Integrating the Plan Phase with Manage Layer SMFs

The Manage Layer is the foundation of the IT service lifecycle. It is not a separate segment; rather, the activities of the Manage Layer are integrated with all the other phases of the MOF IT lifecycle. The following Manage Layer SMFs support the primary activities of the Plan Phase:

• Change and Configuration
• Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)
• Team

These Manage Layer SMFs are important elements in all of the other IT lifecycle phases. Most of the SMFs in the other phases discuss specific and distinctly different processes. However, the Change and Configuration and GRC SMFs have the goal of ensuring effective, efficient, and compliant IT services. To that end, they contain guidance that addresses the unique nature of each phase’s objectives. 

During the Plan Phase, GRC focuses on an understanding of the larger organization’s strategy and the related strategy for IT. It also identifies the significant decision makers who need to be brought together to determine the right mix of investment in the IT portfolio and appropriate risk management related to IT strategy. GRC also addresses compliance by identifying the relevant policy issues that should be addressed within IT, the Plan Phase being the time to determine regulatory impacts and make sure that policy reflects management objectives.

During the Plan Phase, change and configuration management ensures that changes are reviewed, approved, and tracked. 

Table 4. Manage Layer SMF Focus

Objective

Focus of GRC

Focus of Change and Configuration

** Team Focus**

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

• Corporate strategy transfer to IT strategy
• Governance structure, decision rights
• High-level risks
• General regulatory environment
• Policy defined
• Investment determined
• Management objectives defined

• Leadership identified and participating in change evaluation
• Business process change
• Architectural change
• Change evaluated across dimensions (such as, Financial, Application Portfolio, Security)

• Principles for effective strategic thinking
• Principles for governance and risk management
• Principles for managing change effectively

Team SMF Focus

The Team SMF is referenced in each SMF in the Plan Phase to show the primary accountability, role types, and responsibilities used in that SMF. More detailed information regarding the definitions of accountabilities and role types and how they are defined throughout the IT service lifecycle can be found in the Team SMF.

There are three accountabilities in the Plan Phase. They are the Service Accountability, important to the Business/IT Alignment SMF; the Architecture Accountability, important to the Reliability SMF; and the Management Accountability, which is important to several of the SMFs in the Plan Phase.

Following is an explanation of these three accountabilities.

Service Accountability

The Service Accountability includes the role types important to the Business/IT Alignment SMF, which focuses on strengthening the alignment between IT departments and the larger organizations within which they exist.

Table 5 lists the role types associated with the Service Accountability, the general responsibilities for each role type, and those specific to the Business/IT Alignment SMF.

Table 5. Service Accountability and Its Attendant Role Types

Architecture Accountability

The Architecture Accountability includes the role types important to the Reliability SMF, which focuses on ensuring the reliability, dependability, and trustworthiness of an IT service or system.

Table 6 lists the role types associated with the Architecture Accountability, the general responsibilities for each role type, and those specific to the Reliability SMF.

Table 6. Architecture Accountability and Its Attendant Role Types

Management Accountability

The Management Accountability includes the role types that are important to three of the SMFs in the Plan Phase.

The three SMFs from the Plan Phase are Business/IT Alignment, Financial Management, and Policy.  The Business/IT Alignment SMF focuses on strengthening the alignment between IT departments and the larger organizations within which they exist. The Financial Management SMF focuses on providing IT-relevant activities and considerations that improve financial management practices. The Policy SMF focuses on ensuring documented, up-to-date guidelines that address the desired actions and behaviors of an organization.

Table 7 lists the role types associated with the Management Accountability, the general responsibilities for each role type, and goals specific to each SMF.

Table 7. Management Accountability and Its Attendant Role Types

Role Type

Responsibilities

Goals

IT Executive Officer

• Sponsors IT initiatives
• Approves structures and overall IT processes
• Own metrics and benchmarking
• Owns board and executive relationships

• Business is able to respond and drive change as desired by board and shareholders
• IT portfolio and services demonstrate business value and have strategic impact
• Continually improving IT performance with an improvement roadmap in place

IT Manager

• Manages processes
• Identifies and engages appropriate participants in decision process
• Manages risk and IT business value realization dependencies
• Owns business/IT relationship

• Effective management decisions that demonstrate combined business and IT requirements
• IT portfolio that reflects strategic goals and that balances risks with expected benefits
• Value of IT measured in terms the business understands and that are traceable to contributing initiatives and services

IT Risk and Compliance Manager

• Manages overall risk management and compliance programs
• Communicates GRC processes and requirements to organization

• Well communicated GRC processes and expectations that are applied appropriately when establishing plans and initiatives

Assurance and Reporting

• Validates design and operating effectiveness of IT organization, processes, and control environment
• Recommends changes for improvement

• Board and shareholders informed and are ensuring that management’s decisions and resulting processes reflect the board’s intent

Change Manager

• Manages the activities of the change management process for the IT organization

• Creates an environment where changes can be made with the least amount of risk and impact to the organization

Configuration Administrator

• Tracks what is changing and its impact
• Tracks configuration items (CIs)
• Updates CMS

• Have a known state at all times

This accelerator is part of a larger series of tools and guidance from Solution Accelerators.

Download Get the Microsoft Operations Framework 4.0

Solution Accelerators Notifications Sign up to learn about updates and new releases

Feedback Send us your comments or suggestions