Understanding ITIL Processes For Your BAU In Simple Terms

When your house plumbing develops some snag you would see the symptoms. There would be a water leakage or no supply of water to a tap. Especially in case of concealed pipes you may find dampness in your walls. These all are the incidents that indicate that there is something wrong with the plumbing. These incidents typically would reflect an underlying problem for which the root cause is not yet known.

You would call a plumber to identify what is wrong with the plumbing, i.e. to identify the root cause. This is Problem Management. Plumber might give some filler (like m-seal) or you yourself can opt for one which is a temporary workaround. This is Incident Management where your goal is to have an asap resolution. Though it can provide a relief in terms of stopping the leakage, but this does not resolve the problem. Please note that problem is different from incident (which may simply be an indicator of something major to come). Plumber would look into identifying the source of leakage. Now you have the error and identify how it can be rectified, i.e., the resolution. This is known error.

Some part would need replacement, i.e. change, which could be a pipe, tap or combination of multiple parts. Plumber would provide you the details of parts to be replaced. This is RFC. This detail has to be taken to a hardware shop and given to shopkeeper. This is change management. Plumber may give you a time when he would come and replace the fittings. This is forwards schedule of change. Shopkeeper will validate the details and check the fitment of the parts before giving it to you. Shopkeeper may give you multiple options along with information regarding cost, quality, etc. and seek your approval for a particular type or brand. This is CAB approval. All these constitute Change Management.

You will take this to your plumber who would change the fittings, test and ensure that there is no more leakage. This is Release & Deployment Management. In case there is any warranty for the parts, you would ensure that it is properly documented and stored. This is Service Asset And Configuration Management. 

KPI: Release & Deployment Management

KPI Definition	Unit of Measure	Frequency	Remarks
Number of releases deployed in production environment	Number	Weekly	This KPI signifies efficiency of Release & Deployment management process.
Number of releases which had to be reversed	Number	Fortnightly	This KPI highlights the ineffectiveness of the process. Ideally the value for this KPI should be zero.
Number of releases which had to be reversed but could not be backed out	Number	Fortnightly	This KPI reflects that the back-out plan for the release is ineffective. Ideally the value for this KPI should be zero.
Proportion of new releases distributed automatically	Number	Fortnightly	This KPI signifies the degree of automation of the deployment process.
Reduction in the number of incidents after the deployment of a Release	Number	Weekly	This KPI highlights the effectiveness of release. Ideally there should be 100% reduction in the similar incidents.
Percentage of releases that were rescheduled	Number	Monthly	This KPI reflects effectiveness of release planning. Releases should be implemented as scheduled.
Average cost of release	Currency	Monthly	This KPI reflects the average cost incurred per release. This is calculated based on resourcing rate and man hours spent on the release.