Practices and Processes-ITIL Service Transition

While delivering the capabilities for continual service improvement and service operations, the processes and practices of ITIL service transition lifecycle guarantee the smooth transition of an organization, from one state to the next. Service transition ensures that the changed or new services succeed in satisfying business expectations and customer needs—in a manner documented in the lifecycle stages of service design and service strategy.
 
What is Service Transition? 
 
Transition means change. Management of change serves to be the most vital component of service transition. Change management refers to the process that provides an assurance that all the changes taking place in an organization are closely monitored across their various stages and the scope of any error in their performance is minimized. This organized approach ensures effective and efficient implementation of change processes—which may range from simplistic tasks to major policy as well as strategy changes.
 
The Transition Guidance
 
Along with controlling risks, managing changes in an efficient and effective manner, and delivering knowledge for all kinds of decision support, the primary aim of this transition stage is adequate planning and the accurate implementation of change. The transition guidance encompasses the practices in service asset & configuration management, change management, release & deployment management, knowledge management and change evaluation; all in the context of practical service management.
 
ITIL Service Transition and the Role of Knowledge
 
The potential to deliver quality services or processes is dependent to a large extent on the skills and abilities of those involved in responding to circumstances or situations. This in turn is linked to their understanding and analysis of the situation on hand or in which they are likely to find themselves in future. All this requires thorough knowledge about the options on hand, consequences and benefits linked to specific situations. Therefore, the role of the knowledge that lies within the realms of service transition often includes:
  • Identity of stakeholders
  • Acceptable risk levels
  • Performance expectations
  • Available resources
  • Timescales and so forth. 
The relevance and quality of the knowledge is thus dependent on the quality, accessibility and continued relevance of all basic data/ information that’s made available to service staff.
 
Key Purposes of Knowledge Management Process
 
The main purposes resolved by a well-researched knowledge management process are:
  • Sharing of ideas, experiences and perspectives information;
  • Ensuring that right knowledge is made available at the right time and place, for enabling better and more informed decisions;
  • For bringing about improvements in efficiency by giving vent to the requirement for rediscovering knowledge.
Release & Deployment Management
 
Another important area that holds high significance in service transition as well as Release and Deployment Management, consists of numerous key points, strategies and techniques. This includes:
  • The building of and testing of Release;
  • Planning a Release and its deployment thereof;
  • Planning of pilots;
  • Testing of deployment;
  • Communications with the Change Management team, with regards to the deployment of Release.
In general, the entire process of Release & Deployment is interlinked with:
  • Change Management
  • Service Evaluation
  • Service Validation
  • Service Testing
 
Final Release and Production
 
The Change Advisory Board (CAB) has to give a green signal for the final Release to go into production. In most cases, this approval states that all the stages of the Release & Deployment of a product have been closely monitored and it is all set for mass production. Release & Deployment Management ensures that customers possess the skills and knowledge for using the service completely, and to its full potential. It also establishes that the operations and support staff are well informed with regards to all product warranties and associated service levels. In other words, the department responsible for Release & Deployment Management serves as the most important constituent of the entire Service Transition process.
 
Service Asset & Configuration Management (SACM)
 
Last but certainly not the least, the SACM process ensures that all the assets that are required for delivering services are controlled properly. In addition, it offers accurate and reliable information in relation to these assets -- wherever and whenever required. Typically, the information constitutes of important details such as the relationships between assets, their configuration and so forth.
 
Proven and reliable standards of service transition and change management processes/ practices lead to the proper deployment of all new/ changed services and applications—go for it!

Author : Uma Daga

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Uma Daga