Service Delivery: A Service Establishment and Delivery Process Area at Maturity Level 2
Purpose
The purpose of Service Delivery (SD) is to deliver services in accordance with service agreements.
Introductory Notes
The Service Delivery process area focuses on the following:
• Establishing and maintaining service agreements
• Preparing and maintaining a service delivery approach
• Preparing for service delivery
• Delivering services
• Receiving and processing service requests
• Maintaining service systems
Service delivery covers establishing and maintaining a written agreement with customers. A “service agreement” describes the service to be delivered to the customer, service level targets, and responsibilities of the service provider, customer, and end user as appropriate.
A service agreement can cover multiple services or multiple customers. It can take the form of a service level agreement (SLA), performance work statement (PWS), statement of objectives (SOO), statement of work (SOW), or other type of agreement. The service agreement can be part of a contract, a memorandum of agreement, an approved requirements document, or some other document. For simple cases, it may be nothing more than a printed menu of services and prices.
The Service Delivery process area supports a positive relationship between the service provider and its customers and end users while meeting the needs of all three. Service delivery processes should encourage open communication without the assignment of blame. The primary focus is on satisfying the documented needs of end users.
A “customer” is a party (i.e., individual, group, organization) responsible for accepting the service or for authorizing payment. Customers identify their needs for services, buy services, and define and agree to service level targets. Customers can be internal or external to the service provider’s organization, and may or may not be the same as end users, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of service delivery.
In addition to establishing service agreements, the Service Delivery process area includes practices for preparing for service delivery as well as for operating, monitoring, and maintaining the service system. Service delivery is accomplished through the operation of the service system in response to service requests, which are communications from customers or end users that identify a need to deliver an agreed service. These requests are made within the context of an accepted service agreement.
The two types of service requests are as follows:
• Those service requests specified on a continuous or scheduled basis as determined by service agreements
• Those service requests identified over time by customers or end users as their needs develop on an ad-hoc basis
Whatever the nature of a specific service request, it should be recorded, tracked, and resolved through some type of request management system. This approach helps to ensure that all service requests are fulfilled to meet service agreements. The response to service requests also encompasses performing any needed low-level planning as a detailed extension of broader work planning activities.
Related Process Areas
Refer to the Service System Transition process area for more information about deploying new or significantly changed service system components while managing their effect on ongoing service delivery.
Refer to the Configuration Management process area for more information about establishing baselines and tracking and controlling changes.
Refer to the Work Monitoring and Control process area for more information about monitoring the work against the plan.
Specific Practices by Goal
SG 1 Establish Service Agreements
Service agreements are established and maintained.
The service agreement between a service provider and a customer is established and maintained. An ongoing collaborative approach to the activities described in this process area encourages a culture that supports service quality improvement in contrast to a culture that focuses on blame and disputing small details of agreements.
The service agreement should be established prior to the start of service delivery. Over time, the service agreement can be revised based on service delivery results (e.g., to reflect needed changes to services delivered, service level targets, the responsibilities of the service provider or customer).
To succeed in maintaining collaboration between the service provider and customer, it is important to define the responsibilities of both parties. It is also important to set realistic expectations for service levels, which requires defining measurable, achievable service levels.
When standard service definitions and baseline service delivery data are available at the organizational level, the service provider should use that information as a basis for establishing and tailoring agreements.
Refer to the Strategic Service Management process area for more information about establishing and maintaining standard services in concert with strategic needs and plans.
Refer to the Work Monitoring and Control process area for more information about monitoring commitments.
SP 1.1 Analyze Existing Agreements and Service Data
Analyze existing service agreements and service data to prepare for expected new agreements.
This practice considers the complete context in which requirements are being established. Customer goals, supplier constraints, service provider concerns, and existing service delivery data and definitions (e.g., performance data, service levels, baselines, resource use, monitoring capabilities, service catalogs, standard services) are included in this analysis.
The analysis of existing agreements and service data is an activity that is repeatedly executed during the service agreement’s life. The service agreement is not a static artifact. It is dynamic and must be adjustable because the ongoing analysis of service data and agreements can identify changes over time.
