The course builds on the principles covered as part of the ITIL Foundation course and is aligned to the 2011 syllabus. It focuses on the lifecycle aspects of Service Operation. The course covers the management and control of the activities and techniques within the Service Operation stage of the lifecycle but not the detail of each of the supporting processes. Lower level details of the processes from Service Operation are mostly covered in the Operational Support and Analysis capability course. Additionally the course looks at the concept of Service Operation principles and at the interfaces between Service Operation and the other stages of the ITIL Service Lifecycle

Target Audience

This course is primarily for IT Managers and Practitioners involved in the strategy, design, implementation and on- going support and delivery of business IT services and those interfacing with information systems who require an insight into Service Management best practice. This may include Business Analysts, Business Relationship Managers, Project and Programme staff.

Objectives

This qualification provides a complete management-level overview of service operation including all its related activities. Be prepared for the ITIL Service operation examination

Prerequisites

Delegates are required to meet the following mandatory prerequisites:

• Hold the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management or earlier ITIL (V2) Foundation plus Foundation Bridge or ITIL Expert Certificate in IT Service Management (achieved via Service Manager or Practitioner bridging routes).

Testing and Certification

The course forms part of the ITIL qualification programme. This course is worth 3 ITIL Expert Credits. The examination will consist of a complex multiple choice, closed book paper, to be completed within 90 minutes. (Candidates sitting the examination in English and who do not have English as their first language will be allowed 120 minutes to allow use of a dictionary.) The pass mark will be 70% or more. Exam to be charged separately. Please note you must bring a copy of your ITIL Foundation exam certificate, this is required in order for you to take the exam associated with this course. On successful completion of the course and passing of the subsequent exam 3 number of credits will be awarded by the examining institute. Exam is included in the course fee.

Course Content

Introduction to service operation:

• The purpose, objectives and scope of service operation
• The value to the business
• The context of service operation in the ITIL service lifecycle
• The fundamental aspects of service operation and the ability to define them.

Service operation principles:

• How an understanding of the basic conflict between maintaining the status quo and adapting to changes in business needs can lead to better service operation
• Other service operation principles including: involvement in other lifecycle stages; understanding operational health; the need for good documentation and communication including a communication strategy
• Service operation inputs and outputs.

Service operation processes:

• The use, interaction and value of each of the service operation processes: event management,incident management, request fulfilment, problem management, and access management.

Common service operation activities:

• How the common activities of service operation are co-ordinated for the ongoing management of the technology that is used to deliver and support the services
• How monitoring, reporting and control of the services contributes to the ongoing management of the services and the technology that is used to deliver and support the services
• How the operational activities of processes covered in other lifecycle stages contribute to service operation
• How IT operations staff should look for opportunities to improve the operational activities.

Organizing for service operation

• The role, objectives and activities of each of the four functions of service operation: service desk,technical management, IT operations management, and application management
• Service operation roles and responsibilities, where and how they are used as well as how a service operation organization would be structured to use these roles.

Technology considerations:

• The generic requirements of technologies that support service management across all lifecycle stages
• The specific technology required to support the service operation processes and functions.

Implementation of service operation:

• Specific issues relevant to implementing service operation including: managing change in service operation; assessing and managing risk in service operation; operations staff involvement in service design and service transition
• Planning and implementing service management technologies within a company.

Challenges, critical success factors and risks:

• The challenges (e.g. engagement with staff outside service operation, justifying funding), critical success factors (e.g. management and business support, staff retention) and risks (e.g. loss of service) related to service operation.