What is ISO 20000

Know Everything About ISO/IEC 20000 IT Service Management

Recently, many of us are hearing about the ISO certification. There is a growing curiosity to know what it is all about. So, let us find out about it. The service industry needs to set a globally acknowledged high qulaity standard. ISO 20000 is an internationally acknowledged standard. It is used for service management.

ISO 20000 certification standard helps the IT departments ensure their ITSM framework processes are aligned with international best practices and business requirements. This certification helps the organizations benchmark how they measure service levels, deliver accurate services and assess their performance on an internationally recognized scale.

It comprises of two parts-

• A code of practice for service management
• Specification for IT service management

Components Of ISO Standards

Many organizations are keen to know about standard components. The components are as follows-

• Identifying the customer requirements
• Customer Communication
• Customer satisfaction

Why ISO 20000 Certification Necessary?

Many organizations seek this certification for several reasons –

1. ISO 20000 certified people know how to assist and advise organizations to generate revenue and improve performance
2. It also explains and advises on the definition of scope and applicability.
3. It teaches them to assess a gap analysis. This certification also helps people to frame a plan for implementing the improvements.
4. This certification helps people understand, create, evaluate, and apply a proper service management plan. The plan should include the service management objectives and policies.
5. It helps assess and advise organizations about the implementation of continuous support processes.
6. This certification explains the use of tools and technology to support a service management system’s implementation and improvement. The technology also guides people to achieve the ISO 20000 certification.

Advantages of ISO IT Service certification

Most of the organizations seek an ISO 20000 certification. Now, let us discuss a few benefits of this certification for an organization.

• Provides integrated support through service management system- Several organizations layout the service management system’s requirements. The motive is to adopt practices that standardize the service levels. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Management provides support to the employees. An ISO certification ensures that reliable partners are chosen while assigning contracts.

• Promotes a culture shift– ISO 20000 promotes a system of constant improvement. Business never stops still in this digital era.n
  • ISO 20000 certified members in the organization may adapt to changes faster than others. As a result, they can identify change areas and introduce improvements quickly. They reduce the internal and external risks. It reveals that ISO certified vital markets.
  • Many organizations in the public sector have made it mandatory for their IT service providers to prove their compliance with ISO 20000.
  • ISO 20000 organizations get the opportunity to sign more contracts and opportunities. The troubles within the organization need to be identified and improved strategically.
  • To get the ISO 20000 certification, people need to identify the loopholes within the processes and strive to rectify them 

• Improves Quality- This certification proves its distinction by providing premium quality service and demonstrating reliability.
  • ISO 20000 has adopted a formal approach with particular benchmarks that need to be completed for achieving specific goals.
  • This sets the benchmark for quality. Helps to leverage the ITIL practices by optimizing resources and processes. This certification acts as a benchmark of quality 

• Ensures Customer Satisfaction- ISO 20000 certification improves the service level. It empowers the management to satisfy more and more customers.n
  • This certification instills a sense of confidence amongst the stakeholders.
  • This certification assures the clients that their requirements will be fulfilled.
  • Any organization that plans to impact the market needs to improve the processes according to customer feedback 

• It Is An Internationally Recognized Certification– An ISO 20000 certification provides an opportunity to the organization to receive an organizational certificate.n
  • To get that certificate, the organizations need to pass an internal audit.
  • The certificate is issued if the organization clears the audit. It has a benchmark that shows how organizations can meet the organizational risks. They find it easier to develop business norms 

• Improves Credibility–The ISO 20000 certified organizations have a better image and credibility in the market.n
  • ISO 20000 is an internationally recognized standard in IT service management. Organizations view this certification as a distinguishing mark in the industry.
  • The ISO 20000 certified organizations have more expectations to fulfill than their non-certified counterparts.
  • Many ISO 20000 certified organizations do not even deal with non-certified vendors 

• Fully Integrated Processes-ISO 20000 certified organizations align the IT services with the business strategy. As a result, the business strategy can be displayed to be focused on IT service management. It helps in serving the customers and fulfilling the business requirements.

Steps To Get ISO 20000 certified

Any organization’s
management needs to follow specific steps to get ISO 20000 certified. The steps
are as follows-

• Creating Awareness- The benefits of an ISO 20000 certification need to be communicated to the employees. There should also be a clear understanding of the approach towards achieving this certification. For that, everyone needs to be given a basic understanding of service management’s best practices.

• Determining the scope of ISO 20000 certification– At this stage, it is essential to decide which type of certification will cover the organization’s parts and services.

• Conducting an initial ISO 20000 assessment- The gaps between a standard’s requirements and the current situation need to be identified. Self-assessment is the best way to identify the gaps. Otherwise, the help of an external advisor may also be taken. A full set of ISO 20000 compliant processes may be used as the assessment benchmark. A detailed list of requirements needs to be prepared, where the conforming and non-conforming should be addressed. In the case of the non-conforming areas, the list includes accurate details of what the issue is and how it can be addressed.

• Setting up the ISO 20000 project- To set up an ISO 20000 project, a project board needs to be set up. Also, the project staff and a project manager need to be chosen. It is better to select an experienced external auditor. It is important to determine the necessary resources, prepare a plan and assign the tasks accordingly. Here, it becomes important to choose a proper auditor.

