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ISO/IEC 20000:2005 - Information technology - Service management

With up to 80% of information technology budgets of most organizations directly linked to service management processes, a new ISO/IEC standard that benchmarks this activity is expected to result in cost savings for users, whether large or small enterprises, as well as increased productivity and improved customer service.

Today, IT service providers are under sustained pressure to deliver high quality service at minimum cost. Concerns have been raised that IT services, whether provided by an in-house IT department or an external organization, are not aligned with the needs of the business and its customers. ISO/IEC 20000 will reduce operational exposure to risk, meet contractual and tendering requirements, demonstrate service quality and deliver best value.

The implementation of ISO/IEC 20000 will ensure proactive working practices able to deliver high levels of customer service to meet their business needs.

"Organizations will reap major business and financial benefits by ISO/IEC 20000 adoption," explains François Coallier, Chair of ISO/IEC group that approved the standard. "These service management processes deliver the best possible service to meet a customer’s business needs within agreed resource levels, i.e. service that is professional, cost effective and with risks that are understood and fully managed."

The Registration Cycle for ISO/IEC 20000:2005

Stage 1 (the document review and planning visit) lasts for about 2 days and in that period:

  • The auditors see if the basic management system processes and documents need for stage 2 are available,
  • Data on your organization’s processes & activities is reviewed for the next stage, and
  • The scope is confirmed and detailed plan for stage 2 is agreed.
    • At the end of stage 1, the auditor will produce a report on both the strengths and weaknesses that you will need to deal with before stage 2.

Stage 2 (the initial assessment) lasts for about 3 days for a medium size organization, but of course this will depend on the stage 1 findings. In this period

    There is a follow-up from stage 1,
  • Processes and activities within the scope are analyzed,
  • The service management system is fully analysed, ensuring the principles of plan, do, check and act are clearly visible,
  • Interviews with key staff are conducted, and
  • Your organization’s service management documents and records are reviewed.
    • At the end of stage 2, a final meeting is conducted to present the findings include any major nonconformities. If required, a follow-up assessment is scheduled. Otherwise a successful assessment will lead to a recommended approval to the standard.

Surveillance Assessment
  • Assess that the Customer’s ITSM system has been maintained
  • Encourage Customers to continuously improve their ITSM system
  • Will be based on an assessment plan to cover all critical sites