A successful ITSM program hinges on the design and implementation of the ITSM team structure. One effective approach is the Service Management Office.
We are frequently asked about the best ITSM organizational structure, such as an ITIL PMO, an ITSM Center of Excellence, or an ITSM Program Office.
We believe that organizing your team under a Service Management Office (or Enterprise Service Management Office for larger organizations) is the best approach.
The SMO is an optimal service management organization structure that brings together specialized skills to perform a broad range of service management activities and ITSM software implementation.
Key roles in the SMO include:
- Service Management Director
- Process Owners
- Process Managers
- Business Process Analysts
- ITSM Architect
- ITSM Tool Specialists
The structure of the SMO can be either centralized or decentralized depending on the size and culture of the company.
The SMO is responsible for the following ITSM activities.
Service Management Activities
- Establishing a process design approach
- Choosing process design software
- Designing, documenting, and implementing ITSM processes
- Developing a service management architecture
- Selecting and implementing ITSM tools
- Process governance
- Continual process improvement
- ITSM training
- ITSM / ITIL Implementation
ITSM Software Implementation
We often observe that ITSM software implementation is carried out by individuals who are not part of the Service Management office, leading to a gap between process requirements and the implemented system.
The best practice is to include the ITSM platform team as part of the Service management office.
Check out this webinar on how Columbia has implemented their SMO.
Bottom Line: We recommend structuring your ITSM team as a Service Management Office (SMO). The SMO serves as the central point for ITSM-related tasks, including process design, implementation, governance and continuous improvement.
Originally published Oct 26, 2018 13:21 PM, updated Jun 2, 2022
