The Working Party has published GB921V, part of the Business Process Framework document set, which provides a view of how the ITIL and the Business Process Framework can be related. Lessons and conclusions from this work are shown below:
Lessons & Conclusions
- Both frameworks are concerned with the management of services and their delivery to customers.
- ITIL and the Business Process Framework are not in conflict; they are, in fact, complementary. Each possesses strengths that support the other.
- A method by which ITIL and Business Process Framework can interwork has been developed, and is demonstrated through a series of worked examples.
- Through this method, and worked examples, it has become clear that the scopes of ITIL and Business Process Framework overlap, but that they can work together successfully.
Similarities and Differences
| eTOM |
ITIL |
| Telco enterprise model |
IT / ICT Service Management |
| ITU international standard |
ISO/IEC international standard |
| Enterprise-wide Process Framework |
Set of best practices |
| Hierarchical catalogue of process elements |
Process guidance |
| Blueprint for process direction for Service Providers |
Best Practice Framework, that can then be applied within enterprises |
| Common language to describe processes |
Mechanisms to deliver controlled and optimizable services |
| Standardized vocabulary |
Standardized vocabulary |
Working Party Report (GB921V)
This document is intended to provide users of either the Business Process Framework or ITIL an overview of how the two can be related. It also imparts information about mapping from one view to the other. Other topics GB921V addresses include:
- Goals and Business Context
- Business View of a Combined Approach
- Terminology
- High-level Mapping
- Detailed Flows:
- Incident Management
- Change Management
- Standards and Certification
A specific case: Change Management
The ITIL “best practice” guidance can be used by organizations as a basis for defining a policy for Change Management, following the ITIL approach. With the Business Process Framework, this policy can be embedded, typically within Enterprise Management, as the corporate policy for handling a specific area (i.e. ITIL Change Management). That policy can flow throughout the organization, with the Business Process Framework supporting process flows in line with that policy.
A number of companies are supporting this approach with tools, methodologies, etc.