Example Work Products
1. Customer descriptions of plans, goals, and service needs
2. Results of customer and end-user satisfaction surveys and questionnaires
3. Results of assessments of provider capability to meet customer needs
Subpractices
1. Review available customer and end-user need data.
It is important to obtain an understanding of the customer and end-user perceptions of service prior to establishing the service agreement. These perceptions can include customer objectives that are not directly expressed as service requirements.
Refer to the Strategic Service Management process area for more information about gathering and analyzing data.
2. Review concerns of service delivery and support staff.
Prior to establishing the service agreement, it is important to obtain an understanding of the perspectives of the service delivery and support staff who work with customers and end users. These staffs are ultimately responsible for ensuring that service delivery meets requirements. They also have unique operational insight into the potential impacts of new agreements. This information can be collected through face-to-face or telephone interviews, or through other methods of soliciting staff feedback (e.g., staff meetings, email, surveys).
3. Review existing service agreements and supplier agreements.
4. Review available current service data and service system designs.
Existing service data (e.g., performance data, service levels, baselines, incident histories, data from capacity and availability management) and capabilities (e.g., monitoring capabilities) are reviewed. Available industry benchmarks or other published data can be used, especially in the case of service requirements not previously addressed by the provider.
Refer to the Capacity and Availability Management process area for more information about monitoring and analyzing capacity and availability.
Refer to the Incident Resolution and Prevention process area for more information about identifying, controlling, and addressing incidents.
5. Analyze the capability to supply requested services.
Consider the overall approach to how the requested service delivery will be accomplished.
Refer to the Capacity and Availability Management process area for more information about ensuring effective service system performance and ensuring that resources are provided and used effectively to support service requirements.
Refer to the Supplier Agreement Management process area for more information about managing the acquisition of products and services from suppliers.
SP 1.2 Establish the Service Agreement
Establish and maintain the service agreement.
Depending on the service type, market, and the nature of the service provider’s business model, the initial form of a service agreement can be determined by either the customer or the service provider. The content in the agreement can be established by one party or the other, or is jointly negotiated.
The service agreement should cover all terms, conditions, and commitments that are necessary for ongoing successful service delivery, including commitments for which customers and end users are responsible when appropriate.
Refer to the Strategic Service Management process area for more information about establishing properties of standard services and service levels.
Example Work Products
1. Service agreement
Subpractices
1. Define the structure and format of the service agreement.
It is important to define a structure for the service agreement that will meet the needs of the customer and service provider. The structure of the service agreement complements or reflects the critical attributes, categories, and structure or hierarchy of standard service definitions if they exist.
In some service contexts (e.g., government contracting), customers provide considerable detail on their expectations for the structure and format of a service agreement. In those situations, this subpractice amounts to developing an understanding of the customer’s expectations and the range of allowable tailoring of the agreement’s structure and format.
2. Define, negotiate, and obtain agreement on a draft service agreement.
3. Publish the service agreement and make it available to service providers, customers, and end users as appropriate.
4. Review and revise the service agreement on a periodic and event-driven basis as appropriate.
SG 2 Prepare for Service Delivery
Preparation for service delivery is conducted.
Preparing for service delivery involves developing a detailed approach for receiving and processing service requests and for delivering services specified in the service agreements. The approach includes identifying and integrating the required service delivery activities, ensuring that service systems are ready for service delivery in the appropriate service delivery environments, and ensuring that requisite consumables are on hand.
SP 2.1 Establish the Service Delivery Approach
Establish and maintain the approach to be used for service delivery and service system operations.
The service delivery approach identifies and describes resources, processes, and interfaces that are essential to successful service delivery over time.
A mature work group or organization treats these items as components of a defined service system and develops them during a rigorous set of service system development practices.
Refer to the Capacity and Availability Management process area for more information about ensuring effective service system performance and ensuring that resources are provided and used effectively to support service requirements.
Refer to the Work Planning process area for more information about developing a work plan.
Example Work Products
1. Service delivery approach (i.e., approach to request management, service system operations)
2. Contact and roster lists
3. Service request criteria
4. Internal status reporting templates (e.g., dashboards)
5. External status reporting templates (e.g., service request completion notices)
Subpractices
1. Define criteria for determining service requests.
To be able to identify valid service requests, criteria should be defined that enable service providers to determine what is and what is not a service request. In addition, there are typically criteria for differentiating the priority of a service request and its associated impact.
