Project Management
Capability Maturity Model® Integration (CMMI) is a process improvement approach that provides organizations with the essential elements of effective processes. It can be used to guide process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization. CMMI helps integrate traditionally separate organizational functions, set process improvement goals and priorities, provide guidance for quality processes, and provide a point of reference for appraising current processes
Consistently delivering high-quality technology solutions on time and on budget is challenging for any business. The Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) provides people and process guidance—the proven practices of Microsoft—to help teams and organizations become more successful in delivering business-driven technology solutions to their customers. MSF is a deliberate and disciplined approach to technology projects based on a defined set of principles, models, disciplines, concepts, guidelines, and proven practices from Microsoft. MSF version 3.0 updates the Team and Process Models, introduces three new Disciplines (Project Management, Risk Management, and Readiness Management), provides new whitepapers (available online), a new course (1846A: MSF Essentials), public and private MSF newsgroups, and a suite of templates. Moreover, better integration with the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) and industry project management standards plus a new MSF Practitioner Program strengthen Microsoft’s proven practices for delivering innovative technology solutions.
Agile Software Development is a conceptual framework for software development that promotes development iterations, open collaboration, and adaptability throughout the life-cycle of the project.
There are many agile development methods; most minimize risk by developing software in short amounts of time. Software developed during one unit of time is referred to as an iteration, which typically lasts from two to four weeks. Each iteration passes through a full software development cycle: including planning, requirements analysis, design, writing unit tests then coding until the unit tests pass and working product is finally demonstrated to stakeholders. Documentation is no different than software design and coding. It too is produced as required by stakeholders. An iteration may not add enough functionality to warrant releasing the product to market but the goal is to have an available release (without bugs) at the end of each iteration. At the end of each iteration, stakeholders re-evaluate project priorities with a view to optimizing their return on investment.
Agile methods emphasize face-to-face communication over written documents. Most agile teams are located in a single open office to facilitate such communications.
Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL)
Overview of the ITIL v3 library
Service Strategy
Service strategy is shown at the core of the ITIL v3.1 lifecycle but cannot exist in isolation to the other parts of the IT structure. It encompasses a framework to build best practice in developing a long term service strategy. It covers many topics including: general strategy, competition and market space, service provider types, service management as a strategic asset, organization design and development, key process activities, financial management, service portfolio management, demand management, and key roles and responsibilities of staff engaging in service strategy.
Service Design
The design of IT services conforming to best practice, and including design of architecture, processes, policies, documentation, and allow for future business requirements. This also encompasses topics such as Service Design Package (SDP), Service catalog management, Service Level management, designing for capacity management, IT service continuity, Information Security, supplier management, and key roles and responsibilities for staff engaging in service design
Service Transition
Service transition relates to the delivery of services required by the business into live\operational use, and often encompasses the "project" side of IT rather than "BAU" (Business As Usual). This area also covers topics such as managing changes to the "BAU" environment. Topics include Service Asset and Configuration Management, Transition Planning and Support, Release and deployment management, Change Management, Knowledge Management, as well as the key roles of staff engaging in Service Transition.
Service Operation
Best practice for achieving the delivery of agreed levels of services both to end-users and the customers (where "customers" refer to those individuals who pay for the service and negotiate the SLAs). Service Operations is the part of the lifecycle where the services and value is actually directly delivered. Also the monitoring of problems and balance between service reliability and cost etc are considered. Topics include balancing conflicting goals (e.g. reliability v cost etc), Event management, incident management, problem management, event fulfillment, asset management, service desk, technical and application management, as well as key roles and responsibilities for staff engaging in Service Operation.
Continual Service Improvement (CSI)
The GOAL of Continual Servcie Improvement is to align and realign IT Servcies to changing Business needs by identifying and implementing improvements to the IT services that support the Business Processes. The perspective of CSI on improvement is the Buiness perspective of service quality, even though CSI aims to improve process effectiveness, efficiency and cost effectiveness of the IT processes thruogh the whole Lifecycle. In order to manage improvement, CSI should clearly define what should be controlled and measured. CSI needs to be treated just like any other service practice. There needs to be upfront planning, training and awareness, ongoing scheduling, roles created, ownership assigned,and activities identified in order to be successful. CSI must be planned and scheduled as process with defined activities, inputs, outputs, roles and reporting.