Category Archives: ISO/IEC 20000 Standard

How the ISO 20000 ITSMS Can Help to Achieve the Business Goals?

To manage IT service management processes and satisfy customer expectations, ISO/IEC 20000 offers a framework. Increased effectiveness and efficiency of corporate processes are two benefits of implementing ISO/IEC 20000. Since the majority of organizations who have attained ISO/IEC 20000 certification have also improved customer satisfaction, they have given services that are of higher quality.

For IT service providers who can take use of widely accepted best practices, standardization, and critical recommendations, ISO/IEC 20000 specifies requirements. It is seen as necessary for establishing a professional connection with a new supplier. For businesses and service providers who want to stand out from the crowd when providing services, ISO 20000 is a compliance certification. When planning, designing, implementing, operating, monitoring, maintaining, and upgrading their service management systems, it sets particular standards for service providers. To satisfy the organization’s service requirements, the strict standards cover the design, transfer, delivery, and enhancement of services.

Organizations would be unwise to disregard the many advantages of ISO 20000. Having a service provider who is ISO 20000-compliant or becoming compliant themselves will be advantageous for almost all enterprises. The only internationally accepted standard for IT service management at the moment is ISO 20000. Due to businesses’ desire to use it as a crucial point of differentiation in the marketplace, it has recently experienced tremendous international adoption.

Customers and service providers alike can have faith in the effectiveness and scalability of the processes because ISO 20000 is a well-known and well-established standard. Even while the list that follows is by no means comprehensive, it will help you understand what it really means for you to be ISO 20000 compliant.

  • The greater efficiency and effectiveness provided by ISO 20000 standard gives service providers and businesses a competitive edge through more dependable IT services. Everyone is in agreement regarding who is in charge of what chores and when they need to be finished thanks to this certification. This reduces the frequency of events while also enhancing the team’s capacity to handle problems as they come up in the future.
  • Organizations may integrate IT services with the overall business plan with the aid of ISO 20000. You may make sure that your organization is centred on the IT service management solutions that will best serve the clients’ needs and the ISO 20000 ITSMS requirements of the industry. With ISO 20000, you will be able to provide superior IT services that are more suited to your internal and external customers’ needs, all while better preserving your company’s assets and soothing the concerns of its shareholders and directors.
  • The business may give the company and the clients specific instances of how you outperform others because ISO 20000 certification assures more effective and efficient delivery of your IT services. By decreasing the frequency of IT issues, for instance, and responding to them more quickly when they do arise, you can devote more of your time to strategic IT development within your company. Since you now have a beautiful ISO 20000 certification, you can use that time to go closer to your company’s development objectives. We all know that time spent putting out fires might be spent developing.
  • Improve the knowledge of and control over IT costs. Plan upcoming expenses more precisely and clearly. You can run a leaner, more effective service if your procedures are clearer and your roles are defined more simply.
  • The corporate world is always evolving, especially in this era of digital and technical advancement. For a business to last, it is imperative to make sure that processes are constantly being improved in response to client input. And it includes both externally recognised improvements as well as changes in technology and business norms. The robust structure of best practices established by ISO 20000 serves as a support system for innovation. Your organization can manage change more skillfully and quickly, which increases your likelihood of meeting organizational goals and lowers internal and external risk levels.

ITSMS Standard: Identify the Overview of ISO 20000 ITSMS Manual

ISO/IEC 20000 is a global, independent standard for IT service management excellence. A standard that helps organizations to demonstrate the quality of their IT Services to clients, as well as to develop and maintain an IT Service Management System that fulfills the worldwide ISO/IEC 20000 quality requirements. This standard assists organizations in benchmarking how their managed services are delivered, as well as measuring and assessing service levels. The ISO 20000 standard is compatible with other management systems such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 27001. It adheres to Annex SL, the High-Level Structure used by all new and amended standards, and it is compatible with Annex SL. This facilitates the integration of various standards while reducing effort and expensive duplication.

