IT Management Processes

Enterprise Architecture Management

This process is responsible for the planning, implementation, improvement and governance of the enterprise architecture as a whole. The decomposition of this process into a hierarchy of lower level processes is presented in Fig. 4.

Figure 4: Enterprise Architecture Management Processes

EA Planning consists of three groups of activities: (1) the definition of the baseline enterprise architecture; (2) the definition of the target enterprise architecture, and (3) the process of planning the migration from the baseline to the target architecture. The main products of this process are the set of models that describes the baseline and target architectures and the EA Migration and Implementation Plan (EAP). The latter is a long-term plan that contains the portfolio of programs and projects needed to implement the target enterprise architecture.

EA Implementation is the management process responsible for coordinating, supervising and controlling the execution of each one of the projects defined in the portfolio of the EA Migration and Implementation Plan.

EA Configuration Management is the process of managing the changes to the baseline and target architecture and to the components of the EA portfolio. It is also in charge of creating, managing, and maintaining the Architecture Repository which is used to organize and store all the documents and products of the EA processes and endeavors.

The EA Governance process exerts an appropriate direction, and control over the planning, implementation, and evolution (improvements) of the enterprise architecture.

Business Processes Management

This process focuses on the Business Architecture. It consists of the representation (modeling), analysis, evaluation, and improvement of the business processes of the organization. It is divided into the set of processes shown in Fig. 5. 

Figure 5: Processes of the Business Processes Management

The main product of the Business Processes Management is the set of models that represent the processes that the organization should execute to achieve its goals. These models describe different organizational elements, such as business objectives and goals, business processes and their activities, the actors that execute these activities, the business rules that the processes must comply, and other elements that characterize the organization as a business system

These models are elaborated using appropriate modelling notations or languages, such as BPMN , and the extension of UML to business of Eriksson and Penker.

Several of the business processes can be automated using suitable languages and tools for Business Process Management (BPM). Both manual and automated business processes need to be constantly monitored in order to evaluate its effectiveness and determine the need for improvements.

Information Systems Management

It includes all technical and operational activities that are needed for the implementation, operation, maintenance, and governance of the information systems architectures: the Applications Architecture and the Data Architecture. This process is responsible, therefore, of:

• The development, operation and maintenance of the information systems of the organization, including software components (e.g., web services, EJBs, .NET components, etc.), business and support applications, and data repositories (e.g., files, metadata, data bases, data marts, etc.).

• The governance of information systems which is responsible for the direction and control of all the activities associated with managing, operating, and maintaining the information systems.

The Information System Management process is divided into three lower level processes, as shown in Fig. 6.

Figure 6: Processes of Information Systems Management

Software Applications and Components Management

This process is responsible for the technical and support activities that are needed to develop, administer, and maintain all the applications and reusable software components that make up the Information Systems Architecture (see Fig. 7).

Figure 7: Processes of Software Applications and Components Management

Like most of the other processes in the model, this one is decomposed into one or more hierarchical levels until the lowest level of abstraction is reached. An example of one of the low-level process diagram is shown in Fig. 8.

Figure 8: Processes required for developing software components

Each process of the lowest level of abstraction is described, in our model, using a UML process diagram, as exemplified in Fig. 9.

Figure 9: A low-level process description

Our model promotes software reusability. Application Development is, therefore, a process that is executed in parallel to Software Components Development. Both processes produce software solutions based on the assembly of reusable components, such as web services and EJB components.

These two processes are independent of the existing methodological approaches (i.e., agile, balanced, disciplined, waterfall, evolutionary, etc.). Our process model identifies and brings together the activities of software development without indicating or encouraging the use of any method or practice. The selection of methods, practices, standards and procedures that are required, in any of the processes, is beyond the scope of the model.

Data Management

This process is about planning, implementing and monitoring policies, practices and projects that enable to gather, manage, protect, deliver, and improve the value of the data and information.

Data Management is intended to meet the needs of data and information of the organization and its stakeholders or users, ensuring the availability of the data, the continuous improvement of the quality of the data and information, as well as the privacy, confidentiality and access control to these business assets. 

