Chapter 5IT Processes

Presented by

Dr. Mohamed Sammouda

Chapter Outline

• Number of processes in IT• Strategic, Tactical, and Operational layers of IT

processes• Importance of planning• Most important processes• Ownership of each process container• Amount of resource applied to each process• Effectiveness of processes • Priority on improving processes

Feeney’s 9 Core IT Processes

• Business systems thinking

• Contract facilitation

• Vendor development

• Contract monitoring

• Making technology work

• Informed buying

• Architecture planning

• Relationship building

• Leadership

CobiTCobiT

Business objectives

IT Governance

Information

Planning and organization

Acquisition and implementation

Delivery and support

Monitoring

IT Resources

38 IT Management Processes

A. Strategic Level ProcessesLong Term

B. Tactical Level ProcessesShort Term

C. Operational Level ProcessesDay-to-Day

A- Strategic Level Process

• Strategic Planning and Control1. Business strategic planning

2. Architecture planning

3. IT strategic planning and control

A-1-Business Strategic Planning

• Enabled/driven by IT

• Defines enterprise demands on IT function through strategic plan period

• Opportunity occurs through meeting enterprise demands

A-2-Architecture Scanning and Definition

• Defining data, information, and knowledge architecture for the enterprise

• Defining the application architecture for the enterprise

• Defining IT technology architecture for the enterprise

• Integrating architectures

A-3-Information Technology Strategic Planning and Control

• Based on goals of firm and IT

• Defines general direction regarding how to attain goals through IT strategic plan

B- Tactical Level Processes1. Management Planning

– Management System monitoring and planning

2. Development Planning– Application planning– Data planning– Network planning– System planning– Project planning

B- Tactical Level Processes

3. Resource Planning– Capacity planning and management– Skills planning and management– Budget planning and value management– Vendor planning and management

4. Service Planning– Service level planning and management– Recovery planning and management– Security planning and management– Audit planning and management

B-1-Management Systems Planning

• Uses strategic processes and assessment of IT plan

• Defines new prioritized portfolio of projects and plans

• Improves management system

• Project management approach is used

B-2-Development Planning Processes

• Application planning– Portfolio and schedule of

applications to be built or modified in certain time period

• Data planning– Reviews application plan

– Determines data needs

• Network planning– Network connectivity

demands• System planning

– Translate strategic goals into scheduled update of hardware, software, network, and facilities

• Project planning– Defines technically

feasible and manageable projects

B-3- Resource Planning Processes

• Capacity planning and management– Defines how system

resources support demand

• Skills planning and management– Defines manpower

needs to compete

• Budget planning and value management– Converts plans into

financial terms– Identifies funding and

allocation

• Vendor planning and management– Outsourcing IT services

and coordination

B-4-Service Planning Processes

• Service level planning and management– Negotiates service level

agreements

• Recovery planning and management– Ensures continuation of

operations in event of disaster

• Security planning and management– Builds plan to ensure

agreed levels of security for systems are met

• Audit planning and management– Builds plan to ensure

agreed levels of audit and compliance

C- Operational Level Processes

1. Project Management– Project assignment– Project scheduling– Project controlling– Project requirements control– Project evaluating

2. Resource Control– Change control– Asset management

C- Operational Level Processes

3. Service Control– Production and distribution scheduling– Problem control– Service evaluating

4. Development and Maintenance– Software development and upgrade– Software procurement and upgrade– Hardware procurement and upgrade– Systems maintenance– Tuning and system balancing

C- Operational Level Processes

5. Administration Services– Financial performance– Staff performance– Education/training– Recruiting, hiring, retention

6. Information Services– Production– Service marketing

C-1-Project Management Processes

• Project assignment– Defines scope,

leadership, and business partner involvement

– Ensures successful project completion

– Selects project leader– Defines IT and business

involvement– Obtains management

commitment

• Project scheduling– Define deliverables– Define tasks– Estimate project time

and costs– Schedule resources– Finalize a detailed

project plan

C-1-Project Management Processes

• Project Controlling– Track progress against plan– Report status– Conduct project reviews– Resolve development problems– Review make/buy decisions– Submission of change requests

