Last week we gave you an introduction to ISO 20000, the Service Management Standard. As a refresher, the aim of the standard is to provide a framework for an effective end-to-end service management system which encompasses the entire lifecycle of a service from concept and design, through to service removal and end-of-life. It’s best adopted by businesses who provide a service, particularly those that operate a help / service desk system. For some this may still seem a bit nebulous, especially for those that may not be familiar with Service Management terminology. To help demystify this Standard, we’ve brought Steve back to take a deeper dive into what makes this Standard unique. Join Steve Mason and Mel in this weeks’ episode as they explore Clauses 7 and 8 of ISO 20000 in more detail, and how certain aspects can apply to any business.    You’ll learn ●      What is ISO 20000? ●      What is included in Clause 8 of ISO 20000? ●      How can ISO 20000 apply to any business?   Resources ●      isologyhub ●      ISO 20000   In this episode, we talk about: [00:43] What is ISO 20000? Go back and listen to our previous episode to learn what ISO 20000 is, a brief overview of the key clauses and the benefits of adopting the Service Management Standard.   [02:00]  A recap of the main requirements of the Standard: ·       4.0 Context of the Organisation ·       5.0 Leadership ·       6.0 Planning ·       7.0 Support of Service Management System ·       8.0 Operation of the Service Management System ·       9.0 Performance Evaluation ·       10.0 Improvement Clauses 7 and 8 are where the main differences lie between this Standard and others. It includes requirements for aspects such as: ·       Service Portfolio ·       Relationship Agreements ·       Supply and Demand ·       Service Design and Transition ·       Resolution and Fulfilment [03:15] Similarities with other ISO Standards – Ultimately, this standard in terms of the structure, it looks like any other ISO standard, i.e. we've got context of the organisation, leadership, Planning, performance Evaluation and improvement. These will be familiar if you’ve worked with ISO 9001, ISO 14001 or ISO 27001.  [04:05] Clause 7 –  Support of Service Management System: This is where we’re really looking at the competency awareness communications and documented information required by the standard. In 7.5 there is a really useful list of all the documented information that's required in the management system – one that we wish was included in every ISO Standard! That required documented information doesn’t have to be in writing, it could be on computer or established system. Another key aspect of Clause 7 is Knowledge – this is about ensuring all knowledge is documented and sharable and not just stuck in people’s heads. For Service Management, this may involve the creation of a customer portfolio where you can record any incidents that occur during a service call, and how you dealt with it ect. Competence is also another major component – Make sure people are competent to do their job, i.e. they’ve been trained to do things properly and effectively. [06:40] Different ways of knowledge sharing – Knowledge sharing doesn’t just have to be written down – it could be done via a recorded video. We use Loom a lot at Blackmores to get things across quickly.   There are also a number of service desk tools available that can help you put together process flow diagrams to make things easier to understand. [08:15] Clause 8 – Operation of the Service Management System: Before you do any sort of service management, you need to plan it properly – otherwise, if you fail to plan, you’ll plan to fail. First you need to understand what resources you have, what activities there are in the service management to deliver that service to the customer and ensure that they're coordinated. A top tip from Steve: Separate resources into five groups: people, technology, information,