MOF v.4 IT Service Lifecycle Defined

Development has continued at a frenzied pace over the past couple of months on the MOF update and we do have some work to show for it.  But before I present the MOF IT Service Lifecycle, its phases, and our new graphic, I'd like to review a few of our core design principles with you to make sure we're all on the same track.  Simply put, our design goals are:

    • Update MOF to include the full end to end IT Service Lifecycle
    • Let IT Governance serve as the foundation of our lifecycle
    • Provide useful, easily consumable best practice based guidance
    • Simplify and consolidate SMFs as needed, emphasizing workflows, decisions, outcomes, and roles

Now with that understanding, let's take a look at the new MOF Lifecycle graphic.

Looking at the graphic, you'll note there are 4 distinct phases, or parts, of the lifecycle.  Like the previous version of MOF with its four quadrants, each of these has a unique mission of service, yet are comprised of closely interrelated Service Management Functions (SMFs).  In no particular order, the four phases with their mission statements are:

Plan & Optimize

Ensure services offered to the business are valuable, predictable, reliable, and cost-effective while responding to ever changing business needs.

 

Design & Deliver

Ensure that those services the business and IT have agreed on are developed effectively, deployed successfully, and ready for operations.

 

Operate & Support

Ensure that deployed services are operated, maintained, and supported in line with the Service Level Agreement targets agreed to between the business and IT.

 

Manage & Adapt

Ensure that the investment in IT delivers expected business value at an acceptable level of risk using controlled and documented processes.

And if you're wondering where some of your favorite SMFs now live, take a look at this next graphic for our Service Management Function breakdown.

And while we have reduced the total number of SMFs from previous versions of MOF, I hope you'll find that by consolidating and simplifying SMFs where it made sense, and by creating a new structure for the SMFs that focuses on workflows, decisions, outcomes, and roles, we have made MOF more easily consumable and adaptable to your unique environment and needs.  But still, we'd like to hear your opinions on the above graphics and decisions.

In the next few days, I'll start breaking down each of these phases and talking a bit more about the SMFs that comprise them.

Jason Osborne

Frameworks PM