A tool for IT process construction

Abstract

Context

The field of IT processes lacks a scientifically-based tool that constructs organisation-specific IT processes according to the organisation’s socio-technical characteristics.

Objective

In this paper we propose a solution to this problem in the form of IT process engineering (ITPE). ITPE is based on established method engineering principles which we have adapted to IT process construction.

Method

The tool was demonstrated by having three organisations use ITPE to each construct two IT processes.

Results

ITPE provided useful guidance in all three cases.

Conclusions

The study demonstrates that method engineering principles can be applied in research fields other than information system development.

Introduction

IT processes deliver to the enterprise the required information by using IT resources [1]. Control objectives for information and related technology (COBIT) [1] has identified 34 IT processes that are generally used (e.g. manage service desk and incidents, manage problems, manage quality – please refer to [1] for the complete list). Business processes in organisations (as well as IT processes) are defined by the following interrelated factors: organisational structure, culture, technology, and people [2], which together constitute a complex sociological and technological system. Practice shows that it is impossible to define universal IT processes suitable for any organisation. ITIL, the world-wide de facto standard in IT service management, states that every activity should not be cast in stone, since methods and requirements differ from organisation to organisation [3]. Therefore, IT processes should be constructed that provide acceptable service in a particular organisation and at the same time make optimal use of available resources.

When designing IT processes, several standards, guidelines, and best practices may be consulted depending on the environment (e.g. COBIT, ITIL, ISO/IEC 20,000). Although these documents describe IT processes from different points of view, none of them explicitly defines which IT process elements are suitable for the organisations according to their socio-technical characteristics. In addition, the tacit knowledge plays an important role in this activity. Many important decisions about the structure of an IT process are made according to the process consultant’s subjective opinion. This field lacks a scientifically based systematic tool for IT process construction. Hence, the goal of our research is to develop a tool for IT process construction and test it in real organisations.

The tool presented in this paper is called IT Process Engineering (ITPE). ITPE is a systematic, scientifically-based tool that constructs organisation-specific IT processes according to the organisation’s socio-technical characteristics. ITPE uses Holistic IT processes (HITP) as a starting point (in Fig. 1 an excerpt of HITP is presented in the upper left corner – marked with Label A), i.e. IT processes that include IT process elements (e.g. subprocesses, activities, applications, roles, and artifacts) identified in literature or previously implemented in organisations. We typically create HITPs by examination of different standards and best practices (e.g. ITIL, COBIT). Based on the analysis of the technical and social characteristics of a particular organisation, ITPE than tailors HITPs into organisation-specific IT processes. The conditions that define which HITP elements to consider according to the organisation’s socio-technical characteristics are important components of HITPs (marked with black diamond in HITP – Fig. 1, Label A). The results of ITPE are presented as: (1) an activity diagram in which each activity suggests an IT process element to implement or improve (Fig. 1, Label B); (2) likelihood of unsuccessful implementation of the suggested IT process elements (Fig. 1, Labels C₁ and C₂); and (3) suggested scenarios for reducing it (Fig. 1, Labels D₁ and D₂). In order to apply ITPE in an organisation for a particular IT process, two activities must be performed: (1) identification of organisation’s socio-technical characteristics, which is done by interviews and questionnaires, and (2) generation of ITPE results by the use of our tool. The results of ITPE serve as a guideline for improving the IT process under consideration (Fig. 1).

The paper is organised as follows. In Section 2, related work is presented. Section 3 introduces the background and theoretical foundations of our research. The core of the paper consists of Section 4, where the details of ITPE are introduced, and Section 5, where the validity of ITPE is tested in three real organisations for two selected IT processes. Concluding remarks are presented in Section 6.