What is the ISO 20000 manual?

An ISO 20000 manual is a document that outlines the company’s plans for running and executing the activities within its quality management system. It might contain policies for all aspects of the business that impact your capacity to produce high-quality products while meeting the requirements of the customers and the ISO 20000 standard. These regulations outline how the department managers will carry out operations while adhering to the guidelines outlined in the quality manual.

The aim of the quality manual is to serve as a how-to guide for organizational operating procedures. Any company policy that has an impact on the capacity to supply high-quality products, satisfy customer requests, and adhere to ISO standards can be described in the manual. The document may then be utilized by managers to establish processes, defining for them the constraints and requirements they must meet.

An essential resource for businesses putting in place a quality management system is the ISO 20000 quality manual, which lays out the goals for everyday activities inside the QMS. It establishes the standards for the team’s performance and the standard of the deliverables.

What are the uses of an ISO 20000 ITSMS Manual?

The manual is not just a tool for managers, but it also serves a number of other crucial purposes.

  • Quality manual helps to let staff members know what management expects
  • The manual is used to demonstrate the company’s desire to comply with ISO 20000 requirements
  • To show compliance with Clause 5.3, which stipulates that organizational roles, responsibilities, and authority must be allocated, communicated, and understood
  • Manual used to serve as a starting point for auditors, whether internal, linked with customers, or ISO certification body

What are the benefits of a ITSMS manual?

Making an ISO 20000 ITSMS manual is a wise business move because of the following sources:

  • Support for creating ITSM processes
  • Assist businesses in developing successful ITSMS
  • Enhance an organization’s capacity for ongoing improvement
  • Give a clear, quick description of the system
  • Don’t need the assistance of a consultant
  • Describe a way to operate a business that is more effective
  • Encourage simple registration
  • Spend less time and money adopting ISO 20000 ITSMS for businesses

Outline Three Elements Before Start Implementing ISO 20000 IT Service Management System

The set of best practices that are universally recognized for the deployment of a service management system in both large and small businesses is defined by ITSM based on ISO/IEC 20000 standard. The Service Management System (SMS), primarily focuses on how the business prepares, executes, evaluates, and improves the delivery of new and updated services that will add value for the clients and save money and time, this is the objective of ISO/IEC 20000. The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) technique and an integrated process approach will be the core elements of the SMS.

Best practices for IT service management are outlined in ISO/IEC 20000, which is the standard for organization certification. Organizations will be able to benefit from how the processes interact, allowing the organization’s processes to mature more quickly. In order to effectively manage internal groups and outside parties and achieve real cost savings, ISO/IEC 20000 also outlines the amount of governance you need.

Several firms adopt the ISO/IEC 20000 standard nowadays because it makes the Service Management processes necessary for a company to claim that it adheres to and provides best practice Service Management quicker. To provide defined and measurable opportunities for effective and efficient service delivery, more and more businesses are obtaining the ISO/IEC 20000 certification for their organizations. This is because it makes it clear that the organization has met and continues to meet the requirements for SMS. A successful ISO/IEC 20000 IT services management system is made up of the three primary components described here.

Management Responsibilities: The goal is to assure the implementation of the service management system implementation duties at the senior management level of the service provider. The responsibility for the service management system must be given to a member of the Management Board who is in charge of implementation and has the necessary skills for the job to fulfill these requirements. In a perfect world, this person would have assistance from a management team that would aid in decision-making. Because of this, the defined service manager also acts as the system’s owner.

Documentation Requirements: The organization is needed to provide records and ISO 20000 documents to help the management process. The objective of this is to ensure efficient service management process planning, execution, and monitoring. Production and management of documents and records must be automated. The documents serve as the cornerstone and basis for confirming that the service management requirements are being followed. There must be a clear separation between two essential aspects.

