ITSM Categorization Structures

Much of my recent contribution on Linkedin has focused on ITSM topics oriented around the strategic, philosophical and the importance of organizational culture and leadership. In this article I would like to share an excerpt of a document I have written to provide guidance on a practical level to organizations that are adopting integrated ITSM approaches and are currently in the process of implementing ITSM solutions. One key element that all these solutions have in common is the use of a categorization structure to group process records, knowledge articles and support a number of different automation requirements.

For your interest here is some practical guidance when you or your teams are working on this deliverable.

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ITSM Categorization Structures / Good Practice

The efficient and effective management of IT products and services requires a carefully considered and integrated approach to IT service management processes.

Equally important is the task of ensuring that IT organizations are equipped with the right tools. These tools must effectively meet the functional requirements for workflow automation required by the interdependent nature of ITSM processes, as well as provide contextualization, and qualification of trusted management information. ?

Categorization / Classification Structures

The development of a comprehensive and carefully designed categorization structure is critical in automating process workflows in IT Service Management (ITSM). This categorization structure forms a crucial foundational element for automating and integrating various ITSM processes, including incident management, problem management, request management, and change management, as well as other key aspects of service management.

For example, in incident management, a well-defined categorization structure can help in accurately logging and tracking incidents, leading to quicker resolution times. Similarly, in change management, it categorizes changes based on type, risk, and urgency, ensuring that each change is handled appropriately.

Moreover, the value of this categorization structure extends beyond process records. It is equally applicable to the organization of knowledge articles and service components. By categorizing knowledge articles effectively, IT staff and end-users can quickly find solutions and information, improving the overall efficiency of IT support. In the context of service components, categorization helps in managing the IT infrastructure more effectively, as it allows for better tracking and understanding of each component's role and interdependencies.

The design and creation of this categorization model is a critical factor for generating qualified and reliable management reports. These reports, in turn, inform decision-making and continuous improvement, underlining the importance of the categorization structures. However, establishing an effective categorization model requires considerable planning, commitment of time and resources, and a thorough understanding of business needs and IT processes.

Organizations often approach categorization from a technical or single process perspective such as Incident Management. While this is understandable from the perspective that Incident Management is often the first process to be implemented in an ITSM solution. The reality is that the categorization of process records is the key element for understanding issues, and problems across multiple ITSM processes and needs to be considered from a business or service perspective as well a technical perspective.

In an ITSM solution, a multi-process categorization structure is crucial for several key automation functions:

?Categorization automation

• Automated record assignment
• Escalation & notification rules
• Ticket prioritization
• Request workflow automation
• Automated ticket field population
• Incident matching to problems
• Knowledge Management information classification
• Identification of support scripts
• Change approval automation
• etc.

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ITSM Categorization Design Considerations

When designing a categorization structure for an ITSM solution, it's important to adhere to these general good practices:

?Technology Environment: The categorization structure should enable the IT solution to group process records based on technology domains or technology areas, such as software, hardware, voice, network, and database etc.

• The purpose of technical categorization is to organize your information so you can manage more effectively.
• Provide the ability to perform layered reporting against a single category or a combination of categories.
• Technical categorizations defines your assignment, escalation, authorization paths and support groups

Organizationally Agnostic: It should be independent of the organizational structure, avoiding department- or role-specific descriptions to ensure broad applicability as these will change over time.

Exclusion of Verbs: Avoid using verbs in your categorization approach as they are process-specific actions, not categories. For instance, use "network router" instead of "resetting the router".

Defined Control Process: Establish a clear process for updating the categorization structure, ensuring it remains relevant and effective. This could involve regular reviews and a procedure for adding, removing, or modifying categories.

Service Categorization: The goal of service management is to effectively design, manage and improve the delivery of IT products and services to meet business / customer needs. To do this effectively it is important to be able to report on both technology as well as service-related metrics. This means that the ITSM solution should enable categorization and grouping by both technology and IT services. Technology categorization focuses on the specific technical elements, like software issues or network failures. Service categorization, on the other hand, relates to how the service is impacted. Typically this can be done in two ways:

• Directly on process record: This option involves fields such as service category, specific services, and service offerings on the process record itself. For example, a ticket might be categorized under a service category of “Communications” with a specific service like "Email Service" with further classification into sub-categories like "Browser based" or “Client based”
• ?Record linking with service components: Here, the ITSM tool allows linking process records like incidents or changes with service component records from the configuration management system. For instance, an incident record might be associated with a specific service record such as "Collaboration" defined and managed in the service component repository.

Both methods require alignment with the service catalog's structure, ensuring a comprehensive view of IT services that incorporates both the technical and service dimensions.

?By following these guidelines, the categorization structure will effectively support various ITSM processes and goals, ensuring consistent and efficient management across the IT landscape.

For those who are interested in getting access to more practical guidance, templates and online resources to support your ITSM initiatives, I invite you to visit Pink Elephant’s website and speak to my fellow Pinkers about how we can support you in your ITSM journey: Online Resources - Pink Elephant