2.12 Service Operation - Request Fulfillment Overview

The goal of Request Fulfillment is to manage the lifecycle of all Service Requests.

A Service Request is a generic term that describes the numerous and varied demands placed on the service and support organization. Many are small changes, which are considered to be low risk, frequently occurring and low cost in nature, such as change a password or install a software application request. Alternatively, it may simply be a Customer asking for information. It is the scale, frequency and low-risk nature of the Service Requests that require that they be handled by the Request Fulfillment process, and not Incident or Change Management.

The frequent recurrence of Service Requests requires a predefined process Workflow be set with the support Technicians, service targets and escalation paths in place. To cater for the diverse nature of Service Requests, at minimum two Workflows should be customized for Request Fulfillment, one to handle simple requests for information and the other to deal with standard changes.

In the system, Service Requests are logged against Service Items in the Service Catalog and follow Workflows that ensure that each Request is handled with consistency. The Workflows define the actions required to correctly implement any changes to the Service and define the responsibilities, authorization and timeframe expected to manage the changes that may result from a Service Request.

Once a Workflow is assigned to a Service Request, it is routed to an appropriate Technician based on Service Request Workflow State. After a Technician completes their assignment, the Request is forwarded to the next User based on the configuration of the next State for a standard change or closed, if it is a simple request for information.

When Service Requests are raised for Service Item breakdowns, the system allows them to be easily associated with an Incident within the Analysis tab of the Request. Or, if the Service Request results in a change to an Item that is not in the Service Catalog, a Change Request can easily be generated within the Service Request.

If a Service Request is related to an Incident, Problem or Change Request and that related request in the other Process is closed, the Service Request is automatically closed. The system views the request hierarchy from low to high as Service Request, Incident, Problem and Change Request, and if a related request of a higher type is closed, all the lesser type requests are automatically closed, or if the handshaking facility is enabled for the system, moved to the Pending-Approval State.

The Service Strategy volume provides guidance on how to design, develop, and implement service management not only as an organizational capability but also as a strategic asset. Guidance is provided on the principles underpinning the practice of service management that are useful for developing service management policies, guidelines and processes across the ITIL Service Lifecycle.

Service Strategy guidance is useful in the context of Service Design, Service Transition, Service Operation, and Continual Service Improvement. Topics covered in Service Strategy include the development of markets, internal and external, service assets, Service Catalogue, and implementation of strategy through the Service Lifecycle. Financial Management, Service Portfolio Management, Organizational Development, and Strategic Risks are among other major topics.

Organizations use the guidance to set objectives and expectations of performance towards serving customers and market spaces, and to identify, select, and prioritize opportunities. Service Strategy is about ensuring that organizations are in a position to handle the costs and risks associated with their Service Portfolios, and are set up not just for operational effectiveness but also for Distinctive performance decisions made with respect to Service Strategy have far-reaching consequences including those with delayed effect.