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enhanced Telecom Operations

MapTM

(eTOM)

The Business Process Framework

For The Information and Communications Services Industry

Addendum A

Detailed Process Decompositions and Flows for Selected Areas of the Business Process Framework

GB921a

Member Evaluation Version Draft 0.5 May 2002

TeleManagement Forum 2002

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page iii

TeleManagement Forum 2002 GB921a v1.0

Notice

The TeleManagement Forum (“TM Forum”) has made every effort to ensure that the contents of this document are accurate. However, no liability is accepted for any errors or omissions or for consequences of any use made of this document. This document is a draft working document of TM Forum and is provided to the public solely for comments and evaluation. It is not a Forum Approved Document and is solely circulated for the purposes of assisting TM Forum in the preparation of a final document in furtherance of the aims and mission of TM Forum. Any use of this document by the recipient is at its own risk. Under no circumstances will TM Forum be liable for direct or indirect damages or any costs or losses resulting from the use of this document by the recipient. This document is a copyrighted document of TM Forum. Without the appropriate permission of the TM Forum, companies that are not members of TM Forum are not permitted to make copies (paper or electronic) of this draft document other than for their internal use for the sole purpose of making comments thereon directly to TM Forum. This document may involve a claim of patent rights by one or more TM Forum members, pursuant to the agreement on Intellectual Property Rights between TM Forum and its members, and by non-members of TM Forum. Direct inquiries to the TM Forum office:

1201 Mt. Kemble Avenue Morristown, NJ 07960 USA Tel No. +1 973 425 1900 Fax No. +1 973 425 1515 TM Forum Web Page: www.tmforum.org

http://www.tmforum.org/

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page v


Acknowledgements

enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM) The Business Process Framework Addendum A Release 1.0 Contributors

This release of this Addendum to the enhanced Telecom Operations MapTM (eTOM) Business Process Framework builds on the combined efforts of a large group of individuals from companies all over the world, both in this phase of the work and the previous activity to develop the core eTOM document. Most noteworthy is the participation of numerous service providers. The knowledge and commitment in providing contributions and participating in discussions are greatly appreciated. For those taking a leadership role for areas of the work, listed below with an asterisk before their names, significant time and commitment was involved and provided. The main contributors to this addendum are:

*Enrico Ronco, Telecom Italia Lab, eTOM Team Leader

Alfred Anaya, Accenture

Peter Huckett, Acterna

David Milham, BT Exact

Hilary Small, CASEwise

Ian Best, Comnitel

*Jane Hall, Fraunhofer Fokus

Masayoshi Ejiri, Fujitsu Ltd

*Kiffin Gish, IQUIP

*Caspar Smits, IQUIP

*Johan Vandenberghe, Lucent Technologies

Sarah Blanks, MetaSolv

Dave Campbell, MetSolv

Jon Barnes, Popkin

Page vi eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A

GB921a v1.0 TeleManagement Forum 2002

*Helena Pechaver Starc, Siebel

Brad May, Siebel

Maywun Wong, Siebel

Veli Kokkonen, Sonera

Wayne Floyd, Sprint PCS

*Michael Richter, Telstra

Debbie Deland, TM Forum

Mike Kelly, TM Forum

*Viviane Cohen, Amdocs

*Balbinder Dhami, Amdocs

Martin Huddleston, QinetiQ

*Pete Stringer, Qinetiq

Nick Webb, Qinetiq

*Marta Turnbull, Qwest

*Jesus Arango, Telefonica Moviles

Oscar Duenas, Telefonica Moviles

Raul Megia, Telefonica Moviles

Daniel Paul, Telefonica Moviles

Valuable input, comments and directional reviews from the following people are also greatly appreciated:

Al Vincent, IGS

John Strassner, Intelliden

Thomas Tenevall, Ki Consulting

Keith Willetts, Mandarin Associates

Kirk Shrewsbury, MCI Worldcom

John Reilly, MetaSolv

Jim Warner, TM Forum

Special thanks to Enrico Ronco, Telecom Italia Lab, whose kind and firm leadership was a key factor in achieving the timely completion of this, and the companion main eTOM GB921 document.

Note: Acknowledgements for development of the various versions of the core eTOM document (GB921) are included in that document.

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page vii


About TeleManagement Forum

TeleManagement Forum is an international consortium of communications service providers and their suppliers. Its mission is to help service providers and network operators automate their business processes in a cost- and time-effective way. Specifically, the work of the TM Forum includes:

Establishing operational guidance on the shape of business processes.

Agreeing on information that needs to flow from one process activity to another.

Identifying a realistic systems environment to support the interconnection of operational support systems.

Enabling the development of a market and real products for integrating and automating telecom operations processes.

The members of TM Forum include service providers, network operators and suppliers of equipment and software to the communications industry. With that combination of buyers and suppliers of operational support systems, TM Forum is able to achieve results in a pragmatic way that leads to product offerings (from member companies) as well as paper specifications.

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page ix


About this document

This is a TM Forum Guidebook. The guidebook format is used, for example, when the document lays out a ‘core’ part of TM Forum’s approach to automating business processes.

Important Note:

Despite the extent of the effort involved in producing this document, it should not be considered as complete. The focus of this release is to provide a view of detailed process decompositions and process flows in selected areas of the Business Process Framework (also known as the eTOM Model). This work will be developed further in the future, and additional selected areas of the Business Process Framework will be addressed and described in a similar fashion to those included here. The driving consideration is to focus on areas of high priority within the industry, where the benefits of clearer definition and agreement on business processes can facilitate planning and development within Service Provides and other enterprises, and can act as a basis for the realization of automated interworking between enterprises.

Despite the evolutionary nature of the eTOM work, it is already in use by Service Providers. Significant process work will continue to develop this further, with significant input from TM Forum members to direct the eTOM work so that they obtain the most from subsequent eTOM releases.

Document Life Cycle

The eTOM: The Business Process Framework For The Information and Communications Services Industry Addendum A is being issued as a Release 1.0 for Member Evaluation with a Guidebook Number of 921a. The TeleManagement Forum ("TM Forum") expects to continue to build the eTOM based on:

Further research and alignment with other cross-industry process work

Significant member comments and input

Joint work with other TM Forum teams, including the System Team and the Shared Information and Data Team

Additional work to provide additional process decompositions and flows

The eTOM is a significant undertaking for members. It is crucial that ongoing feedback is garnered. The eTOM is being driven and used by a significant number of worldwide service providers. They expect this release, and future

Page x eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A


releases for eTOM to encourage contribution and participation in eTOM development by more service providers.

All documents approved by the TM Forum (as well as those previously approved by NMF) undergo a formal review and approval process. The TM Forum Strategy Management Team, chaired by the President of TM Forum, approved this document for release as a Member Evaluation Version.

This document will continue under change control. A document of this type is a “living document,” capturing and communicating current knowledge, views and practices. Further updates will be made because of detailed work ongoing in the TM Forum and the industry.

Individuals or companies who are not members of the TM Forum are encouraged to provide comments on this document. However, in order for their comments to be considered, a signed waiver must be on file with TM Forum pertaining to intellectual property rights. To obtain this form, please contact the TM Forum.

Time Stamp

This version of the eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A can be considered valid until it is updated or replaced.

How to obtain a copy

An electronic copy of the eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Member Evaluation Version 1.0 can be downloaded at the TM Forum Web Site (http://www.tmforum.org). If anyone would like a paper version of this document, please order via the TM Forum Web Site or contact the TM Forum office, +1 973 425-1900.

How to comment on the document

Comments must be in written form and addressed to the contacts below for review with the project team. Please send your comments and input to:

Enrico Ronco, Telecom Italia Lab Team Lead of eTOM Team [email protected] Mike Kelly, eTOM Support Manager [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page xi


Be specific. Consider that you might be on a team trying to produce a single text through the process of evaluating numerous comments. We appreciate significant specific input. We are looking for more input than “word-smith” items, however editing and structural help are greatly appreciated where better clarity is the result.

Document History

Version Date Purpose

eTOM Addendum A Evaluation Version 1.0

5/02 Evaluation Version released to TM Forum Membership for comment

Summary of Changes in this Version

This version of the eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A is an initial release.

Expectations for Future Additions

The eTOM Business Process Framework (eTOM) is a living document and there are high member expectations for continued development of it. eTOM will be updated and released with further detail during 2002 and beyond. The updates and additions to the eTOM will include:

Continued, significant input, comments and issues from TM Forum membership.

Linkage to other process work being done in the industry.

Linkage to the TM Forum NGOSS work, particularly that in the area of the System Team and Shared Information and Data Team.

Input and process work through implementation experience of TM Forum teams, especially the Catalyst projects.

Continued work to develop further the process decompositions

Increasing emphasis of use of the eTOM Business Process Framework as a tool in analyzing process flows, and their linkage with real-world OSS operation

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Document Template

Not applicable

Use of Fonts

Very few font or style uses are applied in this document. The two keys font applications used are:

Italics and/or bold are used for emphasis.

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page xiii


References

Related or Source Documents

The major related document is the core eTOM document (GB921). This document forms an Addendum to the core eTOM document, extending and refining the material there in the areas addressed.

The following Reference List provides information on this document and other documents and books that have contributed to the development of the TeleManagement Forum eTOM Business Process Framework.

Reference List

1. eTOM: The Business Process Framework For The Information and Communications Services Industry, GB921, Release 3.0, May 2002.

2. Telecom Operations Map, TMF, GB910, Evaluation Version 2.1

3. ITU-T TMN Recommendation M.3400 (TMN Management Functions, ITU-T, 4/97), M.3010 (Principles for a telecommunication management network, ITU-T), M.3200 (TMN Management Services, ITU-T, 1996) and Related Recommendations

4. GR-2869-CORE, Telcordia Technologies Generic Requirements for Operations Based Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) Architecture

5. NGOSS: Development and Integration Methodology, TMF, TR 127

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page xv


Table of Contents

NOTICE ................................................................................................................................................................III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................... V

ENHANCED TELECOM OPERATIONS MAP (ETOM) THE BUSINESS PROCESS FRAMEWORK ADDENDUM A RELEASE

1.0 CONTRIBUTORS ............................................................................................................................................... V

ABOUT TELEMANAGEMENT FORUM ....................................................................................................... VII

ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT ............................................................................................................................... IX

DOCUMENT LIFE CYCLE ....................................................................................................................................... IX

TIME STAMP .......................................................................................................................................................... X

HOW TO OBTAIN A COPY ........................................................................................................................................ X

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE DOCUMENT .................................................................................................................. X

DOCUMENT HISTORY ........................................................................................................................................... XI

SUMMARY OF CHANGES IN THIS VERSION ............................................................................................................. XI

EXPECTATIONS FOR FUTURE ADDITIONS ............................................................................................................... XI

DOCUMENT TEMPLATE ........................................................................................................................................ XII

USE OF FONTS ..................................................................................................................................................... XII

REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................................. XIII

RELATED OR SOURCE DOCUMENTS ..................................................................................................................... XIII

REFERENCE LIST ................................................................................................................................................ XIII

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... XV

TABLE OF FIGURES AND TABLES .......................................................................................................... XVIII

PREFACE ............................................................................................................................................................. 21

RELATIONSHIP TO STANDARDIZATION ACTIVITIES ............................................................................................... 21

THE TM FORUM APPROACH: NGOSS .................................................................................................................. 21

ETOM BUSINESS PROCESS FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................. 22

CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 23

USING THIS DOCUMENT ...................................................................................................................................... 23

