ITIL: Information Technology Infrastructure Library

Acceptance
Formal agreement that an IT Service, Process, Plan, or other Deliverable is complete, accurate, Reliable and meets its specified Requirements. Acceptance is usually preceded by Evaluation or Testing and is often required before proceeding to the next stage of a Project or Process.
See Service Acceptance Criteria.

Access Management
(Service Operation) The Process responsible for allowing Users to make use of IT Services, data, or other Assets. Access Management helps to protect the Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability of Assets by ensuring that only authorized Users are able to access or modify the Assets. Access Management is sometimes referred to as Rights Management or Identity Management.

Account Manager
(Service Strategy) A Role that is very similar to Business Relationship Manager, but includes more commercial aspects. Most commonly used when dealing with External Customers.

Accounting
(Service Strategy) The Process responsible for identifying actual Costs of delivering IT Services, comparing these with budgeted costs, and managing variance from the Budget.

Active Monitoring
(Service Operation) Monitoring of a Configuration Item or an IT Service that uses automated regular checks to discover the current status.
See Passive Monitoring.

Activity
A set of actions designed to achieve a particular result. Activities are usually defined as part of Processes or Plans, and are documented in Procedures.

Agreement
A Document that describes a formal understanding between two or more parties. An Agreement is not legally binding, unless it forms part of a Contract.
See Service Level Agreement, Operational Level Agreement.

Availability
(Service Design) Ability of a Configuration Item or Service to perform its agreed Function when required. Availability is determined by Reliability, Maintainability, Serviceability, Performance, and Security. Availability is usually calculated as a percentage. This calculation is often based on Agreed Service Time and Downtime. It is Best Practice to calculate Availability using measurements of the Business output of the Service.

Baseline
(Continual Service Improvement) A Benchmark used as a reference point. For example:

• An ITSM Baseline can be used as a starting point to measure the effect of a Service Improvement Plan
• A Performance Baseline can be used to measure changes in Performance over the lifetime of an IT Service

A Configuration Management Baseline can be used to enable the IT Infrastructure to be restored to a known Configuration if a Change or Release fails.

Benchmark
(Continual Service Improvement) The recorded state of something at a specific point in time. A Benchmark can be created for a Configuration, a Process, or any other set of data.For example, a benchmark can be used in:

• Continual Service Improvement, to establish the current state for managing improvements.
• Capacity Management, to document Performance characteristics during normal operations.

See Benchmarking, Baseline.

Benchmarking
(Continual Service Improvement) Comparing a Benchmark with a Baseline or with Best Practice. The term Benchmarking is also used to mean creating a series of Benchmarks over time, and comparing the results to measure progress or improvement.

Best practice
Proven Activities or Processes that have been successfully used by multiple Organizations. ITIL is an example of Best Practice.

Brainstorming
(Service Design) A technique that helps a team to generate ideas. Ideas are not reviewed during the Brainstorming session, but at a later stage. Brainstorming is often used by Problem Management to identify possible causes.

Business
(Service Strategy) An overall corporate entity or Organization formed of a number of Business Units. In the context of ITSM, the term Business includes public sector and not-for-profit organizations, as well as companies. A Service Provider provides Services to a Customer within a Business. The Service Provider may be part of the same Business as their Customer (Internal Service Provider), or part of another Business (External Service Provider).

Business Case
(Service Strategy) Justification for a significant item of expenditure. Includes information about Costs, benefits, options, issues, Risks, and possible problems.

Business Continuity Plan
(Service Design) A Plan defining the steps required to Restore Business Processes following a disruption. The Plan will also identify the triggers for Invocation, people to be involved, communications etc. IT Service Continuity Plans form a significant part of Business Continuity Plans.

Change
(Service Transition) The addition, modification or removal of anything that could have an effect on Services. The Scope should include all Services, Configuration Items, Processes, Documentation etc.

Change Advisory Board (CAB)
(Service Transition) A group of people that advises the Change Manager in the Assessment, prioritization and scheduling of Changes. This board is usually made up of representatives from all areas within the Service Provider, the Business, and Third Parties such as Suppliers.

Change Management
(Service Transition) The Process responsible for controlling the Lifecycle of all Changes. The primary objective of Change Management is to enable beneficial Changes to be made, with minimum disruption to IT Services.

Change Model
(Service Transition) A repeatable way of dealing with a particular Category of Change. A Change Model defines specific pre-defined steps that will be followed for a Change of this Category. Change Models may be very simple, with no requirement for approval (e. g. Password Reset) or may be very complex with many steps that require approval (e. g. major software Release).
See Standard Change, Change Advisory Board.

