Chapter 3.

Service Transition
Lifecycle - II
Aim
To familiarise the students with the knowledge of
Service Transition phase in the ITIL Service Lifecycle.
Instructional Objectives
After completing this chapter, you should be able to:

Explain service Asset and Configuration Management process and its importance from
legal and financial aspects

Elaborate configuration identification and configuration management system(CMS)

Describe configuration control and need for authorised change

Illustrate knowledge management, knowledge management service system

 Explain service Asset and
Configuration Management process
and its importance from legal and
financial aspects
3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process
• Successful service delivery demands a significant number of assets of
various types such as network equipment, computers, etc.
• Various artifacts generated during service management are needed for
the successful administration and the delivery of services.
• The various artifacts can be SLA (Service Level Agreements), policies,
and the service catalogue.
• Such assets are referred to as the CI (Configuration Items) by the ITIL.
3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process
• The configuration management system involves the following:

Knowledge processing
Data layer
layer

Integration layer Presentation layer

3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process
The objectives of service asset and configuration management
To provide reliable information on the configurations and their documentation to assist all the other service management
processes

An account for all the IT assets and configurations and its services within the business

To verify the configuration records corresponding to the infrastructure and correct any exceptions

To provide a fair basis for problem management, incident management, release management, and change management

Account for protecting and managing the integrity of the service assets and configuration items during their lifecycle

To Plan, control, identify, report, record, verify, and audit the service assets and configuration items

To provide reliable information to assist the business and service management

Secure the integrity of those items by creating and maintaining an accurate CMS (Configuration Management System) as
part of the SKMS (Service Knowledge Management System)
3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process
The value to the organisation of service asset and configuration management
• The service asset and configuration management provide clarity on the accurate representations of a service,
environment or release that allows:

The changes and releases to be assessed, planned and delivered successfully

Better forecasting and planning of the changes

Service levels and warranties to be provided

The incidents and problems to be fixed within the service level targets

Greater adherence to legal, standards, and regulatory obligations

Changes to be identifiable from the requirements

3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process
Service asset and configuration management process activities:

Management and planning

Configuration identification

Naming configuration items

Labelling configuration items

Attributes for configuration items

Relationship types
3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process
3.2.1 Service Assets and Configuration Management Process

SACM Relationship Map

Self Assessment Questions

1. Service asset and configuration management support the ____________ system?

A. CMDB C. CMS
B. SLA D. CI

2. Which of the following layer includes analysing and reporting on the contents of the integrated
database?

A. Data C. Integration
B. Knowledge Processing D. Presentation
Short Answer Questions

How can Change Management help CMD?

What is included in the knowledge processing layer?

 Elaborate configuration
identification and configuration
management system(CMS)
3.2.2 Configuration Identification
• Configuration Identification is the selection, unique identification, description and labelling of assembly and
component Configuration Items (CIs), and the relationships between them.
• For planning configuration identification it is necessary to:

Define how the categories of assets and configuration items are to be selected (Choose), grouped, classified

Define methods for identification, naming as well as labelling of all service components or the assets of interest across the
service lifecycle and the relationships among them

Define the roles plus responsibilities of the custodian or owner for configuration item type at every stage of its lifecycle
Self Assessment Questions
3. For ______________ it is necessary to specify every configuration item is placed under configuration
management.

A. Controlling configuration identification C. Managing configuration identification

B. Planning configuration identification D. Labelling configuration identification

4. Which of the following is the selection, unique identification, description and labelling of assembly
and component Configuration Items (CIs), and the relationships between them?

A. Configuration Identification C. Labelling configuration

B. Naming Configuration D. Presentation
Short Answer Questions

What is configuration identification?

What does the configuration identification process activities include?

