Business Process

Framework (eTOM)
Enhanced Telecom Operations Map® (eTOM)

Concepts and Principles

Release 8.0
GB921 Concepts and Principles
Version 8. 1

November, 2008

©TM Forum 2008

 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

Notice

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

Table of Contents
Notice.................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................................. 3
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................... 5
1. Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 6
2. Preface............................................................................................................................................................ 8
2.1. Business Process Framework (eTOM) ......................................................................................... 8
3. Chapter 1- Business Process Framework Introduction ....................................................................... 10
3.2. Purpose of the Business Process Framework ............................................................................ 10
What is the eTOM? ................................................................................................................................. 13
3.3. eTOM is More Than One Document ........................................................................................... 17
3.4. Using This Document ................................................................................................................... 17
3.5. Intended Audience ........................................................................................................................ 18
3.6. Benefits of Using the eTOM framework....................................................................................... 20
4. Chapter 2 – The eTOM Business Process Framework......................................................................... 21
4.7. Core eTOM single enterprise viewpoint ...................................................................................... 21
4.7.1. eTOM framework Conceptual View (Level 0) ..................................................................... 22
4.7.2. eTOM Business Process Framework CxO Level View (Level 1) ...................................... 24
4.7.3. Operations Process Area Level 1 Process Groupings ....................................................... 27
4.7.4. Strategy Infrastructure & Product Process Area Level 1 Process Groupings ................... 32
4.7.5. Enterprise Management Process Area Level 1 Process Groupings ................................. 36
4.8. External Interactions ..................................................................................................................... 38
4.9. Process Flow Modeling Approach ............................................................................................... 41
4.10. Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 42
5. Chapter 3 – The emergence of e-business within the ICT Market ...................................................... 43
5.11. What is e-business? ................................................................................................................... 43
5.12. Implications of e-business on the for Service Providers ........................................................... 44
5.12.1. How can a Service Provider migrate towards e-business ................................................ 45
5.13. An e-business Reference Model................................................................................................ 46
5.13.1. Customer ............................................................................................................................. 47
5.13.2. Service Provider .................................................................................................................. 47
5.13.3. Complementary Provider.................................................................................................... 48
5.13.4. Intermediary ........................................................................................................................ 48
5.13.5. Supplier................................................................................................................................ 48
6. Annex A – eTOM Concepts ....................................................................................................................... 50
6.14. Overview...................................................................................................................................... 50
6.15. Business Concepts ..................................................................................................................... 50
6.15.1. eTOM Framework and Process Implementation Concepts ............................................. 51
6.16. End-to-End Process Flow Concepts.......................................................................................... 54
6.16.1. eTOM Business Process Framework Process Flows ...................................................... 54
6.16.2. Operations Processes ........................................................................................................ 55
7. Annex B – Terminology and Acronym Glossary................................................................................... 58
7.17. Terminology................................................................................................................................. 58
7.18. Acronyms .................................................................................................................................... 64
8. Appendix 1 – TM Forum NGOSS and eTOM .......................................................................................... 67
8.18.1. Note: Relationship to Standardization Activities ................................................................ 68

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

9. Administrative Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 69

9.1. Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................... 69
9.2. Document History ......................................................................................................................... 69
9.2.1. Version History ...................................................................................................................... 69
9.2.2. Release History ..................................................................................................................... 70
9.3. About TM Forum .......................................................................................................................... 70

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

List of Figures
Figure 1.1: eTOM Business Process Framework - Level 0 Processes 14
Figure 1.2: eTOM Business Process Framework - Level 1 Processes 16
Figure 2.1: eTOM Business Process Framework Conceptual Structure 22
Figure 2.2: eTOM Level 0 View of Level 1 Process Groupings 25
Figure 2.3: eTOM OPS Vertical Process Groupings 28
Figure 2.4: eTOM Operations Horizontal Functional Process Groupings 30
Figure 2.5: eTOM SIP Vertical End-end Process Groupings 33
Figure 2.6: eTOM SIP Horizontal Functional Process Groupings 35
Figure 2.7: eTOM Enterprise Management Process Groupings 37
Figure 2.8: the eTOM framework and the external environment 40
Figure 3.1: The e-business Reference Model 47
Figure A.1: The Operations End-To-End Process Breakdown 56
Figure A.2: FAB End-To-End and Flow-through Process Flows 57
Figure App1.1: TM Forum NGOSS Framework 67

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

1. Executive Summary
The Business Process Framework (eTOM) is an ongoing TM Forum initiative to
provide a business process framework for use by service providers and others within
the telecommunications industry. The TM Forum Business Process Framework
(commonly known as eTOM) describes all the enterprise processes required by a
service provider and analyzes them to different levels of detail according to their
significance and priority for the business. For such companies, it serves as the
blueprint for process direction and provides a neutral reference point for internal
process reengineering needs, partnerships, alliances, and general working
agreements with other enterprises. For suppliers, the eTOM framework outlines
potential boundaries of software components to align with the customers' needs and
provides insight on the required functions, inputs, and outputs that must be supported
by products.