The management of data uses the architectural principle that considers to data and information as assets or corporate resources. Data Management is executed, therefore, separate from the management of applications and software components. Fig. 10 shows the technical processes that make up the Data Management process. This process decomposition is based on the body of knowledge of Data Management DAMA-DMBOK. To the best of our knowledge, DAMA is the only data standard published until now. One of its main features is that it highlights the differences and clarifies core data concepts, such as metadata, master data, and reference data.

Figure 10: Data Management Processes

Information Systems Governance

It is transversal to the processes of managing applications, software components and data. It is responsible for the direction and integrated control of the Information Systems Management processes.

This process is responsible for the operational management of the IT infrastructure as defined by the Technology Architecture. This infrastructure includes the set of hardware, software, network and telecommunication technologies employed to support the development, installation, operation, maintenance and interaction between the components of the Information Systems Architecture. It is divided into the processes identified in Fig. 11.

Figure 11: Processes of IT Infrastructure Management

IT Acquisition consists of the selection, purchase, installation and replacement of the hardware, software and telecommunication products that comprise the IT infrastructure.

All the hardware (HW) and system software (SW) that the organization owns is a subset of the IT infrastructure. The HW/SW Infrastructure Management process includes a set of activities to define, install, operate, monitor and maintain the hardware/software platforms of the organization.

This process also includes all those activities that are concerned with the management, operation and maintenance of the organization's data center. 

Telecommunications and Networking Management covers all activities related to the installation, operation, control and security of the telecommunications and networks infrastructure of the organization. Its aim is to ensure that all networks of the organization operate efficiently and provide a high service availability to their users. It includes processes such as capacity planning, design, installation and configuration, security, control and maintenance of the different types of networks (LAN, MAN or WAN). 

Physical Infrastructure Management is related to the administration and maintenance of the physical environments in which the IT Infrastructure of the organization is installed, operated, monitored and maintained. It includes the processes and activities needed to manage the electrical and mechanical subsystems that the Data Centers and any other IT installation require. 

IT Infrastructure Governance comprises the activities of planning, coordination, direction and control of the resources that are involved in processes and projects of the IT infrastructure.

IT Services Management

An IT Service is an intangible non-storable product that is generated by one of the IT Management processes with the purpose of responding to requests made by internal or external users of the organization. Are examples of IT services the following: the creation of an e-mail account, the generation of a management report, and the solution of a problem in the use of an application.

As shown in Fig. 12, the IT Services Management processes used by our model are based on the ITIL V3 standard. We choose this de facto standard because of its particular point of view in considering different types of events like incidents, problems, request, and events they self. According to Dugmore and Taylor, this is one of the differences with the ISO/IEC 20000, which considers all of them in its resolution processes, but without making particular differences between them. Another IT standard is the Application Services Library (ASL). Meijer, Smalley, and Taylor point out that "ITIL describes processes and activities that are common to both models in more detail than ASL". In our perception, both standards may be considered, but in our Latin-American environment ITIL is more known than ASL.

Figure 12: IT Service Management Processes

This process can be implemented using call centers and/or service desks. A call center is able to handle a high volume of calls. It may redirect the user to other levels of support in case that it may be needed. A service desk is a set of services that offers the ability to manage and solve all the potential incidents in a holistic manner, including the attention of new requirements related to information systems and/or the IT infrastructure. A service desk represents an interface for clients and users of all IT services that the IT Management offers.

In both implementations, the concept of Service Level Agreement (SLA) is used. It sets out the conditions for the provision of services.

IT Service Support

IT Service Support process is concerned with those activities that guarantee the continuity, availability and quality of the services provided to the users. These activities are organized in processes as indicated in Fig. 13.

Figure 13: IT Service Support Processes

IT Service Provision

This process deals with the IT services themselves as they are offered to their users. It takes into consideration the SLAs, the availability of the services, the service continuity, the service financial viability, the capacity of the IT infrastructure and the levels of security required. Fig. 14 shows the set of processes associated with the provision of IT services. 

Figure 14: IT Service Provision Processes

IT Service Governance is transversal to the processes of service support and service provision. It is responsible for the direction and integrated control of these two processes.