Course Overview

This new program replaces the individual Capacity, Availability and IT Service Continuity Management Practitioner courses. It focuses on the implementation, management, and optimization of integrated processes required for achieving effective planning of improvements within an IT infrastructure.

The Plan and Improve program is offered over a 5-day period and includes a 2 hours formal certification exam on the afternoon of the fifth day. The course is 40 percent lecture and 60 percent hands-on individual and group practical exercises.

• Note: The success in achieving certification is highly dependant upon participants’ effort in doing their homework, and self-study after the program. Therefore, it is highly recommended that the exam be scheduled one week to maximum two weeks after the training to allow sufficient time for preparation
• Also available in workshop format without examination
• Program added value - provides consultancy advice and sample reusable documents

Duration

Five days from 08:30 A.M to 5:00 P.M including examination at 3:30 P.M of the last day or to be scheduled the following week.

Delivery Methods

- Instructor led Classroom environment
- Virtual Web based

Audience

The number of course participants ranges from 6 to 12 ITIL® Practitioner Plan & Improve is aimed at professionals that participate in managing, organizing or optimizing processes in an IT service organization which are at various stages of implementation, or sustaining ITIL®-based Plan & Improve processes.

The target audience consists of:

• IT professionals responsible for implementing or executing tasks within an ITIL® Capacity, Availability and/or IT Service Continuity Management processes
• Operational staff and managers wishing to extend their planning, monitoring, reporting and optimizing skills, relative to activities within the Plan and Improve processes
• Senior IT and business managers and consultants
• IT Service and Project Managers
• ITSM and ITIL® process managers with interest in Plan and Improve processes
• IT staff responsible for the definition of IT services, especially those who will participate in managing, organizing and optimizing the Plan and Improve processes in an IT Service organization
• IT customers responsible for the planning of quality services and related improvements
• Customers, suppliers and staff requiring a formal qualification

Prerequisites

• Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management
• Practical experience in the field of Capacity, Availability and IT Service Continuity Management

Program Objectives

Through a series of lectures designed at achieving a clear understanding the ITIL® Best Practice model and in various practical, individual and group assignments and discussions, participants will gain the necessary knowledge enabling them to develop, implement and manage an integrated Capacity, Availability and IT Service Continuity Management function.

Program assignments are not only designed to provide participants with practical hands-on experience in developing, managing, organizing and optimizing effective processes, they also provide valuable re-utilizable models.

The program prepares participants to take and successfully achieve formal certification in the ITIL Plan and Improve Practitioner Program

• IPPI program objectives
• Overview of the ITSM concepts, requirements and ITSM Governance
• Introduction to ISO/IEC 20000® Service Management standard - key requirements and interpretation
• Business and Quality drivers
• The responsibilities of the Service Provider
• IT Service Management Principals
• Service Reporting
• Relationship Management and Communication

Program Contents

Capacity Management

• The importance and value of Capacity Management to the IT service quality
• Concept and approach of Capacity Management
• Goals and objectives of Capacity Management
• Main deliverables of Capacity Management
  • Capacity Plan
  • Capacity Database
  • Customer Service Level requirements recommendations
  • Improvement recommendations and suggestions
  • Performance monitoring and reporting
  • Budget input
• Process and sub-processes activities
• Roles and responsibilities
• Relationship with the other ITIL® processes
• Techniques for establishing Capacity requirements and performance
  • Modeling, Application sizing, etc.
• Techniques managing and maintaining effective and efficient performance
  • Demand Management
  • Workload Management
  • Performance Management
  • Resource Management
  • Tuning and Balancing

Availability Management

• The relationship between business and Availability Management
• Concept and approach of Availability Management
• Goals and objectives of Availability Management
• Main deliverables of Availability Management
  • Availability Plan
  • Availability Database
  • Customer Service Level requirements recommendations
  • Design improvement recommendations and suggestions
  • Performance monitoring and reporting
• Process activities and techniques form determining and managing efficient Availability
• Roles and responsibilities
• Relationship with the other ITIL® processes
• Define the specifications for availability
• Quantify availability requirements
• Calculate Availability
  • Determine availability requirements based on the client’s needs
  • Determine the availability of each component
  • Determine the availability of the services through the use of techniques (CFIA, FTA)
• Evaluate Availability
  • Evaluate whether performance and availability characteristics of individual IT components are suitable to meet the required availability levels
  • Analyze supplier contracts and determine appropriate support availability requirements
  • Analyze availability achievements against contracts and agreements
• Quality criteria
  • Understand Availability criteria (MTTR, MTBF, MTBSI)
  • Investigating and understanding the impact of unavailability
  • Translate measurement data into terms comprehensible for the customer

IT Service Continuity Management

• The importance and value of IT Service Continuity Management (ITSCM) to the IT service quality
• Concept and approach of ITSCM Management
• Goals and objectives of ITSCM Management
• Relationship with the other ITIL® processes
• Main deliverables of ITSCM Management
  • IT Continuity Plan
  • Customer Service Level requirements recommendations
  • Testing schedules, results and improvement recommendations (countermeasures and strategies)
  • Performance monitoring and reporting
• Process and activities
• The four stages of the Business Continuity Lifecycle Model
  • Initiation
  • Requirements and Strategy
  • Implementation
  • Operational Management
• Understand and establish recovery options to satisfy customer needs and requirements
• Techniques for understanding and determining the business impact of IT services (BIA)
• Risk analysis and management methods using the CRAMM technique
• Process roles and responsibilities

Planning the ITIL® Plan and Improve Function

• Planning and implementation considerations
• Implementing Challenges (possible problems)
• Critical success factors
• Awareness campaign and on-going communications
• The Plan and Improve Function Organization
• Defining the roles
• Process Owner and Manager responsibilities
• Process control and management
• Management reporting
• Auditing and audit checks
• Key performance indicators (KPI)

Managing the processes within the IPPI function

• Monitoring performance achievements vs. targets
• Improving services delivered - Service Improvement Plans (SIP)
• Quality of service parameters and performance reporting
• Management reporting and interpretation
• Capacity, Availability and IT Service Continuity interrelationships and requirements
• Relationships and links with other ITIL® processes
• Best practices and business benefits
• Common roadblocks
• Recognize process improvement opportunities

Program Material (handout)

The Plan and Improve Function program includes the following program material as well as a collection of valuable reference documentation:

• Program slide presentation
• Process course notes and homework
• Sample examination questions and answers
• Extensive in-class group exercises and guidelines
• Additional valuable documentation