• Preparing for the ISO 20000 certification audit– Now is the right stage to bridge the gaps that had been identified during the initial ISO 20000 assessment.n
  • It is the most time-consuming step of the ISO 20000 certification. At this stage, several service management processes may need to be introduced or corrected.
  • The management of multiple organizations has complained that defining processes to meet the ISO 20000 requirements is an extremely challenging task. It is a good idea to maintain a checklist while preparing for an audit.
  • The checklist is necessary for keeping track of the requirements that have been fulfilled. It also helps us to check what related records are in place for it 
• Conducting the ISO 20000 certification audit- It is the responsibility of an external auditor from the Registered Certification Body to carry out the audits.
• Retaining the ISO 20000 certification audit- After an organization gets certified, it is necessary to renew the certificate every three years. For that, the management has to emphasize constant service and process improvement. The management also needs to adhere to the set standard.

Implementation Of ISO 20000

The service management system that conforms to the ISO 20000
follows the Plan-Do-Act cycle. Let us understand the details-

Plan

The organizations need to plan the operation and implementation
of the service management system.

• Develops the methods for auditing, improving, and managing service quality
• Develops the processes for risk management
• Defines roles and responsibilities
• Establishes the scope of service management
• Determines the necessary processes
• Establishes the scope of service management
• Determines resources and timescale
• Defines the objectives of service management

Do

The service management plan needs to be implemented-

• Treats and mitigates risks
• Manages budgets and resources
• Selects motivates and trains the staff.
• Creates documentation and monitors plans, procedures, and policies for different processes

Check

At this stage, the achievement of service management
objectives is monitored, measured, and reviewed.

• The management plan is
  periodically reviewed
• Whether the SMS is
  compliant with ISO 20000 is reviewed
• An audit program is
  created. The ISO 20000 practitioner training course contains a special session
  on internal audits.

ISO 20000 Sections

The ISO 20000
certification has different sections. The management needs to be familiar with
the different sections so that their organizations get this certification. The
sections are as follows-

• General Requirements Of the Service Management System- This section has multiple subsections. They are as follows-
  • Establishing and improving the service management system
  • Resource management
  • Documentation management
  • Define scope
  • Plan SMS
  • Implement and Operate SMS
  • Monitoring and Reviewing the SMS
  • Maintaining and Improving the SMS
  • Governing and processes operated by other parties
  • Management responsibilit 

• Design and generation of the New And Changed Services- The subsections under this parameter are as follows-n
  • Planning new or changed services
  • Designing and developing the new or changed services
  • Transitioning the new or changed services
  • Genera 

• Service Delivery Processes- The subsections under this parameter are as follows-n
  • Continuity of service
  • Availability of management
  • Availability of management and testing
  • Service level reporting
  • Service management
  • Accounting and budgeting for IT management services
  • Information security changes and incidents
  • Service continuity and available plan 

• Relationship Processes- The subsection of this are as follows-n
  • Supplier management
  • Business relationship management
  • Resolution Processe 

• Control Processes– The subsections under this process are as follows-n
  • Release and deploying the management
  • Configuration management
  • Change managemen 

• Resolution Management- The subsections as followsn
  • Incident and service request management
  • Problem managemen 

ISO 20000 Checklist for Audit

The purpose behind
the external audit done during ISO 20000 is to verify whether the organization
fulfills certain requirements. During each audit, it has to be specified
whether each requirement has been fulfilled. Relevant evidence needs to be
provided accordingly. Documented information is regarded as evidence.
Generally, the auditor asks about the following documents and checks whether
they are fit for the purpose-

• Documented information as
  needed by ISO 20000
• Service management policies
• Documented processes

The auditor also holds interviews with many staff members to check-

• Whether everyone is familiar with the processes
• The documented processes are being followed

Common Mistakes To Avoid While Getting ISO Certification Audit

The ISO 20000 project certification needs to avoid certain risks. A few critical risks may result in service quality loss. These risks are as follows-

• Lack Of Support From Management- The management must communicate why the organization is trying to be ISO 20000 certified. Then, they need to endorse the initiative and support the employees when they face any challenges.

• Insufficient Resources For The Project- The management needs to ensure the availability of sufficient resources for the ISO 20000 certification projects. For that, the management needs to ensure that the staff is freed from someday to day responsibilities.

• Lack Of External Support- In case an organization is looking to get certified for the first time, the help of an experienced external auditor is no doubt important. Many requirements are open to different types of interpretation. In such cases, the experienced consultant may point out what is important for the auditor. It is important to have an experienced consultant who channelizes the planning for the ISO 20000 certification in the right direction.

ISO Process In Nutshell

During the first stage, the auditor checks whether the documents comply with the ISO 20000 standards. During the second stage, the certification auditor checks whether the actual activities are compliant with the standards. During the management review, the management takes all the relevant actions into consideration and makes appropriate decisions. After the internal audit and management are done, the issues that have been identified need to be resolved. Also, the steps of resolution need to be documented properly.

Conclusion

Many accredited training centers like Vinsys offer training for individuals as well as corporate for ISO 20000 certification. Once the documentation and implementation are over, the organizations need to perform certain steps to complete the project successfully.

An internal audit is conducted to check the ITSM processes for this ITIL certification training is important. Its purpose is to identify the flaws that would have stayed hidden otherwise.