One Comment on “Which is the first step in the 7 Step Improvement Process?”

1. Michael McNeil says:

   May 29, 2014 at 3:28 am

   Pages 32-33 of ITIL3 Continual Service Improvement

   3.7.3 The 7-Step Improvement Process
   Fundamental to CSI is the concept of measurement. CSI
   uses the 7-Step Improvement Process shown in Figure 3.4.
   Which steps support CSI?
   It is obvious that all the activities of the improvement
   process will assist CSI in some way. It is relatively simple to
   identify what takes places but the difficulty lies in
   understanding exactly how this will happen. The
   improvement process spans not only the management
   organization but the entire service lifecycle. This is a
   cornerstone of CSI.
   1 Define what you should measure
   At the onset of the service lifecycle, Service Strategy
   and Service Design should have identified this
   information. CSI can then start its cycle all over again
   at ‘Where are we now?’ This identifies the ideal
   situation for both the Business and IT.
   2 Define what you can measure
   This activity related to the CSI activities of ‘Where do
   we want to be?’ By identifying the new service level
   requirements of the business, the IT capabilities
   (identified through Service Design and implemented
   via Service Transition) and the available budgets, CSI
   can conduct a gap analysis to identify the
   opportunities for improvement as well as answering
   the question ‘How will we get there?’
   3 Gathering the data
   In order to properly answer the ‘Did we get there?’
   question, data must first be gathered (usually through
   Service Operations). Data is gathered based on goals
   and objectives identified. At this point the data is raw
   and no conclusions are drawn.
   4 Processing the data
   Here the data is processed in alignment with the CSFs
   and KPIs specified. This means that timeframes are
   coordinated, unaligned data is rationalized and made
   consistent, and gaps in data are identified. The simple
   goal of this step is to process data from multiple
   disparate sources into an ‘apples to apples’
   comparison. Once we have rationalized the data we
   can then begin analysis.
   5 Analysing the data
   Here the data becomes information as it is analysed to
   identify service gaps, trends and the impact on
   business. It is the analysing step that is most often
   overlooked or forgotten in the rush to present data to
   management.
   6 Presenting and using the information
   Here the answer to ‘Did we get there?’ is formatted
   and communicated in whatever way necessary to
   present to the various stakeholders an accurate picture
   of the results of the improvement efforts. Knowledge
   is presented to the business in a form and manner
   that reflects their needs and assists them in
   determining the next steps.
   7 Implementing corrective action
   The knowledge gained is used to optimize, improve
   and correct services. Managers identify issues and
   present solutions. The corrective actions that need to
   be taken to improve the service are communicated
   and explained to the organization. Following this step
   the organization establishes a new baseline and the
   cycle begins anew.