Configuration Item (CI)
(Service Transition) Any Component that needs to be managed in order to deliver a Service. Information about each CI is recorded in a Configuration Record within the Configuration Management System and is maintained throughout its Lifecycle by Configuration Management.
CIs are under the control of Change Management. CIs typically include Services, hardware, software, buildings, people, and formal documentation such as Process documentation and SLAs.

Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
(Service Transition) A database used to store Configuration Records throughout their Lifecycle. The Configuration Management System maintains one or more CMDBs, and each CMDB stores Attributes of CIs, and Relationships with other CIs.

Continual Service Improvement (CSI)
(Continual Service Improvement) A stage in the Lifecycle of a Service and the title of one of the Core ITIL publications. Continual Service Improvement is responsible for managing improvements to Service Management Processes and Services.
The Performance of the Service Provider is continually measured and improvements are made to Processes, Services and Infrastructure in order to increase Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Cost Effectiveness.
See Plan-Do-Check-Act.

Contract
A legally binding Agreement between two or more parties.

Contract Portfolio
(Service Strategy) A database or structured Document used to manage Service Contracts or Agreements between an IT Service Provider and their Customers. Each IT Service delivered to a Customer should have a Contract or other Agreement which is listed in the Contract Portfolio.
See Service Portfolio, Service Catalogue.

Core Service
(Service Strategy) An IT Service that delivers basic Outcomes desired by one or more Customers.
See Supporting Service, Core Service Package.

Customer
Someone who buys goods or services. The Customer is the person or group that defines and agrees the Service Level Targets. (For an explanation of the differences between a User and a Customer, please check the definition of User further down.)

Dashboard
(Service Operation) A graphical representation of overall IT Service Performance and Availability. Dashboard images may be updated in real-time, and can also be included in management reports and web pages. Dashboards can be used to support Service Level Management, Event Management or Incident Diagnosis.

Deployment
(Service Transition) The Activity responsible for movement of new or changed hardware, software, documentation, Process, etc to the Live Environment. Deployment is part of the Release and Deployment Management Process.

Direct Cost
(Service Strategy) A cost of providing an IT Service which can be allocated in full to a specific Customer, Cost Centre, Project etc. For example cost of providing non-shared servers or software licenses.
See Indirect Cost.

Downtime
(Service Design) (Service Operation) The time when a Configuration Item or IT Service is not Available during its Agreed Service Time. The Availability of an IT Service is often calculated from Agreed Service Time and Downtime.

Effectiveness
(Continual Service Improvement) A measure of whether the Objectives of a Process, Service or Activity have been achieved. An Effective Process or Activity is one that achieves its agreed Objectives.

Efficiency
(Continual Service Improvement) A measure of whether the right amount of resources have been used to deliver a Process, Service or Activity. An Efficient Process achieves its Objectives with the minimum amount of time, money, people or other resources.

Emergency Change
(Service Transition) A Change that must be introduced as soon as possible. For example to resolve a Major Incident or implement a Security patch. The Change Management Process will normally have a specific Procedure for handling Emergency Changes.

Escalation
(Service Operation) An Activity that obtains additional Resources when these are needed to meet Service Level Targets or Customer expectations. Escalation may be needed within any IT Service Management Process, but is most commonly associated with Incident Management, Problem Management and the management of Customer complaints. There are two types of Escalation, Functional Escalation and Hierarchic Escalation.

Event
(Service Operation) A change of state which has significance for the management of a Configuration Item or IT Service. The term Event is also used to mean an Alert or notification created by any IT Service, Configuration Item or Monitoring tool. Events typically require IT Operations personnel to take actions, and often lead to Incidents being logged.

Event Management
(Service Operation) The Process responsible for managing Events throughout their Lifecycle. Event Management is one of the main Activities of IT Operations.

Failure
(Service Operation) Loss of ability to Operate to Specification, or to deliver the required output. The term Failure may be used when referring to IT Services, Processes, Activities, Configuration Items etc. A Failure often causes an Incident.

Functional Escalation
(Service Operation) Transferring an Incident, Problem or Change to a technical team with a higher level of expertise to assist in an Escalation.

Hierarchic Escalation
(Service Operation) Informing or involving more senior levels of management to assist in an Escalation.

