Syllabus and Qualification Framework This qualification covers the Service Management disciplines of Configuration Management, Change Management and Release Management that together comprise Release and Control. Each discipline is described in the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Service Support book 1. The qualification also covers ITIL Service Management principles in general, and the interdependencies between these and Release and Control. 1. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Holders of the ISEB Practitioner Certificate in IT Service Management: Release and Control will be able to demonstrate their competence in, and ability to: Understand the key objectives, benefits and scope of Release and Control within an organisation, irrespective of its size or complexity Define, document, agree and implement processes and procedures for Configuration Management, Change Management and Release Management Plan for the implementation of Release and Control, and understand the potential costs, benefits and problems associated with its implementation Design, implement, maintain and manage a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Define and manage Configuration Items (CIs) Define and agree CI types and standard configurations Manage Changes throughout their lifecycle, including: Organise the Request For Change (RFC) authorisation process Prioritise and assess the impact, cost, benefit and risk of proposed Changes Prepare for and co-ordinate the Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings Oversee building, testing and implementation of authorised Changes Co-ordinate the back-out of failed Changes Produce and manage the Forward Schedule of Change (FSC) Define and agree Change models and standard Changes Produce a Release Policy, clarifying roles and responsibilities Plan and define specific Releases Plan and document the design, build and configuration of a Release Define and agree procedures for Releases in respect of: Release acceptance Rollout planning Communication, preparation and training Distribution and installation Identify and act upon the key issues that may impact the efficiency and effectiveness of Release and Control Be aware of the support tools and techniques available for the implementation of Release and Control, and be able to indicate how improvements can be made Define and apply standards and quality criteria for Release and Control Communicate the benefits of Release and Control within the organisation Monitor and report on the major KPIs and metrics of Release and Control, and prepare Release and Control reports for distribution throughout the organisation Understand the interdependencies between Release and Control and other IT and Service Management processes. 1 OGC/TSO, 2000: ISBN 0113300158 Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 1
2. SYLLABUS I. Planning The planning and implementation of the Release and Control processes: Understand the objectives and scope of Release and Control, together with the associated roles, responsibilities and skills required Understand the planning activities involved in implementation of Release and Control, and the management of the following: the Configuration lifecycle, including an outline design of an appropriate CMDB for the management of all IT assets and the impact of the level of CI breakdown the Change lifecycle, including establishing a RFC authorisation process and membership of both the Change Advisory Board (CAB) and the Change Advisory Board/ Emergency Committee (CAB/EC) the lifecycle of a Release including the management of Releases, the management of the Definitive Software Library (DSL) and the Definitive Hardware Store (DHS) Understand the potential costs, benefits and problems associated with the implementation of Release and Control Develop and implement a Release and Control plan and policy Demonstrate an awareness of the support tools and techniques for Release and Control II. Management of Configuration Items (CIs) and assets The checking, classifying and management of CIs: Understand the importance of the following: Configuration Control; Status Accounting; Verification and Audit and the CI break down level Define and agree which CIs and CI types can be handled through the use of standard definitions and configuration models Define, develop and implement lifecycles for each type of CI, together with individual attribute requirements for CI types Identify, agree and implement appropriate: CI naming standards, conventions and relationship types configuration baselines and their usage variants and their usage CI assemblies and components Identify, agree and implement appropriate CI breakdown levels within the CMDB III. Maintenance of the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) Maintenance of an accurate CMDB: Develop, implement and maintain procedures to ensure that the accuracy and integrity of the CMDB data is maintained (in conjunction with Change Management) Develop, implement and maintain the appropriate housekeeping, security and recovery procedures for the CMDB Develop, implement and maintain the appropriate review and auditing procedures to ensure that the CMDB remains consistent with the Definitive Software Library (DSL), Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 2
the Definitive Hardware Store (DHS) and the actual infrastructure (in conjunction with Release Management) IV. Change Initiation, Prioritisation and Assessment The initiation, checking, classifying and assessment of Requests for Change (RFCs): Define, agree and maintain procedures for: initiating RFCs, including the appropriate forms impact and priority coding systems for RFCs Advise on the prioritisation of RFCs, based on business impact and urgency Advise on the assessment of the cost, benefit and risk of the proposed Change Recognise when to utilise the urgent or emergency process Define and agree which Changes can be handled through the use of standard Changes and Change Models Categorise the RFC for authorisation Develop a business justification for proposed Changes in association with the change initiator V. RFC Authorisation Organise the RFC authorisation process and co-ordinate meetings of the CAB and CAB/EC: Schedule, arrange and prepare the agenda for regular CAB meetings Ensure the correct membership of the CAB based on the RFCs to be considered Ensure full and relevant information is made available to the CAB members Arrange CAB/EC and CAB/EC meetings as required Report on minor Changes and authorise independently of the CAB Report on major Changes passed to Senior Management Report on the use of standard Change Models Plan and schedule authorised Changes Produce and manage the Forward Schedule of Change (FSC) and the Projected Service Availability (PSA) Liaise with initiators of rejected Changes VI. Change Building, Testing and Implementation Oversee the building and testing of Changes, and their subsequent implementation: Ensure that authorised Changes are properly built, independently tested and have appropriate back out plans Co-ordinate the implementation of Changes, liaising with other areas and processes as appropriate Co-ordinate the back-out of failed Changes Conduct a post-implementation review of Changes Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 3
