Service- and Asset Management

From idea to implementation to the launch of the final product or feature, a project goes through numerous phases - idea management, portfolio management, project management, and release management. However, with the rollout, the lifecycle is far from complete. The operation of the product and ensuring continuous service are just as critical as its implementation. This is where service management, tightly integrated with asset- and service configuration management, comes into play.

Service management not only takes care of maintenance and operations but also acts as a feedback loop for improvements and changes. This feedback is then reintegrated into portfolio management, closing the loop of lifecycle management. In this blog post, we will explore how companies can optimize their IT and business processes through the integration of service and asset management and how Atlassian tools support this process.

1. The Importance of Service Management: Monitoring and Optimizing Operations

After a successful release, service management takes over responsibility for ongoing monitoring, maintenance, and the operation of the product. The goal is to ensure smooth operation, maintain service levels, and quickly respond to customer requests or incidents.

Key Responsibilities of Service Management:

Customer Satisfaction: Service activities has a major influence on customer satisfaction. Service availability, but also the service delivery itself, ensure custmer satisfaction.
Service Requests: Managing customer inquiries, whether from internal teams or external customers, to ensure continuous support.
Incident Management: Quickly and efficiently addressing incidents to minimize impact on the end user.
Monitoring: Continuously tracking system performance and ensuring operational readiness.

Service management, therefore, serves as a central hub in the product lifecycle, ensuring that all aspects of operations are optimally managed.

2. Asset and Service Configuration Management: Inventory and Transparency of the IT Landscape

Asset and Service Configuration management plays a key role in operational efficiency. It’s not just about managing physical or digital resources but also about providing transparency over the entire IT infrastructure.

Core Aspects of Asset and Service Configuration Management:

Resource Management: Managing hardware and software resources, licenses, and infrastructure components.
Dependencies and Architecture: Shows how infrastructure is connected to create value through the provision of services
Availability Management: Ensuring that all assets are always operational and up to date.
Lifecycle Management: Every resource goes through a lifecycle, from acquisition to decommissioning. Effective asset management ensures that each phase is optimally supported.

Asset- and Service Configuration Management provides a complete overview of the resource landscape, enabling service management to access relevant information in real-time, resolve issues faster, and implement changes more efficiently.

3. The Closed Lifecycle: Feedback Loop and Continuous Improvement

A central element of service management is the feedback loop, which acts as a channel for future changes. Through customer feedback, incident reports, or improvement suggestions, the service team gathers valuable information that feeds directly into change management and thus into portfolio management.

Lifecycle Management Loop

Operations and Monitoring
The product is monitored and managed by service management.
Feedback and Incident Management
Incidents or suggestions for improvement are captured and documented.
Feedback into Portfolio Management
Insights from operations flow back into the portfolio to plan future projects or improvements.
Continuous Improvement and Optimization
Necessary adjustments are made through change management, and new releases are planned.

4. Support through Atlassian Tools: Jira Service Management and Jira Assets

Many companies today adopt approaches that are neither fully agile nor fully traditional. Hybrid models combine elements of both worlds to create more flexibility while retaining structure and control.

These mixed approaches provide companies with the flexibility to manage projects effectively, but they also carry the risk of diluting key principles from both worlds, potentially leading to inefficiencies.

Rainer Warmdt, Senior Consultant bei Communardo Software GmbH

Service and asset management form the core of operations after the rollout of a product. They ensure that the product runs reliably and continues to evolve. The closed lifecycle - from the initial idea to implementation, operation, and ongoing optimization - ensures that companies can respond flexibly to changes and continuously improve their products.

With Atlassian tools like Jira Service Management and Insight, companies have the necessary tools to efficiently manage this process and provide the best support for their operational teams and end users.

Rainer Warmdt, Business Line Manager, Work Management