In my last installment, we examined the list of ITIL® v3 processes. Figure 1 (below) is an important tool to begin considering the expansion of the key ITIL process base. The names for the processes are listed on the left side and the relevant ITIL book across the top.
Figure 1 - ITIL v2-v3 Process Coverage and Mapping (click for larger image)
I built this map in an attempt to describe which of the core publications are needed when researching or trying to understand a given process area. This was not quick or easy, because:
• Process naming is somewhat inconsistent across the books;
• Content from the ITIL v2 Core is not a clear or direct mapping;
• Content from other OGC publications (Application Management, ICT Infrastructure Management, etc.) is being included in the ITL v3 core;
• There is no count of or authoritative accounting for what the ITIL v3 core process areas are today by OGC.
As a result, this mapping required a fair amount of interpretation to put together. I decided to depict this in the form of a “heat matrix” to show relevancy/importance.
Legend:
P Indicates the primary source of definitions and concepts for the named process
S Indicates the secondary/supporting source of details for the named process
A Provides associations with, interfaces to or explicit ties to the named process
- No explicit or few substantive references exist to the named process
You’ll notice instances where I rated two books having primary source data on a process area (e.g. Access Management). In each case, I felt that there was enough unique, important information that trying to interpret the guidance based upon one without the other would hinder understanding. In most other cases, one book stood out as being a natural home for the process area description.
Secondary sources varied from having many specific comments about a given process to one set of definitions or key concept that made it important to ensure that this volume was considered in the research. The associative sources are also important, as they begin to establish the ties and relationships between the processes. By including this dimension, we can begin to develop a more holistic view of how the process areas interact. Finally, where there are no important references or content, any potential ties were eliminated.
From this exercise, two points are clear:
• It’s inadvisable to rely on the content of a single volume to provide everything needed to understand a given process area. Content from all five volumes is necessary to properly frame and understand ITIL v3;
• While we can accomplish a mapping, there really is no direct translation from ITIL v2 to ITIL v3.
In examining how processes are mapped to the ITIL Core, we’ve taken an important step in examining the impact of the release of ITIL v3. One of the next areas that we’ll start examining is the shift from a process- to a lifecycle-orientation.