FitSM-0 Overview and vocabulary

Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Version 3.0.1 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. www.fitsm.eu Part 0: Overview and vocabulary FitSM was co-funded by the European Commission under contract number 312851. Document control Document title Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Document version 3.0.1 Release date 2025-06-09 Contents 1. Foreword ............................................................................................................................................. 1 2. About this document .......................................................................................................................... 1 3. Key principles for IT service management and FitSM ......................................................................... 2 3.1 Foundation for systematic IT service management .......................................................................... 2 3.2 The FitSM approach to managing IT services ................................................................................... 2 4. Overview of the FitSM family of standards ........................................................................................ 3 5. Overview of the FitSM process model ................................................................................................ 3 6. Terms and definitions ......................................................................................................................... 5 6.1 Activity .............................................................................................................................................. 5 6.2 Assessment ....................................................................................................................................... 5 6.3 Audit .................................................................................................................................................. 5 6.4 Availability ......................................................................................................................................... 5 6.5 Availability of information ................................................................................................................ 5 6.6 Capability level .................................................................................................................................. 5 6.7 Capacity ............................................................................................................................................. 5 6.8 Change .............................................................................................................................................. 6 6.9 Classification ..................................................................................................................................... 6 6.10 Closure ............................................................................................................................................ 6 6.11 Competence .................................................................................................................................... 6 6.12 Confidentiality of information ........................................................................................................ 6 6.13 Conformity ...................................................................................................................................... 6 6.14 Configuration .................................................................................................................................. 6 6.15 Configuration item (CI).................................................................................................................... 7 6.16 Configuration management database (CMDB) ............................................................................... 7 6.17 Continuity ........................................................................................................................................ 7 6.18 Customer ......................................................................................................................................... 7 6.19 Demand ........................................................................................................................................... 7 6.20 Document........................................................................................................................................ 7 6.21 Effectiveness ................................................................................................................................... 7 6.22 Efficiency ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Part 0: Overview and vocabulary FitSM was co-funded by the European Commission under contract number 312851. 6.23 Emergency change .......................................................................................................................... 8 6.24 Escalation ........................................................................................................................................ 8 6.25 Federation ....................................................................................................................................... 8 6.26 Federation member ........................................................................................................................ 8 6.27 Federator ........................................................................................................................................ 8 6.28 Improvement .................................................................................................................................. 8 6.29 Incident ........................................................................................................................................... 8 6.30 Information security ....................................................................................................................... 9 6.31 Information security control ........................................................................................................... 9 6.32 Information security event ............................................................................................................. 9 6.33 Information security incident ......................................................................................................... 9 6.34 Integrity of information .................................................................................................................. 9 6.35 IT service ......................................................................................................................................... 9 6.36 IT service management (ITSM) ....................................................................................................... 9 6.37 Key performance indicator (KPI) ..................................................................................................... 9 6.38 Known error .................................................................................................................................... 9 6.39 Major change .................................................................................................................................. 9 6.40 Major incident ............................................................................................................................... 10 6.41 Management review ..................................................................................................................... 10 6.42 Management system .................................................................................................................... 10 6.43 Maturity level ................................................................................................................................ 