ITIL Implementation - Process Interfaces
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[edit] Step 6: Definition of Process Interfaces
[edit] Description
The next step determines which inputs each process receives from other processes, and which outputs it must produce so that subsequent processes are able to function.
These inputs and outputs are also called ITIL information objects: Structured sets of data, like e.g. an Incident Record, which serves to describe a Service Request or Service Interruption.
Just how great the importance of process interfaces is for the design of optimal work procedures frequently becomes apparent during the analysis of as-is Processes:
Weaknesses in processes often occur at those points where one process ends and another one begins. In many cases one will find interrupted information flows or media breaks – so that the required information is not exchanged as intended.
The definition of the process interfaces is taken care of as a separate project step, before dealing with the innards of the processes in detail. Obviously, before being able to define the detailed activities, it must be clear what inputs a process can expect from preceding ones, and which outputs it must produce.
The previously developed process structure is used as a basis for determining the required process interfaces. Information objects serve to define the in-/outputs in a precise way. The Process Owner can thus easily and at a single glance recognize which inputs he can expect from other processes, and which results his own process must deliver. The information objects being used to specify the interfaces may be selected from a central repository, the ITIL Glossary.
A challenge during the definition of the interfaces lies in the fact that, as a rule, not all ITIL processes are introduced at once, which often means that some of the required inputs for a process are missing.
For example, an IT Security Management process could not yet be explicitly defined, but the Service Desk still requires inputs from Security Management, like e.g. Security Alerts.
In order to circumvent this problem, which inevitably springs up during a phased introduction of ITIL, a generic process directory for the IT organization as a whole can be used.
The generic directory offers a structured framework for the definition of process links even if, initially, only a sub-set of the ITIL processes is defined in detail.
Additional ITIL processes can thus be plugged into the process model at a later point in time as needed.
[edit] Objective of this Project Step
- Definition of the interfaces for all ITIL processes which are to be introduced
[edit] Prerequisites
- Structure of the ITIL processes to be introduced
- ITIL information objects (ITIL glossary terms) as inputs and outputs
[edit] Results/ Deliverables
- Interfaces of the ITIL processes to be introduced:
- with each other
- with other ITIL processes
- with customers and suppliers
[edit] Success Factors
- It must be avoided that the newly introduced processes represent an isolated solution; the interfaces to the other processes within the IT organization and beyond it must therefore be considered.
- The documentation of the interfaces should be clearly structured, showing details only when required. This calls for overview diagrams showing the big picture and separate detailed interface diagrams for each process.
Following Process Activity
ITIL Implementation - Step 7: Establishing Process Controlling