High Availability
(Service Design) An approach or Design that minimizes or hides the effects of Configuration Item Failure on the Users of an IT Service. High Availability solutions are Designed to achieve an agreed level of Availability and make use of techniques such as Fault Tolerance, Resilience and fast Recovery to reduce the number of Incidents, and the Impact of Incidents.

Indirect Cost
(Service Strategy) A Cost of providing an IT Service which cannot be allocated in full to a specific Customer. For example Cost of providing shared Servers or software licenses. Also known as Overhead.
See Direct Cost.

Impact
(Service Operation) (Service Transition) A measure of the effect of an Incident, Problem or Change on Business Processes. Impact is often based on how Service Levels will be affected. Impact and Urgency are used to assign Priority.

Incident
(Service Operation) An unplanned interruption to a Service or a reduction in the Quality of a Service. Failure of a Configuration Item that has not yet impacted Service is also an Incident. For example Failure of one disk from a mirror set.

Incident Management
(Service Operation) The Process responsible for managing the Lifecycle of all Incidents. The primary Objective of Incident Management is to return the Service to Users as quickly as possible.

Information Technology (IT)
The use of technology for the storage, communication or processing of information. The technology typically includes computers, telecommunications, Applications and other software. The information may include Business data, voice, images, video, etc. Information Technology is often used to support Business Processes through IT Services.

ITIL
A set of Best Practice guidance for IT Service Management. ITIL is owned by the OGC and consists of a series of publications giving guidance on the provision of Quality IT Services, and on the Processes and facilities needed to support them.
See http://www.itil-officialsite.com for more information.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI)
(Continual Service Improvement) A Metric that is used to help manage a Process, Service or Activity. Many Metrics may be measured, but only the most important of these are defined as KPIs and used to actively manage and report on the Process, IT Service or Activity.
KPIs should be selected to ensure that Efficiency, Effectiveness, and Cost Effectiveness are all managed.

Knowledge Management
(Service Transition) The Process responsible for gathering, analyzing, storing and sharing knowledge and information within an Organization. The primary purpose of Knowledge Management is to improve Efficiency by reducing the need to rediscover knowledge.

Known Error
(Service Operation) A Problem that has a documented Root Cause and a Workaround. 
Known Errors are created and managed throughout their Lifecycle by Problem Management.
Known Errors may also be identified by Development or Suppliers.

Lifecycle
The various stages in the life of a Service, Configuration Item, Incident, Problem, Change etc. The Lifecycle defines the Categories for Status and the Status transitions that are permitted.

Maintainability
(Service Design) A measure of how quickly and Effectively a Configuration Item or Service can be restored to normal working after a Failure. Maintainability is often measured and reported as MTRS. Maintainability is also used in the context of Software or Service Development to mean ability to be Changed or Repaired easily.

Major Incident
(Service Operation) The highest Category of Impact for an Incident. Major Incident results in significant disruption to the Business.

Manual Workaround
A Workaround that requires manual intervention. Manual Workaround is also used as the name of a Recovery Option in which The Business Process Operates without the use of Services. This is a temporary measure and is usually combined with another Recovery Option.

Marginal Cost
(Service Strategy) The Cost of continuing to provide the IT Service. Marginal Cost does not include investment already made, for example the cost of developing new software and delivering training.

Market Space
(Service Strategy) All opportunities that an IT Service Provider could exploit to meet business needs of Customers. The Market Space identifies the possible IT Services that an IT Service Provider may wish to consider delivering.

Maturity
(Continual Service Improvement) A measure of the Reliability, Efficiency and Effectiveness of a Process, Function, Organization etc. The most mature Processes and Functions are formally aligned to Business Objectives and Strategy, and are supported by a framework for continual improvement.

Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
(Service Design) A Metric for measuring and reporting Reliability. MTBF is the average time that a Configuration Item or Service can perform its agreed Function without interruption. This is measured from when the CI or Service starts working, until it next fails.

Mean Time Between Service Incidents (MTBSI)
(Service Design) A Metric used for measuring and reporting Reliability. MTBSI is the mean time from when a System or IT Service fails, until it next fails.
MTBSI is equal to MTBF + MTRS.

Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)
The average time taken to repair a Configuration Item or IT Service after a Failure. MTTR is measured from when the CI or Service fails until it is Repaired. MTTR does not include the time required to Recover or Restore. MTTR is sometimes incorrectly used to mean Mean Time to Restore Service.

Mean Time to Restore Service (MTRS)
The average time taken to Restore a Configuration Item or IT Service after a Failure. MTRS is measured from when the CI or Service fails until it is fully Restored and delivering its normal functionality.
See Maintainability, Mean Time to Repair.