10 6.44 Nonconformity .............................................................................................................................. 10 6.45 Operational level agreement (OLA) .............................................................................................. 10 6.46 Operational target ........................................................................................................................ 11 6.47 Policy ............................................................................................................................................. 11 6.48 Post implementation review (PIR) ................................................................................................ 11 6.49 Priority ........................................................................................................................................... 11 6.50 Problem ......................................................................................................................................... 11 6.51 Procedure ...................................................................................................................................... 11 6.52 Process .......................................................................................................................................... 11 6.53 Record ........................................................................................................................................... 11 6.54 Release .......................................................................................................................................... 11 6.55 Release and deployment strategy ................................................................................................ 12 6.56 Report ........................................................................................................................................... 12 6.57 Request for change (RFC) .............................................................................................................. 12 6.58 Risk ................................................................................................................................................ 12 Part 0: Overview and vocabulary FitSM was co-funded by the European Commission under contract number 312851. 6.59 Role ............................................................................................................................................... 12 6.60 Service ........................................................................................................................................... 12 6.61 Service acceptance criteria ........................................................................................................... 12 6.62 Service catalogue .......................................................................................................................... 13 6.63 Service component ....................................................................................................................... 13 6.64 Service level agreement (SLA) ....................................................................................................... 13 6.65 Service lifecycle ............................................................................................................................. 13 6.66 Service management .................................................................................................................... 13 6.67 Service management plan............................................................................................................. 14 6.68 Service management system (SMS) .............................................................................................. 14 6.69 Service portfolio ............................................................................................................................ 14 6.70 Service provider ............................................................................................................................ 14 6.71 Service request.............................................................................................................................. 14 6.72 Service review ............................................................................................................................... 14 6.73 Service target ................................................................................................................................ 14 6.74 Supplier ......................................................................................................................................... 14 6.75 Top management .......................................................................................................................... 15 6.76 Underpinning agreement (UA) ..................................................................................................... 15 6.77 Underpinning contract (UC) .......................................................................................................... 15 6.78 User ............................................................................................................................................... 15 6.79 Value ............................................................................................................................................. 15 6.80 Workaround .................................................................................................................................. 15 Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 1 Version 3.0.1 1. Foreword FitSM is a lightweight standards family aimed at supporting the implementation of IT service management (ITSM), including federated scenarios. The FitSM approach is built on four key principles: practicality, consistency, sufficiency and extendibility. FitSM is and will remain free for everybody. This covers all parts of the standard, including the core parts and implementation aids. All parts of the FitSM standard and related material published by the FitSM working group are licensed under a Creative Commons International License. The development of FitSM was supported by the European Commission as part of the Seventh Framework Programme. FitSM is maintained by ITEMO e.V., a non-profit partnership of specialists in the field of IT management, including experts from industry and research. FitSM is designed to be compatible with other ITSM frameworks such as the International Standard ISO/IEC 20000 and ITIL good practices. However, the FitSM process model, requirements, recommended activities and role model target a lightweight and more achievable implementation. The FitSM family is made up of several documents, providing guidance and input on different aspects of ITSM: • FitSM-0: Overview and vocabulary (this document) • FitSM-1: Requirements • FitSM-2: Process activities and implementation • FitSM-3: Role model • FitSM-4: Templates and samples (set of documents under continual development) • FitSM-5: Implementation guides (set of documents under continual development) • FitSM-6: Maturity and capability assessment scheme All documents are available and published in their most recent version through the website www.fitsm.eu. 2. About this document This part of FitSM provides an overview of the FitSM family and a common vocabulary used by the other parts of the standard (in particular by FitSM-1). It helps to harmonise and facilitate discussion by those trying to implement IT Service Management using FitSM or any other compatible ITSM approach. This part of the standard provides: • an overview of the key principles behind ITSM and FitSM; • a general overview of the FitSM family of standards; • an overview of the FitSM process model; • terms and definitions for use in the FitSM family of standards. This standard is applicable to all types of organisations (e.g. commercial enterprises, government agencies, non-profit organizations) from which IT services are provided, regardless of type, size and the nature of the services delivered. Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 2 Version 3.0.1 3. Key principles for IT service management and FitSM Seven simple principles stand for the key ideas behind ITSM and the spirit of FitSM. 3.1 Foundation for systematic IT service management The first three principles reflect the main ideas behind ITSM as pursued by many organisations providing IT services. Principle Explanation Serviceand customerorientation IT-driven solutions provided to customers and users are arranged as services and provided according to clearly defined service levels. Services are aligned to the needs and expectations of (potential) customers. Both the service provider and customer are aware of agreed service targets. Process-orientation Activities required to plan, deliver, operate and control services are carried out as part of well-understood and effective processes. Continual improvement The entire service management system follows the plan-do-checkact approach. All processes and activities necessary to manage IT services as well as the services themselves are subject to evaluation, aimed at identifying opportunities for improvement and taking appropriate follow-up actions. 3.2 The FitSM approach to managing IT services In the world of IT service management, FitSM is a unique standard. It is designed towards supporting the implementation of ITSM according to these four key principles. Principle Explanation Practicality Apply simple, proven guidance instead of drowning in theoretical best practices Consistency Repeatable performance before detailed documentation Sufficiency Good enough and working over seeking the perfect solution Extendibility Leverage many sources of knowledge rather than live in a walled garden Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 3 Version 3.0.1 4. Overview of the FitSM family of standards The FitSM family is made up of several documents, providing guidance and input on different aspects of ITSM. The following figure shows their relationships. 5. Overview of the FitSM process model All parts of FitSM are based on an understanding of the following 14 core processes for IT service management (ITSM). Process Objective Service portfolio management (SPM) To maintain the service portfolio and to manage services through their lifecycle Service level management (SLM) To maintain service catalogues, and to define and evaluate agreements on service quality with customers and suppliers Service reporting management (SRM) To specify reports on services and processes and ensure they are produced and delivered Service availability and continuity management (SACM) To ensure sufficient service availability and continuity to meet service targets FitSM-1 Requirements FitSM-2 Process activities and implementation FitSM-3 Role model FitSM-5 Implementation guides FitSM-0 Overview and vocabulary FitSM-4 Templates and samples FitSM-6 Maturity and capability assessment scheme Implementation Aids Core Standard Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 4 Version 3.0.1 Capacity management (CAPM) To ensure sufficient capacity and service performance to meet service targets Information security management (ISM) To preserve confidentiality, integrity and availability of information related to managing and delivering services Customer relationship management (CRM) To establish and maintain good relationships with customers receiving services Supplier relationship management (SUPPM) To establish and maintain healthy relationships with internal and external suppliers and to monitor their performance Incident and service request management (ISRM) To restore agreed service operation after the occurrence of an incident and to respond to user service requests Problem management (PM) To identify and investigate problems in order to reduce their impact or prevent them from causing further incidents Configuration management (CONFM) To provide and maintain a logical model of configuration items in support of other service management activities Change management (CHM) To plan, approve and review changes in a controlled manner to avoid adverse impact on services Release and deployment management (RDM) To bundle changes into appropriate types of releases and to effectively deploy them Continual service improvement management (CSI) To plan, implement and review improvements to services and processes For each of these processes, as well as for a number of general aspects in the context of ITSM, FitSM1 defines a small number of implementation requirements, while FitSM-2 provides guidelines on the activities to set up and implement ITSM using these processes. FitSM-3 describes the proposed roles to be assigned to execute the ITSM processes as part of a service management system. Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 5 Version 3.0.1 6. Terms and definitions For the purpose of the FitSM family of standards, the following terms and definitions apply: 6.1 Activity Set of actions carried out within a process 6.2 Assessment Set of actions to evaluate the capability level of a process or the overall maturity level of a management system 6.3 Audit Systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining audit evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which the audit criteria are fulfilled Note 1: Audit evidence is typically based on documented information, information provided during an audit interview, and information gathered through observation. Note 2: Audit criteria may be based on requirements from a management system (including policies, processes and procedures), agreements (including service level agreements and underpinning agreements), contracts, standards or legislation. Note 3: An audit may be an internal audit, if it is conducted under the direct responsibility of the organisation or federation that is subject to the audit, or an external audit, if it is conducted by an external party. Note 4: Both internal and external audits should be conducted by skilled and experienced auditors, and auditors should not audit their own work or areas of responsibilities to ensure the impartiality of the results. 6.4 Availability Ability of a service or service component to fulfil its intended function at a specific time or over a specific period of time 6.5 Availability of information Property of information being available to and usable by an authorized party Note: Availability of information may also be referred to as accessibility of information. 6.6 Capability level Achieved level of effectiveness of an individual process or general aspect of management 6.7 Capacity Maximum extent to which a certain element of the infrastructure (such as a configuration item) can be used Note: This might mean the total disk capacity or network bandwidth. It could also be the maximum transaction throughput of a system. Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 12 Version 3.0.1 6.55 Release and deployment strategy Approach taken to manage releases and their deployment for a given set of service components and related configuration items (CIs), including organisational and technical aspects of planning, building, testing, evaluating, accepting and deploying releases Note: Typical release and deployment strategies include continuous integration (a DevOps practice where changes to software source code are regularly merged into a central repository, followed by running automated builds and tests) and fixed release cycles (where minor and major releases are planned according to a long-term schedule, with emergency releases being deployed between release cycles as necessary). 