IT Service Management (ITSM) Role and Responsibilities

In this modern world, IT Service Management (ITSM) is necessary and plays a vital role because it aims toward standardization and efficiency. It has become a key priority for nearly all organizations. ITSM Roles have a wider scope nowadays.

What is ITSM?

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In simple words, ITSM refers to how IT teams manage the end-to-end delivery of IT services to customers, which includes processes and activities to design, create, deliver, and support IT services.

ITSM Roles are often misconstrued as basic IT support. Rather it goes way beyond and covers all kinds of workplace technology, for example, any piece of technology you use, from laptops to the apps installed in them, the printers, servers, and business-critical software applications.

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What Are the Top IT Service Management Roles and Responsibilities?

For a better understanding of ITSM roles and responsibilities, it is categorized as:

Superior Roles	IT Manager  ITSM Management
Roles of Service Strategy	Business Relationship Manager  Demand Manager  Financial Manager  IT Steering Committee  Service Portfolio Manager  Service Strategy Manager
Roles of Service Design	Availability Manager  Capacity Manager  Compliance Manager  Control Responsible  Information Security Manager  IT Service Continuity Manager  Risk Manager  Service Catalog Manager  Service Design Manager  Service Level Manager  Service Owner  Solution Architect  Supplier Manager
Roles of Service Transition	Change Advisory Board  Change Manager  Change Owner  Configuration Manager  Knowledge Manager  Project Manager  Project Owner  Release Manager  Service Transition Manager  Solution Developer  Technical Architect  Test Manager
Roles of Service Operation	1st Level Support  2nd Level Support  3rd Level Support  Access Manager  Application Manager  Incident Manager  IT Facilities Manager  IT Operations Manager  IT Operator  Major Incident Team  Problem Manager
Roles of Continual Service Improvement	Continual Service Improvement Manager  Process Manager  Process Owner
External Roles (outside the IT Service Provider's organization)	IT Service Consumer  Prospect  Supplier  User

Let's elaborate ITSM roles and responsibilities.

Superior Roles

1. IT Manager

•  Manage information technology and computer systems.
•  Manage IT, staff, by recruiting, training, etc.
• Design, develop, and implement coordinated systems, policies and procedures.

2. ITSM Management

ITSM management means the group of leading persons inside IT who are in charge of the disciplines of IT service management. It has more significance in ITSM Roles.

3. Roles of Service Strategy

In service strategy, there is a good relationship with the consumers, their needs are identified, and they work with service level managers. 

4. Business Relationship Manager

Business Relationship Managers perform the ITSM roles by maintaining customer relations. They identify customer requirements. ITIL Foundation Training Online helps in building a career.

5. Demand Manager

They are responsible for:   

• Identification and understanding  
• Prognosis 
• Technically and economically influence.

6. Financial Manager

The Financial Manager is responsible as regards:   

• Budgeting 
• Accounting and cost control 
• Charging of deliverables provided to the customer.

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7. IT Steering Committee

IT Steering Committee is responsible for: 

• IT service strategy 
• Priorities of IT service development 

8. Service Portfolio Manager

The creation and upkeep of the service portfolio are the responsibility of the service portfolio manager. They ensure that the service portfolio supports the achievement of business goals by IT Service Consumers. 

9. Service Strategy Manager

The Service Strategy Manager supports in definition, maintenance, and further development of the IT Service strategy. 

Roles of Service Design

1. Availability Manager

The Availability Manager is responsible for defining, analyzing, and planning IT services. 

2. Capacity Manager

The Capacity Manager is responsible for ensuring IT Services, and IT Infrastructure can deliver the agreed service. 

3. Compliance Manager

The Compliance Manager's responsibility covers: 

• Proper and consistent accounting 
• Obeying procurement guidelines 
• Obeying environmental regulations and law 
• Obeying other statutory provisions 
• Obeying other company-specific regulations 

4. Control Responsible

The Control Responsible accounts for the proper execution and reporting of the results of the security controls within their responsibility. 

5. Information Security Manager

The duty of the information security manager is to:  

• Ensure the confidentiality.
• Integrity 
• Availability of IT services 
• IT infrastructure 
• IT assets 

6. IT Service Continuity Manager

The IT service continuity manager is responsible for making arrangements for risks that impact IT services and plans to recover IT services in case of disaster.

7. Risk Manager

The risk manager is responsible for controlling the risks, including assessing the business's IT assets, defining the risk monitoring procedures, etc. 

8. Service Catalog Manager

The Service Catalog Manager is responsible for developing and maintaining the service catalog. 

9. Service Design Manager

The Service Design Manager is responsible for ensuring new existing services are designed and following the IT service strategy. 