INTENDED AUDIENCE .......................................................................................................................................... 24

METHODOLOGY FOR PROCESS ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................. 25

CHAPTER 2 - FULFILLMENT .......................................................................................................................... 27

OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................................... 27

FULFILLMENT END-TO-END FLOWS ..................................................................................................................... 28

Assumptions .................................................................................................................................................... 28

Context of Fulfillment within the eTOM Framework ....................................................................................... 28

Fulfillment Level 2 Flows ................................................................................................................................ 29

FULFILLMENT LEVEL 3 FLOWS ............................................................................................................................ 32

Order Handling .............................................................................................................................................. 32

Selling............................................................................................................................................................. 33

Page xvi eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A


Service Configuration & Activation ................................................................................................................ 33

Customer Interface Management .................................................................................................................... 35

CHAPTER 3 - CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND BILLING ........................................ 36

OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................................... 36

SELLING LEVEL 3 PROCESSES .............................................................................................................................. 37

Prospect Management .................................................................................................................................... 38

Customer Qualification and Education ........................................................................................................... 39

Sales Negotiation ............................................................................................................................................ 40

Customer Data Acquisition ............................................................................................................................. 41

Cross/Up Selling............................................................................................................................................. 41

BILLING & COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT - LEVEL 3 PROCESSES .......................................................................... 42

Customer Bill Inquiries Management.............................................................................................................. 43

Pricing, Discounting & Rebate Application .................................................................................................... 44

Bill Creation & Delivery................................................................................................................................. 46

Customer Billing Management ....................................................................................................................... 48

Collection Management .................................................................................................................................. 49

BILLING END-TO-END FLOWS ............................................................................................................................. 50

Context of Billing within the eTOM Framework .............................................................................................. 51

Billing Level 2 Flows ...................................................................................................................................... 51

CHAPTER 4 - SERVICE MANAGEMENT AND ASSURANCE ..................................................................... 54

OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................................... 54

SERVICE PROBLEM MANAGEMENT LEVEL 3 PROCESSES ...................................................................................... 55

Evaluation & Qualification ............................................................................................................................. 58

Diagnosis ....................................................................................................................................................... 58

Resolution Planning and Assignment .............................................................................................................. 58

Resolution Tracking ........................................................................................................................................ 58

Closing and Reporting .................................................................................................................................... 58

SERVICE PROBLEM MANAGEMENT LEVEL 3 PROCESS FLOWS .............................................................................. 59

SERVICE QUALITY ANALYSIS, ACTION & REPORTING LEVEL 3 PROCESSES .......................................................... 61

SERVICE QUALITY MONITORING............................................................................................................... 64

USAGE & COST DATA MONITORING ......................................................................................................... 64

SERVICE QUALITY ANALYSIS...................................................................................................................... 65

SERVICE COST ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................ 65

SERVICE IMPROVEMENT ............................................................................................................................ 65

SERVICE CONSTRAINT IDENTIFICATION & REPORTING ........................................................................ 65

SERVICE QUALITY ANALYSIS, ACTION AND REPORTING LEVEL 3 PROCESS FLOWS .............................................. 65

ASSURANCE END-TO-END FLOWS ....................................................................................................................... 66

CHAPTER 5 - RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .................................................................................................. 70

OVERVIEW .......................................................................................................................................................... 70

WHAT ARE RESOURCES ....................................................................................................................................... 72

Resource Classifications ................................................................................................................................. 74

Integration across Application, Computing and Network components ............................................................. 75

RESOURCES AND THE EBUSINESS ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................. 75

RESOURCES AND NGOSS .................................................................................................................................... 76

System View Aspects ....................................................................................................................................... 76

Shared Information and Data Model Aspects .................................................................................................. 77

RESOURCES AND TMN ........................................................................................................................................ 77

Terminology ................................................................................................................................................... 77

PRODUCT, SERVICE AND RESOURCE .................................................................................................................... 77

RESOURCES AND SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS .................................................................................................. 78

EXAMPLE PRODUCT ............................................................................................................................................ 79

Product Definition .......................................................................................................................................... 80

Reference Architecture ................................................................................................................................... 80

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page xvii


Product/Service/Resource Relationship ........................................................................................................... 81

Business Context Model .................................................................................................................................. 83

Resource Ownership ....................................................................................................................................... 83

RM&O PROCESS DECOMPOSITIONS ..................................................................................................................... 83

RELATED STANDARDS ......................................................................................................................................... 83

TMN ............................................................................................................................................................... 83

ITIL ................................................................................................................................................................ 84

OSA/PARLAY ................................................................................................................................................. 84

PAM Forum .................................................................................................................................................... 85

3GPP .............................................................................................................................................................. 85

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Table of Figures and Tables

Figure 2.1: eTOM Business Process Framework—Level 1 Processes ........................................... 27

Figure 2.2: Fulfillment within the eTOM Framework ........................................................................ 29

Figure 2.3: Fulfillment Process Flows at Level 2 ............................................................................. 30

Figure 2.4: Detailed View of Fulfillment Process Flows at Level 2 ................................................. 31

Figure 2.5: Order Handling Process Flows at Level 3 ..................................................................... 32

Figure 2.6: Selling Process Flows at Level 3 ................................................................................... 33

Figure 2.7: Service Configuration & Activation Process Flows at Level 3 ..................................... 34

Figure 2.8: Service Configuration & Activation – Design Solution Process Flows ........................ 34

Figure 2.9: Customer Interface Management Process Flows at Level 3 ......................................... 35


Figure 3.2: Customer Relationship Management Level 2 Processes ............................................. 37

Figure 3.3: Selling - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes .................................................... 38

Figure 3.4: Billing & Collections Management - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes ....... 43


Figure 3.6: Billing within the eTOM Framework ............................................................................... 51

Figure 3.7: Billing Process Flows at Level 2 .................................................................................... 52

Figure 3.8: Billing & Collections Management Process Flows at Level 2/3 .................................... 53


Figure 4.2: Service Management & Operations Level 2 Processes ................................................ 55

Figure 4.3: Service Problem Management - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes .............. 57

Figure 4.4: Service Problem Management - Level 3 Process Flows .............................................. 59

Figure 4.5: Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4)

Processes ................................................................................................................................... 64

Figure 4.6: Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting - Level 3 Process Flows .................. 66


Figure 4.8: Detailed View of Assurance Process Flows at Level 2 (source: customer

complaint) .................................................................................................................................. 68

Figure 4.9: Detailed View of Assurance Process Flows at Level 2 (source: alarm fault) ............... 69

Figure 4.10: Detailed View of Assurance Process Flows at Level 2 (source: statistics and

CDR) ........................................................................................................................................... 69


Figure 5.2: Resource Management & Operations Level 2 Processes ............................................. 72

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A Page xix


Figure 5.3: Resource Development & Management Level 2 Processes ......................................... 72

Figure 5.4: System View Management Domains ............................................................................. 76

eTOM Business Process Framework Addendum A


Preface

Relationship to Standardization Activities

Much of the management infrastructures upon which systems will be built are expected to be based on standard interfaces. Relating business needs to available, or necessary standards is a primary goal of the TM Forum in promoting a standards-based approach to information and communications services management. Where applicable, the TM Forum uses industry standards in its work to promote the acceptance of standards and to minimize redundant work. People active in management standardization (in the broadest sense) will find the eTOM useful in setting a top down, enterprise-level, customer-centric context of how management specifications need to work together.

TM Forum uses existing standards as much as possible. As a result of implementation experience through Catalyst projects, TM Forum provides feedback to appropriate standards bodies.

The TM Forum Approach: NGOSS

TM Forum uses a business and customer services driven approach to achieving end-to-end process automation using integrated Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) software. It enables product availability, together with development specifications required to produce management systems that can work together to produce the operational results needed by service providers and network operators. TM Forum makes use of international and regional standards when available, and provides input to standards bodies whenever new technical work is done.

The TM Forum focus is on providing pragmatic solutions to business problems. Its technical programs, particularly the NGOSS program, approach process automation from both a business context and a systems context. Further information on NGOSS can be found in the core eTOM document (GB921).



eTOM Business Process Framework

The eTOM Business Process Framework (GB921) serves as the blueprint for process direction and the starting point for development and integration of Business and Operations Support Systems (BSS and OSS respectively) and, helps to drive TM Forum members work to develop NGOSS solutions. For service providers, it provides a neutral reference point as they consider internal process reengineering needs, partnerships, alliances, and general working agreements with other providers. For suppliers, the eTOM Framework outlines potential boundaries of software components, and the required functions, inputs, and outputs that must be supported by products. This document consists of:

A description of the role of the eTOM Business Process Framework

The ebusiness context of service providers and the more complex Business Relationship Context Model required

A high-level business process framework and explanation Service Provider enterprise processes and sub-processes that are top down, customer-centric, and end-to-end focused.

With this evolution from TOM, the eTOM Business Process Framework now is a total enterprise framework for Service Providers

Process Decompositions of all processes from the highest conceptual view of the framework to the working level of the eTOM and many selected lower level decompositions in the Framework

Selected process flows and descriptions of the decomposed processes that include the process purpose or description, business rules, high level information and more. For the remainder of 2001 and 2002, more decompositions and flows will be developed with the objective for eTOM to develop all critical process decompositions and process flows in 2002.

How the process framework can be put to use.

Several Annexes and Appendices, including terminology and glossary, and related guidelines and standards.



Chapter 1 – Introduction

This document is an Addendum to the core eTOM document (GB921), and consequently should be read in conjunction with that document. Throughout this document, the reader is assumed to be familiar with the structure and content of the eTOM Process Business Framework, so that the process decompositions, descriptions, flows, etc described here, must be understood in the context of the core eTOM document and model.

In this document, several selected areas of the eTOM Business Process Framework are developed and refined beyond the level of detail shown in the core eTOM document. Those addressed at this stage are:

Customer Relationship Management

Service Management

Resource Management

Fulfillment

Assurance

Billing

In addition an activity has been analyzing the handling of relationships with suppliers, and particularly of partners, under the Supplier/Partner Relationship Management area. This work is still underway and will be included in a later version of this material.

The purpose of the Business Process Framework, including objectives, are discussed in the core eTOM document (GB921).

The eTOM document (GB921) also provides the definition of common terms concerning enterprise processes, sub-processes and the activities performed within each. Common terminology makes it easier for service providers to negotiate with customers, third party suppliers, and other service providers.

Using This Document

A service provider’s specific process architecture and organization structure are highly specific and critical aspects of a provider’s competitiveness. The eTOM provides a common view of service provider enterprise processes that can easily translate to an individual provider’s internal approaches. The document is not intended to be prescriptive about how the tasks are carried



out, how a provider or operator is organized, or how the tasks are identified in any one organization.

The eTOM is expected to be the starting point of detailed work that leads to an integrated set of specifications that will provide real benefit to both suppliers and procurers in enhancing industry service provider enterprise management capability. This document is not a specification. It is a snapshot of industry views expected to continue to evolve based on changes in the industry. It is not intended to be too detailed, more a directional statement for the industry.

One of the strengths of the eTOM is that it can be adopted at a high level, at lower levels or even modularly depending upon a service provider’s needs. The eTOM can also act as a translator by allowing a service provider to map their distinct processes to the industry framework. As the process examples are developed, service providers can use and adapt these examples to their business environment.

