TRANSITION PLANNING AND SUPPORT
INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE
Given the importance of transitioning services correctly into the live environment, it is not surprising that one of the key processes in this phase involves planning of all activities thoroughly and ensuring that all necessary resources are made available as and where they are required.
The key input to transition planning is the service design package, which contains all the relevant detail about the change.
Although it is not responsible for the detailed planning of activities within individual changes or releases, transition planning and support has a broad scope that includes:
• establishing policies, standards and models for service transition activities and processes;
• overseeing the progress of major changes through all the service transition processes;
• coordinating and prioritising resources to enable multiple transitions to be managed without conflict;
• budgeting for future requirements for service transition;
• reviewing and improving the performance of transition planning and support activities;
• ensuring that service transition is coordinated with programme and project management, service design and service development activities.
PURPOSE, OBJECTIVES AND VALUE
The purpose of this process is to plan and coordinate service transitions and the resources required.
The objectives of transition planning and support are to:
• plan and coordinate the resources to ensure that the designed strategic requirements are achieved in operations;
• coordinate transition activities across projects, suppliers and service teams;
• ensure new or changed services are introduced within budget, on time and with the right quality;
• ensure that new architectures, technology, processes and measurement methods are implemented correctly;
• ensure that the common framework of standard reusable processes and supporting systems is adopted by all;
• provide clear and comprehensive plans that enable customer and business change projects to align their activities with the service transition plans;
• identify, manage and control risks, minimising the chance of failure and disruption across transition activities;
• reporting service transition issues, risks and deviations to the appropriate stakeholders and decision makers;
• monitor and improve the performance of the transition activities.
Most value is derived from the individual changes or new services deployed. Effective transition planning enables the service provider to support concurrent changes and ensure the efficient coordination of activities and resources across multiple projects and teams.
KEY ACTIVITIES
The output from the service design phase is a service design package (SDP), which includes much of the information that is required by the service transition teams. This includes:
• the service charter, describing the expected utility and warranty;
• outline budgets and timescales;
• service specifications and models;
• the chosen architectural design, including any known constraints;
• the definition and design of each specific release;
• how the service components will be assembled and integrated into a release package;
• release and deployment management plans;
• the service acceptance criteria.
Service transition lifecycle stages
Each SDP should define the lifecycle stages for transitioning this service, and movement through it should be subject to formal checks (often as ‘quality gates’) against defined entry and exit criteria. Typical stages might include:
• acquire and test new configuration items (CIs) and components;
• build and component test;
• service release test;
• service operational readiness test;
• deployment;
• early-life support;
• review and close service transition.
Preparing for service transition
Service transition preparation activities include:
• reviewing and acceptance of inputs from the other service lifecycle stages;
• reviewing and checking the input deliverables (e.g. change proposal, SDP,
service acceptance criteria and evaluation report);
• identifying, raising and scheduling requests for change (RFCs);
• checking that the configuration baselines are recorded in the configuration management system (CMS) before the start of service transition;
• checking transition readiness.
Planning an individual service transition
A service transition plan describes the tasks and activities required to release and deploy a release into the test environments and into production, including:
• work environment and infrastructure for the service transition;
• schedule of milestones, handover and delivery dates;
• activities and tasks to be performed;
• staffing, resource requirements, budgets and timescales at each stage;
• issues and risks to be managed;
• lead times and contingency.
Integrated planning
Good planning and management are essential for successful deployment of a release into production across distributed environments and locations. It is important to maintain an integrated set of transition plans that are linked to lower level plans, such as release build and test plans. These plans should be integrated with the change schedule and release and deployment management plans. Establishing good quality plans at the outset enables service transition to manage and coordinate the service transition resources (e.g. resource allocation, utilisation, budgeting and accounting).
Reviewing the plans
All plans should be reviewed. Wherever possible, an element of contingency should be included based on experience, including knowledge of seasonal variations and geographic factors, rather than relying on supplier assertion. This applies even more for internal suppliers where there is no formal contract.
Before starting the release, the service transition planning role should verify the plans and check that they are up to date, have been agreed and authorised by all relevant parties, and include all relevant detail (dates, deliverables etc.). It is also necessary to check that all costs, and organisational, technical and commercial aspects have been considered and that overall risks have been assessed. Configuration items need checking for compatibility with each other and the target environment. People must understand and be able to implement the plans. Finally, checks should be made to ensure that no business or design changes have rendered the release inappropriate.