2. Define categories for service requests and criteria for categorizing service requests.
The fulfillment of service requests is facilitated by having an established set of categories. These predetermined categories can enable appropriate and efficient assignment of resources.
3. Describe how responsibility for processing service requests is assigned and transferred.
4. Identify one or more mechanisms that customers and end users can use to submit service requests.
These mechanisms should account for how groups and individuals can submit requests, such as through telephone support, paper forms (mailed or delivered in person), and electronic forms submitted through web pages.
5. Identify requirements on the amount of time defined for the fulfillment of service requests in the service agreement.
Often, the agreed minimum and maximum amount of time needed for fulfillment of service requests is documented in the service agreement before the start of service delivery.
6. Determine the resource requirements for service delivery as required.
Resource requirements are generated by service agreements, by the need to respond to foreseeable service incidents and requests, and by the need to maintain service systems so that service delivery can continue over time. These resources can include staff, consumables, and any other resources that should be controlled to ensure that service is delivered in accordance with service agreements.
Refer to the Capacity and Availability Management process area for more information about ensuring effective service system performance and ensuring that resources are provided and used effectively to support service requirements.
7. Review, refine, or enhance stakeholder communication mechanisms (e.g., notices, status reports, dashboards) as necessary.
Methods and tools for communicating with customers, end users, service provider staff, and other relevant stakeholders during the course of service delivery are components of a complete service system. These methods and tools (e.g., contact lists) can be created during service system development, but they should be reviewed regularly, tailored, and possibly supplemented to meet ongoing service delivery needs.
8. Document the service delivery approach.
9. Review and get agreement with relevant stakeholders on the approach for delivering each separately identifiable service.
Information presented to relevant stakeholders about the approach should be in terms that they can understand. The review should allow them to identify concerns about the approach.
10. Revise the approach for delivering services as necessary.
SP 2.2 Prepare for Service System Operations
Confirm the readiness of the service system to enable the delivery of services.
Ensure that the appropriate service system components (e.g., tools, consumables, people, processes, procedures) are ready for service system operations. Service systems can require that consumables be acquired to enable consistent service delivery. Confirming the ongoing readiness for service delivery is not a one-time practice. These activities should be performed repeatedly as needed by the overall service delivery approach, even when the service system is not changing.
Refer to the Service System Transition process area for more information about deploying new or significantly changed service system components while managing their effect on ongoing service delivery.
Example Work Products
1. Monitoring tool thresholds validation report
2. Operating procedures validation report
3. Consumables (e.g., paper media, magnetic media) validation report
4. Logs of consumable acquisition and use
5. Service delivery logs and receipts
6. Results from demonstrated service system operation
Subpractices
1. Confirm that the appropriate service system’s components and tools are operational.
2. Evaluate the results of confirming service system component readiness and determine what corrective action is needed.
Depending on the situation, any deficiencies or issues that are uncovered should be treated as service incidents.
Refer to the Incident Resolution and Prevention process area for more information about identifying, controlling, and addressing incidents.
3. Review the service level requirements in the service agreements and ensure that proper thresholds are set in service system monitoring tools.
4. Develop, review, or refine service delivery procedures.
Detailed processes, standard operating procedures, or work instructions can be created during service system development but they should be reviewed regularly, tailored, and possibly supplemented to meet ongoing service delivery needs.
5. Ensure that necessary resources are available for performing service delivery activities and tasks.
Service delivery activities and tasks can include the following: operating, monitoring, and repairing service system components; supporting users of the service system; and acquiring and replacing service system components.
6. Prepare and update detailed job execution and monitoring schedules for delivering services as requested.
7. Provide orientation to incoming service delivery and support staff on current service delivery operations during staff member changes.
Whenever there is a change of staff involved in service delivery (e.g., a staff rotation at a shift change), incoming staff are oriented on the current state of operations to ensure that ongoing service delivery is not interrupted.
8. Ensure that any necessary consumables are available for service delivery.
Procedures are documented for replenishing consumables and replacing or upgrading infrastructure components. As necessary, acquire and inspect service system consumables according to documented procedures.
SP 2.3 Establish a Request Management System
Establish and maintain a request management system for processing and tracking request information.