Intended Audience

The Telecom Operations Map, and now the eTOM, aims at a wide audience of professionals in the Information and Communications Services Industry. For experienced Telecommunications professionals, the TOM and the eTOM prove to be intuitive; a strong, common framework of service provider enterprise processes. Through TM Forum Catalyst projects and other work, it has been verified that the TOM framework has strong application for IP Services and Mobile/Wireless Services. This applicability will only be enhanced by the eTOM.

The eTOM is aimed at service provider and network operator decision makers who need to know and input to the common business process framework used to enable enterprise automation in a cost efficient way. It is also an important framework for specialists across the industry working on business and operations automation. The document or framework supports, and is consistent with, many efforts under way in the industry supporting the need to accelerate business and operations automation in the information and communications services marketplace.

The eTOM will continue to give providers and suppliers a common framework for discussing complex business needs in a complex industry with complex technologies. For both service providers and network operators additional complexities arise from:

Moving away from developing their own business and operations systems software, to a more procurement and systems integration approach.

New business relationships between service providers and network operators



The creation of new business relationships and the move away from developing internally are a reaction to market forces. These market forces require service providers and network operators to increase the range of services they offer, reduce time to market for new services, increase speed of service, as well as to drive down systems and operational costs.

The eTOM is also aimed at service provider and network operator employees involved in business process re-engineering, operations, procurement and other activities for:

Understanding the common business process framework being used to drive integration and automation

Getting involved in providing processes, inputs, priorities and requirements

The eTOM Business Process Framework is also aimed at designers and integrators of business and operational management systems software and equipment suppliers. They can benefit from understanding how management processes and applications need to work together to deliver business benefit to service providers and network operators.

An equally important and related audience is suppliers of management applications, management systems, and networking equipment, who need to understand the deployment environment for their products and solutions.

The eTOM Business Process Framework provides a common framework useful in supporting the significant amount of merger and acquisition activity. Common process understanding and a common process framework can greatly improve integration performance for mergers and acquisitions. eTOM is applicable for an established service provider or a new entrant, ‘green field’ provider. It is important to note that not all processes defined in the eTOM are used by all providers. As mentioned earlier, the framework is flexible, so that the processes the specific service providers require can be selected on a modular basis and at the appropriate level of detail for their needs.

Methodology for Process Analysis

In carrying out the work documented here, it proved advantageous to evolve further the methodology for process analysis described in the core eTOM document (GB921) and to extend this to address the handling of process decompositions and process flows at the lower level of detail addressed.

To avoid repetition, the methodology is illustrated using the work on Fulfillment (see 0) and reference is made below to this Chapter.

This methodology involved the following steps:

STEP 1 (see Figure 2.2) - Map the Process Interactions between the Level 2 Process Elements by overlaying double-



ended arrows onto the eTOM Diagram to show where there will be interactions between Level 2 Process Elements. Visually overlaying Processes onto the eTOM Process Elements sends the clear message that Processes should be created by assembling eTOM Process Elements.

STEP 2 (see Figure 2.3) - Use the Level 2 Process Interactions to document the process flows between the Level 2 Process Elements. This should be shown on a diagram which retains the same general arrangement and appearance of eTOM Level 2 Process Elements, but re-arranges them to suit the process being documented. Note that the names of Level 2 Process Elements must remain the same as in eTOM.

STEP 3 (see Figure 2.4) - Start to expand the flow detail by expanding Level 2s into implied Level 3s by replicating the processes at the flow sequence points required.

STEP 4 (see Figure 2.5, etc) - Use the process flows between the Level 2 Process Elements to segment the work of documenting Level 3 Process Flows.

STEP 5 – In addition, where the focus is on a specific Level 2 process and its decomposition into Level 3 processes, it can be helpful to depict flow interactions around this particular Level 2. An example of this is shown for Assurance (see Figure 4.4). This shows all interactions to other Level 2s and all Level 3s within this Level 2 under study.



Chapter 2 - Fulfillment

Overview

Fulfillment forms a Level 1 process within the eTOM Operations Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 2.1, and GB921 for further details)

Figure 2.1: eTOM Business Process Framework—Level 1 Processes

Within the work program on Fulfillment, attention concentrated on developing a view of the end-to-end process flows that link the processes involved in the fulfillment activity. This provides additional insight into the operation of the processes concerned, and also explains the dynamic behavior of the processes in terms of event associations, information transfer and the sequencing of process steps involved in the overall procedures.

The goal of this analysis is to document process flows at Level 3 (and eventually below), but in examining this area it is useful to show higher-level interactions as an aid to understanding the context of the process



relationships. This work therefore follows the overall methodology described previously (see Methodology for Process Analysis).

The focus is on Fulfillment for a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service, so as to allow a realistic scenario to be used in developing the flows concerned. However, it is intended that the work has general application, not just in the context of this service, and consequently care has been taken not to make the flows service-specific.

Cases where resources are provided form within the service provider’s own domain, as well as where suppliers and partners are involved in this, have been taken into account.

Fulfillment End-to-End Flows

Assumptions

The Fulfillment process to be documented here is only one scenario out of many thousands of possible ways of delivering a Fulfillment process.

To scope what we are to document - a typical generic Fulfillment Process, here are the assumptions used

There is limited pre-provisioning of infrastructure to end-users (more typical of HDSL than ADSL ?).

Part of the resource needed will be provided internally and part externally using Supplier-Partner processes e.g. ISP is the retailer and is buying the Local Loop from the incumbent carrier.

At Level 2 only the dominant process flow is shown - exception cases (e.g. no resource available) may be detailed in Level 3 Flows

Multiple external suppliers will be considered for external supply of resources.

The service has moderate complexity and after negotiation with the customer's Purchasing staff are completed, the SP's technical contacts will interact with the Customer's Engineering staff.

Context of Fulfillment within the eTOM Framework

The first step in documenting the end-to-end (E2E) flows is positioning the Fulfillment flows in their context within the overall eTOM model.



Figure 2.2 shows this context for Fulfillment. As would be expected, the majority of the high-level process linkages are within the Level 1 Fulfillment process grouping, but a number of significant interactions are identified outside of this vertical process area.

Figure 2.2: Fulfillment within the eTOM Framework

Fulfillment Level 2 Flows

Further insight is developed through a more detailed illustration of the process interactions among the major Level 2 processes involved. This is shown in Figure 2.3.

Here the Level 2 processes are shown with relative positioning similar to that in the eTOM framework, to assist understanding and to make the diagram more intuitive.

Start points for the Fulfillment process are shown, and the interconnecting arrows indicate events or information linking the Level 2 processes. These interactions are developed further within the individual Level 3 flows (below) that show how the internal Level 3 structure of each Level 3 process supports the flows.



Figure 2.3: Fulfillment Process Flows at Level 2

This view can be developed further to indicate sequencing, and to imply involvement by different Level 3 processes within the indicated Level 2 process as shown in Figure 2.4. Here, a given Level 2 process may be shown several times, to allow the sequencing of its involvement in the flow to be more clearly seen. Typically, different functionality is involved at each point for a given Level 2 process, so this is a step towards identification of the specific Level 3 process or processes, within the Level 2 process which will support the interactions.

Note that this diagram is derived from the model developed for this E2E flow within the process modeling tool.



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Fulfillment Level 3 Flows

Based on the E2E flows shown above, more detailed flows have been developed for each of the Level 2 processes to illustrate the role of each of their constituent Level 3 processes in supporting these flows.

The Level 2 process flows captured in this way include:

Order Handling

Selling

Service Configuration & Activation

Customer Interface Management

Order Handling

Level 3 flows for Order Handling within the overall E2E Fulfillment process are shown in Figure 2.5.

Figure 2.5: Order Handling Process Flows at Level 3



Selling

Level 3 flows for Selling within the overall E2E Fulfillment process are shown in Figure 2.6.

Figure 2.6: Selling Process Flows at Level 3

Service Configuration & Activation

Level 3 flows for Service Configuration & Activation within the overall E2E Fulfillment process are shown in Figure 2.7. Additionally, a further breakdown within the Design Solution Level 3 process is shown in Figure 2.8 for information.



Figure 2.7: Service Configuration & Activation Process Flows at Level 3

Figure 2.8: Service Configuration & Activation – Design Solution Process Flows



Customer Interface Management

Level 3 flows for Customer Interface Management within the overall E2E Fulfillment process are shown in .

Figure 2.9: Customer Interface Management Process Flows at Level 3



Chapter 3 - Customer Relationship Management and Billing

Overview

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) forms a Level 1 process within the eTOM Operations Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 3.1, and GB921 for further details)


Within the work program on CRM, attention concentrated on decomposition of some of the level 2 processes, and on process flows concerning these.

The chosen areas for analysis are:

Selling: decomposition of CRM level 2 process to level 3

Billing & Collections Management: decomposition of CRM level 2 process to level 3



Billing & Collections Management: definition of flows and linkages between level 3 processes

Billing: definition of flows and linkages to provide an “End-to-End” view to aid understanding of how these processes can be used

Figure 3.2 shows the CRM Level 2 processes to provide context for this work.

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Selling

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Problem Handling

Customer InterfaceManagement

Retention &Loyalty

CustomerQoS/SLAManagement

Billing &CollectionsManagement

CustomerRelationshipManagement

CRM OperationsSupport & ProcessManagement

Sales & ChannelManagement

CRM OperationsReadiness

©TeleManagement Forum October, 2001

Figure 3.2: Customer Relationship Management Level 2 Processes

Selling Level 3 Processes

The Selling process is a Level 2 process within the Customer Relationship Management Level 1 functional process grouping.

This process [maximizes revenue via] by obtaining new customers and upselling and cross-selling to existing customers. Contacts are transformed into qualified leads, which are tracked as prospects, then opportunities, and ultimately customers. The value of the “sales pipeline” is projected in terms of the probability of closing the sale and its potential revenue at each stage in the sales cycle. After a customer needs analysis is completed, product availability is assessed before proposing a solution. Each sales opportunity is matched against the product portfolio and those solutions that best fit the customer’s requirements are proposed as alternatives. The sale is closed with the customer selecting the solution that best addresses his/her needs. This process is also responsible for the identification of opportunities for the sale of new or enhanced products to existing customers. Optimally, every contact with a customer is utilized as an opportunity to further capture customer information / refine the customer’s needs assessment so that timely offering of appropriate products may be done.

The Selling process is decomposed into a set of Level 3 processes, shown in Figure 3.3. This figure also shows candidate Level 4 processes below each of the Level 3 processes. These are under study.



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Figure 3.3: Selling - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes

The Selling Level 3 processes are described below (working descriptions for the candidate Level 4 processes are also included to provide additional context for the Level 3 processes, but note that these are under study)

Prospect Management

The purpose of this process is to match identified leads with the most appropriate products and ensure that these prospects are handled appropriately. These prospects represent a “pipeline” of potential sales, each of which is expressed in terms of the probability of successful sales closure and an estimate of the total attainable revenue. The needs of each potential prospect are analysed. Based on these needs, potential solutions are identified from the service provider’s product portfolio. Each prospect is tracked through these processes and the outcome (win or loss) of the each prospect is reported. Prospects are assigned to the appropriate sales channel.



Prospect Needs Analysis

The needs of each prospective customer are analysed with regard to the services required. The scope of this activity depends heavily on the complexity of the services available and the characteristics (e.g. size of organisation) of the prospect.

Potential Solutions Identification

Based on the prospect’s needs, potential products are selected from the service provider’s product portfolio.

