ITIL® 4 Create, Deliver and Support (CDS) E-Book

Claire Agutter

• Herausgeber: Packt Publishing
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 160

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2025

Beschreibung

This book offers a thorough guide to ITIL® 4’s Create, Deliver, and Support (CDS) module, covering key concepts and practices for IT service management. It begins with foundational aspects of the service value system (SVS), highlighting organizational structures, roles, and collaborative cultures essential for successful service delivery. The early chapters focus on adopting a shift-left approach to resource management, helping teams prioritize efficiency and proactive problem-solving.

As the book progresses, it explores the strategic planning and management of resources within the SVS, stressing the importance of continual improvement and leveraging technology to optimize service management. It also provides insight into managing value streams for new services, guiding readers on how to create, manage, and measure service value chains for improved service delivery and innovation.

The later chapters address specific ITIL practices, such as service design, incident management, problem management, and knowledge management. The book concludes with exam preparation for ITIL® 4 CDS, offering practical case studies and real-world scenarios.

By the end, readers will be equipped to enhance service management processes and ensure the delivery of high-quality IT services aligned with business objectives.

Leseprobe

ITIL® 4 Create, Deliver and Support (CDS)

Your companion to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional CDS certification

ITIL® 4 Create, Deliver and Support (CDS)

Your companion to the ITIL 4 Managing Professional CDS certification

CLAIRE AGUTTER

Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publisher and the author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. Any opinions expressed in this book are those of the author, not the publisher. Websites identified are for reference only, not endorsement, and any website visits are at the reader’s own risk. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the publisher or the author.

ITIL® is a registered trademark of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publisher at the following address:

IT Governance Publishing Ltd

Unit 3, Clive Court

Bartholomew’s Walk

Cambridgeshire Business Park

Ely, Cambridgeshire

CB7 4EA

United Kingdom

www.itgovernancepublishing.co.uk

© Claire Agutter 2021

The author has asserted the rights of the author under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

First edition published in the United Kingdom in 2021 by IT Governance Publishing

ISBN 978-1-78778-339-3

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Claire Agutter is a service management trainer, consultant and author. In 2020, she was one of Computer Weekly’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Tech. In 2018 and 2019, she was recognised as an HDI Top 25 Thought Leader and was part of the team that won itSMF UK’s 2017 Thought Leadership Award. Claire provides regular, free content to the IT service management (ITSM) community as the host of the popular ITSM Crowd hangouts, and is the chief architect for VeriSM™, the service management approach for the digital age. Claire is the director of ITSM Zone, which provides online IT service management training, and Scopism. She has worked with ITGP to publish Service Integration and Management (SIAM™) Foundation Body of Knowledge (BoK), Second edition and Service Integration and Management (SIAM™) Professional Body of Knowledge (BoK), Second edition, the official guides for the EXIN SIAM™ Foundation and Professional certifications.

After providing support to thousands of people taking ITIL training and certification from version 2 onwards, she has created this series of books for those studying towards ITIL 4 Managing Professional and Strategic Leader status.

For more information, please visit:

•https://itsm.zone

•www.scopism.com

Contact:

•www.linkedin.com/in/claireagutter/

•https://twitter.com/ClaireAgutter

For more information about Claire’s other publications with ITGP, visit:

•www.itgovernancepublishing.co.uk/author/claire-agutter

CONTENTS

Introduction

How to use this book

Chapter 1: Service value system key concepts and challenges

SVS concepts and challenges: Organisational structure

SVS concepts and challenges: Integrated/collaborative culture

SVS concepts and challenges: Teams, roles and competencies

SVS concepts and challenges: Team culture and differences

SVS key concepts and challenges: Working to a customer-oriented mindset

SVS concepts and challenges: Employee satisfaction management

SVS concepts and challenges: Positive communications

Chapter 2: Using a shift-left approach

What is shift-left?

