Course Overview

This new program replaces the individual Change and Configuration Management Practitioner courses. It focuses on the implementation, management, and optimization of integrated processes required for achieving control and stability within an IT infrastructure. The Release and Control 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 IT professionals responsible for implementing and/or executing tasks within the Change, Release and Configuration Management processes:

• Change Managers and Change Approvers
• Configuration Managers and other Configuration Management related roles
• ITIL® Configuration, Change and Release Management process owners and/or managers
• IT Service and Project Manager
• Senior technical and operational staff
• IT professionals and Consultants working in the area of IT service Support and/or IT operations
• IT working in the area of IT service delivery and/or IT operations
• IT customers responsible for infrastructure Change Control

Prerequisites

• Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management
• Practical experience in the field of Change, Release and Configuration 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 as well as manage, organize and optimize an Integrated Change and Release Management function based on an effective Configuration Management system.

Program Contents

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 Release and Control Practitioner Program

• IPRC program objectives
• Service Management in brief
• Common points of failure for IT
• The new role of IT
• Benefits of good Change Control
• Service Management tools
• ISO/IEC 20000® standard key concepts and interpretation

Configuration Management

• Planning an effective Configuration Management process
  • Integrated Service Management tools and the Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
  • Configuration Planning
  • Define scope of CMDB
  • Data modeling
  • CI identification and naming conventions
  • CI Relationships, Attributes, and Configuration
  • Naming conventions, attributes and coding systems
  • Types of relationships between CIs
  • Configuration Management roles and responsibilities
  • Development of Configuration Management procedures
  • Establish the interdependencies with other IT disciplines and Service Management processes
• Managing the Configuration Management process
  • Configuration Management goal and objectives
  • Process activities
  • Configuration Control
  • CI Status Accounting
  • CMDB integrity verification and audit
  • Configuration Management reporting
  • Recognize and overcome common roadblocks

Change Management

• Change Management goals and objectives
• Change management activities
  • Change categorization and prioritization
  • Change impact assessment
  • Handling urgent changes
  • Organizing the CAB meeting
  • Coordinate the building, testing and implementation of authorized Changes
  • Communication and reporting
  • Post-Change implementation review
• Process tools and techniques
• Change models
• Contents of a Request for Change (RfC)
• Contents of the Forward Schedule of Changes (FSC)
• Change Management required documentation
• Possible problems and consequences
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Auditing the processes
• Recognize process improvement opportunities

Release Management

• Release Management goals and objectives
• Creating a Release Policy
• Release planning and implementation
• Defining Release types and naming conventions
• Release Management activities
  • Planning an effective Release
  • Release designing, building, and configuring
  • Release testing and acceptance
  • Roll-out Planning
  • Release communication and training
  • Release distribution and installation
• Relation with Project Management and Application Development
• Possible problems and consequences
• Key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Auditing the processes
• Recognize process improvement opportunities
• Managing the DHS and DSL

Process Key Performance Indicators

• Understanding ITSM Process Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Key Performance Indicators from COBIT®

Planning the ITIL® Release and Control Function

• Planning considerations
• Required procedures for the integrated function
• The Control Function Organization
• Defining the roles
• Process Owner and Manager responsibilities

Program Material (handout)

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

• Program slide presentation
• ITIL® Service Support book
• Sample examination questions and answers
• A collection of valuable documentation
  • Sample CI Types
  • Suggested CI Attributes
  • Sample Document types
  • Configuration Management PC Audit sample screenshots
  • Configuration Management Process Audit checklist
  • Configuration, Change, and Release Management duties
  • Configuration, Change, and Release Management Key Performance Indicators
  • Change Management Request for Change (RFC) form design
  • Release Management roll-out plan review checklist
  • Release Management specific tools
  • Sample Release Management objectives for distributed systems
  • Sample Change Management Matrix
  • ITIL® acronyms and glossary