Service Portfolio Management
UBC is implementing IT Service Management standards, using the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework. ITIL is a public framework that describes Best Practice in IT service management which focuses on the quality of services delivered to the customer from both a business and a customer perspective. There are 5 key organizational capabilities outlined in ITIL: Service Strategy, Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operations, and Continual Service Improvement. The I-I-O framework aligns to the Service Portfolio Management sub-process within ITIL.
Service Strategy contains the major sub-processes that cover the activities necessary to understand customer needs to develop and support services that meet the needs of our stakeholders. Specifically, a proper strategic approach requires an understanding of:
- what services should be provided
- to whom the services should be provided Service Strategy
- the competition, and the objectives that will differentiate the value of the products and services
- how stakeholders will perceive value, and how this value will be created
- how visibility and control over value creation will be achieved through financial management
- how business cases will be created to secure investment
- how the allocation of available resources will be managed effectively across the portfolio of services
- how performance will be measured
Within Service Strategy, the I-I-O Framework falls within Service Portfolio Management and ensures that the following activities are contemplated when planning and expanding new products or services:
- Define: inventory services, ensure business cases and validate portfolio data
- Analyze: maximize portfolio value, align and prioritize and balance supply and demand
- Approve: finalize proposed portfolio, authorize services and resources
- Charter: communicate decisions, allocate resources and charter services.
IT Technology Standards
In addition to the Service Catalogue, UBC IT has defined a set of Technology Roadmaps that lay out the expected direction of our product and service offerings for the next three to five years. Each draft roadmap has a unique starting point based on currently available systems, unique demands from our customers and unique industry directions. Consequently, each roadmap has a different level of detail, firmness and time horizon. Roadmaps will be reviewed regularly and formally assessed annually, in line with the annual review of the strategic plan.
The roadmaps also provide a starting point to derive IT standards that can be used to help steer the I-I-O process. The standards are managed on the behalf of UBC by the Enterprise Architecture Working Group and will be developed more in the coming months.