Integrating the Deliver Phase with Manage Layer SMFs

Published: April 25, 2008   |   Updated: October 10, 2008

 

The Manage Layer is the foundation of the IT service lifecycle. This phase is not a separate segment, but rather the activities of the Manage Layer are integrated with all other phases of the lifecycle. The following SMFs support the primary activities of the Manage Layer:

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

These Manage Layer SMFs are important elements in all the other IT lifecycle phases. Most of the SMFs in the other phases discuss specific and distinctly different processes. However, GRC and Change and Configuration 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.

The Deliver Phase is focused on building the right solution in the right way. Here GRC is focused on project scope decisions, project stakeholder involvement, and project risks. Change management is also project-focused, often driving risk-management activities for each project.

The Team SMF ensures that someone is ultimately accountable for the work required to effectively deliver IT services. It also ensures that everyone doing that work has a clear role, understands the responsibilities that go with that role, and has the right skills for carrying out those responsibilities.

Table 5. Manage SMFs’ Focus on Deliver Phase

Deliver Phase Objective

GRC Focus

Change and Configuration Focus

Team Focus

Ensure that those services that the business and IT have agreed on are developed effectively, deployed successfully, and ready for operations

  • Solution architecture supports organization requirements
  • Project stakeholders, methodology, risks identified
  • Value realization process
  • Software design lifecycle
  • Risk mitigation
  • Internal controls defined
  • Procedures defined

 

  • Solution scope
  • Resourcing
  • Project management
  • Financial impact

 

  • Principles for effectively organizing project teams
  • Accountabilities and role types
  • Alignment of responsibilities
  • Assignment of roles

 

Team SMF Focus

There is a single Team SMF focus in the Deliver Phase. It is the Solutions Accountability.

Solutions Accountability

The Solutions Accountability includes the role types that are important to the five SMFs in the Deliver Phase of the IT service lifecycle: Envision, Project Planning, Build, Stabilize, and Deploy.

  • The Envision SMF focuses on turning business requirements into new IT services that can be delivered into production.
  • The Project Planning SMF focuses on how project teams complete the bulk of their planning work—preparing the functional specification, solution design, work plans, cost estimates, and schedules.
  • The Build SMF focuses on developing the IT service solution deliverables to the customer’s specifications, developing the solution documentation, creating the development and test lab, and preparing the solution for pilot deployment.
  • The Stabilize SMF focuses on releasing the highest-quality solution possible at the Release Readiness Milestone.
  • The Deploy SMF focuses on releasing a stable solution into the production environment. 

The following table lists the role types associated with the Solutions Accountability, as well as the responsibilities and goals for each role type.

Table 6. Solutions Accountability and Its Attendant Role Types

Role Type

Responsibilities

Goal

Solution Manager

  • Accountable role
  • Owns all SMFs in this accountability
  • Project director for all projects
  • Resolves conflicts between projects

 

  • Ensures all projects run smoothly and transition successfully to operations

Program Manager

  • Drives design, schedule, and resources at the project level

 

  • Ensures individual projects run smoothly and builds the right solution at the right time

Developer

  • Builds the agreed-to solution

 

  • Ensures delivery to agreed-to specifications

Tester

  • Tests to accurately determine the status of solution development

 

  • Ensures all known issues are resolved before release

Product Manager

  • Acts as the customer advocate
  • Helps drive shared project vision
  • Manages customer expectations

 

  • Ensures customer satisfaction

User Experience

  • Is user advocate on project teams
  • Helps define user requirements and helps design to meet them

 

  • Ensures released solution is usable and meets end users’ needs

Release Management

  • Evaluates the solution design
  • Documents operations requirements to ensure they’re met by the design
  • Creates a pilot, deployment plan, and schedule
  • Manages site deployment

 

  • Ensures a stable solution is deployed to the production environment

Operations Experience

  • Advocates for operations on the project team
  • Brings in operations experts as needed for detailed information
  • Coordinates with release management

 

  • Ensures operational requirements are part of the solution design and are addressed before release

Test Manager

  • Owns all the testing across all project teams
  • Develops testing strategy and plans
  • Ensures best practice test methods are used

 

  • Ensures that test matches production
  • Ensures there are no surprises