Describe configuration control and
need for authorised change
3.2.3 Configuration Control
• ITIL Configuration Control is concerned with reviewing modifications
(variation) to the Configuration Management System (CMS).
• This ensures information stored in CMS is complete and modifications
were done by an authorised party.
• Control mechanisms over CIs maintain a record of changes to CIs,
location, versions and custodianship/ownership.
3.2.3 Configuration Control
Procedures and policies need to be produced for:
Licence control, to confirm the exact number of people who are using licences and that there is no license remaining unused and wasted

Version control of service asset, hardware and software versions, images/builds and releases

Access control, for e.g. to facilities, storage areas, and CMS

Build control, containing the use of build specification from the CMS to perform a build

Migration of electronic data and information, and promotion

Taking a configuration baseline of CIs or assets before performing a release (into system, acceptance test and production) in a way that can
be used for succeeding checking beside actual deployment

Deployment controls with distribution

Installation

Maintaining the integrity of the DML

Self Assessment Questions

5. ITIL Configuration Control is concerned with reviewing modifications to the ________________.

A. CMS C. ITSM
B. CI D. SACM

6. Procedures and policies need to be produced for _____________.

A. Identifying the owner responsible for every configuration item

B. Specifying the relevant attributes of every configuration item
C. Assigning exclusive identifiers to configuration items
D. Maintaining the integrity of the DML
Short Answer Questions

What is the use of license control?

In which stage should an effective configuration control model be designed?

Illustrate knowledge management,
knowledge management service
system
3.2.4. Knowledge Management
• Knowledge management is responsible for maintaining the service knowledge management system (SKMS).
• SKMS represents the total body of knowledge within the service management organisation.
• The service knowledge management system comprises all the data stores used by the service management,
such as:

Supplier and contract Availability, capacity, and

management security management
CMS Service portfolio
information system information systems
(SCMIS) (CMIS, AMIS, and ISMIS)

CSI register
3.2.4. Knowledge Management

Knowledge Management
3.2.4. Knowledge Management
Why have knowledge management?
• An organisations capacity to deliver a quality process or service to a notable extent rests on its ability to
respond to the circumstances.
• Concerned person must have a thorough understanding of the situation, consequences, benefits, and options.
• An example of this knowledge in the service transition phase may comprise:

Available resource and Acceptable risk levels and

Identity of stakeholders
timescales performance expectations
3.2.4. Knowledge Management
The objectives of knowledge management
• To enable businesses to improve the quality of decision-making of the management
• To assure that the secure and reliable information and data are accessible throughout the service lifecycle.
• To improve the efficiency by diminishing the need to rediscover knowledge.
• This is achieved by:

Assuring that the staff has a shared and precise understanding of the value that their services present to the customers
and how they are received

Empowering the service provider to be more productive and improve the quality of the service, increase satisfaction,
reduce costs

Ensuring that the service provider staff have sufficient information

3.2.4. Knowledge Management
Value to the organisation of knowledge management
• Knowledge management is important within the service transition phase since appropriate and
relevant knowledge is one of the important service elements being changed.
• Examples where successful transition rests on relevant knowledge management include:

Awareness on the usage of the service, and the discontinuation of the previous versions

Service Desk, user, support staff and supplier understanding of the new or changed service, embracing knowledge of the
errors signed off before the deployment, to promote their roles within that service

Establishing acceptable confidence and risk levels connected with the transition
3.2.4. Knowledge Management
The activities of knowledge management

Knowledge identification capture and maintenance

Knowledge transfer

Data and information management

Establishing data and information requirements

Establishing data and information management procedures

Evaluation and improvement

3.2.4. Knowledge Management
The terminology of knowledge management

SKMS: Service knowledge management System

CMS: Configuration Management System

KEDB: Known Error Database

DML: Definitive Media Library

• The secure library in which the authorised and definitive versions of all the media CIs are protected and stored.
• The DML must constitute software developed on site, as well as final copies of purchased software (along with license documents or
information)
Self Assessment Questions

7. What does SKMS stand for?

A. Social knowledge Management System C. Source Knowledge Management System

B. Service Knowledge Management System D. Service knowledge Maintenance System

8. Which of the following represents the total body of knowledge within the service management
organisation?

A. Process Management C. Change Management

B. Knowledge Management D. Problem Management
Short Answer Questions

Who is responsible for maintaining the SKMS?

