IT Service Operation at LabCorp
The Report
Produce a report that describes the processes and functions for the ITIL Service Operation
lifecycle phases applicable to IT Services at LabCorp. Please be sure your responses are in this
context.
Report Outline
I. Introduction
Assume you are the new CIO of LabCorp. You are making a proposal for the IT organization to
adopt ITIL best practices. You are preparing a presentation to senior management explaining
this decision.
a. Account for the purpose, objectives and scope of the service operation lifecycle phase in the
context of IT services at LabCorp.
b. Briefly explain what value service operation provides to LabCorp.
Parts (a) and (b) should each be several clear and to the point sentences on implementing
service operation best practices for IT services at LabCorp. In total it should be no longer than
three-fourths of a page. I am looking for you to summarize and synthesize the essential aspects
of the purpose, objectives, scope and value to the business of Service Operation.
II. Achieving Balance in Service Operation
Service operation is more than just the repetitive execution of a standard set of procedures or
activities. All functions, processes and activities are designed to deliver a specified and agreed
level of services, but they have to be delivered in an ever-changing environment.
This forms a conflict between maintaining the status quo and adapting to changes in the
business and technological environments. One of service operation’s key roles is to deal with
this conflict and to achieve a balance between conflicting sets of priorities.
For each of the following situations, provide a specific example, in the context of a specific IT
services at LabCorp that illustrates the competing priorities that must be balanced in order to
achieve excellence in service operation. Note: You must describe this in the context of an IT
service(s) at LabCorp.
a. The internal IT view vs. the external business view
b. Stability vs. responsiveness
c. Service quality vs. service costs
d. Being reactive vs. being proactive III. The Service Operation Functions
Assume you are the new CIO at LabCorp and you need to reorganize the central IT service
provider organization. After careful review of the existing organization and with the assistance
of an external consultant, you have identified four new positions to be hired. The four titles are
listed below. Pick two of the four titles below. You are to draft a position description for each of
the two job titles, based on the ITIL 2011 standard and the ITIL description of the function the
position is to lead. Each job description should include the following pieces:
i. Job Title
ii. Summary of the position (A paragraph summarizing the position).
iii. A list of essential functions, in priority order, for which the position will be responsible.
iv. Requirements for the position (i.e. education, professional experience, etc.)
You may assume the existence of any technologies, databases, communication protocols,
additional staff reporting to the position, etc. that you feel are necessary for the job title. Limit
these job descriptions to one-page each, but be sure to use correct ITIL terminology. The four
job titles are:
1. Director, IT Service Desk
2. Director, IT Technical Management
3. Director, IT Operations Management
4. Director, IT Applications Management
These positions are particular to LabCorp so you should mention major customers, users, and
categories of IT services the positions will support. Please be sure the position(s) addresses the
ITIL function. Simply copying a job description you may find online will likely be insufficient.
IV. Service Operation Terminology
Choose a particular IT service provided by the central IT organization at LabCorp. This series of
questions demonstrates your understanding of service operation terminology and the ability to
apply it to an organizational context.
a. Name the IT service and provide a brief description including the service outcomes. This
should be no more than 3 sentences.
b. Give two distinct examples of events that would have significance for the management of the
IT service. The two events should be of different types. Explain the type of each event.
c. Describe two distinct examples of service requests that might be made in regard to the IT
service. What should the SLA be for handling each service request? Briefly describe the request
models that would be followed so that the requests are handled consistently. What ITIL process
would manage these service requests?
d. Describe two distinct examples of incidents that might affect the IT service. Explain how and
why you would categorize the urgency, impact, and priority for each incident. e. Describe two distinct problems that might arise regarding the IT service. At least one of the
problems should have a workaround available before the problem is resolved. Describe the
workaround. Where should the workaround be documented? How might the problem
eventually be resolved?
V. CIO – Metrics Choice
Assume you are the new CIO at LabCorp and you understand the IT organization has been
implementing ITIL based ITSM processes. Identify and explain your reasons for choosing the five
most important metrics you would look to collect for the ITIL Service Operation Lifecycle phase.
These metrics need not be from all different processes. Grading is dependent on your choice of
metrics and the quality of your justification. To aid in readability, please answer this question in
the format:
Metrics for Service Operation at LabCorp N Metric Name (KPI) Critical Success Factor
for the metric ITIL Service
Process WHY THIS IS
IMPORTANT AT
LabCorp KPI and explanation of
metric if needed; no more
than two sentences. Critical Success Factor
and explanation if
needed. No more than
two brief sentences Name of ITIL
Service Operation
Process KPI is part
of. No more than two
brief sentences. 1
2
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https://www.horizonblue.com/members/tools/labcorp-beacon
http://download.cnet.com/LabCorp-Beacon-Mobile/3000-2129_4-75397072.html
https://www.labcorp.com/provider-services/connectivity-solutions
