Abstract

A key requirement for service providers is to define, manage and deliver Information Technology (IT) services to effectively support business goals and customer needs. Several process reference models for the IT service management (ITSM) have emerged, being Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) the reference model accepted as de facto standard for ITSM. This paper introduces a novel method for implementing ITIL which is based on business process management lifecycle and simulation modeling. An application of the method to implement the incident management process in a Spanish company is also presented. The method has been reviewed by ITIL experts and evaluated from the process stakeholders’ perspective using a questionnaire. The answers provided to the questionnaire show the usefulness of the method to address critical success factors and to support the application of adequate process management practices.

Introduction

Since the use of information management technologies has significantly increased over the last years, companies are demanding more efficient technological services and solutions. Thus, IT service providers need to focus more on service quality and the relationships with their customers than in technology and their internal organization [1], [2].

IT Service Management (ITSM) is considered a sub-discipline of the Service Science [3] that can be defined as “a set of processes that cooperate to ensure the quality of live IT services, according to the levels of service agreed to by the customer” [۴]. Conger at al. [5] add that ITSM “focuses on defining, managing and delivering IT services to support business goals and customer needs, usually in IT operations”. In order to provide guidance to manage IT services with effectiveness, several ITSM-related standards and process models have emerged [6], [7], [8], such as ISO/IEC 20000 [9], [10], [11], CMMI-SVC (Capability Maturity Model Integrated for Services) [12], [13], and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) [14]. The implementation of ITSM models allows the improvement of IT service quality and customer satisfaction, and the reduction of the service provision cost [15], [16]. Thus, implementing an ITSM reference model has become one of the main priorities for IT companies to assure their continuity and maximize the return of investment and business opportunities [17].