The Use of ITIL for Process Optimisation in the IT Service Centre of Harz University, exemplified in the Release Management Process

This paper details the use of the IT Infrastructure Library Framework (ITIL) for optimising process workflows in the IT Service Centre of Harz University in Wernigerode, Germany, exemplified by the Release Management Process. It is described, how, during the course of a special ITIL project, the As-Is-Status of the various original processes was documented as part of the process life cycle and then transformed in the To-Be-Status, according to the ITIL Best Practice Framework. It is also shown, how the ITIL framework fits into the four-layered-process model, that could be derived from interviews with the universities IT support staff, and how the various modified processes interconnect with each other to form a value chain. The paper highlights the final results of the project and gives an outlook on the future use of ITIL as a business modelling tool in the IT Service Centre of Harz University. It is currently being considered, whether the process model developed during the project could be used as a reference model for other university IT centres.