A request management system includes the storage media, procedures, and tools for accessing the request management system. These storage media, procedures, and tools can be automated but are not required to be. For example, storage media might be a filing system where documents are stored. Procedures can be documented on paper, and tools can be hand tools or instruments for performing work without automated help.
Service requests are often submitted through a service desk or help desk function.
Example Work Products
1. A request management system with controlled work products
2. Access control procedures for the request management system
Subpractices
1. Ensure that the request management system allows the reassignment and transfer of requests among groups.
Requests may need to be transferred between different groups because the group that entered the request may not be best suited for taking action to address it.
2. Ensure that the request management system allows the storage, update, and retrieval of request management information.
3. Ensure that the request management system enables data reporting that is useful to the fulfillment of requests.
4. Maintain the integrity of the request management system and its contents.
5. Maintain the request management system as necessary.
SG 3 Deliver Services
Services are delivered in accordance with service agreements.
Services are delivered continuously and in response to service requests in accordance with service agreements. This delivery is accomplished through operation of the service system, which is kept in operation or returned to operation as needed in spite of the occurrence of service incidents. The service system is also subject to varying needs for maintenance.
Refer to the Incident Resolution and Prevention process area for more information about identifying, controlling, and addressing incidents.
SP 3.1 Receive and Process Service Requests
Receive and process service requests in accordance with service agreements.
Service requests can be submitted through various mechanisms (e.g., web forms, phone calls). Some requests may also be identified in service agreements, especially requests for continuous or repeatedly scheduled services. The receipt and processing of all service requests should be coordinated through an established request management system.
Example Work Products
1. Request management record
2. Action proposal
4. End user receipts confirming request fulfillment
Subpractices
1. Receive service requests and ensure each request is within the scope of the service agreement.
In organizations that use a help desk function, service requests are usually submitted to such a function.
2. Record information about the service request.
When recording service request information, include sufficient information to properly support the analysis and resolution of the service request.
3. Categorize and analyze the service request.
Using the categories established in the approach to service delivery, assign the relevant categories to the service request in the request management system. For some service requests, the request analysis can be completed by merely selecting the type of service request. For other service requests (e.g., upgrade operating system software) it may be necessary to assemble a special team to analyze the request.
4. Determine which resources are required to resolve the service request.
Which individuals, groups, and other resources are best suited can depend on the type of service request, locations involved, and impact on the organization or customer.
5. Determine the actions to be taken to satisfy the service request.
Using the categories established in the approach to service delivery, determine the appropriate actions to perform. In some cases, the categories themselves can have pre-determined actions associated with them.
6. Plan the actions further as appropriate.
Perform additional scheduling and other planning required to guide the actions that have been selected. When analyzing standard service requests, the actions for resolving a standard service request can be documented in a standard action plan. If the actions taken result in changes to the service system, further actions may also be needed to ensure traceability to requirements.
7. Monitor the status of service requests as appropriate until they are fulfilled as described in the service agreement.
Throughout the life of the service request, the status of the request should be recorded, tracked, transferred as necessary, and closed.
Refer to the Work Monitoring and Control process area for more information about monitoring the work against the plan.
8. Review service request status and resolution, and confirm results with relevant stakeholders.
Communication is a critical factor when providing services. Communication with the person who requested the service and possibly other relevant stakeholders affected by it should be considered throughout the life of the service request in the request management system. Usually, the result of relevant actions taken should be reviewed with the person that submitted the service request to verify that the actions fulfilled the service request to the satisfaction of the submitter.
In organizations that use a help desk function, the status of service requests is communicated to relevant stakeholders by the help desk.
9. Close the service request and record the actions taken and results.
The actions performed to fulfill the service request and the result of performing the actions are recorded in the request management system to support satisfying similar service requests in future situations.
SP 3.2 Operate the Service System
Operate the service system to deliver services in accordance with service agreements.
This practice encompasses performing the activities necessary to operate the service system to deliver services based on the agreed service delivery approach. Operation means the integrated performance of a service system and use of its processes and other resources by service provider staff to deliver services to end users.
Example Work Products
1. List of services delivered
2. Service logs
3. Performance reports and dashboards
4. Log of corrective actions
5. Customer satisfaction data
6. Request management database record
Subpractices
1. Operate service system components according to service system procedures.
Operating service system components can include starting or stopping them, providing input to them, controlling them, or handling output from them as appropriate.
