COBIT – Deliver & Support (DS)

March 3, 2009

COBIT – Deliver & Support (DS)

There are some basic but informative drawings in the ‘ITSM Library – IT Governance based on COBIT 4.1’ on page 32 of this small handbook, which explains in some visual descriptions the process steps. This book has proved very useful in giving me an overview so far, and I would recommend to anyone new to COBIT, it was also just £11.

The DS domain focuses on the delivery aspects of the information technology. It covers areas such as the execution of the applications within the IT system and its results, as well as, the support processes that enable the effective and efficient execution of these IT systems. These support processes include security issues and training.

(3) Deliver & Support (DS)

PROCESSES

DS1 Define and Manage Service Levels
DS2 Manage Third-party Services
DS3 Manage Performance and Capacity
DS4 Ensure Continuous Service
DS5 Ensure Systems Security
DS6 Identify and Allocate Costs
DS7 Educate and Train Users
DS8 Manage Service Desk and Incidents
DS9 Manage the Configuration
DS10 Manage Problems
DS11 Manage Data
DS12 Manage the Physical Environment
DS13 Manage Operations

Let’s now approach it in more detail and include other processes and activities that are involved.

(1) Business Requirements, External Requirements, PO and AI domain are important inputs into the strategic cluster or ‘heart’ as I shall refer to it here.

(2) Within the ‘heart’ of this domain lies a few interesting clusters: The Service Level Cluster made up of processes DS1 (which is the key process here) and DS2. Related to the DS1 & DS2 (define & manage service levels AND manage 3rd party services) is the related DS6 ‘identify and allocate costs’ because we want to know about the financial implications.

(3) Feed down to the next important cluster – The Operations Cluster (DS11, DS12 & DS13 – managing data, managing the operational environment and managing operations respectively)

(4) As side ‘organs’ to the ‘heart’ we have the delivery cluster, or as I will refer to as the ‘brains’, which include the following processes (DS3 through to DS7), or in plain English, maaging or ensuring the performance and capacity, ITSCM (a reference to ITIL there), security, education and training.

(5) On the other side assisting the ‘heart’ we have the usual suspects for the general resources cluster, or ‘organs’, PO8, PO9, PO10 & ME1-4 (managing quality, IT risk and projects and all that monitoring and evalutation stuff that we shall cover shortly). You see you always have to keep an eye on the IT risks as a matter of principle, probably best to have a Risk Register.

(6) Before we come to the outputs of this domain, let’s take a look at two further processes that have their roots in ITIL, namely those of DS8 (Managing Service Desk and Incidents) which feed out to DS10 (Managing Problems).

(7) So what are the outputs of DS. We have AI and PO as outputs from DS.

SUMMARY

Inputs = Requirements, PO and AI.

Outputs = AI and PO.

Acitivities of the ‘heart’ = SLM Cluster, a bit of financial management, Operational Cluster, Service Desk, Incident and Problem Management.

Activities of the ‘organs’ = Quality, IT risks, projects & lots of monitoring and evaluation.

Activities of the ‘brain’ = Performance and Capacity management, Continuity management, security management, education and training management.

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