Program Overview
ITIL® is a set of best practices guidance that has become a worldwide-adopted framework for Information Technology Services Management (ITSM) by many Public & Private Organizations.  Since early 1990, ITIL® has been evolving from focusing on Functions and Processes under versions 1 and 2 to focusing on the Full Service Lifecycle Management under current version.

In addition to the existing benefits of aligning IT goals and objectives with the business, improving quality and reducing cost of operation; ITSM and ITIL® now emphasizes the following areas:

• Assist in transforming IT Service Management onto a strategic business asset
• Assist in defining and managing the complete lifecycle of IT Service Management Process
• Provide guidance on the development of Services Strategy, the development of Service Design, the Transition of Services from current to desired state, the Implementation and the Continuous improvement of the those Services

Through lectures and practice exam questions participants explore the concepts of good practice in IT Service Management based on the ITIL® Edition 2011Framework.

The ITIL® Intermediate Qualification: Continual Service Improvement Certificate is a free-standing qualification, but is also part of the ITIL® Intermediate Lifecycle stream, and one of the modules that leads to the ITIL® Expert in IT Service Management. The purpose of this training module and the associated exam and certificate is, respectively, to impart, test, and validate the knowledge on industry practices in service management as documented in the ITIL® publication.

Note:
The success in achieving this certification is highly dependent upon participants’ effort in doing their homework, and self-study before and during the program.  Therefore, it is highly recommended that course participants purchase the appropriate TSO publication to complete at a minimum 21 hours of personal study by reviewing the syllabus and the pertinent areas of the ITIL® Service Management Practice core guidance.

Duration
This program is offered over a 3-day period where it combines theoretical and hands-on knowledge transfer, including individual and group practical exercises.  The Minimum number of students per session is 6 where the maximum is 18.

• This three (3) days classroom training course with examination held on the afternoon of the 3rd day is accredited by LCS examinations institute.
• The course includes approximately 21 hours of student-instructor interaction, a sample and a formal examination.
• The format of the examination consists of a closed book paper of 8 multiple choice complex questions, to be answered within 90 minutes. The pass mark is 70% or more – 28 or more correct answers.

Delivery Methods

• Instructor led Classroom based

Audience
The main target group for this ITIL® Intermediate Qualification Certificate includes, but is not restricted to:

• Chief information officers (CIOs)
• Chief technology officers (CTOs)
• Managers
• Supervisory staff
• Team leaders
• Service designers
• IT architects
• IT planners
• IT consultants
• IT audit managers
• IT security managers
• ITSM trainers involved in the ongoing management, co-ordination and integration of operation activities within the service lifecycle
• Individuals who require a detailed understanding of the ITIL® service operation stage of the ITIL® service lifecycle and how it may be implemented to enhance the quality of IT service provision within an organization
• IT professionals working within or about to enter a service operation environment and requiring an understanding of the concepts, processes, functions and activities involved
• Individuals who have attained the ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management and wish to advance to higher level ITIL® certifications
• Individuals seeking the ITIL® Expert Certification in IT Service Management for which this qualification can be one of the prerequisite modules
• Individuals seeking progress toward the ITIL® Master Certificate in IT Service Management for which the ITIL® Expert is a prerequisite.

Prerequisites
Candidates wishing to be trained and examined for this qualification must already hold the ITIL® Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management (the V3 Foundation or V2 Foundation plus Bridge Certificate) which shall be presented as documentary evidence to gain admission.

Additionally, to be eligible for the ITIL® Intermediate qualification, candidates shall fulfill the following requirements:

• At least 21 contact hours (hours of instruction, excluding breaks, with an Accredited Training Organization (ATO) or an accredited e-learning solution) for this syllabus, as part of a formal, approved training course/scheme
• It is recommended that students should complete at least 21 hours of personal study by reviewing the syllabus and the Service Design publication in preparation for the examination
• There is no minimum requirement but a basic IT literacy and around 2 years IT experience are highly desirable

Content and Objectives
Through a series of lectures designed at achieving a clear understanding of the ITIL® Best Practice lifecycle approach and through various exercises, assignments and discussions, participants can expect to gain competencies in the following upon successful completion of the education and examination components related to this certification:

• Introduction to Continual Service Improvement
• Continual Service Improvement Principles
• Continual Service Improvement Process
• Continual Service Improvement Methods and Techniques
• Organization for Continual Service Improvement
• Technology considerations for Continual Service Improvement
• Implementation Considerations
• Challenges, Critical success factors and risks

The program will cover the following modules:
Candidates will capture concepts and terminology in the field of Continual Service Improvement. Specifically, after completion of the following sections candidates will be understand, describe, identify, demonstrate, apply, distinguish, produce, decide or analyze the topics below.

