Request Fulfillment
Table of Contents
  A Service Request is a request for a move add or change (MAC) to an existing service offered by a service provider. It usually involves a low risk modification to an IT infrastructure which is accomplished through the invocation of a set of well established procedures.

Process Requires Re-writing for conformance with ITIL Version 3. This process was previously called Service Request and in ITIL version 2 was covered within incident Management.

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Introduction to Request Fulfillment

Request Fulfillment is a process within the Service Operation module of the ITIL Service Lifecycle.

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Request Fulfillment

Objectives Coverage Policies Scaling Concepts Roles Measuring Processes Appendix

Objectives

The efficient fulfillment of standard, repetitive, low risk requests with a high degree of Customer satisfaction. [To top of Page]

Coverage

Scope
A Service Request is defined as "a request for a change, usually both common and straightforward, to be made to a service."

A service request is a "standard change". It involves a change to the infrastructure that follows an established path, is relatively common, and is the accepted solution to a specific requirement or set of requirements. Examples might include an upgrade of a PC in order to make use of specific software, new hires within an organization, and PC, software and network connections for temporary or seasonal changes to requirements.

The crucial elements of a standard Change are that:

Once the approach has been established and documented, a standard Change process should be developed and promulgated to ensure that such Changes are efficiently processed to support the organization's business needs

A request for new or additional service (i.e. software or hardware) is often not regarded as an Incident but as a Request for Change (RFC). However, practice shows that handling of both failures in the infrastructure and of service requests are similar, and both are sometimes included in the definition and scope of Incident Management by extending the logic to encompass a "Service Event" where an event might be:

Service Requests must be based upon established and approved workflows which, when followed precisely, reduce the risks associated with the change to a level wherein they are considered pre-approved and, commensurate with this low degree of risk, can be initiated by the Service Desk or through an automated web portal.

Possible Coverage by Service Request Procedures

Not Covered by Service Request Procedures

Relationship to Other Processes

Configuration Management
Service Requests may modify CI's in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). The Service Desk is responsible for ensuring that the CMDB is updated as a result of a SR.

The SR process (as determined by the categorization which is invoked will be documented and maintained in the CMDB.

Change Management
Service Requests involve low risk changes to the infrastructure. The governing processes and procedures by which the SR is completed have been previously approved through the Change Management process.

Incident Management
SR's modify the infrastructure and are, therefore, a potential source for the introduction of faults into the production environment. As a source of change into the environment, the Service Desk and Incident Agents should be able to easily access information outlining SRs.

Service Level Management
The reference for a Service Request should be maintained in a Service Catalogue describing the services offered. Typically, this catalog would contain the following description of the service:

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Suggested Policies

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Scaling

In small organizations there will be little distinction between a Service Request and the reporting of an Incident. Both will occur using similar tools to known staff charged with the responsibility for fulfillment. Because there is little attention to ensuring the integrity of fulfillment information for subsequent analysis and planning activities, the request will likely be directed to the fulfillment group who are ultimately responsibility for delivery. Frequently, the Service Request may be directly e-mailed or entered through an online form.

With the implementation of enhanced Incident Management processes and procedures comes the opportunity to leverage new efficiencies in completing Service Requests. At some point, the organization will grapple with whether a Service Request should be treated like an incident or like a low risk change, but, because the organization is most likely to have invested in its' Incident Management system in order to garner some early wins in better IT Service Management, the Incident system will be adapted to accommodated the workflow aspects of the Service Request.

As the volumes of requests and incidents increase it becomes efficient and more effective to distinguish how they are treated. At this point the organization may endevour to utilize application support better geared to tracking workflow completion (possibly with rudimentary project management functionalities).

At some point the organization may become interested in achieving higher operational maturity levels. AS the organization attempts to achieve a more defined level of operations it will seek to codify its' services in a service catalogue. In addition, in seeking greater consistency in the degree of service fulfillment it will establish and monitor the processes described by the workflows. These will become Processes which, ideally, will be assumed under Change Management protocols and procedures. The organization begins increasingly to operate and change according to processes rather than through individual actions. As the organization strives for higher maturity it will seek to adapt its' behaviour in accordance with performance information. Analyzing Service Request and Incident data for management reporting, continuous improvement and to support other IT service management practices (eg. Problem, Capacity management) will prove valuable. Application systems based upon Change Management principles provide for better management of Service request workflow and subsequent analysis of the fulfillment lifecycle for various service offerings.