Metric
(Continual Service Improvement) Something that is measured and reported to help manage a Process, IT Service or Activity.
See KPI.

Mission Statement
The Mission Statement of an Organization is a short but complete description of the overall purpose and intentions of that Organization. It states what is to be achieved, but not how this should be done.

Model
A representation of a System, Process, Service, Configuration Item etc. that is used to help understand or predict future behaviour.

Monitoring
(Service Operation) Repeated observation of a Configuration Item, Service or Process to detect Events and to ensure that the current status is known.

Objective
The defined purpose or aim of a Process, an Activity or an Organization as a whole. Objectives are usually expressed as measurable targets. The term Objective is also informally used to mean a Requirement.
See Outcome.

Office of Government Commerce (OGC)
OGC owns the ITIL brand (copyright and trademark). OGC is a UK Government department that supports the delivery of the government's procurement agenda through its work in collaborative procurement and in raising levels of procurement skills and capability with departments. It also provides support for complex public sector projects.

Operate
To perform as expected. A Process or Configuration Item is said to Operate if it is delivering the Required outputs. Operate also means to perform one or more Operations. For example, to Operate a computer is to do the day-to-day Operations needed for it to perform as expected.

Operation
(Service Operation) Day-to-day management of a Service, System, or other Configuration Item. Operation is also used to mean any pre-defined Activity or Transaction. For example loading a magnetic tape, accepting money at a point of sale, or reading data from a disk drive.

Operational Level Agreement (OLA)
(Service Design) (Continual Service Improvement) An Agreement between an IT Service Provider and another part of the same Organization. An OLA supports the Service Provider's delivery of Services to Customers. The OLA defines the goods or Services to be provided and the responsibilities of both parties.
For example there could be an OLA.

• between the IT Service Provider and a procurement department to obtain hardware in agreed times 
• between the Service Desk and a Support Group to provide Incident Resolution in agreed times.

See Service Level Agreement.

Optimise
Review, Plan and request Changes, in order to obtain the maximum Efficiency and Effectiveness from a Process, Configuration Item, Application etc.

Outcome
The result of carrying out an Activity; following a Process; delivering an IT Service etc. The term Outcome is used to refer to intended results, as well as to actual results.
See Objective.

Outsourcing
(Service Strategy) Using an External Service Provider to manage Services.

Overhead
Synonym for Indirect cost.

Passive Monitoring
(Service Operation) Monitoring of a Configuration Item, an IT Service or a Process that relies on an Alert or notification to discover the current status.
See Active Monitoring.

Percentage utilization
(Service Design) The amount of time that a Component is busy over a given period of time. For example, if a CPU is busy for 1800 seconds in a one hour period, its utilisation is 50%

Performance
A measure of what is achieved or delivered by a System, person, team, Process, or Service.

Pilot
(Service Transition) A limited Deployment of a Service, a Release or a Process to the Live Environment. A Pilot is used to reduce Risk and to gain User feedback and Acceptance.

Plan
A detailed proposal which describes the Activities and Resources needed to achieve an Objective. For example a Plan to implement a new Service or Process.

Planned Downtime
Agreed time when a Service will not be available. Planned Downtime is often used for maintenance, upgrades and testing.

Policy
Formally documented management expectations and intentions. Policies are used to direct decisions, and to ensure consistent and appropriate development and implementation of Processes, Standards, Roles, Activities, IT Infrastructure etc.

Practice
A way of working, or a way in which work must be done. Practices can include Activities, Processes, Functions, Standards and Guidelines. 
See Best Practice.

Priority
(Service Transition) (Service Operation) A Category used to identify the relative importance of an Incident, Problem or Change. Priority is based on Impact and Urgency, and is used to identify required times for actions to be taken. For example the SLA may state that Priority2 Incidents must be resolved within 12 hours.

Proactive Monitoring
(Service Operation) Monitoring that looks for patterns of Events to predict possible future Failures.

Problem
(Service Operation) A cause of one or more Incidents. The cause is not usually known at the time a Problem Record is created, and the Problem Management Process is responsible for further investigation.

Problem Management
(Service Operation) The Process responsible for managing the Lifecycle of all Problems. The primary Objectives of Problem Management are to prevent Incidents from happening, and to minimize the Impact of Incidents that cannot be prevented.