Providing transition process support
Major activities include:
• providing, or arranging to be made available, relevant advice and guidance to project teams and those performing the underlying tasks;
• administration for managing service transition changes and work orders, issues, risks, deviations and waivers, support for tools and service transition processes, as well as performance;
• managing communication by executing a communication plan defining the objectives of the communication, defined stakeholders, content for each type, frequency (which may vary for each stakeholder group at different stages), format (newsletters, posters, emails, reports, presentations etc.) and how success will be measured.
Progress monitoring and reporting
Service transition activities should be monitored against the intentions set out in the transition model and plan to ensure conformance. Management reports on the status of each transition will help to identify when there are significant variances from plan so that, for example, project management and the service management organisation can respond accordingly.
Transition plans may require amendment to bring them into line with a reality that has changed since design. This is not the same as bad design or error in selecting transition models, but merely a reflection of a dynamic environment.
Triggers, inputs, outputs and interfaces
The principal trigger for planning a single transition is the receipt of an authorised change, though longer term planning may be triggered by receipt of a change proposal. Budgeting for future transition requirements will be triggered by the organisation’s budgetary planning cycle.
The major input will be a service design package, which includes the release package definition and design specification, test and deployment plans, and service acceptance criteria (SAC).
The outputs will be a transition strategy, budget and an integrated set of service transition plans.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SERVICE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
Transition planning and support has interfaces to programme and project teams, and customers, as well as to almost every other area of service management including:
• service portfolio management (SPM) and demand management, which should provide long-term information about future proposals and likely resource requirements;
• SPM and business relationship management, to help to manage appropriate two-way communication with customers and strategic planning activities;
• all areas of service design, though this will mainly be through their contribution to the service design package;
• supplier management, to ensure that appropriate contracts are in place;
• other service transition processes that are coordinated by transition planning and support;
• the service operation functions for coordinating pilots, handover and early-life support;
• technical management and application management, which will provide the personnel needed to carry out many aspects of service transition (e.g. to review changes or plan deployments).
The transition planning and support process makes heavy use of the service knowledge management system to provide access to the full range of information needed for short-, medium- and long-range planning.
METRICS
Every organisation needs to develop its own critical success factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) based on their objectives. Needless to say, they need to be monitored and acted on where necessary. Table 19.1 includes some sample CSFs and a small number of typical KPIs that support the CSFs.
Given the importance of transitioning services correctly into the live environment, it is not surprising that one of the key processes in this phase involves planning of all activities thoroughly and ensuring that all necessary resources are made available as and where they are required.
The key input to transition planning is the service design package, which contains all the relevant detail about the change.
Although it is not responsible for the detailed planning of activities within individual changes or releases, transition planning and support has a broad scope that includes:
• establishing policies, standards and models for service transition activities and processes;
• overseeing the progress of major changes through all the service transition processes;
• coordinating and prioritising resources to enable multiple transitions to be managed without conflict;
• budgeting for future requirements for service transition;
• reviewing and improving the performance of transition planning and support activities;
• ensuring that service transition is coordinated with programme and project management, service design and service development activities.
PURPOSE, OBJECTIVES AND VALUE
The purpose of this process is to plan and coordinate service transitions and the resources required.
The objectives of transition planning and support are to:
• plan and coordinate the resources to ensure that the designed strategic requirements are achieved in operations;
• coordinate transition activities across projects, suppliers and service teams;
• ensure new or changed services are introduced within budget, on time and with the right quality;
• ensure that new architectures, technology, processes and measurement methods are implemented correctly;
• ensure that the common framework of standard reusable processes and supporting systems is adopted by all;
• provide clear and comprehensive plans that enable customer and business change projects to align their activities with the service transition plans;
• identify, manage and control risks, minimising the chance of failure and disruption across transition activities;
• reporting service transition issues, risks and deviations to the appropriate stakeholders and decision makers;
• monitor and improve the performance of the transition activities.
Most value is derived from the individual changes or new services deployed. Effective transition planning enables the service provider to support concurrent changes and ensure the efficient coordination of activities and resources across multiple projects and teams.
KEY ACTIVITIES
The output from the service design phase is a service design package (SDP), which includes much of the information that is required by the service transition teams. This includes:
• the service charter, describing the expected utility and warranty;
• outline budgets and timescales;
• service specifications and models;
• the chosen architectural design, including any known constraints;
• the definition and design of each specific release;
• how the service components will be assembled and integrated into a release package;
• release and deployment management plans;
• the service acceptance criteria.