Track and Report Prospect Result

Various follow up activities are required during a customer’s transition from “lead” to “customer”, and the amount of attention required depends upon such variables as potential revenue and likelihood of “win”. Each prospect is tracked through these activities in order to identify any required remedial actions, if necessary, and to aid in the projection of the size of the “pipeline”. Whether or not a customer is won, the outcome of the overall sales process is reported for improvement opportunities.

Customer Qualification and Education

The purpose of this process is to ensure that the business agreement between the customer and service provider is based upon mutual understanding. The customer is qualified in terms of any associated risk, and the amount of effort required (e.g. response to a Request for Proposal [RFP]). Alternative solutions may be developed and customized to the specific customer’s requirements. The solution alternatives must be available (e.g. capacity) or scheduled on a product roadmap.

Understand Customer Need

The needs and requirements gathered during the analysis of the prospect’s needs are expanded.

Qualify Customer

Based on the probability of sales closure and the potential revenue, a decision is made as to whether the estimated amount of work associated with the sale (e.g. response to RFP) is deemed to be a good investment. Any risks (e.g. credit worthiness) associated with the customer are analysed and determination is made as to whether this will be a good customer.

Develop Solution Alternatives

Alternative solutions are developed for the customer based upon the service provider’s offerings in terms of price and functionality.



Customize Solutions to Customer Requirements

Where necessary, solutions may require tailoring to a customer’s specific requirements.

Confirm Solution Availability

The capability of the service provider to deliver the various solutions is ensured (e.g. available capacity). Resources may be reserved if necessary. Customer should be notified of issues that can cause delay in availability.

Product Development Inquiry

If some of the customer requirements can not be met by current offerings, a schedule of availability is prepared based on the product roadmap or development schedules.

Sales Negotiation

The purpose of this process is to close the sale with terms that are mutually agreeable to both the customer and the service provider. One specific solution is selected and its details are described in a sales proposal. The sale is concluded through negotiations of features, service levels, pricing and discounts, resulting in a formal agreement between the customer and service provider.

Solution Determination with Customer

The alternative solutions are presented to the customer, from which one is selected.

Sales Proposal Development

The sales proposal is prepared detailing out the customer and service provider’s responsibilities in terms of features and services (e.g. training and support) to be delivered, quality of service and pricing

Solution Details Negotiation

The sales proposal is amended as necessary based on negotiations between the parties.

Sales Closure

The negotiations conclude with the a formal agreement between the customer and service provider.



Customer Data Acquisition

The purpose of this process is to record all pertinent customer data.

Customer Identity Capture (or Capture Customer Details and create unique identity)

Unique identifiers are created for the customer, the account structure and the agreement structure.

Relationship Establishment

Hand off from the sales to the customer support organization is made and representatives are assigned.

Customer Profile Capture and Record

Data about individuals, addresses and locations within the customer technical organization is gathered.

Customer Preferences Capture and Record

The customer’s individual preferences (e.g. billing method, SLAs for QoS) are captured.

Cross/Up Selling

The purpose of this process is to ensure that the value of the relationship between the customer and service provider is maximized by selling additional, or more of the existing, products. The ongoing analysis of customer trends (e.g. usage, problems, complaints) is used to identify when the current offerings may no longer be appropriate for the customer, or when the opportunity for a larger sale arises. Based on the data collected, more appropriate offerings should be recommended to the customer.

Up & Cross Sell Opportunities Identification

Customer trends and usage patterns are analyzed to identify where the current customer solution may not be the most appropriate of those within the service provider’s offerings.

Up & Cross Sell Packages Identification

Standard customer migration paths through the service provider’s offerings are established to handle changes in customer usage patterns or new product introduction. When a customer contact is made, more appropriate solutions are offered.



Billing & Collections Management - Level 3 Processes

The Billing & Collections Management process is a Level 2 process within the Customer Relationship Management Level 1 functional process grouping.

This process encompasses maintaining a customer's billing account, sending invoices to customers, processing their payments and performing payment collections; in addition it handles customer inquiries about bills, provides billing inquiry status and is responsible for resolving billing problems to the customer's satisfaction. It also supports the revenue management components of the service provider's business including receivables management, treatment, revenue reconciliation, tax management and providing input into the settlement process. The purpose of this process is to ensure that the customer's invoice is an appropriate representation of its relationship to the service provider, that all billing discrepancies are resolved to the customer's satisfaction and that the billing operations accurately reflect the business operations of the service provider.

The Billing & Collections Management process is decomposed into a set of Level 3 processes, shown in Figure 3.4. This figure also shows candidate Level 4 processes below each of the Level 3 processes. These are under study.



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Figure 3.4: Billing & Collections Management - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes

The Billing & Collections Management Level 3 processes are described below (working descriptions for the candidate Level 4 processes are also included to provide additional context for the Level 3 processes, but note that these are under study)

Customer Bill Inquiries Management

The objective of this process is to ensure the timely and effective fulfillment of all customer bill inquiries and the resolution of customer / Service Provider billing issues. This process is responsible for managing customer interaction as it relates to a customer's billing relationship to a Service Provider. This includes fulfilling inquiries against the customer's billing account(s), handling disputes from the customer with regards to its billing records and resolving billing disputes between the customer and Service Provider. This process can be view via traditional means, with a service representative managing the customer or via e-business means. In the latter case, inquiries, issues and communication of resolution would be handled via electronic media without the intervention of a representative.

Candidate Level 4 processes within this Level 3 process are described below:



Fulfil Billing enquiries

This process is responsible for handling an inquiry for a customer on its billing information and providing the required information for the customer's inquiry. This process receives a request for billing information from the Customer Interface Management process. It retrieves appropriate customer billing information based upon the inquiry's nature. It provides to the customer the specific billing information requested. It will handoff any required disputes for documentation and resolution. This process can be considered in an e-business context where the transaction is handled completely via electronic means. In this case, the electronic medium would present the billing information to the customer and begin the documentation process for any issues identified by the customer.

Analyse & document billing issues

This process is responsible for documenting billing disputes raised by the customer. It receives a potential dispute from the Fulfill Billing enquiries process. The process identifies the specific billing information disputed. It verifies the customer's dispute against the Service Provider's billing records. When the dispute concerns a billing information done on behalf of another Service Provider (partner), the process hands off the dispute to the relevant Partner process. The process formally documents the nature of the dispute and notes the discrepancy. It then forwards dispute for resolution as appropriate.

Resolve Billing Issues

This process is responsible for resolving billing disputes with a customer in a timely and effective manner. The process receives a documented billing issue dispute for resolution from the Analyse & Document Billing Issues process. It identifies root cause of billing issue dispute (incorrect billing of usage, customer misunderstanding of charges, etc). It determines required resolution for billing dispute (credit of charge, charges sustained etc), consistent with established business practices (refund limits, etc). It informs the customer of resolution. It performs the required resolution for the billing issue, as consistent w/ defined business policy. It escalates issue as appropriate within Service Provider. Inform Frauds Identification of any potentially fraudulent account behavior. The process also documents any resolution, or attempted resolution, of the billing dispute

Pricing, Discounting & Rebate Application

The purpose of this process is to ensure that the customer receives an invoice that is reflective of all the billable events delivered by the Service Provider as per the business relationship between the customer and the Service Provider. In addition, it ensures that the appropriable taxes, rebates (i.e. missed customer commitments) and credits are applied to the customer's invoice(s). This process contains the account and customer specific pricing, charges, discounting, credits and taxation for services delivered to the



customer by the Service Provider. It accepts events that have been collected, translated, correlated, assembled, guided and service rated. It takes these events and determines the account or customer specific pricing, charges, discounts, and taxation that should be delivered to the invoice(s) for the customer. This process can occur real-time as events are service rated, or can be on a scheduled on a periodic basis at the Service Provider's discretion.


Apply Pricing of individual events

This process performs the customer and account specific pricing of event data that has been service rated. It processes the service rated events, resolves the nature of the billable event (chargeable units) and determines the appropriate price for that event given the business agreement between the customer and the Service Provider.

Apply Summary Charges

This process is responsible for applying the recurring and non-recurring charges (non-event based) to an account (installation charges, Basic Monthly Service charges). The process retrieves the account's billing information, determines the appropriate recurring and non-recurring charges for services delivered in the billing period. It then posts these charges to the customer's account to be rendered on the current invoice

Apply Customer Discounts

This process is responsible for providing summary discounts to an account given the customer's business agreement with the Service Provider. The process reviews the usage information for the customer's account for the given period. The process ensures that the customer has qualified for any tiers, thresholds or volumes required for the discounting. Customer discounts can also be applied to an overall customer's account (rather than just usage) such as 10% off for the first month. It then posts the appropriate discounts to the customer's account to be rendered on the current invoice

Apply Rebates & Credits

This process is responsible for posting un-invoiced rebates and credits to a customer's account. Examples of these transactions would be out-of-service credits provided to the customer (e.g. where agreed upon SLA's by the Service Provider to the Customer) have been missed, special rebates provided to the customer, etc. The process reviews the customer's account to determine if any un-invoiced transactions have been associated to the customer in the current period. It then posts these transactions to the customer's account to be rendered on the current invoice.



Apply Taxes & Surcharges

This process is responsible for imposing the necessary taxes and surcharges to a customer's account given the services provided to the customer for the current billing period. The process reviews the charges and credits posted to the account for the current period. It establishes the appropriate jurisdiction for the charges and credits given the account's billing location, service location and usage information. It calculates and applies the appropriate taxes and surcharges based on that jurisdiction. The processes then posts these line items to the customer's account to be rendered on the current invoice.

Bill Creation & Delivery

The primary purpose of this process is the production of a timely and accurate invoice reflective of the charges for services delivered to the customer by the Service Provider and respective trading partners. This process contains the invoicing components of the Service Provider's business. This includes the design and development of the Service Provider's invoicing process, the rendering of an invoice, the delivery of an invoice to customers and the processes that verify invoice quality prior to customer distribution. The flow of this process can be viewed as an extension of the company's e-business strategy. In this case, the Service Provider would render an invoice electronically, via the Internet for example, and potentially trigger a payment from the customer's credit card electronically.

Furthermore, This process provides specifications for the formatting of invoices in different ways and to achieve different publishing possibilities and supports the creation of different invoice formats for different publication media.


Design & Update Billing Presentation

This process is responsible for managing the creation, updates and one-time changes to the Service Provider's invoice format. The process creates the initial invoice format for Service Provider's customers, based upon marketing, etc, requirements. It updates the invoice format to support deployment of new services, as appropriate. Finally, it manages bill run specific changes to invoicing process (marketing messages, promotional inserts, etc.)

Produce Customer Bill(s)

This process is responsible for delivering the regular production of customer invoices. It receives customer usage charges,, surcharges and taxes for service rendered and products delivered during a given billing period from the Rating and Discounting process, calculates discounts or credits in usage charges, recurrent charges (prorate charges), non-recurring charges



(activation quotes, installation quotes), applies adjustments, and calculates additional discounts (to the different charges). It retrieves an account's open balance and payment information to be included on invoice. It retrieves customer account information, including billing address, invoice specific information, etc. The process also determines specific billing arrangements required by the customer's business agreement for the provider. This would include, for example, the collation of different invoices for an account (mobile, fixed wire, internet) into a single invoice or the managing hierarchical rules for a customer's account structure (for example, customer receives a summary statement and subsidiary accounts receive detailed invoice for payment). The process formats and renders the appropriate customer bill(s).