Process
A structured set of Activities designed to accomplish a specific Objective. A Process takes one or more defined inputs and turns them into defined outputs. A Process may include any of the Roles, responsibilities, tools and management Controls required to reliably deliver the outputs. A Process may define Policies, Standards, Guidelines, Activities, and Work Instructions if they are needed.

Process Control
The Activity of planning and regulating a Process, with the Objective of performing the Process in an Effective, Efficient, and consistent manner.

Process Manager
A Role responsible for Operational management of a Process. The Process Manager's responsibilities include Planning and co-ordination of all Activities required to carry out, monitor and report on the Process. There may be several Process Managers for one Process, for example regional Change Managers or IT Service Continuity Managers for each data centre. The Process Manager Role is often assigned to the person who carries out the Process Owner Role, but the two Roles may be separate in larger Organizations.

Process Owner
A Role responsible for ensuring that a Process is Fit for Purpose. The Process Owner’s responsibilities include sponsorship, Design, Change Management and continual improvement of the Process and its Metrics. This Role is often assigned to the same person who carries out the Process Manager Role, but the two Roles may be separate in larger Organizations.

Quality
The ability of a product, Service, or Process to provide the intended value. For example, a hardware Component can be considered to be of high Quality if it performs as expected and delivers the required Reliability. Process Quality also requires an ability to monitor Effectiveness and Efficiency, and to improve them if necessary.

Quality Assurance (QA)
(Service Transition) The Process responsible for ensuring that the Quality of a product, Service or Process will provide its intended Value.

Recovery
(Service Design) (Service Operation) Returning a Configuration Item or an IT Service to a working state. Recovery of an IT Service often includes recovering data to a known consistent state. After Recovery, further steps may be needed before the IT Service can be made available to the Users (Restoration).

Repair
(Service Operation) The replacement or correction of a failed Configuration Item.

Request for Change (RFC)
(Service Transition) A formal proposal for a Change to be made. An RFC includes details of the proposed Change, and may be recorded on paper or electronically. The term RFC is often misused to mean a Change Record, or the Change itself.

Request Fulfillment
(Service Operation) The Process responsible for managing the Lifecycle of all Service Requests.

Resolution
(Service Operation) Action taken to repair the Root Cause of an Incident or Problem, or to implement a Workaround.

Response Time
A measure of the time taken to complete an Operation or Transaction. Used in Capacity Management as a measure of IT Infrastructure Performance, and in Incident Management as a measure of the time taken to answer the phone, or to start Diagnosis.

Restore
(Service Operation) Taking action to return an IT Service to the Users after Repair and Recovery from an Incident. This is the primary Objective of Incident Management.

Retire
(Service Transition) Permanent removal of a Service, or other Configuration Item, from the Live Environment. Retired is a stage in the Lifecycle of many Configuration Items.

Review
An evaluation of a Change, Problem, Process, Project etc. Reviews are typically carried out at predefined points in the Lifecycle, and especially after Closure. The purpose of a Review is to ensure that all Deliverables have been provided, and to identify opportunities for improvement.

Role
A set of responsibilities, Activities and authorities granted to a person or team. A Role is defined in a Process. One person or team may have multiple Roles, for example the Roles of Configuration Manager and Change Manager may be carried out by a single person.

Rollout
(Service Transition) Synonym for Deployment. Most often used to refer to complex or phased Deployments or Deployments to multiple locations.

Root Cause
(Service Operation) The underlying or original cause of an Incident or Problem.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
(Service Operation) An Activity that identifies the Root Cause of an Incident or Problem. RCA typically concentrates on IT Infrastructure failures.

Scalability
The ability of a Service, Process, Configuration Item etc. to perform its agreed Function when the Workload or Scope changes.

Scope
The boundary, or extent, to which a Process, Procedure, Certification, Contract etc. applies.

Service
A means of delivering value to Customers by facilitating Outcomes Customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific Costs and Risks.

Service Acceptance Criteria (SAC)
(Service Transition) A set of criteria used to ensure that an IT Service meets its functionality and Quality Requirements and that the IT Service Provider is ready to Operate the new IT Service when it has been Deployed.
See Acceptance.

Service Catalogue
(Service Design) A database or structured Document with information about all Live Services, including those available for Deployment. The Service Catalogue is the only part of the Service Portfolio published to Customers, and is used to support the sale and delivery of Services. The Service Catalogue includes information about deliverables, prices, contact points, ordering and request Processes.
See Contract Portfolio.

Service Desk
(Service Operation) The Single Point of Contact between the Service Provider and the Users. A typical Service Desk manages Incidents and Service Requests, and also handles communication with the Users.