2. Perform operations support activities (e.g., revise thresholds).
Among the support activities service providers perform during operation, service providers can provide customer and end user training or orientation as needed.
3. Manage the critical dependencies and paths of the service delivery schedules according to operating procedures.
Management of some service delivery activities can be adequately covered by work management and measurement and analysis activities, especially for service requests identified directly in service agreements.
4. Manage and control the security of service delivery.
Security can include monitoring for security breaches, ensuring that vulnerabilities are corrected, and controlling access to services.
When delivering services, the service systems should ensure that only approved services as specified in the service agreement are delivered to authorized staff.
5. Manage and control other operationally oriented quality attributes associated with service delivery.
In addition to security, other operationally oriented service system quality attributes should be managed. Example quality attributes include capacity, availability, responsiveness, usability, reliability, and safety. The management of some of these other operationally oriented service system quality attributes is addressed in other process areas.
Refer to the Capacity and Availability Management process area for more information about monitoring and analyzing capacity and availability.
6. Perform low-level monitoring of service system components using monitoring and data collection tools as appropriate.
Some monitoring of service system operation can be adequately covered by work group level monitoring and control or measurement and analysis. However, some services can require monitoring and data collection at the level of individual service requests or continuously within the scope of a single service request. Such low-level monitoring can require its own tools to handle data collection, analysis, and reporting appropriately. These tools are often automated.
7. As appropriate, perform the activities needed to fulfill service requests or resolve service incidents according to the service agreement.
Throughout the life of a service request or service incident, its status should be recorded, tracked, escalated as necessary, and closed. The appropriate resolution of an incident can be a simple operational procedure (e.g., restarting a failed service system component) or it can involve some degree of service system maintenance.
Refer to the Incident Resolution and Prevention process area for more information about identifying, controlling, and addressing incidents.
Refer to the Work Monitoring and Control process area for more information about monitoring the work against the plan.
8. Communicate the status of service requests until closed.
9. Collect customer satisfaction information immediately after services are delivered or service requests are fulfilled.
SP 3.3 Maintain the Service System
Maintain the service system to ensure the continuation of service delivery.
Operational service systems should be maintained to ensure a continuing capability to deliver services in accordance with service agreements over time. This practice can encompass a variety of types of maintenance, including the following:
• Corrective maintenance (i.e., correcting and repairing components that degrade the operational capability of the service system)
• Preventive maintenance (i.e., preventing service incidents and defects from occurring through pre-planned activities)
• Adaptive maintenance (i.e., adapting the service system to a changing or different service delivery environment)
• Perfective maintenance (i.e., developing or acquiring additional or improved operational capability of the service system)
Corrective maintenance can be performed to address service incidents or to resolve their underlying causes.
Depending on the type and scope of actual instances of service system maintenance, other process areas can contribute practices that are relevant to accomplishing this effort, especially for any maintenance that has the following characteristics:
• Represents a change to the requirements or design of the service system (e.g., perfective maintenance)
• Entails significant risks to implement changes required by maintenance activities
Maintenance can be performed on any portion of a service system, including consumables, processes, and people. The maintenance of people as service system components is often accomplished through training, although other methods can be appropriate as well (e.g., transferring staff members to roles that better match their skills).
Refer to the Service System Transition process area for more information about preparing for service system transition.
Refer to the Configuration Management process area for more information about tracking and controlling changes.
Example Work Products
1. Corrective or preventive maintenance change requests
2. Maintenance notifications
3. Preventive maintenance schedules
Subpractices
1. Review maintenance requests and prioritize requests based on criteria identified when establishing the service delivery approach.
2. Analyze impacts on service systems and services delivery.
3. Develop a plan to implement maintenance.
Non-routine maintenance requests should be scheduled into agreed maintenance slots to ensure that the availability of services is not adversely affected.
4. Release maintenance notifications to relevant stakeholders.
5. Update service system documentation as appropriate.
6. Implement and test corrective or preventive maintenance according to the plan and operating procedures.
Testing should be performed outside the service delivery environment when appropriate. Significant maintenance changes to a service system should apply Service System Transition practices as well.
7. Submit maintenance documentation and configuration changes to a configuration management repository.