Verify and Review Customer Invoice Quality

The goal of this process is to ensure that the invoices delivered to the customer meet the company's quality assurance standards. The process receives a sample of invoices from a given billing run from the Customer Invoice Production process. It reconciles open balance, charges, credits and payment information against independent data (finance and accounting, etc.). The process verifies physical image and appearance of sample invoices. It reviews the billing run's quality with stakeholders. The process then continues to invoice distribution or rectifies quality issues, as appropriate.

Furthermore, This process focuses on monitoring the billing quality, by sampling and holding bills and reviewing their content, verifying if they comply with a pre determined set of rules. If they do, the bill is released and the related bills are sent to invoice formatting, otherwise, the previous processes will have to be repeated.

Customer bill distribution

This process is responsible for taking a rendered invoice and delivering it to the customer via the appropriate media and method. This could include not only a physical invoice but potentially the electronic presentment of an invoice and its details via electronic means, the Internet for example. It receives the rendered customer invoice, after a billing run's quality has been established and approved. It determines the delivery media (electronic, paper, etc) and method (email, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), CDROM, fax, etc.) appropriate for the customer. The process prepares invoice for distribution, along with any accompanying material (bill inserts, etc). The process delivers the invoice to the customer, in the case of electronic transactions, or submits the invoice for delivery, in the case of mail transactions. Finally, it performs any required electronic invoicing actions (i.e. Electronic Funds Transfer, credit card, etc).

In summary, this process produces and distributes invoices, reports and notices on the required media. Formatted invoicing information is grouped by media to enable more efficient final production and distribution.

The usual media will be paper, however different format invoices can be offered such as web based, e-mail based or other media.



Customer Billing Management

The primary purpose of this process pertains to effective management of the customer's billing account as it relates to the products purchased and consumed throughout the appropriate billing cycle. This process focuses on managing changes to the customer's billing account (such as change of address, etc.) as well as managing the customer's service portfolio, such as ensuring that the correct products are assigned to the customer's account for accurate billing.


Manage Customer Account

This process ensures that the customer's account is an accurate reflection of its relationship to the Service Provider. In the case of new accounts, the process will create the appropriate billing entities for the account. Going forward, it will process changes to a customer's billing account (billing address changes, etc). Included within these activities is the establishment of tax/surcharge jurisdiction. The process will confirm with the customer any changes made to billing account information. Included within this process would be the management of the account hierarchical structure requested by the customer entity as well as definition of the billing entity within that hierarchy. Any sponsored services will also be defined upon account creation (e.g. a certain service such as e-mail may be sponsored by an employer).

Management of services for accurate billing

This process ensures that the customer's purchased services are accurately reflected in terms of billing components. In the case of new services, the process creates the appropriate service entities for the customer's account that will be billed against (e.g. usage, # of hits, etc.). As it receives updates (upgrade / addition / termination of services, promotional pricing or rebate, etc) to the customer's services it will modify the service entities as appropriate. The process will confirm with the customer any changes made to the service information for the account and the service changes should be reflected on the customer's bill.

Fraud Identification

The goal of this process is to minimize the fraudulent use of the services provided to the customer by the company. The process accepts reports of fraudulent service use by the customer or other service Provider processes. It notifies the customer and appropriate authorities of the fraud and rectifies billing information as appropriate (credit, etc).



Collection Management

The objective of this process is to collect payments done by the customer. Furthermore this process is meant to match these payments with the services / invoices delivered to this customer. This process is also meant to manage the amount due of the customer, i.e. check whether the payments are done in time. If not so, this might result in putting the customer on hold.


Receive and apply payments

This process is responsible for receiving and applying payments for service. It receives payments for billed services from the customer, either from the customer directly, through a clearinghouse (lockbox, credit card transactions, etc) or via other electronic means (Internet bill payment). The process determines the appropriate payment hierarchy for application based on applicable business rules and jurisdictional law (bucketized payment structure). The process applies the payments to appropriate outstanding balances for customer's account.

Manage Deposits

This process is responsible for managing deposits posted to a customer's account with the Service Provider. It receives deposits for services from either the customer directly or through a clearinghouse. The process applies and stores the deposits against the customer's account. It remits interest earned, as required by business policy or regulations, to the customer's account. Finally, it refunds the deposit, as appropriate, to the customer's account.

Gather Billing Data for Credit Assessment

This process takes responsibility for collecting all data from billing records to allow the management of credit scoring by Retention and Loyalty. The process receives a request for a customer and/or account's billing information. It retrieves the appropriate billing information for the request (account balance, payment history, treatment history). It returns the billing information to Retention and Loyalty to determine the credit score.

Treat & Collect Overdue Accounts

This goal of this process is to manage the collections and treatment of a customer's open balances. It establishes the policy (treatment steps and thresholds) required for past due accounts. On a regular basis, usually based on the completion of a billing cycle, the process reviews aged open balances. Based on that review, it determines accounts requiring treatment and the stage of treatment process required. It performs the appropriate treatment step given balance's age and past credit history. The process attempts to collect on overdue balances in treatment. Finally, the process will hand off accounts for suspension and/or termination, as appropriate.



Another goal of this process is to provide other parties with information, in order to enable these parties to collect payments from past due accounts.

Customer Fraud & Credit Abuse

This process researches the fraud report and identifies actual cases of fraud. When appropriate, the process also performs action (e.g. notification of credit department) or requests termination of service based upon fraud.

Inform general ledger

This process is responsible for interfacing with the general ledger. On a regular base (weekly, monthly, quarterly) it informs the general ledger about the amount of payments received and about the payments not to be received (e.g. due to a customer's bankruptcy)

Billing End-to-End Flows

Billing forms a Level 1 process within the eTOM Operations Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 3.5, and GB921 for further details)


As with Fulfillment, a view has been developed of the end-to-end process flows that link the processes involved in the billing activity. This provides additional insight into the operation of the processes concerned, and also



explains the dynamic behavior of the processes in terms of event associations, information transfer and the sequencing of process steps involved in the overall procedures.

The goal of this analysis is to document process flows at Level 3 (and eventually below), but in examining this area it is useful to show higher-level interactions as an aid to understanding the context of the process relationships. This work therefore follows the overall methodology described previously (see Methodology for Process Analysis).

Context of Billing within the eTOM Framework

Figure 3.6 shows the context of Billing within the overall eTOM. As would be expected, the majority of the high-level process linkages are within the Level 1 Billing process grouping, but a number of significant interactions are identified outside of this vertical process area.

Figure 3.6: Billing within the eTOM Framework

Billing Level 2 Flows

A more detailed illustration of the process interactions among the major Level 2 processes involved. is shown in Figure 3.7.



Here the Level 2 processes are shown with relative positioning similar to that in the eTOM framework, to assist understanding and to make the diagram more intuitive. These interactions are developed further within the individual Level 3 flows (below) that show how the internal Level 3 structure of each Level 3 process supports the flows.

Figure 3.7: Billing Process Flows at Level 2

Work is ongoing to develop this further to indicate sequencing, and to imply involvement by different Level 3 processes within the indicated Level 2 processes.

To illustrate this work, Figure 3.8 shows how the Billing & Collections Management Level 2 process interacts with the billing environment, and indicates the involvement of Level 3 processes in this. This area is under study.



CUSTOMER

Customer

Payment

Invoice

Telemanagement Report

Collection Notice

Customer Information Notice

Payments - Refunds/Rebates

Usage transaction - rated

Usage transaction - invalid

Ad-hoc bill request (delayed usage)

Customer Payment Advice

Account Adjustment

Refund Information

Rebate Information

Collection Action Request - Automated

Final Bill Request

Ad-hoc Bill Request

Customer Deposit Information

Usage transaction - corrected

Billing transaction -

invoiced

Collections

Management

Collections

ManagementBilling

Management

Billing

Management

RM&O

Data

Collection

RM&O

Data

CollectionPricing &

Discounting

Pricing &

Discounting

Billing transaction - priced

Billing transaction - corrected

Possible Customer Savings

Billing transaction - invalid

S/PARTNERS

Customer

Payment

Collection

Action

Request -

Collection

Agency

COLLECTION

AGENCY

EXTERNAL

AGENCY

Invoice

BANK

Bank

Deposit

InformationBank

Deposit

THIRD PARTYSERVICE

PROVIDER

Usage transactions On-demand rated information

Real-time rated information

Customer

Payment

Advice

Customer

Payment

SM&O

Service &

Instance Rating

SM&O

Service &

Instance Rating

Figure 3.8: Billing & Collections Management Process Flows at Level 2/3



Chapter 4 - Service Management and Assurance

Overview

Service Management & Operations (SM&O) forms a Level 1 process within the eTOM Operations Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 4.1, and GB921 for further details)


Within the work program on SM&O, attention concentrated on decomposition of some of the level 2 processes, and on process flows concerning these.

The chosen areas for analysis are:

Service Problem Management: decomposition of SM&O level 2 process to level 3

Service Quality Analysis, Action & Reporting: decomposition of SM&O level 2 process to level 3



Service Problem Management: definition of flows and linkages between level 3 processes

Assurance: definition of flows and linkages to provide an “End-to-End” view to aid understanding of how these processes can be used

Figure 4.2 shows the CRM Level 2 processes to provide context for this work.

S e rv ice

M a n ag em en t &

O p e r a tio n s

S e rv i ce P rob lem

M a na g e m ent

S e rv i c e Q ua lity

A na lys is , A ction &

R e p o rting

S e rvice

C o n f i g ura tion &

A c t i va tion

S e rvice & S pec ific

Ins ta nc e Ra ting

S M & O S uppo rt &

P rocess

M a na g e m ent

S M & O Read iness

© Te l e M a na ge m en t F o rum O c tob e r, 20 01

Figure 4.2: Service Management & Operations Level 2 Processes

Service Problem Management Level 3 Processes

The Service Problem Management process is a Level 2 process within the Service Management & Operations Level 1 functional process grouping.

Description:

This process responds immediately to customer affecting service problems or failures in order to minimize their effects on customers, and invoke the restoration of the service as soon as possible. Service Problem Management encompasses the reporting of problems, making a temporary fix or workaround, isolating the root cause and acting to resolve it.

Purpose:

To guarantee fast response to QoS violations under a predefined threshold (i.e. Service breakdowns or functional degradations)

Starts with (pre-condition):

Any trouble notification that affects service performance and needs short-term analysis and resolution, coming from customers (Problem Handling) or from resource management. (network and IT infrastructure)



Input/From:

Problem Handling: info on customer complaints about QoS drops that need immediate response.

Customer QoS/SLA Management: for information about particular customer SLAs that would imply special actions or priorities. (i.e. strategic customers...)

Service Management & Operations Readiness: for notification of the new service classes and details of quality level thresholds and restoration procedures and operations.

Service Configuration & Activation: for info on resources activated for a customer which need to be known in order to correlate resource problems with service problems.

Resource Restoration: for info on resource problem restorations.

S/P Problem Reporting and Management: for S/P problem notifications that should affect service performance (S/P problems that affect service own services). Also notifications about S/P problem resolutions.

Service Quality Analysis, Action & Reporting: For info on service quality degradations that need short-term responses.

Output/To

Problem Handling: Info and updates on estimated time to restore. Also notification of problem resolution.

Customer QoS/SLA Management: info on impact on service performance levels, in order to assess the impact on the customer SLA.

Service Quality, Analysis Action & Reporting: info on service problem records for quality analysis and improvement recomendations.

S/P Problem Reporting & management: Inquiries and Requests to Restore, if there is an S/P Problem that affects Service Performance.