Service Hours
(Service Design) (Continual Service Improvement) An agreed time period when a particular IT Service should be Available. For example, "Monday-Friday 08:00 to 17:00 except public holidays". Service Hours should be defined in a Service Level Agreement.

Service Level Agreement (SLA)
(Service Design) (Continual Service Improvement) An Agreement between an IT Service Provider and a Customer. The SLA describes the IT Service, documents Service Level Targets, and specifies the responsibilities of the IT Service Provider and the Customer. A single SLA may cover multiple IT Services or multiple Customers.
See Operational Level Agreement.

Service Level Management (SLM)
(Service Design) (Continual Service Improvement) The Process responsible for negotiating Service Level Agreements, and ensuring that these are met. SLM is responsible for ensuring that all IT Service Management Processes, Operational Level Agreements, and Underpinning Contracts, are appropriate for the agreed Service Level Targets. SLM monitors and reports on Service Levels, and holds regular Customer reviews.

Service Management
Service Management is a set of specialized organizational capabilities for providing value to customers in the form of services.

Service Management Lifecycle
An approach to Service Management that emphasizes the importance of coordination and Control across the various Functions, Processes, and Systems necessary to manage the full Lifecycle of Services. The Service Management Lifecycle approach considers the Strategy, Design, Transition, Operation and Continuous Improvement of Services.

Service Manager
A manager who is responsible for managing the end-to-end Lifecycle of one or more IT Services. The term Service Manager is also used to mean any manager within the IT Service Provider. Most commonly used to refer to a Business Relationship Manager, a Process Manager, an Account Manager or a senior manager with responsibility for IT Services overall.

Service Owner
(Continual Service Improvement) A Role which is accountable for the delivery of a specific IT Service.

Service Package
(Service Strategy) A detailed description of a Service that is available to be delivered to Customers. A Service Package includes a Service Level Package and one or more Core Services and Supporting Services.

Service Portfolio
(Service Strategy) The complete set of Services that are managed by a Service Provider. The Service Portfolio is used to manage the entire Lifecycle of all Services, and includes three Categories: Service Pipeline (proposed or in Development); Service Catalogue (Live or available for Deployment); and Retired Services.

Service Portfolio Management (SPM)
(Service Strategy) The Process responsible for managing the Service Portfolio. Service Portfolio Management considers Services in terms of the Business value that they provide.

Service Reporting
(Continual Service Improvement) The Process responsible for producing and delivering reports of achievement and trends against Service Levels. Service Reporting should agree the format, content and frequency of reports with Customers.

Service Request
(Service Operation) A request from a User for information, or advice, or for a Standard Change or for Access to an IT Service. For example to reset a password, or to provide standard IT Services for a new User. Service Requests are usually handled by a Service Desk, and do not require an RFC to be submitted.
See Request Fulfillment.

Service Sourcing
(Service Strategy) The Strategy and approach for deciding whether to provide a Service internally or to Outsource it to an External Service Provider. Service Sourcing also means the execution of this Strategy.
Service Sourcing includes:

• Internal Sourcing - Internal or Shared Services using Type I or Type II Service Providers.
• Traditional Sourcing - Full Service Outsourcing using a Type III Service Provider.
• Multivendor Sourcing - Prime, Consortium or Selective Outsourcing using Type III Service Providers.

Service Strategy
(Service Strategy) The title of one of the Core ITIL publications. Service Strategy establishes an overall Strategy for Services and for Service Management.

Service Transition
(Service Transition) A stage in the Lifecycle of a Service. Service Transition includes a number of Processes and Functions and is the title of one of the Core ITIL publications.
See Transition.

Service Utility
(Service Strategy) The Functionality of a Service from the Customer's perspective. The Business value of a Service is created by the combination of Service Utility (what the Service does) and Service Warranty (how well it does it).
See Utility.

Service Validation and Testing
(Service Transition) The Process responsible for Validation and Testing of a new or Changed Service. Service Validation and Testing ensures that the Service matches its Design Specification and will meet the needs of the Business.

Shift
(Service Operation) A group or team of people who carry out a specific Role for a fixed period of time. For example there could be four shifts of IT Operations Control personnel to support an IT Service that is used 24 hours a day.

Single Point of Failure (SPOF)
(Service Design) Any Configuration Item that can cause an Incident when it fails, and for which a Countermeasure has not been implemented. A SPOF may be a person, or a step in a Process or Activity, as well as a Component of the IT Infrastructure.
See Failure.

