How to successfully integrate project management and service management4 min read

Nowadays, modern companies focus on offering better products and services with the purpose is standing out from the competition. It seems to be their main goal, and it’s easy to guess why: The environment itself demands a constant change where a fierce market competition do not leave much room for experiments outside this line.

Then, constantly reinventing services and products in favor of improving the product offering implies a process integration that include project management and service management. So, the next logical question is, are there any methods to assertively make this integration?

The answer is, yes. It’s always possible to do it if we use information technologies. Let’s see how.

Project Management and Service Management

Project Management

On the one hand, project management includes tools; methods and techniques for the involved people to coordinate and harmoniously integrate tasks and activities to be carried out during the project’s life cycle.

Now, a project consists in a plan divided into phases or logical moments that meet a defined need within a set timeframe. In this point, the latter is key: As every project is finite and also employs human and material resources; it is mandatory to have real budgets especially thought to respond to them, and an independent balance sheet from the company.

Projects in general disaggregate in phases that mark each stage of their development. Here there are the most common:

1. Initialization (Planning). It implies the previous market studies to determine the project’s life cycle; and establish the schedule and activities to be followed.
2. Development (Execution). In this phase, we implement the milestones of the project; we set responsible and all the ideas obtained from the previous phase.
3. Monitoring (Control). During this part, we detect deviations in time in order to make the necessary adjustments to achieve the established goals.
4. Closure (Conclusion). In it, we determine and evaluate the success of the schedule. This means that each phase of the project complies with the determined times.

Service Management

On the other hand, and from the ITIL perspective; Services are a way of generating value for customers without representing associated costs and risks for them. Although this definition seems kind of strange, ITIL parts from the principle that outsourcing services cover the needs of a company; and the costs associated are borne by the contract.

However, service management offers specialized capabilities aimed at meeting specific needs; and this is achieved through solutions in the form of services while providing value to the client.

In this sense, ITIL proposes IT Service Management as a whole cycle that goes from design to possible abandonment. We see this in detail in what we know as the Life Cycle of IT services in these five phases:

1. Strategy. Service management is a strategic asset rather than a capacity.
2. Design. Comprehends the principles and methodologies needed to achieve service portfolios and assets based on strategic objectives.
3. Transition. It is the process of transitioning new services or their improvement.
4. Operation. In this part of the cycle, we find the best practices in the operation of the service for daily management.
5. Continuous Improvement. Finally, in this process, we review everything we have done to present the creation and maintenance of the value offered to clients through the design, transition, and operation of the optimized service is presented.

Assertive integration of Project Management and Service Management

Now, experience tells us that all new integration and improvement of products and services take the best from its conception as a project.

In principle, these are the milestones of project management and service management integration that we are interested in covering:

• Charter Document of the project under ITIL Service Management guidelines
  • Present the project management plan (Schedule)
• Project management in the phase of execution
  • Monitoring compliance with the project
• Integrated control of changes
  • Determining areas of greater complexity and resistance to change
• Assigning resources to integration tasks
  • Reporting change through campaigns
• Prioritizing process integration
  • Determine and monitor parallel processes
  • Follow-up
• Closure of each project or phase
  • Measure impacts and real scopes of the project management and service management  integration according to ITIL guidelines

So, the best option to achieve an assertive integration of project management and service management is by means of automated tools of project management based on ITIL processes. In addition to the expert hand of an advisor who will make easier your way to integrate it.

GB Advisors has everything you are looking for and need to properly integrate project management and service management in the same place. Contact us here and look at our catalog of options to advance steps in that direction.