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Concepts

SR Categories

Classification is the process of identifying correct Service Area to route the SR to. In Remedy and other Incident/Change systems, categories are assigned using a multi-fold structure composed of fields such as Category, Type and Item (CTI). This categorization should identify either an entire entry or a component of an entry in the Service Catalogue.

SR Status

Throughout the SR process the status of the request indicates its state of fulfillment. The table below defines these.

StatusDescription
NewA Ticket is created and awaiting assignment
AssignedThe Ticket is assigned to a Support User group
NewA Ticket is created and awaiting assignment
PlannedThe Support use is planning Ticket fulfillment or resolution
ScheduledWork scheduling is in progress
WIPJob is assigned to be worked on (work in progress)
PendingThe Ticket is on hold - usually awaiting delivering of equipment
CompletedCompleted
ClosedJob is closed and may be archived

Workflow Automation

The ITIL best practice has a strong methodology in properly planning out the workflow of the repeatable processes along with identifying the stakeholders of the service provided. It is a key to providing consistent service delivery that can be benchmarked against expectations. Service is managed in a responsible manner and expectations are supervised throughout the work flow process.

Identifying repeatable processes can improve the efficiency of service delivery as well as supporting IT governance and standards. Through utilizing clearly defined repeatable processes, the total customer experience can be measured and the costs to the organization will be decreased through:

Communication

Seamless teamwork that will reduce the risk in changing technology requires multi-level communication to both internal and external service providers. Productivity is boosted through increased communication by sharing information over the web and providing on-demand reporting. Exceptions can be communicated both in reports as well as instant escalations making the total customer experience more consistent while making the team members more accountable. From the client's perspective the benefits from improved communications include:

The person named by the User when the ticket is opened should receive automatic email notifications when the Service Request status changes. The status changes generating email messages include:

Service Level Management

One of the most difficult areas to manage is the service level performance of the individual service providers. It is important to measure and manage the cycle time commitments through real time monitoring of workflow tasks against a mutually agreed upon cycle time threshold. There should be a way to provide the ability to report compliance to Service Level Agreements and notify of service contract breeches.

Escalation Guidelines

Service Request escalation is a procedure wherein additional or different resources are devoted to the Service Fulfillment in order to meet Service Commitments associated with the Service Request CTI. In normal operations, Online Services issues a Service Breach alter when 20% of the time remains on the service commitment.

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Roles

Service Request Process Manager

Service Desk

Service Fulfillment Group

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Measuring

Goal Indicators (targets)

Metrics
Measurement Issues
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Processes

Click for process descriptionService Request Summary Process

  Controls
  • Categorization Structure
  • Budget authorities
  • SLM Guidelines
  • Service Fulfillment Contracts
 
Inputs
  • Purchasing Plans
  • Service Catalogue
Activities
Outputs
  • Service MAC
  • Updated CMDB
  • Communications
  • Incidents
  • Escalations
Mechanisms
  • SR System
  • Fulfillment Agents

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Inputs

Controls

Mechanisms

Outputs

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Activities

SR1 - Customer Initiation

Identify service need, route request to appropriate resources for service fulfillment

A service request is a request for new or altered service and may include

Ideally, a Customer will reference a Service Catalogue, or in its' absence, some list of available services.

Alternatively, the need for a service may ensue as a result of a project step when, to complete a stage, a service must be secured or changed in some fashion. This could be part of an application or hardware release or the result of an approved (or emergency) change process.

SR 2 - Create Service Request

Create SR - Provide means to document, track and fulfill request for ISD services

Once the need for a service request has been identified the Customer either directly accesses an online Service Request entry form (which should validate the customer's legitimacy) or notifies the Service Desk of the need by phone or email. The Service Desk then creates the Service Request.

Where the SR should modify a current CI or create a new CI the new or updated information must accompany the request in order to update the CMDB. Once the Service Request has been SAVED an email is sent to the requester informing them that the Request is being acted upon, affirming the service commitment and to whom the request will be assigned to.

SR3 Verify and Authorize SR

Ensure requests are legitimate and cost effective.