  • Documents that list the management’s objectives and aims
  • Records that demonstrate the execution

It should be clarified that service management is used in all processes and is not just something that exists on paper. This must be supported by integrated documentation. The management must make sure that all procedures are followed and that the following fundamental ideas are adhered to:

  • Documentation
  • Communicated,
  • Tracked
  • Regularly revised
  • Enhanced

For this reason, it is also necessary to have descriptive documents and relevant records.

Expertise and Training: Managers and staff members must be aware of the significance and relevance of their actions within service management and comprehend how those actions help to achieve quality goals. To guarantee that the requirements for new or updated services can be met, the corresponding expertise and abilities must be accessible.

The ever-changing technological improvements necessitate continued education and additional ISO 20000 awareness training for employees, who should be managed through coordinated skills management. The training necessary for the staff to satisfy future requirements is decided based on a consistent analysis of any inadequacies and condensed into a yearly training plan as part of the discussions surrounding the annual target agreement and the targets derived from the service management planning. Reviewing training measures’ efficacy is necessary. The organization initially establishes the specific skills needed for each service management role to determine the demand.

How to Understand the Organization’s Context in Terms of ISO 20000 Standard?

ISO 20000 The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electoral Commission together created ITSM, the global standard for IT service management (IEC). ISO 20000 is recognized by the majority of nations in the globe because it was approved by a majority of member nations to become an international standard.

The standard outlines a set of management procedures designed to help in delivering IT services that are more effective (both to those within the business and customers). The framework and methods provided by ISO 20000 allow for the management of the ITSM while also demonstrating the company’s adherence to best practices, which will enhance the quality of your IT service delivery. And ISO 20000 applies to businesses of any size and in any industry.

Clause 4 has been modified by the addition of the phrase “Context of the Organization” in ISO 20000-1:2018. The organization establishes a strong foundation for attaining the objectives and results of the Service Management System by being clear about which internal and external concerns are pertinent (SMS). must start with internal problems and determine the organizational context.

The corporation must specify the limits and applicability of the SMS to establish the scope of the ISO 20000 implementation in to identify the context of the organization. The organization should take both internal and external factors into account when deciding the scope. A company’s internal problems can be caused by several, a few of which are mentioned below.

  • Organization size: Concerning the assignment of duties to employees, a company’s size is a key factor. One individual may be responsible for several roles in a small business.
  • Organization structure: The organization’s service management processes must be handled across all departments and functions. Before adopting an SMS, the organizational structure of the business, such as its hierarchical, matrix, or self-learning team structure, must be taken into consideration.
  • Culture: Adopting a service management system requires careful consideration of ethics, individual conduct, and departmental personnel.
  • Methods/frameworks: Find out if the business has already received certification for any ISO standards, such as ISO 20000:2011. Knowing how much of the current processes, procedures, and ISO 20000 documents have to be revised to comply with ISO 20000:2018 will be made it easier with this information. You should also be aware of any other frameworks that the business has been using, such as ITIL, COBIT, etc.
  • Technology: What different technologies does the business utilize to provide its present services, such as IT infrastructure including the cloud, SAAS, PAAS, etc.?
  • Service types: What types of IT and non-IT services, such as local, global, round-the-clock, and 24×7, are provided by the organization for its products?
  • Resource capabilities: Process maturity, organizational maturity, and staff maturity all play critical roles. SFIA (Skills Framework for Information Age), a global industrial framework, can be used by IT professionals. The ISO 20000 awareness training is crucial in this context.

The implementation of an SMS should be adaptive enough to meet business changes brought on by external factors. Some of the external challenges that organizations need to be aware of are listed here.