Resource Restoration: Inquiries and Request to Restore, in case there is a resource problem in the root causes of a service problem

Ends/With (post-condition):

Service Problem finished and reports made.

Process activities or steps:

Assess the impact of a S/P or resource problem on the service delivery.

Diagnosis of the root cause of customer complaints



Establish Planning and monitoring of restoration actions

Generates records and reports about service problems.

Information required:

Procedures and operations for restoration

The resources an S/P involved in the service

The Service Problem Management process is decomposed into a set of Level 3 processes, shown in Figure 4.3. This figure also shows candidate Level 4 processes below each of the Level 3 processes. These are under study.

Evaluation and

Qualification

Resolution

Planning

and

Assignment

Resolution

Tracking

Closing

and

Reporting

Service

Problem

Management

Diagnosis

Problem Request

Receipt

Problem Testing

Performance

Problem

Qualification

Problem

Escalation

Diagnosis of

Problem

Identification of

Resolution

Responsibility

Resolution Option

Investigation and

Recommendation

Monitoring of

Fault Resolution

Progress

Reporting

Scheduled

Task

Specific Activity

Assignment

Service Testing

Repair and

Reconfiguration

Checking

Issue of cleared

Problem

Report

Figure 4.3: Service Problem Management - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes

The Service Problem Management Level 3 processes are described below.



Evaluation & Qualification

Upon a customer complaint, this process will determine the nature of the problem and if the customer is using the service properly. There will be testing to fit or translate customer information into service information for diagnosis. In case there is a S/P or resource problem notification (alarms, etc) this process will analyze this information and translates these problems into impact for customers, making the necessary reports towards the Problem Handling (to inform about estimated time to restore) and QoS/SLA management process to inform of the problem's impact on the service performance.

Diagnosis

Performs the search of the root cause by means of the appropriate testing and/or quires for information.

Resolution Planning and Assignment

According to the information provided by the Diagnosis process, this process will prepare the plan for the resolution, splitting the resolution work into tasks, and establish the appropriate task execution sequence, identifying other parties responsible if necessary.

Resolution Tracking

This process also perform the necessary tracking of the execution progress in order to assure that the whole resolution completed, according with the plan established. Trouble reports will be made for the responsible parties, and this process will coordinate all the actions necessary, in order to guarantee that all tasks are finished at the appropriate time.

Closing and Reporting

This process will perform the necessary testing in order to certify the recovering of the normal service performance, and make the necessary reports about the problem occurred, the root cause and the works carried out for restoration. It also will issue the trouble clearance report to inform the CRM layer.



Service Problem Management Level 3 Process Flows

Service Problem Management Level 3 Process Flows provide insight into the process interactions around the Service Problem Management Level 2 process, and how these interactions map into the internal structure of this process, to/from the contained level 3 processes (see above for decomposition).

Figure 4.4 shows the Service Problem Management structure and the process interactions involved.

Figure 4.4: Service Problem Management - Level 3 Process Flows

These process interactions can be characterized as follows:

INPUTS:

Trouble Ticket: Request to Resolve abnormal service performance perceived by customers



QoS Violations: This info is provided as a result of Impacted Service Performance information passed to this process, in order to determine SPM priorities.

New Service Instances: Information about the new customers and/or service instances created by the Service Configuration and Activation Process

New Service Info, training and Ops: Details about new service classes in order to manage their eventual problems.

Planned Maintenance: Information about scheduled works carried on by other processes/providers, that can affect service performance, and/or generate later service problems

Chronic Problems: Feedback about problems not correctly resolved in order to modify the problem resolution process.

Reconfigurations: Information on changes made to service instance configurations

Service Affecting Notification: Information about problems detected by other processes/providers that con affect service performance. (e.g. network alarms, resource failures, service problems in other providers.)

Restoration completion: Information about restoration works, as a result to request to restore output.

TT Closed: Information about previous Trouble Tickets opened to other Service Providers/Partners.

OUTPUTS:

Impacted service performance: Information passed to Customer QoS/SLQ Mgmt in order to analyze whether there is a QoS violation, and/or the impact on business caused by a service problem detected or planned maintenance.

Estimated time to Repair: Updates about problem resolution progress in order to keep the customer informed by Problem Handling.

Request to reconfigure: In case of the problem caused by a service instance (problem in customer premises, bad instance data...), this request will be generated.

Trouble ticket: If the problem is caused by another S/P, a Trouble Ticket will be generated.

Request to Restore: In case of problem is caused by a resource failure, this request will be passed to Resource Restoration Process.

Trouble ticket closed: notification of the resolution of a trouble ticket, towards Problem Handling



Service Problem Report: Record about service problem for Service Quality Analysis.

Service Quality Analysis, Action & Reporting Level 3 Processes

The Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting process is a Level 2 process within the Service Management & Operations Level 1 functional process grouping.

DESCRIPTION:

This process encompasses monitoring, analyzing and controlling the performance of a service perceived by all customer of a service class The Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting process is responsible for restoring the service performance to a level specified in a SLA or other service descriptions as soon as possible. It is also responsible for responding to inquiries and reporting on service performance.

PURPOSE:

To provide effective monitoring and control to ensure that the service levels specified for each service class are maintained and to provide real-time information on the service levels achieved.

BUSINESS RULES:

Valid and complete service level parameters with their values and thresholds.

STARTS WITH (pre-condition):

Notification of a new service class ready to sell and deliver to customers together with the service level parameters and values and thresholds that need to be maintained to provide the service levels required.

INPUT/FROM:

Service Development & Retirement (for notification of the new service class and details of the service level specification against which to compare service performance, also notification of service withdrawal)

Resource Quality Analysis, Action & Reporting (resource performance levels, resource degradation, faults)

S/P Performance Management (service performance information from the S/Ps involved in providing part of a service for the SP – including degradations, S/P inquiries/complaints about service quality)



Customer QoS/SLA Management (customer inquiries, complaints, reports, etc. about service quality that Customer QoS/SLA Management cannot solve plus any performance degradations against SLAs that are picked up by the Customer QoS/SLA Management process)

Service Configuration & Activation (information on resources activated for a customer which should be included in the performance monitoring for the service and also on all resource modifications during the service lifetime)

Service Problem Management (information about problems that are being dealt with)

OUTPUT/TO:

SM&O - Service Quality Management (service performance levels for statistical and other long-term analyses)

Resource Quality Analysis, Action & Reporting (requests for performance data, notification of performance problems)

Customer QoS/SLA Management (information on service performance levels, responses to inquiries)

Service Problem Management (notification of performance degradation that needs to be dealt with and KQI violations for root cause analysis)

S/P Performance Management (information on service performance levels, responses to inquiries, notification of performance degradation that needs to be restored)

ENDS/WITH (post-condition):

The service is withdrawn

PROCESS ACTIVITIES OR STEPS:

- Sets up and maintains monitoring of the resources involved in providing a service

- Establishes whether the service performance levels are meeting the service level specification

- Initiates procedures to counter service performance degradation

- Tracks a service performance degradation until it is resolved

- Responds to inquiries and provides reports on service performance

FUNCTIONS:

See decompositions and flows



INFORMATION REQUIRED:

The performance level attributes, their values and the thresholds (hard and soft) for every service class

The resources involved in providing the service (both internally and from suppliers and partners)

The performance data to be analyzed

REQUIREMENTS:

Automated performance monitoring and threshold violation notification procedures

Security

HINTS:

None at this level

REFERENCED/SOURCE:

TOM 2.1 (GB910)

eTOM 2.5 (GB921)

SLA Management Handbook (GB917)

WSMT team

ACCOUNTABLE:

Not applicable

The Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting process is decomposed into a set of Level 3 processes, shown in Figure 4.5. This figure also shows candidate Level 4 processes below each of the Level 3 processes. These are under study.



Service ConstraintIdentification &Reporting

Service QualityAnalysis

ServiceImprovement

Service QualityMonitoring

Performance DataCollection

Alarm Logging

Abnormal UsageMonitoring

Usage & CostData Monitoring

Service UsageMonitoring

Service CostMonitoring

Alarm Analysis

Abnormal UsageAnalysis

Performance DataAnalysis

Service CostAnalysis

Service UsageCost Analysis

Service ProvisionCost Analysis

CostingCorrelation

Service QualityImprovement

Service CostImprovement

ResourceImprovement

TechnicalConstraintIdentification

OperationalConstraintIdentification

ServicePerformanceShortfall Reporting

ServicePerformanceInquiry Response

Service QualityAnalysis, Action &Repor

Figure 4.5: Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting - Level 3 (and candidate Level 4) Processes

The Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting Level 3 processes are described below.

SERVICE QUALITY MONITORING

This process collects and stores all quality indicators in relation with the service, such as congestion events, resource alarm events. It also performs automated testing using simulated calls or simulating standard user behaviour, and collects data and identify abnormal usage by the service users, i.e. bad passwords, terminal configurations.

USAGE & COST DATA MONITORING

Collects usage data (such as number of customers, peak hour traffic, etc) and compiles service associated costs, such as infrastructure costs and process (invoicing, provisioning...) costs.



SERVICE QUALITY ANALYSIS

Using the raw data coming from S. Quality Monitoring, this process will correlate the events in order to filteri repetitive alarms, or failure events that do not affect the quality delivered, and will calculate service quality indicators, (such as Mean Time Between Fails, chronic problems) in order to assess the effectiveness of the service and identify the actual quality level perceived by the customers against forecasted quality levels.

SERVICE COST ANALYSIS

From the raw data collected by Usage & Cost Data Monitoring, this process will calculate service efficiency indicators (such as Answer to Send Ratio, percentage of resources used, etc) in order to assess the efficiency of the service against resource and process costs.

SERVICE IMPROVEMENT

Assess and recommends improvements using the information coming from Service Quality Analysis and Service Cost Analysis in order to improve and/or correct deviations from the forecasted quality and costs standards. This recommendation will be passed to customer layer, resource layer or Service Configuration Process.

SERVICE CONSTRAINT IDENTIFICATION & REPORTING

This process identifies the constraints than can affect service quality standards, (i.e resource failures, capacity shortages due to unexpected demand peaks, ) and passes this information to the CRM layer in order to keep customers informed.

Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting Level 3 Process Flows

Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting Level 3 Process Flows provide insight into the process interactions around the Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting Level 2 process, and how these interactions map into the internal structure of this process, to/from the contained level 3 processes (see above for decomposition).

Figure 4.6 shows the Service Problem Management structure and the process interactions involved.



Figure 4.6: Service Quality Analysis, Action and Reporting - Level 3 Process Flows

Assurance End-to-End Flows

Assurance forms a Level 1 process within the eTOM Operations Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 4.7, and GB921 for further details)




Within the work program on Assurance, attention concentrated on developing a view of the end-to-end process flows that link the processes involved in the assurance activity. This provides additional insight into the operation of the processes concerned, and also explains the dynamic behavior of the processes in terms of event associations, information transfer and the sequencing of process steps involved in the overall procedures.

The goal of this analysis is to document process flows at Level 3 (and eventually below), but in examining this area it is useful to show higher-level interactions as an aid to understanding the context of the process relationships. This work therefore follows the overall methodology described previously (see Methodology for Process Analysis).

The focus is on Assurance for a Mobile VPN (Virtual Private Network) Transmission Affected Customer Corporate service, so as to allow a realistic scenario to be used in developing the flows concerned. However, it is intended that the work has general application, not just in the context of this service, and consequently care has been taken not to make the flows service-specific.

