Chapter 5. ITIL aligned service support with OTRS::ITSM

Just like ITIL, OTRS::ITSM does not claim to be an "out-of-the-box" solution for all tasks and questions arising in IT service management. It is, in fact, supposed to serve as a flexible, stable and easy to understand information platform that can be adapted to meet the requirements of virtually every organization.

Therefore, please excuse us for bringing the following to your attention: The use of an ITIL aligned tool such as OTRS::ITSM only makes sense if processes, people, and products (IT services) are truly ITIL aligned.

Without the thoughtful tailoring of generic ITIL processes to meet the requirements of the specific business scenario, OTRS::ITSM will not achieve a discernible improvement of the key performance indicators of IT service management.

You should also be aware of the fact that successful ITIL implementation projects typically take up to a year and longer. Their scope and impact on the organization is not to be underestimated. However, we would like to mention that a neatly implemented ITIL aligned ITSM tool can help to save time and money, as the process support of the tool aids and accelerates the process of organizational realignment.

Since version 2.0, OTRS::ITSM supports the following features and processes, which are usually designed during the first phase of an ITIL implementation: Incident Management, Problem Management, Service Level Management, Change Management and the Configuration Management Database.

A more detailed description of use and adaptation of the system can be found in the following sections. Please note that the each OTRS::ITSM package can be installed independently and that their names correspond to their respective ITIL topics.

The implementation of OTRS::ITSM is based on ITIL v3.