C-1-Project Management Processes

• Project Requirements Control– Receipt of requests for requirement changes

from users/other sources– Analysis of specifications of new requests– Acceptance or rejection of requests– Revision of project plan

C-1- Project Management Processes

• Project Evaluating– Documentation of final status of

project/deliverables– Comparison of project achievement with

project plans– Identification and reporting reasons for

variances– Obtaining approval to terminate project and

report completions

C-2- Resource Control

• Change control– Record change

requests– Prioritize and group

changes– Schedule, defer, reject

changes– Monitor testing– Monitor installation– Report and control

status of changes

• Asset management– Identification of systems,

applications, data, personnel, supplies, and financial resources

– Update inventory– Maintenance of security

or resources– Administer access to

resources– Report and control on

inventories

C-3- Service Control Processes

• Production and Distribution Scheduling– Plan production and distribution service

workload– Develop maintenance and measurement

schedule– Develop work schedule– Negotiate deviations from service agreements– Publish work, maintenance, and measurement

schedules– Monitor and modify schedules

C-3- Service Control Processes

• Problem Control– Recognize problems– Report/log problems– Determine nature, impact, and extent of problem– Select predefined bypass and recovery

procedures– Initiate action to resolve problems– Report and control status of all problems on

hand

C-3- Service Control Processes

• Service Evaluating– Translate operational data into service-level

terms– Assess user rating of the service– Evaluate compliance to service agreements– Identify and report reasons for variance– Report service status and new service

requests

C-4- Development and Maintenance Processes

• Software Development and Upgrade– Define detailed requirements– Design externals and internals of application– Structure data– Negotiate design compromises with users– Develop and test programs– Integrate and test applications– Install software

C-4- Development andMaintenance Processes

• Software Procurement and Upgrade– Define detailed requirements– Review integrity and performance– Negotiate compromises with vendors and users– Confirm or amend buy decisions– Define system recovery for operating

environment– Generate system and execute provided tests– Publish instructions for integration– Install, integrate, and test application/software

C-4- Development andMaintenance Processes

• Hardware Procurement and Upgrade– Define detailed requirements– Select hardware/network/facility– Lay out physical planning– Define hardware, network, and facility recovery– Test new units– Test complete systems– Install hardware, network, facility

C-4- Development andMaintenance Processes

• Systems Maintenance– Revalidate cause of problem– Understand environment of suspect

component– Diagnose suspect component– Determine fix for failing components– Test fixes– Change management review– Install fixes

C-4- Development andMaintenance Processes

• Tuning and System Balancing– Define detailed requirements

– Develop solutions

– Execute testing of new or modified units

– Test complete systems

– Change management review

– Install new systems

C-5- Administrative Services Processes

• Financial Performance– Calculate charges due for services– Administer vendor and other contracts– Execute cost accounting procedures– Purchase equipment, supplies, services– Report accounting and financial status– Track vendor performance

C-5- Administrative Services Processes

• Staff performance– Collect data on

absences, accidents, attendance

– Collect data on job performance

– Compare and report productivity

• Education and training– Perform training and

education for information systems services

– Develop and maintain educational documentation

– Maintain education and training profile for IT staff

C-5- Administrative Services Processes

• Recruiting, Hiring, and Retention– Recruitment and promotion– Training and qualification requirements– Cross-training and job rotation– Hiring and firing– Measuring performance– Respond to technical and market changes– Balance internal and external demands– Succession plan for key staff

C-6- Information Services Processes

• Production– Receive jobs, transactions, and input data from

distribution– Set up, initiate, and run jobs and transactions– Make jobs, transactions, and output data

available for distribution– Monitor progress of production work against

schedules– Execute predefined or emergency production

procedures– Record and report information on status,

incidents, actions taken, and results

C-6- Information Services Processes

• Service Marketing– Select service offerings to fit client needs– Market offerings appropriately– Report user needs for new services– Initiate actions to provide services– Execute public relations activities on behalf of

I/S organization– Provide interface among IT and business