IT Service Catalogue

The LEXTA approach to developing an IT service catalogue enables our clients to flexibly create IT services from modular IT service components and thus ensure that IT provides optimal support to business processes.

A wide range of best practice templates ensures that the IT service catalogue is transparent, embodies good market practice and can also be benchmarked – both in relation to service level agreements and to operational level agreements. To achieve this, LEXTA consultants adapt these templates to the individual client requirements, following a pragmatic approach instead of trying to maximise the level of detail.

 

Goals and requirements for an IT service catalogue

  • IT cost allocation that accurately reflects cost factors
    Budgeting is significantly simplified and discussions with service recipients are more straightforward.
  • Identification of cost drivers and optimisation factors
    Services, quality, quantity structures and IT organisation costs/prices become truly transparent.
  • Standardisation of the IT services needed
    Custom solutions are optimised in a way that makes sense for the company.
  • New IT services can be introduced flexibly and quickly
    A tried-and-tested modular approach plus standardisation minimises the effort required for extensions and changes.
  • Much-improved steering for IT
    Precisely demarcated responsibilities for services are defined and a basis for meaningful steering and decision-making is created by using KPIs.
  • Preparing for IT benchmarking and individual right sourcing
    We supply a service average according to market standards, plus costs/prices per defined service on the market.

Methodology

As is our usual practice, we start IT service catalogue projects with an initialisation phase during which we clarify deadlines and responsibilities, and establish a common consensus about the detailed scope. Once project planning is complete, the later process can be divided into four phases:

1

As-is assessment

We use the as-is assessment to first analyse the current documentation and examine the available portfolio. Here, we consider the services and service levels provided, as well as quantity structures and their variability, plus cost/price structures. A GAP analysis is used to visualise the resulting findings.

2

Conceptual design of service model/catalogue

Using best-practice approaches, we then draw up a service model and develop a technical service catalogue. This work produces a business service catalogue with measured quantity structures that is adapted specifically to your requirements and needs.

3

Finance phase

In the subsequent finance phase, we then draft a financial model, which is presented using spreadsheets, and complete unit cost calculations for the services. This detailed presentation guarantees complete cost transparency in relation to the services.

4

Implementation

Finally, we plan the changes during transition to ongoing operations, and document aspects such as the elements and roles required for the service model. We conclude the project with a final implementation plan plus documentation.

Services covered by an IT service catalogue

The IT service catalogue includes almost all IT services provided, and best-practice profiles are available for all of the typical services:

  • Standard IT services (such as client PCs, email)
  • Network services
  • Data centre services
  • Standard applications (SAP)
  • Individual applications

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Cost accounting

The actual costs for the defined IT services are determined as discrete items by means of cost unit accounting within the service catalogue project.

Cost type accounting

Which costs are incurred?

Cost type accounting forms the starting point and the basis for all cost accounting work. Examples of typical cost types in scope here include:

  • Personnel costs
  • External service providers
  • Hardware and software depreciation
  • Hardware servicing
  • Software maintenance
  • Consumables

Cost centre accounting

Where are costs incurred?

Cost types are then collected and assigned to independent spheres of responsibility. Cost centres can also be defined by using the following criteria:

  • By function (e.g. IT procurement)
  • By organisational unit (e.g. Server Operations dept.)
  • By site (e.g. data centre)
  • By technology (e.g. Oracle licenses)

Cost object accounting

What are costs incurred for?

Finally, costs are collected again and allocated to IT services (cost objects). This provides the basis for unit cost accounting as well as pricing.

We are also happy to offer workshops where we work together to identify the options and potential for your business in relation to an IT service catalogue.

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