Single Point of Contact
(Service Operation) Providing a single consistent way to communicate with an Organization or Business Unit. For example, a Single Point of Contact for an IT Service Provider is usually called a Service Desk.

SMART
(Service Design) (Continual Service Improvement) An acronym for helping to remember that targets in Service Level Agreements and Project Plans should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timely.

Snapshot
(Service Transition) The current state of a Configuration as captured by a discovery tool. Also used as a synonym for Benchmark.
See Baseline.

Specification
A formal definition of Requirements. A Specification may be used to define technical or Operational Requirements, and may be internal or external. Many public Standards consist of a Code of Practice and a Specification. The Specification defines the Standard against which an Organization can be Audited.

Stakeholder
All people who have an interest in an Organization, Project, IT Service etc. Stakeholders may be interested in the Activities, targets, Resources, or Deliverables. Stakeholders may include Customers, Partners, employees, shareholders, owners, etc.

Standard Change
(Service Transition) A pre-approved Change that is low Risk, relatively common and follows a Procedure or Work Instruction. For example password reset or provision of standard equipment to a new employee. RFCs are not required to implement a Standard Change, and they are logged and tracked using a different mechanism, such as a Service Request.
See Change Model.

Standby
(Service Design) Used to refer to Resources that are not required to deliver the Live IT Services, but are available to support IT Service Continuity Plans. For example a Standby data centre may be maintained to support Hot Standby, Warm Standby or Cold Standby arrangements.

Status
The name of a required field in many types of Record. It shows the current stage in the Lifecycle of the associated Configuration Item, Incident, Problem etc.

Storage Management
(Service Operation) The Process responsible for managing the storage and maintenance of data throughout its Lifecycle.

Strategic
(Service Strategy) The highest of three levels of Planning and delivery (Strategic, Tactical, Operational). Strategic Activities include Objective setting and long term Planning to achieve the overall Vision.

Strategy
(Service Strategy) A Strategic Plan designed to achieve defined Objectives.

Supplier
(Service Strategy) (Service Design) A Third Party responsible for supplying goods or Services that are required to deliver IT services. Examples of suppliers include commodity hardware and software vendors, network and telecom providers, and Outsourcing Organizations.
See Underpinning Contract, Supply Chain.

Supplier Management
(Service Design) The Process responsible for ensuring that all Contracts with Suppliers support the needs of the Business, and that all Suppliers meet their contractual commitments.

Support Group
(Service Operation) A group of people with technical skills. Support Groups provide the Technical Support needed by all of the IT Service Management Processes.
See Technical Management.

Support Hours
(Service Design) (Service Operation) The times or hours when support is available to the Users. Typically this is the hours when the Service Desk is available. Support Hours should be defined in a Service Level Agreement, and may be different from Service Hours. For example, Service Hours may be 24 hours a day, but the Support Hours may be 07:00 to 19:00.

Supporting Service
(Service Strategy) A Service that enables or enhances a Core Service. For example a Directory Service or a Backup Service.
See Service Package.

System
A number of related things that work together to achieve an overall Objective. For example:

• A computer System including hardware, software and Applications.
• A management System, including multiple Processes that are planned and managed together. For example a Quality Management System.
• A Database Management System or Operating System that includes many software modules that are designed to perform a set of related Functions.

System Management
The part of IT Service Management that focuses on the management of IT Infrastructure rather than Process.

Tactical
The middle of three levels of Planning and delivery (Strategic, Tactical, Operational). Tactical Activities include the medium term Plans required to achieve specific Objectives, typically over a period of weeks to months.

Technical Management
(Service Operation) The Function responsible for providing technical skills in support of IT Services and management of the IT Infrastructure. Technical Management defines the Roles of Support Groups, as well as the tools, Processes and Procedures required.

Test
(Service Transition) An Activity that verifies that a Configuration Item, Service, Process, etc. meets its Specification or agreed Requirements.
See Service Validation and Testing, Acceptance.

Third Party
A person, group, or Business who is not part of the Service Level Agreement for a Service, but is required to ensure successful delivery of that Service. For example a software Supplier, a hardware maintenance company, or a facilities department. Requirements for Third Parties are typically specified in Underpinning Contracts or Operational Level Agreements.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
(Service Strategy) A methodology used to help make investment decisions. TCO assesses the full Lifecycle Cost of owning a Configuration Item, not just the initial Cost or purchase price.
See Total Cost of Utilization.