Introduction

• The purpose and objectives of CSI
• The scope of CSI
• The value to business of adopting and implementing CSI
• The approach to CSI
• The business questions to be asked to ensure that a CSI initiative is warranted
• The context of CSI in the ITIL service lifecycle
• The inputs and outputs to CSI

Continual Service Improvement Principles

• how the success of CSI depends upon an understanding of change upon an organization
• how CSI drives the adoption of, and is influenced by, Service Level Management
• how the Deming Cycle is critical to both the implementation and application of CSI
• how CSI can make effective use of the various aspects of  Service Measurement
• how Knowledge Management is a mainstay of any improvement initiative
• how CSI can make effective use of internal and external Benchmarks
• how CSI can be used to ensure good governance where goals are aligned and good management is achieved
• how frameworks, models, standards and quality systems fully support the concepts embodied in CSI

Continual Service Improvement Process

• Purpose and objectives
• Scope of CSI
• Value to business
• Policies, principles and basic concepts
• The 7-step improvement process
• Process activities, methods and techniques
• Triggers, inputs, outputs and interfaces
• How other processes play key roles in the seven-step improvement process
• Critical success factors and key performance indicators
• Challenges and risks

Continual Service Improvement Methods and Techniques

• What to assess and when to use Assessments
• Benchmarking. Specifically, the candidate will be able to describe and apply the approach to, and implementation of, benchmarking
• Service measurement. Specifically designing and analyzing service measurement frameworks
• Metrics. Specifically, the candidate will be able to describe the importance of properly defining metrics and measurements, demonstrate setting targets, and describe, use and interpret metrics, scorecards and reports, including balanced scorecard and SWOT analysis
• Return on investment. Specifically, the candidate will be able to demonstrate how to create a return on investment, establish a business case and measure the benefits achieved
• Service reporting. Specifically, articulating reporting policies and rules
• How availability management techniques such as component failure impact analysis, fault tree analysis, service failure analysis, technical observation and the expanded incident lifecycle can be used by CSI
• How capacity management techniques such as business, service and component capacity management, workload and demand management, and the iterative activities of capacity management can be used by CSI
• How CSI needs to take IT service continuity management requirements into consideration and how CSI can use risk management to identify areas for improvement
• How problem management supports the activities of CSI
• How knowledge management supports CSI

Organization for Continual Service Improvement  

• Service owner
• Process owner
• Process manager
• Process practitioner
• CSI manager
• The nature of the activities and the skills required for the seven-step improvement process
• Comparing the CSI manager role with other relevant roles
• How the responsibility model (RACI) can be used when defining roles and responsibilities in CSI

Technology for Continual Service Improvement
How the following tools can be used to assist some or all of the activities of CSI:

• IT service management suites
• Systems and network management
• Event management
• Automated incident/problem resolution
• Performance management
• Statistical analysis tools
• Project and portfolio management
• Financial management for IT services
• Business intelligence/reporting

Implementing Continual Service Improvement

• Critical considerations and where to start
• The role of governance to CSI
• The effect of organizational change for CSI
• A communication strategy and plan

Critical success factors and risks

• the challenges facing Continual Service Improvement
• the appropriate critical success factors for Continual Service Improvement
• the potential impact if the risks associated with implementing CSI

Summary, Exam Preparation and Directed Studies
This module summarizes the material covered in the previous modules and prepares candidates for the examination through the review and practice of a mock examination. The Examination is comprised of eight (8) multiple choice, scenario-based, gradient scored questions. The standard duration of the exam is Maximum 90 minutes.

Program Material
This training program includes the following as reference documentation:
Program slide presentation
Syllabus document
ITIL® acronyms and glossary
Sample examination questions and answers

Simulation and practical application
We provide the students with real life experiences; for the purpose of discussion and to show the value of using best practice, we can use the client organization as a “case study” example (when a private course is delivered).

Download PDF:

Continual Service Improvement – CSI