A particular strength of eTOM as a business process framework is that it is part of the

TM Forum NGOSS (New Generation Operations Systems and Software) initiative
and links with other work underway in NGOSS.

The eTOM work has built on and enhanced the previous TM Forum Telecom
Operations Map, and eTOM sets a vision for the industry to enable it to compete
successfully through the implementation of business process-driven approaches to
managing the enterprise. This includes ensuring integration of all vital enterprise
support systems concerned with service delivery and support. The focus of the eTOM
framework is on the business processes used by service providers, the linkages
between these processes, the identification of interfaces, and the use of customer,
service, resource, supplier/partner and other information by multiple processes.

From the highest enterprise-wide level, the eTOM framework defines a business
process framework using hierarchical decomposition to structure the business
processes. The process descriptions, and their relationship, as well as other key
elements are defined. The eTOM framework represents the whole of a service
provider’s enterprise environment, and is defined as generically as possible so that it
is organization, technology and service independent.

The eTOM framework can be used as a tool for analyzing an organization’s existing
processes and for developing new processes. In applying the eTOM framework,
different processes delivering the same business functionality can be identified,
duplication eliminated, gaps revealed, new process design speeded up, and variance
reduced. Using the eTOM framework the value, cost and performance of individual
processes within an organization can be assessed.

Relationships with suppliers and partners can be facilitated by identifying and

categorizing the processes used in interactions. In a similar manner, the all-important
customer relationship processes can be identified and an evaluation made on
whether they are functioning as required to meet customers’ expectations.

This Release 8.0 of the eTOM Framework builds on previous releases, with updates
in three main areas:
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o Implementation of Recommendations of the previously-published TR143

“Building Bridges, ITIL & eTOM” to embed ITIL processes in eTOM
o Process updates affecting the “Billing” column in Operations, reflecting
updates from Global Billing Association work, through the Revenue
Management Team
o Introduction of a new GB921G document, “Guide to Applying the Business
Process Framework (eTOM)”, that provides advice and guidance for eTOM
users. This is a working document and is expected to evolve through review
and comment following this publication.
The eTOM framework provides a sound basis for use across the industry to address
business process analysis and design, and to guide specification and subsequent
development of OSSS/BSS solutions. It describes operational processes to the level
of detail needed for understanding, and optimization, and extends this to the rest of
the enterprise to provide a total view across all process areas. The eTOM work has
linkages with other industry activity (e.g. ITIL) that have been addressed, and can
now be used to guide development and assist in the engineering of management
solutions within and by individual enterprises.

Further information on the eTOM framework, and examples of its use, are shown on
the TM Forum website www.tmforum.org.

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2. Preface

2.1. Business Process Framework

(eTOM)

The eTOM Business Process Framework is a reference framework for categorizing

all the business activities used by an enterprise involved in delivering on-line
Information, Communications and Entertainment services. This is done through
definition of each area of business activity, in the form of process components or
Process Elements that can be decomposed to expose progressive detail. These
process elements can then be positioned within a model to show organizational,
functional and other relationships, and can be combined within process flows that
trace activity paths through the business.

The eTOM framework can serve as the blueprint for standardizing and categorizing
business activities (or process elements) that will help set direction and the starting
point for development and integration of Business and Operations Support Systems
(BSS and OSS respectively). An important additional application for the eTOM
framework is that it helps to support and guide work by TM Forum members and
others to develop NGOSS solutions. it provides an industry-standard reference point,
when considering internal process reengineering needs, partnerships, alliances, and
general working agreements with other enterprises, and for suppliers into such
enterprises, the eTOM framework outlines potential boundaries of process solutions,
and the required functions, inputs, and outputs that must be supported by process
solutions.

