Master’s theses Research papers

RESULTS
Templates for ITSM records Reports Metrics
ITSM workshops and trainings
1. Introduction
Service Desk cases
Incidents Service
•Software Failures Requests
•Hardware Failures
Service Requests
Service Desk
Solutions Incident Management Service Request
Customers & Users
Management
Workarounds &
IT Services Permanent
Server services Solutions
Desktop services
Network services Release Packages
Service desk services Back-office
Application services Repeating incidents,
Software &Hardware failures Problem Management
- Problem Control
- Error Contol
Release Management - Proactive PM
Change Management
Configuration Management
Problems

Application Development
CMDB Third Party providers
5
Figure: IT service management in practice
 1. Introduction ISO/IEC 20 000

• Many IT service provider organizations

have difficulties in implementing IT
service management processes
• Expected benefits: cost savings €€€€€ in IT
support, increased customer satisfaction,
faster resolution of requests, more
customers due to certified processes
IT Infrastructure Library v2 IT Infrastructure Library v3

Continual Service Improvement

Service Strategy

Service Design

Service Transition

Service Operation 2.3.2012 6

 2. Research Methods
Keys to IT Service Management Excellence Technique (KISMET) model
1.Create a process
improvement
infrastructure •Documentation ( process
Case Study descriptions, service catalogue
2. Perform a
process Method • Archives (incident, problem, RFC
assessment and
service request records)
3. Plan process
• Interviews/discussions (discussions
improvement
actions 7. Continuous in work meetings,coffee table
process discussions, process manager
4.Improve/ improvement
interviews)
Implement the
process Action • Participative observation (field
Research visits, process improvement meetings
5. Deploy and Method and workshops)
introduce the • Physical artefacts (Service desk
process
tools, intranet)
6. Evaluate
process
improvement
2.3.2012 7
3. Challenges in Implementing IT Service
Management Systems
• Three case studies on Implementing IT Service Management
Systems
– Tieto Finland, Energy
– Finnish Tax Administration
– Istekki
• Case organizations are members of the KISMET project

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3.1.Tieto Finland, Energy

• Case type: IT service provider

• Number of employees: 17000 in Tieto Corporation
• Improvement target:
– Incident & Release management
– Service level management
• Core business:
– Provide customer data management and billing solutions for energy
companies

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3.1.1. IT service management tool

Esityksen nimi / Tekijä 2.3.2012 10

3.1.2 Challenges

• Priorization of incidents does not work

• Lack of Service Level Agreements
• Information sharing on delayed incident resolutions
• High number of open incidents
• Poor transparency of the second-line support and the third-line
support activities
How to provide
We don’t have customers more
enough resources to detailed information
fix all the open about the progress
cases. Could a of the resolution?
customer prioritize
cases?

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 3.1.3. Solutions

• Priorization of incidents
• Solution: Clarify rules how to use priority coding system. Discuss
the priority codes with customers. Monitor that the rules are
followed.
• Lack of Service Level Agreements
• Solution: Implement SLA rules and conduct a SLA pilot with one
customer

Reaction time rules Example: Priority Level

Status Reaction time
Med. reaction time
Rule name •SLA Warning alert 3 hours
Days •SLA Breach alert 4 hours

2.3.2012 12
3.2. Finnish Tax Administration

• Case type: Government agency

• Number of employees: 5700
• Improvement target:
– Service desk and incident management
– Problem management
• Core business:
– We will ensure the tax revenue by providing proactive
guidance and good service as well as by conducting credible
tax control.
– Our customers can contribute to their
tax issues with as little cost and inconvenience as possible.

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 3.2.1. IT service management tool

Customer Service Contact channel Reason for contact

Advise
Support request.phone
Status
Reported by Group

Call back Closure code

time
Failure end time
Failure start time

Summary

Description

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3.2.2. Challenges

• Lack of Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

• Classification of support requests difficult for customers
• The interface between incident management and problem
management
• Identification of repeating incidents from the service desk system.

Why customers have

to classify support How can I relate this
requests? It is a request to the tax
service desk card application’s
worker’s task internal module?

2.3.2012 15
3.2.3 Solutions

• Lack of Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

• Solution: Create classification schema for configuration items.
Validate classification with real service desk cases.

Family: Application – Class: Tax application – Name:Tax card in web

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3.2.2. Solutions
• Interface between incident management and problem
management + Identification of repeating incidents
• Solution: Design and deploy the problem record.
Incident

Incident

Incident

Incident

Change in program code

needed?

Request
for Change

Details about problem/defect

2.3.2012 17
 Customers of Istekki
3.3. Istekki
Kuopio City Northern Savo
Healthcare
District
• Case type: IT service provider
• Number of employees: 170 Culture and freetime Healthcare
Technical application
• Improvement target: services
infrastructure
– Incident management Emergency center
– Change management information
systems
• Core business:
– ICT services (IT maintenance and support services, server and data
center services, network and telecommunication services, ICT
acquisition services, IT consulting, project and introduction services)
– Healthcare technology services

2.3.2012 18
 3.3.1. IT service management tool
Update Service Request

Customer CI type
User
Organization Configuration
Service request items
Title
Description

Class Incident

Impact Interrupts work

Status Work in progress

Group Application failure

2.3.2012 19
3.3.2. Challenges

• No reports implemented for change management

• Evaluation of changes is not visible
• Incidents may remain unresolved for several months
• Employees do not understand the difference between incidents,
service requests and problems

I cannot find
rationale (business
We have a change justification) for this
record but why change?
people are not using
it?

2.3.2012 20
3.3.3. Solutions

• No reports implemented for change management

• Solution: Implement the following change management reports
– Number of change requests (by service area)
– Number of major changes
– Change throughput time
• Evaluation of changes is not visible
• Solution: Add new datafields to the change record in the ITSM tool
– Reason for change as a separate field
– Post-implementation review of change

2.3.2012 21
4. Conclusion

• Lessons learnt from three cases:

– Use real examples in ITSM trainings Collect 10 concrete examples of
each ITIL concept (incident, service request, problem, RFC)
– Classification: Pay attention to classification of support requests
• Service area: Application services
• Configuration item: Application – Tax applications - Tax card in web
• Support request type: Incident
– Proactive support: Aim at proactive IT service support (problem
management is the key) instead of reactive one
– Priorization: Check whether priority rules are followed on 1st, 2nd
and 3rd support levels and prepare for SLAs

2.3.2012 22
Thank you!!!
Questions, comments?
Marko Jäntti, PhD.
([email protected])
School of Computing,
Kuopio campus
Software Engineering Research
Unit, KISMET project

www.uef.fi