Depending on the categorization of the request selected the Service Request will require proper authorization to proceed. That authorization may be pre-established and the SR Ticket can be acted upon immediately by the group responsible for fulfillment.

Not all cases, however, may be pre-assigned and the Service Fulfillment Group and/or an Escalation Resolution Group will need to determine the legitimacy of the request. This will usually be accomplished by verification with the line of business manager or administrator associated with the person the request, but, normally approval will be provided and the SR is updated to reflect originating the request (who should have arranged proper approvals beforehand). The SR will be closed (with the appropriate notations) if the manager refuses this.

Normally, Service Requests will be pre-authorized, in which case they will normally be initiated by a person with the authority to spend any funds associated with the request. This might be a financial administrator in the line of business or a project manager with budgetary authority. The Authority is usually defined by a Delegation of Authorities policy issued by Finance and is accompanied by a listing of those with such empowerment. That list would be available to the Service Desk or Fulfillment Group and would be codified into associated lookup tables.

Once authorized the STATUS of the request become ASSIGNED. An email is issued to the requester indicating this status.

SR4 - Service Request Fulfillment

Provide requested Customer Service within committed timeframes

To obtain assurance that the risks to the infrastructure of a service request have been adequately considered, procedures for each service need to be devised and approved through Change Management. Then, as long as the procedures are adhered to, the request can be considered be pre-approved. These procedures will be codified as tasks associated with the CTI in the Online Services system and a request will trigger the population of the task list.

The request is then assigned to the Fulfillment Group associated with the category selected. This group will then assign the request from a console. Once assigned the STATUS of the request becomes WIP (Work in Progress) and an email is sent to the requester indicating the request is being worked on.

HOWTO questions may be treated quickly if the answers are evident. Difficult question may take some time to research and may undergo escalation if a referral to vendor support is required.

The Service Fulfillment Group assess the scope of the work associated with the task list and the timeframes to complete it by referencing the Service in the Service Catalogue. Possible outcomes of this review include:

SR5 - Assign To Appropriate Service Provider

Speedy and correct assignment

SR's are sometimes routed to the incorrect Service Fulfillment Group. This may be due to Customer confusion or incorrect data entry. When mis-assignment occurs the requests are redirected to the proper areas assigned to fulfill the task.

SR6 - Escalate SR

Ensure sufficient resources exist to fulfill Customer requests The Service Desk or the Service Fulfillment Group (or an automated routine) continues to monitor the status of the SR against established completion timeframes. When a pre-established percent of that timeframe is being approached the system will issue an alert to the Service Fulfillment Agent that the SR's service commitment is at risk of being breached.

Alternatively, the Fulfillment Agent might evaluate the possibility of this risk earlier in the process (perhaps with foreknowledge of equipment delivery problems).

Escalation involves the introduction of additional and/or different resources to the fulfillment of the request. As such, it introduces a complication to the established set of tasks associated with fulfilling the request. The lead Service Fulfillment Agent needs to determine whether the escalation introduces a significant deviation from established tasks. If so, the service request can no longer be considered pre-approved and should be referred to Change Management, for further consideration.

If the change is considered to be within the bounds of the existing tasks then the Lead continues to fulfill the request. The requester should be notified of any expectations of changed completion dates and partial provision of service. If desirable, the Fulfillment Agent may negotiate with the requester to limit or phase the service request.

Escalation may be iterative as additional resources are considered in subsequent considerations. At each invocation the lead Fulfillment Agent should undertake the above consideration of scope and risk.

Once the service has been fulfilled the STATUS is set to COMPLETED and an email is sent to the requester. As part of this notification the requester is told that they have 10 business days to evaluate the SR as being fulfilled to their satisfaction. At any time during this period they can CLOSE the request but, in any event the SR will be automatically CLOSED after the designated period.

Close SR

Allow sufficient time for assessment of services provided. Ultimately de-activates the Service Request.

Once the Service Request is marked COMPLETED the Customer has a defined period in which to evaluate whether the service is to their satisfaction. They may manually CLOSE the Ticket at any time during this period.

If the Customer indicates that there are issues with the service then the Ticket is closed and an Incident Ticket is created. This Ticket will reference the SR Ticket number and specify the CI associated with the SR task list as the CI at fault.