Applying shift-left to management

Shift-left and other practices

Building a shift-left approach

Shift-left benefits

Chapter 3: Plan and manage resources in the service value system

Team collaboration and integration

Workforce planning

Results-based measurement and reporting

Culture of continual improvement

Chapter 4: The use and value of technology across the service value system

Information models

Collaboration and workflow

Integration and data sharing

Reporting and advanced analytics

Integrated service management toolsets

Robotic process automation

Artificial intelligence

Machine learning

Continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment

Chapter 5: Value streams for new services: Reviewing service value chains and service value streams

Creating a value stream

Value stream steps

Metrics for a value stream

Value stream for a new service

Chapter 6: ITIL practices and value streams for new services

Scenario for a new service

Using the ITIL 4 practice guides

Chapter 7: Value streams for new services: Change enablement

Purpose and description

Complexity-based approach to changes

Practice success factors

Roles

Change enablement key takeaways

Chapter 8: Value streams for new services: Service design and software development and management

Purpose and description

Design thinking

The scope of software development and management

Practice success factors

Chapter 9: Values streams for new services: Service validation and testing

Purpose and description

Scope

Practice success factors

Testing elements

Chapter 10: Value streams for new services: Release management and deployment management

Purpose and description

Release management scope

Deployment management scope

Release management practice success factors

Deployment management practice success factors

Chapter 11: Value streams for user support

Chapter 12: ITIL practices and value streams for user support

Scenario for user support

Chapter 13: Value streams for user support: Service desk

Purpose and description

Service empathy

Practice success factors

Chapter 14: Value streams for user support: Incident management

Purpose and description

Terms and concepts

Practice success factors

Incident handling and resolution

Chapter 15: Value streams for user support: Problem management

Purpose and description

Terms and concepts

Practice success factors

Proactive problem management

Reactive problem identification

Chapter 16: Value streams for user support: Knowledge management

Purpose and description

SECI model of knowledge dimensions

Practice success factors

Chapter 17: Value streams for user support: Service level management

Purpose and description

Practice success factors

Chapter 18: Value streams for user support: Monitoring and event management

Purpose and description

Practice success factors

Chapter 19: How to create, deliver and support services

Managing work as tickets

Prioritising work

Options for service delivery

Roles in sourcing

Service integration and management

Chapter 20: Exam preparation

Appendix A: Banksbest case study

Company overview

Company structure

Future plans

IT services

IT department

IT service management

Sample employee biographies

Further reading

INTRODUCTION

How to use this book

The majority of this book is based on the ITIL® 4: Create, Deliver and Support publication and the associated ITIL® 4 Specialist Create, Deliver and Support syllabus.

The ITIL® 4: Create, Deliver and Support publication describes how to “make service management work, how to adapt and adopt best practices, and how to make the Service Value System a reality for your organization.”

CDS is described as the ‘glue’ of the service lifecycle and focuses on how service management delivers value. Value itself is a moving target – what is valuable today may not be tomorrow. The key themes related to create, deliver and support and its supporting management practices are the focus of the CDS publication and associated training and examination.

In this companion to the CDS syllabus, in addition to helping you prepare for your certification, I want to give you advice and guidance that will lead to you using this book once your training and exam are complete. I have added some of my own practical experience and give advice and points to think about along the way. My goal is for you to refer back to this book in years to come, not just put it away once you’ve passed your exam. With this extra content, you’ll find this book is an excellent supplement to any training course and a useful resource in your ongoing career.

As you read the book, assume that all the content is related to the syllabus unless it is highlighted in one of two ways:

Something for you: a small exercise for you to complete to apply the ITIL 4 concepts in your own role, or a point for you to think about. This content is not examinable.

Practical experiences: any content marked out with this image is based on my own experience and is not examinable.

The content highlighted as something for you to think about or practical experience might also refer to the Banksbest case study you can find in Appendix A. I’ll use the case study to give an example of how something would work in the real world, or to help you apply what you’re reading about. Case studies can really help to bring abstract concepts to life. The case study is not examinable but using it will help you gain a deeper understanding of the CDS concepts. Let’s start with something for you now:

Why not read the case study and make a note of your first impressions of the Banksbest organisation and its plans before you start to study the CDS content in this book?

Unless stated otherwise, all quotations are from ITIL® 4 Create, Deliver and Support and Practice Guides published by AXELOS in 2020. Copyright © AXELOS Limited 2020. Used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 1: SERVICE VALUE SYSTEM KEY CONCEPTS AND CHALLENGES

The first chapters in this book look at how to plan and build a service value system (SVS) to create, deliver and support services. This includes:

•Understanding the concepts and challenges relating to the SVS;

•Understanding how to use a ‘shift-left’ approach;

•Knowing how to plan and manage resources in the SVS; and

•Understanding the use and value of information and technology across the SVS.

