Software-Mediated Process Assessment for IT Service Capability Management

Process improvements provide a structured approach for an organisation to improve the way they operate. A number of process improvement methodologies such as ISO9000, TQM, Six Sigma, Lean, and Agile have been proposed over the last few decades and subsequently software tools have been developed to apply these methodologies. However, the determination of process capabilities to measure improvements is predominantly conducted by expert process assessors and consultants with their proprietary frameworks. We propose the use of the international standard of process assessment ISO/IEC 15504 for a consistent measurement of process capability. We also demonstrate development of a software tool based on the standard. This tool enables organisations to self-assess their processes efficiently. In this paper, we explain the development and implementation of a software-mediated process assessment approach in the area of IT Service Management at two large public-sector IT organisations in Queensland, Australia. This paper's unique contribution is the integration of the design science research methodology with the task-technology fit theory for the development of the software tool as a research artefact. For practitioners the project demonstrates transparent and efficient self assessment of IT service processes that facilitates continual service improvement.