IT Management Processes

The Process Model for IT Management

A process model for the IT management is a description of the set of business processes, and their activities, that the IT Management of an organization is required to execute, in order to fulfill its business objectives, and deliver the IT services that the organization demands. 

The model that we describe in this section is based on the following premise: The main responsibility of the IT Management of an organization is to manage effectively and efficiently the enterprise architecture of that organization, in order to provide the IT services that the organization demands.

Managing an enterprise architecture involves a set of business activities, such as planning, implementing, operating, evaluating and improving the enterprise architecture and its three main components: the business architecture, the information systems architecture and the technology architecture. Using the EA structure as a framework, these activities can be organized and grouped into processes using a value chain, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

Figure 3: IT Management Value Chain

The value chain of an organization is a process model that organizes the business processes that directly generates customer value and differentiates these processes from those that support indirectly this generation of value. The first ones, called essential or primary processes, justify the existence of the organization and allow it to achieve its business goals; the second ones offer the support needed to execute the essential or primary processes.

The essential processes are located at the top of the value chain and organize the set of activities that are the raison d'être of the IT Management. These processes are: Enterprise Architecture Management, Business Processes Management, Information Systems Management, IT Infrastructure Management and IT Service Management.

The support processes, located at the bottom of the value chain, group administrative and technical activities that are necessary to facilitate the execution of the activities of the essential processes. This group includes the following processes: Strategic Management, Administrative Management, Portfolio, Programs, and Projects Management, Quality Management, IT Security Management, Configuration Management, and Risk Management.

Each of these processes is described, succinctly, in the following sections of this article.