This information provides the foundation for the activities and choices practitioners and managers can use as services are created, delivered and supported.

SVS concepts and challenges: Organisational structure

The way an organisation is structured will have an impact on how it works. Structure affects how people work together, how decisions are made, and how new ideas are shared.

Table 1: Organisation Structures

Functional

Functional structures are typically hierarchical, with defined formal lines of authority, clear roles and responsibilities, and clear allocation of power and responsibility.

Examples of functions could be sales, finance, IT, etc.

Divisional

Divisional structures are based around organisational entities such as markets, products or geographical areas.

In a divisional structure, each division may operate as an individual entity with its own profit and loss, support teams, etc.

Matrix

A matrix structure occurs when staff have dual reporting lines; for example, to a line manager and a product manager for a piece of work. Matrix organisations are represented as a grid of relationships, and often describe ‘pools’ of people who can move between projects and products. They can support more agile ways of working and rapid reconfiguration of resources.

Flat

Flat organisations have very little hierarchy and can support fast decision-making by enabling autonomy. This may, however, create challenges as an organisation grows.

Think about the structure or your current, or most recent, employer. Does it fall into one of these types? What benefits did the organisational structure offer? Did it create any challenges?

The key differences between organisational structures are often defined by:

•Grouping/team basis (e.g. product, function, customer);

•Location – co-located or not;

•Relationship to value streams – responsible for individual step(s) or an entire value stream; and

•Levels of autonomy and authority (command and control vs delegation or self-organising teams).

Digital transformation requires organisations to be more flexible and agile, which has an impact on structure. Matrix structures, resource pools and the ability to use external staff can all offer benefits. Some organisations are moving from project-based to product-based teams to provide consistency and ownership from demand to value. Any change in organisation structure should have appropriate change controls applied.

Take a look at the Banksbest case study and read about the organisation’s relationship with Employeez on Demand. This supplier provides extra resources during peak times. What would Banksbest need to consider from a contractual and a service management perspective to ensure its customers receive a good service when they are speaking to Employeez on Demand staff?

SVS concepts and challenges: Integrated/collaborative culture

Collaboration and cooperation are separate concepts that should not be confused. Collaboration requires active and passive participation from all people and groups in the organisation to be effective. Cooperation is often based around goals; a group that is focused solely on its own goal can become a silo as it loses sight of the bigger picture.

For collaboration to take place, goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) for groups need to be shared, integrated, and aligned to organisational goals.

Table 2: Collaboration and Cooperation

Collaboration

Cooperation

Work together towards a shared goal/objective

Separate goals can lead to silo working

Shared and integrated goals

Aligned goals

Everyone succeeds or fails together

Individuals and teams succeed independently

Goals and resources aligned in real time

Cooperative, friendly, willing to share information

Technology is necessary but not sufficient

Technology is necessary but not sufficient

Needs respect, trust and transparency

Less need for trust and transparency

Needs respect, trust and transparency

Less need for trust and transparency

Needs multi-channel communication (stand ups, face-to-face, active listening, tool-mediated, etc.)

Needs effective communication

Everyone needs to understand how they contribute to the big picture

Everyone needs to understand their own role

Need to understand PESTLE

*

factors for all stakeholders

Need to understand PESTLE factors for own role

*PESTLE analysis looks at these factors as part of an analysis:

•Political

•Economical

•Social

•Technological

•Legal

•Environmental

The work that a team does may be classed as algorithmic or heuristic.

Table 3: Algorithmic or Heuristic

Algorithmic tasks

Heuristic tasks

Follow a defined process, with established instructions

Depend on human understanding and intervention

Follow the rules

Learn or discover what is needed

Clear inputs, outputs, instructions, branches, etc.

Need flexibility, information, knowledge and experience

Reassignment and handover between teams where needed

Collaboration, swarming and DevOps often appropriate

People doing the work may recognise opportunities to improve how it is done – this should be part of their role

New insights can be recorded for future use, moving some work to algorithmic (removing ‘toil’ – manual, repetitive work that is devoid of enduring value. Toil scales in a linear way, for example more users equals more password resets.)

