Detailed description of the actions of the IT department - a basic set of documentation

In many Western countries, IT outsourcing is regulated either by industry standards, or generally at the state level . We do not have this. Therefore, over the course of several years, a document has been compiled that defines in detail the terms in IT outsourcing and describes what type of work it specifically includes. With it, we document the work, and then we clearly and transparently consider what it costs.

Here is a glossary of terms , and here is a catalog of IT services . These documents can be freely downloaded and used. I especially recommend to IT managers.

Below I will tell why we did all this, and for what cases the document would be very useful.
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In which cases it is clearly understood that the standard is needed?

For example, recently the task came to us to organize IT support for opening branches of one company. The customer defined seemingly perfectly clear tasks - it was necessary to arrange the equipment in the offices, connect it to the network and make sure that everything works.

Simple enough, right? But there is one thing - at the stage of concluding a contract, it turned out that we are talking about completely different things. For example, in his understanding “connecting to the network” is not, relatively speaking, “plugging plugs into sockets”, but to mount these sockets themselves, and indeed the entire SCS. From scratch.

I think you are perfectly familiar with this situation. The problem is that there is no single standard for what is included in this or that work. We have been collecting such a standard for a very long time. It turned out a catalog that accurately describes each type of work. So that both you and the customer speak the same language.

Why is it important to understand exactly what is included in the service?

For example, you agree with the client that you provide network printing (among other things). He has a small office, 50 jobs, three printers. At first, everything is simple and clear. A year later, the client expands, removes another large room in another building. You already need to differentiate access to printers. Then comes the understanding that not all employees have the right to print on all printers in the vicinity - and a tighter distinction of rights is needed. After another six months, your client moves, and you are offered to drag all the printers to a new location. Why? Because you provide network printing (here's the contract), and without a printer it is difficult to do.

Now think for a second what is included in the concept of “support for user workplaces”. This is how these services are described here:

Why do we need such a standard?

So that there is no disagreement. For example, when a customer talks about software support on users' machines, a lot of questions arise: for example, what is included in the basic software package, whether it is necessary to make an image for everyone, whether to advise users on working with the OS and office applications, and so on. Plus - what kind of specialist do you need for this?

What can be done using the directory?

• Clearly define what is included in each service and how it is called. This is important for drawing up a contract between companies, for example.
• Understand what works in which service are included. This is important for calculating the cost. By the way, the client’s accounting department will be calm: they will finally explain to her what exactly the payment is for. Finding a common language with accounting is priceless.
• Form service requirements. The catalog in this case is a framework where you can use the same principles to describe a complex project of any complexity.

When the directory is not needed

When you "trade in bodies", that is simply sell time of exit system engineers. This type of outsourcing is almost completely over in Europe and is leaving our market, but it is still popular in the regions.

As is usually the case when concluding a contract for IT outsourcing

There are three main options:

• First, launched: there is a large IT department in which it is completely incomprehensible who is responsible for what. Responsibilities are not shared, priorities are set according to unclear signs, long-term planning is most often not. To structure the work, open the catalog and write out all the processes that are performed by the department. The mess after that becomes many times less. If necessary, some of the work can be “disentangled” from this “tangle” of processes, for example, only on supporting iron in good condition - and outsourcing them to an external company.
• The second option is neutral. The company's management once invested in consulting, and they put the processes right. For example, there is competent incident management, there is a distribution of responsibilities, there is a clear understanding of who does what. Moreover, after 2005, nothing has changed. I have seen cases when the application system has completely changed, but the support processes have remained the same as before. At the same time, any new task is perceived as the addition of a “crutch”. With such “crutches” the entire department is rapidly overgrown. As a rule, after updating the processes and documentation, the department begins to work much more efficiently.
• The third option is positive. Usually - Western companies, whose everything is laid out on the shelves. The western model is simply delivered to our branch, the IT department works within this model, everyone is happy. Sometimes you need to give part of the work to outsource. In this case, an accurate description of who, what and how does it helps a lot.

How does this look from the customer?

One more important thing: even a well-functioning IT department (to say nothing about where the mess is) on the part of the business owner may look like a “black box”. It seems that money is paid, something is being done, experts are busy, but who does what and why is unclear. And it is not clear whether it is really necessary, for example, to increase the budget for backup equipment or to allocate money for software upgrades.

What does this look like from a CIO?

For the head of a large IT department, there is another eternal headache - the intersection of responsibility of teams or counterparties. When the jamb appears where it is not clear who is responsible for the site, one team knocks to another. You know, when the builders have a crack, they think: "Well, then, they will close us behind with plaster." The second team arrives, and thinks: “Well, then they will close it with siding”.

In the IT department, a clear distribution of responsibilities between teams and contractors allows you to clearly understand who and what to kick for. And how strong or expensive. Simply put, every mistake acquires a last name and, if necessary, a cost.

Who made this document?

The Committee on Standards and Methodologies for Outsourcing Non-Profit Partnership ASTRA (task - legal support for IT outsourcing) and CROC (No. 1 in Russia for systems integration services according to IDC 2002-2012 reports). The preparation took into account the extensive practice of the CRIC and the international experience of the largest professional associations IAOP (USA) and NOA (United Kingdom).