REVIEWED BY
Chris Avvisati | Aug 11, 2022

IT service management, or ITSM, positions IT as a key source of delivering and receiving business value and will often see IT service providers working directly with customers throughout the service lifecycle. ITSM is essential to any business where software is a primary product.

What is meant by IT service management?

  • IT service management means that IT plays a primary role in delivering and obtaining value for an organization.

ITSM works across the lifecycle of a service to deliver significant value to customers and receive ROI for the business through the utilization of IT capabilities. IT service providers often work directly with customers to deliver this value, with IT working as the primary value-drive source. ITSM utilizes a set of best practices to deliver this value and may follow industrial, national and international standards for providing service to ensure management systems are full-proof while offering continual improvement.

One of the most widely used ITSM frameworks is ITIL, or Information Technology Infrastructure Library. ITIL is defined as “the implementation and management of quality IT services that meet the needs of the business. IT service management is performed by IT service providers through an appropriate mix of people, process and information technology.”

What are IT service management tools?

  • The service value system and the service value chain are crucial tools to providing value within IT service management.

As the IT service management ITIL framework has evolved, more focus has been placed on the creation of value through service relationships, leading to the creation of the service value system (SVS.) An SVS is considered a method that determines how differing components and activities can work togethers to deliver optimal value to any organization through IT services.

In order to enable SVS, a service value chain (SVC) must be established. The service value chain refers to the set of interconnected activities that provide a model for the creation, delivery and continual improvement of services to operate on, dependent on sequencing. The number of sequence variants produced are what is known as value streams. Service value chains are designed with flexibility in mind and are designed to be adaptable so organizations can remain responsive to changing markets and customer or stakeholder demands. These value chains can have applications for multiple teams, such as delivery teams, central IT teams and DevOps personnel.

 

What does a project manager do in information technology?

IT project managers are responsible for overseeing the plan, organization and accountability necessary for reaching IT and business goals.

IT project managers are responsible for overseeing the use of IT throughout an organization and maintaining accountability for the value received from IT operations. IT project managers are also responsible for dealing with the challenges that may arise from rapid technological upgrades, interdependent integrations, and version changes that arise over the course of a project or technological life cycle.

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