  • Political: An organization may be unable to establish or strengthen alliances with organizations in other nations if the nation’s foreign policy changes. For example, Changes in government, laws, regulations, alterations in policy, and controversies
  • Economic: The procedures for determining prices, accounting practices, and procedures may need to alter as a result of this. For instance, competition, consumer purchasing power, and union membership inclusion or exclusion
  • Sociological: Customers and suppliers could demand business operations electronically. Employees grow increasingly technically minded and conscious of the advantages of electronic communication.
  • Technological: Advanced technologies in communication and computing may increase organizational effectiveness and efficiency, which rivals are currently utilizing. For instance, benchmarks, emerging technologies, and trends
  • Legal: The way that the management systems function may vary as a result of changes to the organization’s policies and practices. For instance, trademarks, intellectual property rights, and data privacy or confidentiality
  • Environmental: This could be the consequence of pressure from the organization’s specific operating environment or industry, or it could be from the actual environment in which the organization is located. The way that redundant equipment is disposed of may be impacted by the company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility or by the addition of an environmental management policy, such as ISO 14001. Take e-waste, sustainability, and renewable energy as examples.

12 Tips to Improve the ISO/IEC 20000 Audit’s Pleasantness

Published by ISO and IEC, ISO 20000 is the universe standard for IT service management (ITSM). ISO 20000 is recognized by the majority of nations in the globe because it was approved by a majority of member nations to become an international standard. The standard outlines a series of management procedures intended to help you provide IT services more successfully. The methodology and structure provided by ISO 20000 help to manage the ITSM while demonstrating that the business adheres to best practices, which will enhance the quality of the IT service delivery. And ISO 20000 applies to businesses of any size and in any sector. Here are mentioned some tips that help to make the ISO/IEC 20000 audit process easy.

  • Conduct an ISO/IEC 20000 Mock Audit: In a mock audit, also known as a dry run, a qualified person assumes the role of the certification auditor. and poses as a guide who takes the auditee through a real audit. with a fake audit report included. 
  • Always be ready for an ISO/IEC 20000 Audit: A good mindset to have is to always be ready for an audit.
  • Keep documents and records in one place: If the organization has a document management system. Use it to store all the documents. If you have automated solutions, use those to store the ISO 20000 records.
  • Know the ISO/IEC 20000 audit requirements and evidence: The organization knows the requirements the auditor expects you to meet. Participate in an ISO/IEC 20000 awareness PPT training course at work.
  • Launch the applications before the interview: Speaking of preparing for an audit, make sure to launch every application that has records that the organization wants to show.
  • How to know that the process or service is effective: The effectiveness of the service management system (SMS) is what matters most. Make sure the organization measures the effectiveness of the process if they are the process owner of the service. Act upon effectiveness issues with priority. And document all those actions. Through the continual improvement process.
  • Ensure that the top management or senior individual is also present: During audits, leadership must show its commitment. Being present during an audit interview is one way of doing so. And accepted by the boss when management decisions were made. Decisions that may have caused the process or service to perform not the way was intended.

Tips that benefit during the ISO/IEC 20000 audit

  • Mentally prepare for surprises: Even the best preparation may come with surprises during the audit interview. An unexpected question from the auditor. A co-worker chimed in and derailed the thought process. Or a disagreement over a finding or an opportunity for improvement.
  • Educate the ISO/IEC 20000 auditor: Particularly, the auditor who audits for the first time does not know the organization, the business processes, the organizational structure, the successes, and achievements, or the titles, acronyms, and other language that is specific to the organization. So, build in time during the interview to educate the auditor. The better he or she understands the employees and the organization, the more value to the auditor can be.
  • Be passionate and show confidence: Express how excited you are owning the process or the service. How you have immersed yourself in the requirements of the ISO/IEC 20000-1 standard? And how you have educated yourself and those you work with through formal ISO/IEC 20000 auditor training and awareness sessions. Convey with confidence your eagerness to learn more about the users of your process or the consumers of your service. And how you continuously improve your process or service to ensure its relevance and contribution to the results and outcomes of your organization.
  • There is always scope for improvement: No process or service will ever be perfect. Auditors understand this. And they are expecting it not to be. So, missing out on a target now and then is normal. Simply accept the finding. And collectively with peers determine and execute improvements.