Total Cost of Utilization (TCU)
(Service Strategy) A methodology used to help make investment and Service Sourcing decisions. TCU assesses the full Lifecycle Cost to the Customer of using an IT Service.
See Total Cost of Ownership.

Transition
(Service Transition) A change in state, corresponding to a movement of a Service or other Configuration Item from one Lifecycle status to the next.

Tuning
The Activity responsible for Planning Changes to make the most efficient use of Resources. Tuning is part of Performance Management, which also includes Performance Monitoring and implementation of the required Changes.

Underpinning Contract (UC)
(Service Design) A Contract between an IT Service Provider and a Third Party. The Third Party provides goods or Services that support delivery of an IT Service to a Customer. The Underpinning Contract defines targets and responsibilities that are required to meet agreed Service Level Targets in an SLA.

Urgency
(Service Transition) (Service Design) A measure of how long it will be until an Incident, Problem or Change has a significant Impact on the Business. For example a high Impact Incident may have low Urgency, if the Impact will not affect the Business until the end of the financial year. Impact and Urgency are used to assign Priority.

Usability
(Service Design) The ease with which an Application, product, or Service can be used. Usability Requirements are often included in a Statement of Requirements.

User
A person who uses the Service. Users are distinct from Customers, as Customers do not necessarily use the Service directly. Users mostly 'do not pay' (e.g. personnel uses the electricity or heating service, but do not pay; it is the customer that represents the users who decided on the desired service quality and who pays the bill). To explain these concepts the analogy of the difference between a parent and a child at Mc Donalds can be used: the parent (Customer) decides, after some negotiation with the child (User) what the menu is going to be, because it is him (the Customer) who pays. The child may not be always totally happy with the service level and quality (maybe he'll have salad instead of potatoes, or only normal hamburger instead of bigmac), but that is how it is.

User Profile (UP)
(Service Strategy) A pattern of User demand for IT Services. Each User Profile includes one or more Patterns of Business Activity.

Utility
(Service Strategy) Functionality offered by a Product or Service to meet a particular need. Utility is often summarized as "what it does".
See Service Utility.

Validation
(Service Transition) An Activity that ensures a new or changed IT Service, Process, Plan, or other Deliverable meets the needs of the Business. Validation ensures that Business Requirements are met even though these may have changed since the original Design.
See Verification, Acceptance, Qualification, Service Validation and Testing.

Verification
(Service Transition) An Activity that ensures a new or changed IT Service, Process, Plan, or other Deliverable is complete, accurate, Reliable and matches its Design Specification.
See Validation, Acceptance, Service Validation and Testing.

Verification and Audit
(Service Transition) The Activities responsible for ensuring that information in the CMDB is accurate and that all Configuration Items have been identified and recorded in the CMDB. Verification includes routine checks that are part of other Processes. For example, verifying the serial number of a desktop PC when a User logs an Incident. Audit is a periodic, formal check.

Version
(Service Transition) A Version is used to identify a specific Baseline of a Configuration Item. Versions typically use a naming convention that enables the sequence or date of each Baseline to be identified. For example Payroll Application Version 3 contains updated functionality from Version 2.

Vision
A description of what the Organization intends to become in the future. A Vision is created by senior management and is used to help influence Culture and Strategic Planning.

Vulnerability
A weakness that could be exploited by a Threat. For example an open firewall port, a password that is never changed, or a flammable carpet. A missing Control is also considered to be a Vulnerability.

Warranty
(Service Strategy) A promise or guarantee that a product or Service will meet its agreed Requirements.
See Service Validation and Testing, Service Warranty.

Work in Progress (WIP)
A Status that means Activities have started but are not yet complete. It is commonly used as a Status for Incidents, Problems, Changes etc.

Work Instruction
A Document containing detailed instructions that specify exactly what steps to follow to carry out an Activity. A Work Instruction contains much more detail than a Procedure and is only created if very detailed instructions are needed.

Workaround
(Service Operation) Reducing or eliminating the Impact of an Incident or Problem for which a full Resolution is not yet available. For example by restarting a failed Configuration Item. Workarounds for Problems are documented in Known Error Records. Workarounds for Incidents that do not have associated Problem Records are documented in the Incident Record.

Workload
The Resources required to deliver an identifiable part of a Service. Workloads may be Categorized by Users, groups of Users, or Functions within the Service. This is used to assist in analyzing and managing the Capacity, Performance and Utilization of Configuration Items and Services. The term Workload is sometimes used as a synonym for Throughput.