Service transition lifecycle stages
Each SDP should define the lifecycle stages for transitioning this service, and movement through it should be subject to formal checks (often as ‘quality gates’) against defined entry and exit criteria. Typical stages might include:
• acquire and test new configuration items (CIs) and components;
• build and component test;
• service release test;
• service operational readiness test;
• deployment;
• early-life support;
• review and close service transition.
Preparing for service transition
Service transition preparation activities include:
• reviewing and acceptance of inputs from the other service lifecycle stages;
• reviewing and checking the input deliverables (e.g. change proposal, SDP,
service acceptance criteria and evaluation report);
• identifying, raising and scheduling requests for change (RFCs);
• checking that the configuration baselines are recorded in the configuration management system (CMS) before the start of service transition;
• checking transition readiness.
Planning an individual service transition
A service transition plan describes the tasks and activities required to release and deploy a release into the test environments and into production, including:
• work environment and infrastructure for the service transition;
• schedule of milestones, handover and delivery dates;
• activities and tasks to be performed;
• staffing, resource requirements, budgets and timescales at each stage;
• issues and risks to be managed;
• lead times and contingency.
Integrated planning
Good planning and management are essential for successful deployment of a release into production across distributed environments and locations. It is important to maintain an integrated set of transition plans that are linked to lower level plans, such as release build and test plans. These plans should be integrated with the change schedule and release and deployment management plans. Establishing good quality plans at the outset enables service transition to manage and coordinate the service transition resources (e.g. resource allocation, utilisation, budgeting and accounting).
Reviewing the plans
All plans should be reviewed. Wherever possible, an element of contingency should be included based on experience, including knowledge of seasonal variations and geographic factors, rather than relying on supplier assertion. This applies even more for internal suppliers where there is no formal contract.
Before starting the release, the service transition planning role should verify the plans and check that they are up to date, have been agreed and authorised by all relevant parties, and include all relevant detail (dates, deliverables etc.). It is also necessary to check that all costs, and organisational, technical and commercial aspects have been considered and that overall risks have been assessed. Configuration items need checking for compatibility with each other and the target environment. People must understand and be able to implement the plans. Finally, checks should be made to ensure that no business or design changes have rendered the release inappropriate.
Providing transition process support
Major activities include:
• providing, or arranging to be made available, relevant advice and guidance to project teams and those performing the underlying tasks;
• administration for managing service transition changes and work orders, issues, risks, deviations and waivers, support for tools and service transition processes, as well as performance;
• managing communication by executing a communication plan defining the objectives of the communication, defined stakeholders, content for each type, frequency (which may vary for each stakeholder group at different stages), format (newsletters, posters, emails, reports, presentations etc.) and how success will be measured.
Progress monitoring and reporting
Service transition activities should be monitored against the intentions set out in the transition model and plan to ensure conformance. Management reports on the status of each transition will help to identify when there are significant variances from plan so that, for example, project management and the service management organisation can respond accordingly.
Transition plans may require amendment to bring them into line with a reality that has changed since design. This is not the same as bad design or error in selecting transition models, but merely a reflection of a dynamic environment.
Triggers, inputs, outputs and interfaces
The principal trigger for planning a single transition is the receipt of an authorised change, though longer term planning may be triggered by receipt of a change proposal. Budgeting for future transition requirements will be triggered by the organisation’s budgetary planning cycle.
The major input will be a service design package, which includes the release package definition and design specification, test and deployment plans, and service acceptance criteria (SAC).
The outputs will be a transition strategy, budget and an integrated set of service transition plans.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SERVICE MANAGEMENT PROCESSES
Transition planning and support has interfaces to programme and project teams, and customers, as well as to almost every other area of service management including:
• service portfolio management (SPM) and demand management, which should provide long-term information about future proposals and likely resource requirements;
• SPM and business relationship management, to help to manage appropriate two-way communication with customers and strategic planning activities;
• all areas of service design, though this will mainly be through their contribution to the service design package;
• supplier management, to ensure that appropriate contracts are in place;
• other service transition processes that are coordinated by transition planning and support;
• the service operation functions for coordinating pilots, handover and early-life support;
• technical management and application management, which will provide the personnel needed to carry out many aspects of service transition (e.g. to review changes or plan deployments).
The transition planning and support process makes heavy use of the service knowledge management system to provide access to the full range of information needed for short-, medium- and long-range planning.
METRICS
Every organisation needs to develop its own critical success factors (CSFs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) based on their objectives. Needless to say, they need to be monitored and acted on where necessary. Table 19.1 includes some sample CSFs and a small number of typical KPIs that support the CSFs.
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