Tips that benefit after the ISO/IEC 20000 Audit

  • Timely follow-up on corrective action plans and findings: When the auditor has determined a nonconformity or an opportunity for improvement of the process or service, follow up promptly. Organizations are given a certain amount of time to provide a corrective action plan. Provide the plan before the due date. And execute the plan according to the target dates as promised in the plan.

7 Myths About The ISO/IEC 20000 IT Service Management Standard

ISO/IEC 20000 is the universal ITSM (IT service management) standard. ISO 20000 allows IT departments to ensure that their ITSM processes are aligned with the business’s needs and international best practices. The ISO/IEC 20000 standard supports organizations in how they deliver managed services, measure service levels, and assess their performance. So here are seral myths about the ISO/IEC 20000 implementation, documentation, certification, etc.

Myth 1 – ISO/IEC 20000 is for huge organizations only: By clause 1.2, “all requirements in this part of ISO/IEC 20000 are generic and are intended to apply to all service providers, regardless of type, size, or nature of services delivered.” As a result, regardless of whether the organization is large or small, public, non-profit, or private, it can adapt to management system standards. Eventually, ISO/IEC 20000-1 assist organizations in defining the goal that must be met and applies to organizations that wish to reap its benefits.

Myth 2 – ISO/IEC 20000 can be useful only to IT infrastructure: The ISO/IEC 20000 standard specifies the requirements for a system for managing information technology services. Without a doubt, regardless of the industry, type of business, or business model, also IT services must be effectively designed, delivered, and continuously improved to meet customer needs. ISO/IEC 20000 has been used in various IT contexts such as cloud services, telecommunications, media services, and so on.

Myth 3 – ISO/IEC 20000 is not vital for internal service providers: On the other hand, several service providers who provide services have discovered benefits from being ISO/IEC 20000 certified. Every move that makes in IT services will be highly visible and will have an impact on the overall performance and image. As a result, all resources, alignments, business processes, and functions must be structured so that roles, responsibilities, and course of action are clearly defined both internally and externally. Through the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle, the standard adds discipline to the management system, ensuring continuous improvement. Being certified by an accredited certification body demonstrates that IT service management is professional and recognized globally, while also increasing productivity to assist in the delivery of services in the face of financial constraints.

Myth 4 – The employee is aware of their responsibilities: True, but what happens when someone leaves the organization? The organization will need to hire new employees and possibly start from nothing. However, having a documented management system, processes, procedures, and related, new employees can be easily guided and integrated into the organization, avoiding downtime, rework, confusion, and time and money. The ISO 20000 awareness training can be helpful in such cases to provide information about ISO/IEC  20000 requirements quickly to new employees.

Myth 5 – ISO/IEC 20000 is based on ITIL; therefore, the service providers should use ITIL as a basic framework: ITIL and ISO 20000 have some similarities and dissimilarities. ITIL is an IT infrastructure library; it is a library of best practices and processes related to IT services and IT infrastructure. ISO/IEC 20000, on the other hand, is a standard for IT service management that is, to some extent, based on ITIL. Another important aspect of ISO 20000 is that all 256 mandatory requirements must be met to comply with the standard requirements; there are no exceptions. It is up to the organization to decide how many processes or functions to implement under ITIL.

Myth 6 – ISO/IEC 20000 will slow down the service management and will make it more undemocratic: It is possible that if an organization creates complex procedures, the service provider staff will not use them properly. The standard requires that service providers use documented processes and procedures. ISO/IEC 20000-1, on the other hand, tells what to do, but the organization can decide how to do it and can choose to make it more flexible and productive.

Myth 7 – To get certified against ISO/IEC 20000 I need to know all about ITIL: That is not correct; an organization can obtain ISO/IEC 20000 certification without knowing anything about ITIL; though, more knowledge is better. When implementing ISO/IEC 20000, having extensive knowledge of ITIL and its version could provide a wide range of benefits to the business, such as improved IT service quality, as well as increased productivity, lower costs and many more.