6.56 Report A structured record communicating results gathered through measurement, monitoring, assessment, audit or observation Note 1: A common report generated from a service management system is a service report targeted to customers of a service that details the performance of that service versus the service targets defined in a service level agreement (SLA). Note 2: The recipients of reports may be internal or external, including customers, suppliers, federation members, service owners and the SMS owner. 6.57 Request for change (RFC) Documented proposal for a change 6.58 Risk Possible negative occurrence that would have a negative impact on the service provider’s ability to deliver agreed services to customers, or that would decrease the value generated through some service Note: Risk is made up of the probability of the threat entailed, the vulnerability to that threat of some asset, and the impact the threat would have, if it occurred. 6.59 Role Set of responsibilities and connected behaviours or actions collected into a logical unit that can be assigned to an individual or group Note: An individual may hold multiple roles. 6.60 Service Way to provide value to customers through bringing about results that they want to achieve Note: In the context of the FitSM standard series, when referring to services, usually IT services are meant. 6.61 Service acceptance criteria Criteria that must be fulfilled by the time a new or changed service is deployed and made available to customers / users Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 13 Version 3.0.1 Note: Service acceptance criteria are defined when a new or changed service is designed, and they may be updated or refined during the development or transition phase. They may cover functional and non-functional aspects of the specific service to be deployed. 6.62 Service catalogue Customer-facing list of all live services offered along with relevant information about these services Note 1: A service catalogue can be regarded as a filtered version of and customers’ view on the service portfolio. Note 2: Based on one service portfolio, one or more service catalogues can be created, 6.63 Service component Logical part of a service that provides a function enabling or enhancing a service Note 1: A service is usually composed of several service components. Note 2: A service component is usually built from one or more configuration items (CIs). Note 3: Although a service component underlies one or more services, it usually does not create value for a customer alone and is therefore not a service by itself. 6.64 Service level agreement (SLA) Documented agreement between a customer and service provider that specifies the service to be provided and the service targets that define how it will be provided 6.65 Service lifecycle The series of phases a service may move through in its lifetime. Note 1: Specific service lifecycle phases are typically defined for each organisation, depending on the complexity needed. These may include initial idea, proposal, design, development, deployment, production and retirement. Note 2: Service design and transition plans, sometimes referred to as the service design and transition package (SDTP), should be produced or updated for every new or majorly altered service. It may consist of a number of documented plans and other relevant information including a list of requirements and service acceptance criteria, a project plan, communication and training plans, technical plans and specifications, resource plans, development and deployment schedules / timetables, etc. 6.66 Service management Entirety of activities performed by a service provider to plan, deliver, operate and control services offered to customers Note 1: The activities carried out in the service management context should be directed by policies and structured and organised by processes and supporting procedures. Note 2: In the context of the FitSM standard series, when referring to service management, usually IT service management is meant. Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 14 Version 3.0.1 6.67 Service management plan Overall plan for implementing and operating a service management system (SMS) 6.68 Service management system (SMS) Overall management system that controls and supports management of services within an organisation or federation Note: The SMS can be regarded as the entirety of interconnected policies, processes, procedures, roles, agreements, plans, related resources and other elements needed and used by a service provider to effectively manage the delivery of services to customers. 6.69 Service portfolio Internal list that details all the services offered by a service provider, including those in preparation, live and discontinued Note: For each service, the service portfolio may include information such as its value proposition, target customer base, service description, relevant technical specifications, cost and price, risks to the service provider, service level packages offered, etc. 6.70 Service provider Organisation or federation (or part of an organisation or federation) that manages and delivers a service or services to customers 6.71 Service request User request for information, advice, access to a service or a change Note: Service requests are often handled by the same process and tools as incidents. 6.72 Service review Periodic evaluation of the quality and performance of a service together with the customer or under consideration of customer feedback, from which opportunities for improvement are identified, follow-up actions to increase the value of the service are determined 6.73 Service target Reference / target values for a parameter used to measure the performance of a service, listed in a service level agreement (SLA) related to this service Note: Typical service targets include availability or resolution time for incidents. 6.74 Supplier Organisation or party that provides a (supporting) service or service component(s) to the service provider, which the service provider needs to provide services to their customers / users Note 1: A supplier may be internal or external to the organisation of the service provider. Note 2: In a federation, the federation members are regarded as internal suppliers. Part 0: Overview and vocabulary Page 15 Version 3.0.1 6.75 Top management Senior management within an organisation who has authority to set policies and exercise overall control of the organisation 6.76 Underpinning agreement (UA) Documented agreement between a service provider and an external supplier that specifies the underpinning service(s) or service component(s) to be provided by the supplier, together with the related operational targets Note 1: A UA can be seen as a service level agreement (SLA) with an external supplier where the service provider is in the customer role. Note 2: A UA may also be referred to as an underpinning contract (UC). 6.77 Underpinning contract (UC) See: Underpinning agreement (UA) 6.78 User Individual that primarily benefits from and uses a service 6.79 Value Benefit to a customer and their users delivered by a service Note: Value should be considered as a composition of the function (fitness for purpose) and quality (fitness for use, covering sufficient availability / continuity, capacity / performance and information security) connected to a service. 6.80 Workaround Means of circumventing or mitigating the symptoms of a known error that helps to resolve incidents caused by this known error, while the underlying root cause is not permanently eliminated Note 1: Workarounds are often applied in a situation, when the actual root cause of (recurring) incidents cannot be resolved due to lack of resources or ability. Note 2: A workaround may consist of a set of actions to be carried out by either the service provider or the user of the service. Note 3: A workaround is also referred to as a temporary fix or temporary solution.