Configuration Item Life Cycle - Business Services
- Eric Puchalski
- Marina Arseniev (Unlicensed)
A business service is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product. It can aggregate requests or the need to track expenditures, and may be associated with MOUs, etc. However, a service represents a capability of an organization (e.g., Budget Analysis) as opposed to how that capability is made available to the client (e.g., Excel).
CI Naming Convention
Business service Configuration Item names should follow the form of:
{service} {capability} Services [ - (client)]Where:
{service} | The major service being represented by the CI. For example, Network, Data Center, Web, Database, Cellular System, etc. The service can be a single word or a phrase but it almost never includes the name of the application software used to deliver the service. |
|---|---|
{capability} | An indication of the capability of the group delivering the service. For example: Support, Consulting, Design, Research, etc. |
Services | All business service CIs will contain the word "Services" (or "Service") in the CI name following the service name and capability. |
(client) | The name of the client that is the primary end user of the CI. The client name should only be included when a business service is provided for the exclusive use of a single client or to eliminate duplication of CI names. The client should always be enclosed in parentheses and separated from the rest of the CI name by a hyphen. |
NOTE
When a service is retired, the service name must be modified to include a prefix of RETIRED to make it obvious in listings and searches that the service is no longer active.
Examples
The following are examples of CI names using this standard:
- Network Design Services
- Business Intelligence Services
- Campus Portal Support Services
- IT Security Support Services - (Registrar)
- RETIRED - UCI Online Phone Book Service
Typical Life Cycle
CAUTION
Additions and changes to the CMDB should be made carefully and at the appropriate time. Be sure to review How to Maintain the CMDB Quality and Data Integrity before making any changes. This article explains when and how CIs are maintained and who should be maintaining them. If you have any questions about maintaining CIs then contact the ServiceNow Support Team for more information.
| Phase | CI Activity |
|---|---|
| Phase 1: Service Designed & Developed This phase includes the identification of a service that OIT would like to begin offering to clients. The complete service definition includes a description of the service, identification of applications and other services that will support the new service, agreement on an SLA or OLA, and identification of the channels and resources required to deliver the service. This phase ends when the service has been developed and is ready to be offered. | If ServiceNow will be used to track incidents, changes, or task assignments while the service is being prepared then a CI will be required. Otherwise, a CI is not required until the service is ready to be announced and made available. |
| Phase 2: Service Implemented In this phase the assets required to support the service are acquired, connected, and tested. Support resources are put in place (including documentation and user training as required) and the service is promoted to potential users. This phase ends when the service is made available to the client base for which it was intended. | A Configuration Item Management Form is submitted by a member of the team supporting the service and the new CI will be added to the CMDB by the CMDB Administration Team. Ongoing adjustments to the Status and State fields is performed by someone from the team supporting the service. Also be sure to provide a DR Criticality rating for the service to indicate the priority of restoration of the service in the event of a major disaster. |
| Phase 3: In Service Operated During this phase, the service is in operation and is actively being provided by OIT and consumed by clients. Throughout this phase, the service will undergo periodic review, extensions, improvements, and other changes. This phase ends when the service is no longer being used or a decision is made to no longer offer the service. | Ongoing adjustments to the Status, State, and other fields in the CI record are made as needed by a member of the team supporting the service. |
| Phase 4: Service Retired When the service is no longer needed, either because it is being replaced by something else or it no longer serves any useful function, it is retired. Retirement includes an assessment of the service's performance, evaluation of the consequences of the retirement, succession planning (deployment of a new service to replace the retired one if required), notification of users, and retirement of supporting assets that will no longer be required. | The Status and State are updated by a member of the team supporting the service to reflect the fact that it is no longer being offered and has been retired. At the same time, the service name in the CI is modified to include a prefix of RETIRED to make it obvious in listings and searches that the it is no longer being offered. Under no circumstances should a CI ever be deleted from the CMDB. Deleting a CI record will make it impossible to trace the history of the software and any activity documented by incidents and change requests. |
Suggested Relationships
When mapping dependencies and relationships, the following are typical connections to other CI classes used by business services:
| Relationship | Dependent Class |
|---|---|
| Depends on | Application |
| Depends on | Business Service |
| DR provided by | Business Service |
Configuration Management Process
Overview
CI Life Cycles Overview
CI Naming Standards Overview
How to Maintain the CMDB Quality and Data Integrity
Resources
Committee Membership and Meetings
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OIT Architecture Review Board
Configuration Items
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