Application Services Library
The Application Services Library ( ASL) is a collection of guidelines for the application management of existing software applications or the totality of applications in the enterprise. Software applications are given with the introduction of the rule in the maintenance. Maintenance means here (similar to other technical constructs, such as a car) that the software needs to be serviced or needs to be developed for new professional or technical requirements (see a software life cycle). All related processes are summarized by the term " (operating ) application management ."
The Application Services Library ( ASL ) further describes the processes required in the application management organization conducting, so the company's internal IT department or external IT service providers ( management and development of the APM organization).
The Application Services Library ( ASL) is in the public domain (public domain ).
- 2.1 Operational Application Management
- 2.2 Strategic Application Management
- 2.3 Management processes
- 3.1 Maintenance / Maintenance (operative Application Management )
- 3.2 Extension and renewal / renovation and enhancement (operative Application Management )
- 3.3 Coordination processes in operative application management
- 3.4 Application - cycle management (strategic application management )
- 3.5 Organisation cycle management (strategic application management )
- 3.6 Quality Management ( management process )
- 3.7 Service Level Management ( management process )
- 3.8 Cost Management ( management process )
- 3.9 Planning and control ( management process )
- 4.1 Literature
Overview
Definition of " Application Management" by ASL
" Care, maintenance and extension of applications (applications )" as the operational and strategic task; that is, both the care of an application from its current operating operation, maintenance in terms of technical developments and the expansion of applications in terms of new technical components and develop a long- term IT strategy in tune with the organizational strategy.
History
ASL was developed in the late 90s of last century in the Netherlands and since 2002 free in public domain license. The ASL BiSL Foundation cares as a foundation to the (uniform) to develop and compilation of best practices ( best practices ) to implement the Application Management.
Application Management as part of the IT management
The Application Services Library assigns an application management and the APM organization between departments of the company (or the Business Information Management ) and the operation of the applications in the data center (IT infrastructure management ).
The company expects the IT process support and places demands on IT, the company's existing software applications (application landscape ) or to a specific software application and finds the APM the contact, both the current ( existing ) applications professionally and technically know and understand, and the process needs of the department or the respective industry.
On the other hand, the operation of applications are available in the data center ( IT infrastructure management). Here the user therefore an appropriate service ( " mode of administration") is made this application available for use, provided as a service. Accordingly, the ASL interfaces to the professional management of the company (eg via BiSL ( Business Information Service Library) ) and operation of the application (eg via ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library ) ).
The application management can be performed both internally ( ie, by departments of the company ) and externally ( by an IT service provider ). The separation in process areas mixed forms are also possible, such as IT strategy within the company, operational application management at IT service provider.
ASL and ITIL
ASL was developed because the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is (and thus the operation of an application in the data center ) focused on IT infrastructure management. ASL has the focus on the individual software application and the application portfolio, while ITIL has the focus on the IT services and IT infrastructure management ( provision of a defined operational IT Services). ASL is the counterpart of ITIL on the part of the application or application development. ASL is connected via defined process interfaces with ITIL.
Criticism
The ASL is (how many ) frameworks at a high abstraction level. The individual process groups must first be broken in their own work to the individual needs down. This can also lead to different interpretations and misunderstandings.
The ASL is indeed public domain ( "public domain" ), the information is but essentially to be found in the literature. Likewise, no state of development or the further development can be seen; a total lack of " application ASL " itself so to speak, application management.
The ASL is still relatively new and could intervene even further in parts.
The process areas
Operational Application Management
The application and the associated faculty or professional users of the system are supervised by the operative application management. All subjects from the ongoing operation of the application must (operational ) are dissolved, if necessary. In the development of the application, including the associated release management processes For the operative application management therefore requires a large technical and professional proximity to the application (knowledge of the source code of the program and knowledge of the professional environment ).
Strategic Application Management
In terms of the company's long -term strategy, the strategic application management considers the life cycle of the application, ie the timely migration to new software. Or the expiry of the application and integration of the business requirements into other applications.
The strategic application management assigns each application in relation to other applications in the enterprise ( IT environment ), and thus also manages the application portfolio of a company. This includes strategic issues of the development of all applications in the enterprise, such as Java or no Java, Cobol / Mainframe Cobol or no / mainframe, Monolith vs. Client / Server
Analogous to the strategy of the applications (or technology ) "strategic application management " the strategic development of the application management organization are considered in the process area.
Management processes
Stored in-between management processes are the link between the operational and the strategic application management and have controlled both supportive nature.
The process areas in detail
Maintenance / Maintenance (operative Application Management )
The technical maintenance of the application with knowledge of the source code of the program ( program code ) is the contact person for the application operation; accordingly, the Subprozessbereiche are analogous to ITIL: Incident Management, Availability Management, Configuration Management, Capacity Management, Continuity Management.
Maintenance is the central link between the operation of the application and the departments of the company. Of particular importance is the Incident management, ie the management of all requests to the application (failure, slow response times, unexpected results, bugs, change requests / change requests, ...).
Expansion and renewal / renovation and enhancement (operative Application Management )
From the above-mentioned requests for technical requirements (or technical ) extension or renewal of the application may follow. Finally, a " small project ", but are carried out in an existing environment ( release versions, software development environments, version control, etc.) which must - also were " open heart " (that is what then but also development, test, integration and production environments, are also still manage ).
Coordination processes in the operational application management
Inquiries and further developments need to be coordinated, especially when - as is usually the case - even interfaces with other applications are to be considered within and outside the company. In polygon customer, application management, IT infrastructure management, several clients, troubleshooting and further development releases, dependencies to other applications, etc. are the change management (change management ) and the Software Control & Distribution ( release management ) key processes and roles of the operational application management.
Application cycle management (strategic application management )
In the long- term perspective, technologies and requirements change fundamentally. IT must take this into account and think as well as the company long term. The Application Cycle Management considers the application portfolio, so the IT landscape of an enterprise and is planning long-term architectural changes ( " Zoning "). In the near view of the application cycle management is also responsible for the budget management for short-and long -term projects.
Organization - cycle management (strategic application management )
The technology is changing the requirements for the organization that performs application management. On one hand, the requirements change from the outside, therefore the range of the ( internal or external ) market needs to be planned. To meet these requirements, it requires the right structure and process organization, that is, the right personnel (especially in terms of qualifications) and the right to the technology processes.
Quality Management ( management process )
All running processes need to be quality assured in parallel. On one hand, within the meaning of the result on the other hand also in the validation of the chosen processes. The goal should be to improve application management steadily in a continuous improvement process ( plan-do - check-act ).
Service Level Management ( management process )
All services that are offered by the APM organization ultimately Services for an internal or external customers. These services are subject to a Service Level Agreement ( SLA ), ie an agreement with the customer, in which the service quality is regulated (times, response times, mutual expectations and obligations, etc.). The service level management will be developed (SLAs that can offer the APM organization also makes sense ) and creates reports on existing services in order to recognize problems early, before it comes to violation of SLAs.
Cost management ( management process )
Even (or especially ) the Application Management is responsible for the cost pressure and must ultimately the customer and the APM organization bring added value economically as profit (or loss < > Value ) expresses.
Planning and control ( management process )
This process group is formed from the management of APM organization. The management plans and controls all the above-mentioned process areas. It is responsible for implementing the strategic goals together with the existing staff and the development of the application management organization.