Think about your typical working day. How much of your work is pre-planned, and how much just ‘happens’? Are your tasks algorithmic or heuristic? Algorithmic tasks may be suitable for automation or improvement, but to identify that, you will also need time to review what you are doing. Teams, for example, that spend much of their time firefighting and carrying out reactive work may struggle to find time to identify ways to do things better.

Collaboration happens within IT teams, as well as with service consumers, service provider employees, shareholders, regulators, partners, suppliers, and any other relevant stakeholders. Whether an organisation offers business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) services also has an impact on the stakeholders it will need to collaborate with. Technology (such as Slack or Microsoft Teams) can support collaboration, but don’t forget the guiding principle is to collaborate and promote visibility. Don’t lose information because it’s hidden in a tool.

The digital economy is also imposing new challenges on organisational leaders, as well as organisational structures. Servant leadership is an approach that allows leaders and managers to focus on supporting rather than directing staff.

Looking back over your career, how many managers have you worked with who have genuinely inspired you? How many senior people have helped you to develop and made you a better person? When I reflect on my career, the number is very small, but I remember those managers for the huge impact that they had on me. Many of the managers who helped me to grow professionally (and personally) displayed servant leadership characteristics. They listened to their people and supported them almost unconditionally. They encouraged me to resolve problems for myself, while providing guidance when it was needed.

Any organisation that wants to thrive in a digital world will be familiar with all of the cultural buzzwords that go along with digital transformation – agility, autonomy, self-directing teams, etc. What is often missed are the leadership and management behaviours that allow this.

SVS concepts and challenges: Teams, roles and competencies

Traditionally, IT roles were focused on areas such as designer, programmer, business analyst or support analyst. Organisations now require staff to be more flexible and able to change their role. Business skills like relationship management, team leadership, negotiation, and supplier and contract management are also required.

ITIL uses a competency profile to describe roles. Remember, the roles that are described in the CDS publication and associated management practices are not mandatory. They shouldn’t be treated like a checklist of things that you have to have; instead, they should be adapted to the specific needs of your organisation.

Table 4: Competency Profiles

Leader (L)

“Decision-making, delegating, overseeing other activities, providing incentives and motivation, and evaluating outcomes.”

Administrator (A)

“Assigning and prioritizing tasks, record-keeping, ongoing reporting, and initiating basic improvements.”

Coordinator/ Communicator (C)

“Coordinating multiple parties, maintaining communication between stakeholders, and running awareness campaigns.”

Methods and Techniques Expert (M)

“Designing and implementing work techniques, documenting procedures, consulting on processes, work analysis, and continual improvement.”

Technical Expert (T)

“Providing technical (IT) expertise and conducting expertise-based assignments.”

The competencies can be combined to create a profile, for example CAT or TMA. Note that the position of each competency equates to its importance.

Consider the following profiles:

•CAT

CAT describes a relationship manager or a service owner. Both roles require excellent communication and coordination skills and good administrative skills, and technical knowledge is useful.

•TMA

TMA describes a change manager where excellent technical knowledge is critical, an understanding of design method is needed and some administrative skills are also required.

Review Doug’s profile in the Banksbest case study. What competencies will he have? Which will be the most useful in his current role?

Why are competency profiles useful? First, they can help to identify the best candidates for a specific role. A profile can highlight gaps in the current capabilities and support plans to alleviate those gaps with new hires or training. It can also create better job/role descriptions and be used to align the organisation’s workforce to industry competency models.

Traditionally, in any professional capacity, individuals were referred to as generalists (broad range of skills but may be lacking depth) or specialists (narrow range of in-depth skills but may be lacking wider context). Today’s organisations need their workforce to be more diverse, often described as T-shaped, pi-shaped or comb-shaped people.

Table 5: T-, Pi- and Comb-Shaped People

T-shaped

T-shaped individuals are experts in one area, with knowledge of other areas. For example, a developer or tester who also has knowledge of accounting applications.

T-shaped people tend to be inquisitive; they like to learn new skills and will acquire them as opportunities are made available. Although a clear focus on one competence creates deeper understanding, it can be dangerous to have just one area of profound expertise since the value of any single domain within this self-renewing industry can erode rapidly.

Pi-shaped

T-shaped individuals are experts in one area, with knowledge of other areas. For example, a developer or tester who also has knowledge of accounting applications.