What is main purpose of knowledge management?

Activity:
Online Activity
Duration: 30 Minutes

Description

The SACM plan contains references to the configuration information and data. This usually includes the
attributes that are to be recorded for each type of asset or CI. Lists attributes of a CI record with a real
world example and prepare a presentation for this.
Long Answer Questions

1. Explain service Asset and Configuration Management

process.
2. Elaborate on the configuration identification.
3. Elaborate on the knowledge management and its
objectives.
Summary
 Successful service delivery demands a significant number of assets like network
equipment, computers, etc. Service Level Agreements, policies and service catalogue is
also essential for the same. These assets are known as Configuration Items.
 To maintain the accuracy of a configuration management database, the service asset and
configuration management depends on change management.
 Service asset and configuration management support the CMS (configuration
management system).
 Knowledge processing layer consists of tools to model, analyse and report on the contents
of the integrated database.
 Integration layer consists of tools to unite the items in a database. Presentation layer
consists of tools to provide customised views of the database for the various user
communities.
 The optimisation of the performance of service assets and configurations enhances the
overall service performance and also optimises the expenses and uncertainties caused by
poorly managed assets, for example, fines, service outages, failed audits, and correct
licence fees.
Summary
 Configuration Identification is the selection, unique identification, description and labelling of
assembly and component Configuration Items (CIs), and the relationships between them.
 ITIL Configuration Control is generally concerned with reviewing modifications (variation) to
the Configuration Management System (CMS), to assured the information stored in the CMS is
complete besides the modification was done by an authorised party.
 In Configuration control guarantees; there are suitable control mechanisms over CIs while
maintaining a record of changes to CIs, location, versions and custodianship/ownership.
 Knowledge management is responsible for maintaining the service knowledge management
system (SKMS), which represents the total body of knowledge within the service management
organisation.
 Knowledge can be categorised according to the data-information-knowledge-wisdom (DIKW)
structure: Data, Information, Knowledge and Wisdom.
 Data (also known as raw data ) describes the numbers or the discrete facts. The data items
have a limited meaning.
Summary
 The information is produced when the data is seen in the context which involves the application
of statistics such as peak and minimum values or averages.
 The knowledge management needs to manage the content in a way that it allows the users to
question and analyse it.
 Knowledge links the information with experience and can be used as a basis of decision-
making.
 Knowledge management supports the tools that enable the users to spot the trends or
ascertain that a threshold has been passed.
 Wisdom can be formed by taking the benefit of all the knowledge available, such as recognising
that a recent degeneration of service performance concurred with the appropriation of a new
procedure.
 The purpose of knowledge management is to enable businesses to improve the quality of
decision-making of the management by assuring that the secure and reliable information and
data are accessible throughout the service lifecycle.
References

Weblinks
1. Service Asset Configuration and Management. Retrieved 2 Nov, 2016 from

https://www.ucisa.ac.uk//media/files/members/activities/itil/servicetransition/itil_introducing%20service%
20transition%20pdf.ashx?la=en

2. Knowledge Management. Retrieved 2 Nov, 2016 from

https://www.ucisa.ac.uk//media/files/members/activities/itil/servicetransition/itil_introducing
%20service%20transition%20pdf.ashx?la=en

3. Configuration Identification. Retrieved 2 Nov, 2016 from

https://www.ucisa.ac.uk//media/files/members/activities/itil/servicetransition/itil_introducing
%20service%20transition%20pdf.ashx?la=en
References (Cont.)
Books

1. Steinberg, Randy. (2011). ITIL. London: TSO, The Stationery Office. Print

2. Stych, Christof, and Klaus Zeppenfeld. (2008). ITIL. Berlin: Springer. Print.

3. Shuja, Ahmad K. (2011). ITIL: Service Management Implementation and Operation. Boca

Raton, FL: Auerbach Publications. Print.

THANK YOU