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Appendix

Terminology

Terms

TermDefinition
AvailabilityAbility of a component or service to perform its required function at a stated instant or over a stated period of time. It is usually expressed as the availability ratio, i.e. the proportion of time that the service is actually available for use by the Customers within the agreed service hours.
Category, Type and Item (CTI)Method for Classification of a group of Change documents according to three-fold hierarchical coding structure used by many organizations.
ClientPeople and/or groups who are the targets of service. To be distinguished from User - the consumer of the target (the degree to which User and Client are the same represents a measure of correct targeting) and the Customer - who pays for the service.
ClassificationProcess of formally identifying Incidents, Problems and Known errors by origin, symptoms and cause.
Change ManagementProcess of controlling Changes to the infrastructure or any aspect of services, in a controlled manner, enabling approved Changes with minimum disruption.
Configuration Item (CI)Component of an infrastructure - or an item, such as a Request for Change, associated with an infrastructure - that is (or is to be) under the control of Configuration Management.CIs may vary widely in complexity, size and type, from an entire system (including all hardware, software and documentation) to a single module or a minor hardware component.
Configuration Management
Database (CMDB)
A database that contains all relevant details of each CI and details of the important relationships between CIs.
Core Business ProcessA process that relies on the unique knowledge and skills of the owner and that contributes to the owner’s competitive advantage.
Critical Success Factor (CSF)Critical Success Factors - the most important issues or actions for management to achieve control over and within its' IT processes.
CustomerPayer of a service; usually theCustomer management has responsibility for the cost of the service, either directly through charging or indirectly in terms of demonstrable business need.
EnvironmentA collection of hardware, software, network and procedures that work together to provide a discrete type of computer service. There may be one or more environments on a physical platform e.g. test, production. An environment has unique features and characteristics that dictate how they are administered in similar, yet diverse, manners.
ImpactMeasure of the business criticality of an Problem Often equal to the extent to which Incidents lead to distortion of agreed or expected service levels.
IncidentAny event that is not part of the standard operation of a service and that causes, or may cause, an interruption to, or a reduction in, the quality of that service.
Known ErrorAn Incident or Problem for which the root cause is known and for which a temporary Work-around or a permanent alternative has been identified. If a business case exists, an RFC will be raised, but, in any event, it remains a known error unless it is permanently fixed by a Change.
Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)The elapsed time to restore service measured from either the time of the failure or the time the failure was reported to the time the service was restored to the Users satisfaction.
PrioritySequence in which an Incident or Problem needs to be resolved, based on impact and urgency.
ProcessA connected series of actions, activities, Changes etc. performed by agents with the intent of satisfying a purpose or achieving a goal.
Pre-approved service requestA request which has been previously considered and approved through ISD Change Management authorities as introducing negligible risk to the production environment. The original approval will include a set of Tasks by which the service will be fulfilled and the pre-approval requires adherence to those procedures to qualify as pre-approved.
Pre-authorized service requestA request which is pre-authorized for fulfillment by the line of business authority wherein the service request is to be fulfilled. This usually denotes pre-established budgetary limits to secure resources associated with the request but might also include access to facilities, use of equipment, etc.
Process ControlThe process of planning and regulating, with the objective of performing a process in an effective and efficient way.
ReleaseA collection of new and/or changed CIs which are tested and introduced into the live environment together.
Request for Change (RFC)Form, or screen, used to record details of a request for a Change to any CI within an infrastructure or to procedures and items associated with the infrastructure.
ResolutionAction that will resolve an Incident. This may be a Work-around.
RoleA set of responsibilities, activities and authorisations.
Service Level AgreementA written agreement between a service provider and Customer(s) that documents agreed services and the levels at which they are provided at various costs.
Service Level ManagementDisciplined, proactive methodology and procedures used to ensure that adequate levels of service are delivered to supported IT users in accordance with business priorities and at acceptable costs.
Service RequestA request for a change, usually both common and straightforward, to be made to a service.
SystemAn integrated composite that consists of one or more of the processes, hardware, software, facilities and people, that provides a capability to satisfy a stated need or objective.
UrgencyMeasure of the business criticality of an Incident or Problem based on the impact and on the business needs of the Customer.

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