IT service management

machinery gears

IT Service Management promotes consistent, efficient service delivery through a defined set of processes overseen by various groups and representatives from within IT. Discover how these enhance IT service delivery at McGill.

What is IT Service Management?

IT Service Management comprises a set of 6 defined processes promoting the effective delivery and administration of information technology services to the community. 

Why IT Service Management?

IT service management (ITSM) is a set of  practices that allow us to implement, deliver and manage IT services for end users in a way that meets their requirements  and aligns with the organization's objectives. These practices enable us to maintain and monitor our delivery of services to stakeholders  and to comply with policies and directives that govern IT at McGill. 

IT Service Management processes 

Six processes within IT Services Management are in place to ensure delivery of its benefits:

  • Change Management: When changes are planned to systems, Change Management ensures that a defined set of steps is followed to ensure alignment and visibility across affected groups and technologies.
  • Knowledge Management:  All IT Knowledge Base documentation in the IT Support Site is governed by Knowledge Management, which ensures that our information is kept up to date in a timely manner. 
  • Asset Management: IT asset management enables the responsible use, tracking and disposal of McGill-provisioned resources. 
  • Service Catalog Management Services: This process ensures that the IT Service Catalog and all webforms accessible via the IT Support Site are kept up-to-date and user-friendly. 
  • Incident Management: This process is followed in order to resolve issues with McGill-provisioned technology affecting the community. With Incident Management, each incident is evaluated, prioritized, and assigned.
  • Problem management: This process governs the assessment, analysis, and resolution of problems. A problem is identified when: 
    • There are multiple incidents that exhibit common symptoms, or 
    • There is a single incident with significant impact (a major/ significant incident), for which the cause is unknown, and
    • The incident cannot be matched to an existing problem
    • An incident is resolved through a workaround: In this case, a problem is created to identify the root cause.

Who is responsible

Several committees execute the above processes and meet on a regular basis. These include, but are not limited to members of IT, such as IT Directors, Analysts, and Portfolio Managers. 

Committee Meeting Frequency Function
Change Advisory Board (CAB) Weekly 
  • Advises and approves all significant changes
Service Management Office (SMO) Weekly 
  • Prioritizes business requests
  • Ensures alignment of proposed changes to defined processes
IT Service Management Advisory Committee (IAC) Monthly
  • Advises the Service Management Office on all IT Services Management activities
  • Makes recommendations for major process / tool changes and improvements
IT Service Management Executive Committee As needed
  • Oversees IT Service Management processes and provides guidance as required 
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