Cases where resources are provided form within the service provider’s own domain, as well as where suppliers and partners are involved in this, have been taken into account.

At this point, the views that have been developed indicate sequencing, and imply involvement by different Level 3 processes within the indicated Level 2



process as shown in Figure 4.8, Figure 4.9 and Figure 4.10. Here, a given Level 2 process may be shown several times, to allow the sequencing of its involvement in the flow to be more clearly seen. Typically, different functionality is involved at each point for a given Level 2 process, so this is a step towards identification of the specific Level 3 process or processes, within the Level 2 process which will support the interactions.

Note that these diagrams are derived from the model developed for this E2E flow within the process modeling tool.

Service

Management

and

Operations

Customer

Relationship

Management

Resource

Managementand

Operations

Supplier/Partner

RelationshipManagement

Customer

(SPM)

Evaluation

and

Qualification

(SPM)

Evaluation

and

Qualification

(SPM)

Diagnosis

(SPM)

Diagnosis

(SPM)

Resolution

Planning and

Assignment

(SPM)

Resolution

Planning and

Assignment

(SPM)

Resolution

Tracking

(SPM)

Resolution

Tracking

(SPM)

Closing and

Reporting

(SPM)

Closing and

Reporting

Problem

Handling

Problem

Handling

Customer

QoS/SLA

Management

Customer

QoS/SLA

Management

Resource

Restoration

Resource

Restoration

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

Customer

complaint

(SQAAR)

Service

Improvement

(SQAAR)

Service

Improvement

Problem

Handling

Problem

HandlingProblem

Handling

Problem

Handling

Service

Configuration

and

Activation

Service

Configuration

and

Activation

Customer

Notification

Trouble

Ticket Service

Problem

DescriptionRoot

Cause

Problem

Persist

Plan

Finished

Action

Plan

Bad Quality

Indicator

Problem

Report

Improvement

proposal

Restoration

Request

Restoration

Finished

Estimated Time

of Repair Problem

Cleaned

Problem

Report

Restoration

Update

Level 2 Process

Level 3 Process

Figure 4.8: Detailed View of Assurance Process Flows at Level 2 (source: customer complaint)



Service

Management

and

Operations

Customer

Relationship

Management

Resource

Managementand

Operations

Supplier/Partner


Customer

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis(SPM)

Diagnosis

(SPM)

Diagnosis

(SPM)

Resolution

Planning and

Assignment

(SPM)

Resolution

Planning and

Assignment

(SPM)

Resolution

Tracking

(SPM)

Resolution

Tracking

(SPM)

Closing and

Reporting

(SPM)

Closing and

Reporting

Customer

QoS/SLA

Management

Customer

QoS/SLA

Management

Resource

Restoration

Resource

Restoration

Alarm Fault

Root

Cause

Problem

Persist

Plan

Finished

Action

Plan

Restoration

Request

Restoration

Finished

Problem

Report

Resource

Problem

management

Resource

Problem

management

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Monitoring

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Monitoring

Alarm

Fault

Key Performance

Indicators

Service Problem

Notification

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Improvement

(SQAAR)

Service

Improvement

Service

Configuration

and

Activation

Service

Configuration

and

Activation

Bad Quality

Indicator

Problem

Report

Improvement

proposal

Level 2 Process

Level 3 Process

Figure 4.9: Detailed View of Assurance Process Flows at Level 2 (source: alarm fault)

Service

Management

and

Operations

Customer

Relationship

Management

Resource

Managementand

Operations

Supplier/Partner


Customer

(SQAAR)

Service

Cost

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Cost

Analysis(SPM)

Diagnosis

(SPM)

Diagnosis

(SPM)

Resolution

Planning and

Assignment

(SPM)

Resolution

Planning and

Assignment

(SPM)

Resolution

Tracking

(SPM)

Resolution

Tracking

(SPM)

Closing and

Reporting

(SPM)

Closing and

Reporting

Customer

QoS/SLA

Management

Customer

QoS/SLA

Management

Resource

Restoration

Resource

Restoration

Root

Cause

Problem

Persist

Plan

Finished

Action

Plan

Restoration

Request

Restoration

Finished

Problem

Report

Resource

Problem

management

Resource

Problem

management

(SQAAR)

Usage & Cost

Data

Monitoring

(SQAAR)

Usage & Cost

Data

Monitoring

Key Performance

Indicators

Service Problem

Notification

Statistics

CDR

Statistics

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Quality

Analysis

(SQAAR)

Service

Improvement

(SQAAR)

Service

Improvement

Service

Configuration

and

Activation

Service

Configuration

and

Activation

Bad Quality

Indicator

Problem

Report

Improvement

proposal

Level 2 Process

Level 3 Process

Figure 4.10: Detailed View of Assurance Process Flows at Level 2 (source: statistics and CDR)



Chapter 5 - Resource Management

Overview

Resource Management & Operations (RM&O) forms a Level 1 process within the eTOM Operations Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 5.1, and GB921 for further details). Resource Development & Management (RD&M) forms a corresponding Level 1 process within the eTOM Strategy, Infrastructure & product Level 0 process grouping (see Figure 5.1). Together, RM&O and RD&M constitute a Resource Management layer spanning both of these Level 0 process groupings.


The work program on Resource Management is proceeding initially in a different way from some of the other areas discussed in this document. The focus at this stage is to present information more in the form of an application note, to allow discussion on some of the themes and issues which are significant for development of Resource Management. With this in mind, a



number of areas of interest have been included below, with the intention that the ongoing consideration of these is used as a basis for developing process decompositions, flows, etc, that are relevant to the Resource Management domain. The initial focus is on the Operations domain, i.e., on RM&O rather than RD&M, but this will develop over time.

The current areas of interest are:

What are Resources - definition of the resources relevant to the Resource Management domain, and how these interact

Resources and the eBusiness Environment – analysis of additional or modified requirements on Resource Management for ebusiness

Resources and NGOSS – analysis of the linkage from Resource Management through to system and information/data within NGOSS.

Resources and TMN – analysis of the impact of interaction with and support for TMN-based networks and other resources.

Product, Service and Resource – definition of the entities/artifacts involved in support for Resource information, and the link with Service information and eventually Product information.

Resources and Service Level Agreements – analysis of the link between resource performance and support to the eventual customer SLA.

Example Product – description and analysis of the use of Resource Management in a non-traditional, multi-service product scenario, to allow exploration of the implications of this area of eTOM development on a management solution

RM&O Process Decompositions – specific proposals on process decompositions within RM&O to Level 3 and beyond, together with appropriate related process flow definitions

Related Standards – description of significant related work in other bodies which is relevant to the evolution of this domain

Each of these topics is developed within the individual sections below.

Figure 5.2 shows the RM&O Level 2 processes, and Figure 5.3 shows the RD&M level 2 processes, to provide context for this work.



Resource

Provisioning &

Allocation to

Service Instance

Resource QualityResource Data

Collection,

Analysis & Control

Resource

Management &

Operations

©TeleManagement Forum October, 2002

RM&O OperationsReadiness

RM&O Support &

Process

ManagementAnalysis, Action &

Reporting

Resource Problem

Management

Figure 5.2: Resource Management & Operations Level 2 Processes

© Te l e M a n a g e m e n t F o ru m O c to b e r, 2 0 0 1

R e s o urce

D e ve lo p m e nt &

M a n a g e m e nt

R e s o urce &

Te c h n o lo g y

S tra te g y & P o licy

R e s o urce &

Te c h n o lo g y

P la n ning &

C o m m i tm e nt

R e s o urce &

O p e ra tio ns

C a p a b i l i ty D e live ry

R e s o urce

P e r fo rm a nce

A s s e s sm e nt

R e s o urce

D e ve lo p m e nt

Figure 5.3: Resource Development & Management Level 2 Processes

What are Resources

The starting point for consideration of Resource Management is what is meant by “resource”. In the past, most attention in this area was focused on the telecommunications network itself, with its Network Elements, their differing role within the communications infrastructure, and the functionality and data which they supported. Nowadays, a broader view of resource is needed, including not just the network, but the IT infrastructure, the information and content carried, and even the human resources involved with the hardware, software and systems.

One of the objectives of the Resource Management subteam is therefore to contribute to the understanding of what resources are:

Resources are part of an enterprise's infrastructure utilized by a Service or a good procured by the market. They are drawn from the Application, Computing and Network domains, and include, for example, Network Elements, software, IT systems, and technology components.



One of the other objectives is to explore and document how Resource Management integrates across the different types of resources: Application, Computing and Network. For example, the Element and Network Management Systems (EMS/NMS) also considered as Computing/Application Resources. Even the Network Elements belong to that category.

It should be noted that, since eTOM is a Business Process Framework, the Resource Management subteam will maintain a Business View, rather than a Technology or Systems View.

The eTOM Process Framework defines two horizontal process groupings: Resource Development and Management in the Lifecycle Management domain and Resource Management and Operations in the Fulfillment-Assurance-Billing domain.

Follows some initial Resource definitions which form the basis for the Resource Model development in the SID team. This can be used as background information while developing the Resource Management understanding.

An "element" (device) is a logical resource entity that consists of physical "equipment" (hardware), software and data. They can be of type:

"network element" such as a router.

"information content element" such as a web server.

"security element" such as an AAA server.

others ?

Collections of "network elements" along with "policies", "protocols", and "profiles" can form "networks".

Collections of "elements" may also comprise "systems", such as a system of web servers which load share, or provide redundancy.

"services" are performed for customers by "elements", "systems", and "networks".

"service access points" are provided by "elements".

An "application" is a software package used by a customer, which resides on customer equipment.



Resource Classifications

Follows a description of how resources can be classified, which can be used as a basis for brainstorming on this topic. This should also be validated with the Resource Model being developped by the SID team.

Resources can be classified in several ways. The first way is to categorise them by technology (e.g. telecom equipment, applications etc.). However, this may lead to the fact that processes are divided according to technology at too high level. The other way is to start from physical and logical components. Logical resources are non-tangible characteristics of an element impelmented using physical resources (computing).

DuctCable Manhole Cabinet

Physical

Resource

Processing

hardware?

Systems

software

Application

software

Logical

Resource

Virtual

Path/Trail

Logical

addressProcess Parameter

IC Service

Resource

Power

unit

Connection

point

Radio

frequency

NOTE: The problem here may be, that technological differences may appear at too low level. The figure above represents only a very drafty version of the resource classification. How does one classify hard disk space or memory space! Can this classification never be normalised?

From management point of view the main difference between physical and logical resource are, that physical resources cannot be fully managed without physical contact (either directly by humans or using robotics or other telemechanics). Logical resources can be managed using OSS functions.



Integration across Application, Computing and Network components

Since Network Management and Systems Management (Computing and Application) are quite different problem spaces (from a scale, security and history, … point of view), it was suggested that until we have further developed the model, we would keep Resources as an integration entity at the highest layer, but then split the specifics of Network and Systems Management at the lower level. This means that for the time being we will handle the Application and Computing resources separately, and only focus on Network Resources. However while we further develop the Resource Management & Operations and Resource Development and Management, we should be open and alert for area’s where specifics of these resource types are applicable.

It is expected that a number of standardization activities might give us a good insight in this:

ITIL (defines how to run IT in a company, but in particular, it is also used by ISP’s and ASP’s)

MS Operations Framework (set of applications, ITIL compliant)

Note: Current (new) release of ITIL includes only Service Delivery and Service Support. The books under construction are ICT Infrastructure Management (which in the coming release includes Systems Management for the first time) and Applications Management. These are of course the most important ones concerning resource management.