VII. Release Policy Production of a Release Policy to clarify roles and responsibilities: Produce a Release Policy covering the elements suggested in ITIL, including a procedure for management and control of the DSL Create a responsibility matrix/ table to clarify roles and responsibilities Manage the update and lifecycle of the Policy VIII. Release planning The planning for a particular Release: Agree the contents for a specific Release, and ensure adequate documentation is available Produce a high-level Release schedule Plan resource levels, and agree roles and responsibilities Produce a back-out plan definition, a quality plan and a training plan for the Release Advise on the acceptance criteria IX. Designing, building and configuring a Release The planning and documentation of design, build and configuring of a Release: Produce plans for building software and hardware releases Manage the building of a Release from in-house compiled and bought-in software and hardware Manage the creation and maintenance of the build and test environments Create test plans for each stage of the Release X. Release testing and acceptance The management of testing of the Release and acceptance: Manage the sign-off of each stage of the testing of the Release Document the test results Submit rejected Releases for re-scheduling by Change Management XI. Release rollout planning The extension of the Release Plan to include installation and implementation: Understand the options for distribution and installation Understand the rollout options Produce a detailed timetable of events and resource plan Document an action plan by site/area Produce Release notes and documentation Develop a communication plan Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 4
XII. Release Management - communication, preparation and training The activities of communication, preparing and training Users and IT Staff: Communicate with Users, IT staff and third parties, as required, on planned Releases Understand the requirements for documentation and training materials XIII. Release distribution and installation The distribution of software and hardware from development into the live environment, via the test environment: Understand the requirement to maintain integrity throughout stages Understand storage requirements for hardware and software Plan for testing of the physical installation and environment Plan for QA checks to prove successful installation Update CMDB records to reflect changed environments, and ensure that the DSL remains consistent with the CMDB XIV. Monitor and Report on Release and Control Monitor and report on the metrics of Release and Control, and review the effectiveness of the processes. Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and appropriate management information for the Release and Control processes Identify and report on the KPIs and other metrics for Release and Control Understand the significance and implications of the various metrics Understand the need for and methods of auditing process compliance Conduct reviews of Release and Control activities, identifying areas of weakness, instigating solutions and recommending proactive improvements to processes Define new or improved KPIs, reports, management information, procedures or tool requirements XV. Interfaces and Dependencies The appreciation and understanding of the scope of Release and Control, together with the interfaces and dependencies of the other Service Management processes: The candidate should be able to: Identify and understand the interfaces that Release and Control has with the other Service Management processes and other areas of IT Define and document the dependencies of the other Service Management processes on Release and Control processes and information Define and document the dependencies of Release and Control on the other Service Management processes and information Implement procedures that facilitate the interfacing and dependence of Release and Control with all other Service Management processes Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 5
Minimum number of hours training in the above syllabus: 25 hours 3. EXAMINATION FORMAT The qualification is based on a combination of an in-course assignment and a multiple choice examination. Typically, the Provider will hold a one hour in-course assignment preceded by 15 minutes reading time of the examination paper which account for 50% of the marks awarded. There is then a one hour closed-book multiple-choice examination paper consisting of 25 questions normally of the final day of the course. The examination will be invigilated by an ISEB invigilator. The examination accounts for the remaining 50% of the overall assessment for the Certificate. Both the papers and the scripts from the in-course assignments are forwarded to ISEB for marking. Written assignments are double marked for quality and fairness. The Practitioner Certificate examinations are based on achieving a minimum combined mark of 65% from both elements of the examination and assignment, attaining a minimum mark of 12.5 in the assignment and 13 in the multiple choice examinations. Both the multiple choice and the assignment have a total of 25 marks available. A fail candidate has the choice of whether to re-take either the failed element, or both elements of the examination again. Where a candidate re-takes either, or both parts of the examination and achieves fewer marks than in the original sitting, the highest mark will be retained. Where the candidates achieves close to the minimum marks in either, or both, elements of the examination, ISEB would advise them to consider re-taking both parts. Normally, the examination will be held on-site at the conclusion of the course. However, ISEB will normally also arrange four central examinations per year in March, June, September and December; please contact the ISEB for further details. 4. PREPARING FOR EXAMINATIONS To be entered for the Practitioner s examination leading to the certificate, the candidate must fulfil three requirements: Attend an accredited training course and complete the in-course assignment Demonstrate at least one year s experience in Release and Control Hold the Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management Candidates taking the examination immediately following a course will be entered for the examination by the Training Provider. Those wishing to take the central examination should register direct with the ISEB, from whom the entry form can be obtained. In order to offer training leading to the Practitioner s Certificate, Training Providers must first be accredited by the ISEB. A list of accredited Training Providers is available on the ISEB web site or from the Examination Officer at the ISEB. The training may be offered in a variety of formats, but is most commonly available as a three-day course. Please ensure that you check our web site www.iseb.org.uk for the up to date list of accredited Training Providers. Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 6
5. SUMMARY OF EXAMINATION FEES For candidates who have attended accredited training and who are entering for the first time, fees will be paid by the Training Provider. In all other cases, the fees will be charged to the individual prior to the examination date. A schedule of fees is available on the ISEB web site. 6. EXAMINATION DATES Full details and information on examinations dates can be found on the ISEB web site or can be obtained from the Examinations Officer at the ISEB. 7. CONTACT INFORMATION For further information on this qualification, please contact the ISEB Examinations Officer, telephone + 44 (0) 1793 417 426 or at the postal address below. For all general advice and guidance about ISEB examinations, please refer to www.iseb.org.uk where background information on ISEB is available together with details of all other awards on offer. If the information you require is not covered on the web pages, then please contact the ISEB Examinations Officer at pcitsm@hq.bcs.org.uk. Postal address: British Computer Society ISEB (ITSM Practitioner), Ground Floor, Block D North Star House North Star Avenue Swindon SN2 1FA Release Control Syllabus v 2.0.doc Page 7