10. Service Level Manager

The Service Level Manager is responsible for setting up executable service level arrangements. 

11. Service Owner

The service owner is responsible for maintaining the service strategy and portfolio. 

12. Solution Architect

The solution architect is responsible for specifications of technologies, architectures, customization, etc. 

13. Supplier Manager

The IT service management job responsibilities fulfilled by supplier management include evaluating external suppliers, ensuring fulfillment of contracts by external suppliers, etc. 

Roles of Service Transition

1. Change Advisory Board

The Change Advisory Board is a team that does the ITSM Roles by evaluating, prioritizing, scheduling, and releasing changes. 

2. Change Manager

The change manager is responsible for controlling and authorizing all the changes in the IT services. 

3. Change Owner

The change owner has the authority to request any change if required. 

4. Configuration Manager

The configuration manager provides the information utilized by IT Service Management about the IT services and IT infrastructure. 

5. Knowledge Manager

The knowledge manager’s responsibility is to ensure that the IT organization can.

• Collect,  
• Analyze, 
• Classify, 
• Store, and 
• Provide knowledge and information. 

6. Project Manager

The Project Manager has the responsibility for planning and coordinating all resources.  

7. Project Owner

The project owner is responsible for recording the achievement of the project targets. 

8. Release Manager

The main ITSM role of the release manager is to ensure the integrity of the live environment protection. 

9. Service Transition Manager

The Service Transition Manager coordinates  

• Change movement, 
• Transition planning and support, and 
• Know how to manage so that service strategy and design can be achieved.

10. Solution Developer

The solution developer is responsible for giving IT applications and systems, i.e., customization of standard software products. 

11. Technical Architect

The technical architect is responsible for making the design of IT infrastructure components. 

12. Test Manager

The Test Manager ensures the following:   

• Functionality 
• Integration 
• Interoperability 
• Usability 
• Documentation 
• Operation 

Roles of Service Operation

1. 1st Level Support

The 1st Level Support registers and classifies incoming notifications. They transfer it to 2nd level support and also process requests of users.

2. 2nd Level Support

The 2nd Level Support passed on the incident to Problem Management for further processing.

3. 3rd Level Support

3rd Level Support focuses on the goal of restoring a failed IT service as quickly as possible.

4. Access Manager

The access manager is responsible for approving the permission to use IT services, data, etc.

5. Application Manager

The application manager is responsible for the operations of the user support resources in 2nd level support and further development.

6. Incident Manager

If the IT system fails in case of any incidents, then the incident manager is primarily responsible for restoring the IT system.

7. IT Facilities Manager

The IT facilities manager is responsible for physical infrastructure like-

• Computer rooms
• Power supply
• Cooling
• Access control etc.

8. IT Operations Manager

The IT operations manager is responsible for overall IT operations and ensuring that the operational tasks are done properly and on time.

9. IT Operator

IT operator performs the tasks of manual event monitoring, backups, installation of standard equipment, etc.

10. Major Incident Team

The major incident team consists of IT executives and technical experts to resolve any major incidents.

11. Problem Manager

The problem manager avoids the occurrence of any incidents, providing information about any errors, etc.

12. Roles of Continual Service Improvement

Continual service improvement is a technique for locating and putting into action opportunities to enhance IT operations and services and monitoring the results of these actions over time.

13. Continual Service Improvement Manager

The Continual Service Improvement Manager's responsibility is to manage improvements to the IT services and the service management processes.

14. Process Manager

The Process Manager's responsibility is to plan and coordinate all operational process-related work.

15. Process Owner

The process owner is responsible for friction-free and goal-oriented operations.

External Roles – Outside the IT Service Provider’s Organization

1. IT Service Consumer

They consume the services of the IT Service Provider.

2. Prospect

This includes possible future IT service consumers.

3. Supplier

The scope of supply is defined by the external suppliers of infrastructure and operating supplies.

4. User

The user of an IT system within the business organization, external or internal.

How Do These ITSM Roles Work Together?

 ITSM Roles work together by-

• Front facing role in which there is direct interaction with people.
• Back-end role in which people directly deal with technology.
• Some are a hybrid of the above two roles based on the specialist nature.

Some roles are directly related to services.

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Download a Printable ITSM Roles and Responsibilities PDF

The foundational elements for the organization's overall management are the roles and responsibilities of ITSM. Here you can obtain the whole handbook on ITSM roles and responsibilities.

Conclusion

ITSM Roles play a significant role by enabling organizations to address IT issues promptly, but it is just not solving them. Rather it includes design, creation, delivery, support etc.

Because of ITSM Roles, IT organizations have changed from providers of technology to providers of value-creating services.

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