While looking at the above standards, we will do this from a Resource Management point of view, but should be aware of potential relevance to other areas of eTOM.

Resources and the eBusiness Environment

The eBusiness model requires infrastructure, a delivery platform and also the content to be delivered. We plan to further study the dynamics of the eBusiness environment, in order to better understand what resources are, their relationship to the Products and Services, and how resources are owned.

To be developed in the future



Resources and NGOSS

Resource Management, due to its direct association with real-world entities in the network, the computing infrastructure, etc, is the area of eTOM where linkage with the system and data application is most apparent. With eTOM’s role as the business drive into the rest of the NGOSS environment, Resource Management has a special significance in supporting this linkage.

System View Aspects

The NGOSS System View defines a number of Management domains as shown in Figure 5.4. The Technology and Equipment Management Domains represent Resources.

Operations

Enterprise

Managem

ent

Custom

er

Suppl

ier/P

artn

er

SI&P L

ifecy

cle

Man

agem

ent

Product

Customer

Invoice/

Payment

Mkt/Sales Service

Supplier/

Partner

Technology

Workforce

Equipment

Business

Portfolio

Enterprise

Operations

Enterprise

Managem

ent

Custom

er

Suppl

ier/P

artn

er

SI&P L

ifecy

cle

Man

agem

ent

ProductProduct

CustomerCustomer

Invoice/

Payment

Mkt/SalesMkt/Sales ServiceService

Supplier/

Partner

Supplier/

Partner

Technology

Workforce

Equipment

BusinessBusiness

PortfolioPortfolio

Enterprise

Figure 5.4: System View Management Domains



Further study of how Resource Management is mapping to these Management Domains is expected to be performed.

Shared Information and Data Model Aspects

The NGOSS Shared Information and Data Model has similar Management Domain as defined within the Systems View. SIDM is very relevant for the activities of the Resource Management subteam, as SIDM defines Business Entities such as Resource, Service and Product.

Resources and TMN

Many existing environments employ TMN principles in their management strategies, and – as with the relationship with NGOSS discussed above – Resource Management is a key area in linking with this

This will be the subject of future work.

Terminology

One of the issues to get closure upon is whether we need to current eTOM terminology, or go for an alignment with the TMN terminology:

Resource Provisioning -> Resource Configuration

Resource Problem Management -> Resource Fault

Resource Quality Analysis -> Resource PerformanceResource Data Collection - > Resource Usage

Product, Service and Resource

Product, Service and Resource are key concepts in the structuring of eTOM . They are also central to definition of common information and data used in developing a solution around the eTOM approach. To support the modeling work, it is not only important to understand what Resources are, but also to get a grasp of how Resources related to Services and Products.



The following definition is a good starting point for the work which is currently still ongoing. This should be further addressed in a larger audience, including the eTOM, SID and System Teams.

“A Product is an externally facing representation of a service and/or resource procured by the market. For example, a real-time broadcast of a football match. A Service is an intangible realization of a Product or something provided in support of a Product. For example, a video streaming connection used to transmit the football match to a customer's PDA; an installation service provided for a cable modem. A Resource is part of an enterprise's infrastructure utilized by a Service or a good procured by the market. For example, a wireless network is utilized by the video streaming connection; an inventory of cable modems offered to the market.”

Since there is such a wide variety of technologies which enable an even wider range of services, that on turn can be packaged in a large number of products to offer to the customers, it is a challenge to represent that relationship in simple terms. However we will continue working this. In the next section, we will provide an example of this relationship for a specific service.

Resources and Service Level Agreements

The Resource Management area is focused “down” towards the managed environment, rather than “up” towards the Customer (to use the orientation shown in eTOM). Nevertheless, Resource Management must support customer interaction, and in particular the customer’s Service Level Agreement (SLA) through gathering of all the necessary information about resource operation to allow SLA provisions to be assessed and a decision to be made on whether the SLA has been adequately met. This aspect of Resource Management is linked with the interaction among Resource, Service and Product discussed previously

Thus, while we will continue detailing the Resource Management & Operations, we need to be aware of which are the main resources for SLA Information.

When talking about SLA, people typically do not distinguish between Communications Services (technology related) and Operations Services (everything around the technology such as for example the responsiveness of customer agents). When referring to resources, we should talk specifically about Communications Service Level Agreement (i.e. QoS, COS, TOS, GOS...).



Communications SLA’s can be "easily" negotiated automatically (machine-to-machine), whereas Operations SLA’s are more complicated (e.g. how expensive it is to gurantee 2 hour TTRS any time instead of 4 hour TTRS during normal working hours).

Whether sources of information for OSLA or CSLA are more important depends on the type of the service (e.g. availability more important than guaranteed bitrate).

The SLA handbook will be used to guide the work in this context.

Example Product

As will be seen from the previous material, there are many aspects to Resource Management to be considered. To assist in linking these together, and to translate the analysis into a practical description of how Resource Management works, we apply these ideas to an “example product” demonstrating the implications for a real-world application scenario.

For an example product, we will provide the following:

Product Definition

Reference Architecture

Product/Service/Resource Relationship

Business Context Model

Resource Ownership

The example which is described hereafter is based on the current understanding of how Products, Services and Resources relate to one another, and will be further tuned as models are being developed.

First a few definitions:

A Product Offering is what is offered to the customers

A Producdt is an instance of a Producdt Offering, what is owned by the customer

Applications run on Customer Equipment as well as on servers



Product Definition

From your Service Provider, you bought a Relax-n-Enjoy Product, which is an extension on the basic UMTS product you already bought a while ago. It provides a number of Personalized and location based product offerings such as:

MusiScope

MovieScope

Restaurant Assist

Pub Locator

Subscribers to the Pub Locator product offering can obtain the location of the nearest pub in their neighborhood. A customer can browse the entire beer list, the list of Belgian beers on tab or just query whether they serve your favorite beer.

In addition to locating the nearest pub, the customer can also look for pubs that serve a favorite beer, based on the customer’s personal preferences.

The product can also display the route to the pub from the customer’s current location.

Reference Architecture

We will use the OSA/PARLAY Reference Architecture to support the elaboration of the example product offering.



The OSA/Parlay Gateway, is a so called Service Capability Server. It offers the API

interfaces and hence can be found at the edge of the Service Network and the Core

Network.

Applications access network capabilities through the API's and get accessed via the OSA/Parlay API's.

Product/Service/Resource Relationship

Product Offerings

Relax-n-Enjoy:

set of Personalized and Location Based Product Offerings

pre-requisite: basic UMTS service

monthly subscription fee

Charges incurred on per “click”-based cost unit

Relax-n-Enjoy consists of following product offerings:



MusiScope

MovieScope

RestaurantGuide

Pub Locator

We will further detail the Pub Locator Product Offering

Services

The Pub Locator Offering is realized by the following service

Access to pub locater application

Maps to pubs

Applications

The Pub Locator Offering makes use of following applications:

Map Display

Pub Locator

User Location

Authentication, Authorization and Accounting

User Profile

Computing Resources

The Pub Locator Offering makes use of following computing resources:

Application Servers

AAA Server

We should make a distinction between Network Provider and other resources.

Network Resources

The Pub Locator Offering makes use of following network resources:



3G Network Resources

Core Network Resources

Service Capability Network Resources

Business Context Model

This will be subject of future work.

Resource Ownership

This will be subject of future work.

RM&O Process Decompositions

To date, preliminary process decomposition work was initiated for:

Resource Provisioning and Allocation to Service Instance

Resource Problem Management

Resource Data Collection, Analysis and Control

Related Standards

A good deal of work has been already taken place, or is ongoing, in formal standards bodies, industry groups, etc which relates to consideration of Resource Management. This current work draws particularly on the following:

TMN

TMN (Telecommunications Management Network) standardization activities are a part of the ITU-T (previously CCITT)

The TMN architecture M.3010* Principles for a Telecommunications Management Network, provides general principles for planning, operating

http://www.itu.ch/



and maintaining a telecommunications management network. It provides a physical and information architecture based on the manager - agent concepts from (X.701*), OSI Systems Management Overview. X.701 supports transaction-oriented TMN applications. The TMN functional architecture introduces layering of TMN management functionality.

Recommendation M.3400 provides specifications of TMN management functions and TMN management function sets. A TMN management function is a cooperative interaction between application processes in managing and managed systems for the management of telecommunications resources, and is the smallest functional part of a TMN management service as perceived by the TMN users.

See: www.itu.int/TMN/Getstart.html

ITIL

Originally established in the early 1980s by the UK govt Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) as a set of guidance for best practice management of Information Technology and Telecommunications operations. It has matured to provide a standard approach to the processes and functions of technology infrastructure service management.

The ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) standard for Service Management is; Public domain; business focussed; has a quality approach; is the defacto standard for service management.

The ITIL Service Management Process Maturity Model has nine "Levels”:

Level 5 Customer Interface Level 4.5 External integration Level 4 Management Information Level 3.5 Quality Control Level 3 Products Level 2.5 Internal integration Level 2 Process Capability Level 1.5 Management Intent Level 1 Prerequisites See www.itil.co.uk

OSA/PARLAY

The Parlay Group has been created in 1998 to promote open Application Programming Interfaces (API) that links IT applications with the capabilities of the networks. It is an open, multi-vendor forum organized to create open, technology independent APIs enabling the development of applications



across multiple networks. It is a group that includes nearly 50 companies with most of the largest telco operators, network equipment vendors and IT companies.

The Parlay Group has defined a set of APIs to enable a new generation of off-the-shelf network applications/components (e.g. messaging, mobility, end-to-end quality of service, etc.) to be developed by application providers (ISV/ASP) independent of the underlying voice/multimedia network.

Most of the Parlay Group specifications are used as a baseline for 3GPP/OSA (Open Service Access) in the context of mobile networks.

See www.parlay .org

PAM Forum

The PAM Forum is an independent nonprofit consortium dedicated to establishing and promoting Presence and Availability Management (PAM) as an ad hoc industry standard. The focus of the PAM Forum is to develop and promote a presence and availability interface specification that enables software vendors and service providers to bring personalized, interoperable communications services to market. PAM-based services enable customer control of communications choices and privacy options across multiple devices and networks.

See www.pamforum.org

3GPP

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a collaboration agreement that was established in December 1998. The collaboration agreement brings together a number of telecommunications standards bodies which are known as “Organizational Partners”. The current Organizational Partners are ARIB, CWTS, ETSI, T1, TTA, and TTC. The establishment of 3GPP was formalized in December 1998 by the signing of the “The 3rd Generation Partnership Project Agreement”.

The original scope of 3GPP was to produce globally applicable Technical Specifications and Technical Reports for a 3rd Generation Mobile System based on evolved GSM core networks and the radio access technologies that they support (i.e., Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) both Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD) modes). The scope was subsequently amended to include the maintenance and development of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) Technical Specifications and Technical Reports including evolved radio access technologies (e.g. General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE)).

http://www.3gpp.org/Management/OP.htm

http://www.3gpp.org/About/3gppagre.pdf

http://www.3gpp.org/About/3gppagre.pdf



A permanent project support group called the “Mobile Competence Centre (MCC)“ has been established to ensure the efficient day to day running of 3GPP. The MCC is based at the ETSI headquarters in Sophia Antipolis, France.

See www.3gpp.org

http://www.3gpp.org/Support/support.htm

http://www.3gpp.org/Support/support.htm

http://www.3gpp.org/

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