The eTOM Business Process Framework has grown to include a number of

components. The overall eTOM document set includes:
o A main document (GB921) that provides an overview of the eTOM
Business Process Framework, from both Intra-Enterprise and Inter-
Enterprise viewpoints, and describes the main structural elements and
approach
o An Addendum (GB921D) describing the Service Provider enterprise
processes and sub-processes in a form that is top down, customer-centric,
and end-to-end focused. Process decompositions are provided for all
processes from the highest conceptual view of the eTOM framework to the
level of detail agreed for use by the industry.
o An Addendum (GB921F) describing selected process flows at several
levels of view and detail that provides end-to-end insight into the application
of eTOM.
o An Addendum (GB921B) describing the implications and impact of e-
business for service providers and their business relationships, and how
eTOM supports them, including a description of handling of business-to-

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

business Interactions by eTOM. Associated with this is a separate

Application Note (GB921C) describing a Business Operations Map for
processes involved in business-to-business interaction
o An Addendum (GB921G) providing information and guidance to users in
how the eTOM framework can be applied within businesses, and the
implications for maintaining alignment with this when extensions and/or
adaptations are made in the course of this.
o An Addendum (GB921P) providing an “eTOM Primer” to assist new users
of eTOM
o An Addendum (GB912R) introducing Real-World Case Studies in applying
eTOM
o A separate Application Note (GB921U) that provides some guidelines to
assist users of eTOM in applying this within their businesses
o A separate Application Note (GB921V) that shows how eTOM can be used
to model the ITIL processes (this supersedes the previous GB912L)
o A separate Application Note (GB921T) that shows how eTOM processes
relate to the functional view provided by the ITU-T M.3400
Recommendation (this work was developed in conjunction with ITU-T within
the joint Telecom Management Collaboration Focus Group)

Note:

Addenda are adjuncts to the main document that are presented separately, to avoid a
single document becoming cumbersome due to its size.

Annexes and Appendices both allow material to be removed from a document body,
so that the reader is not distracted from the document flow by too much detail.
However, these have different statuses within a document: Annexes have equivalent
status to the material within the body of the document, i.e. an Annex represents a
formal agreement and requirements for the users of the document. Appendices
contain material included for information or general guidance. Also, Addenda have
the same status as Annexes.

Thus, a document body, together with its Annexes and Addenda (and their Annexes,
if any), represents the normative material presented, while any Appendices in the
main document or its Addenda represent non-normative material, included for
information only.

In addition, Application Notes are a specific document type, used to provide insight
into how a specification or other agreed artifact is used in a particular context or area
of application. They are non-normative as they provide information and guidance only
within the area concerned.

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3. Chapter 1- Business Process Framework Introduction

3.2. Purpose of the Business

Process Framework

Traditionally in the telecommunications industry, service providers delivered end-to-

end services to their customers. As such, the entire value chain was controlled by a
single enterprise, if necessary via interconnection arrangements with other service
providers. However in a liberalized marketplace, service providers have to respond
both to the customer’s increased demands for superior customer service and to stiffer
competition. They have therefore been expanding their markets beyond their self-
contained boundaries and broadening their business relationships.

Service Providers face very different regulatory environments and their business
strategies and approaches to competition are quite distinct, nevertheless they share
several common characteristics:
o Heavily dependent upon effective management of information and
communications networks to stay competitive
o Adopting a service management approach to the way they run their
business and their networks
o Moving to more of an end-to-end Process Management approach
developed from the customer’s point of view
o Automating their Customer Care, Service and Network Management
Processes
o Need to integrate new BSSs/OSSs with legacy systems
o Focusing on data services offerings
o Focusing on total service performance, including customer satisfaction
o Integrating with current technology (e.g. SDH/SONET and ATM) and new
technologies (e.g., IP, DWDM)
o Emphasizing more of a “buy” rather than “build” approach that integrates
systems from multiple suppliers
Some Service Providers choose to operate their own network and/or information
technology infrastructure, while others choose to outsource this segment of their
business. The effective exploitation of this information technology and network
infrastructure, whether directly operated or outsourced, is an integral part of the
service delivery chain and directly influences the service quality and cost perceived
by the end customer. Service Providers will need to become skilled at assessing
outsourcing opportunities whether in information technology and/or network
infrastructure areas or other areas and then, be skilled at integrating and managing
any outsourcing arrangements.

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To meet both existing and new demands, Service providers still urgently require well-
automated operations processes whether they are incumbent providers or new
entrants, and whether communications service providers, application service
providers, Internet service providers, etc. Some service providers are struggling with
high growth from a start-up phase, others with the commoditization of key cash-cow
services, and yet others with the move from a manual-intensive, inconsistent,
inflexible environment to one that provides significant improvement in customer focus,
service quality, unit cost, and time to market. Service providers have to pervasively do
business electronically with trading partners, suppliers and wholesale and retail
customers. For the growing Mobile/Wireless and IP Services markets, these service
providers are focused on quickly provisioning new customers and supporting service
quality issues, while continually reducing development and operating costs. For all
service providers, there is an intense drive to introduce both new value-added
services and dramatic improvements in customer support. There is also an increasing
need for Service Providers to manage the integration required in mergers and
acquisitions activity due to the consolidation trend the industry is now experiencing.

For the full range of service providers and network operators, the leading focus of the
TM Forum’s mission is to enable end-to-end process automation of the business and
operations processes that deliver information and communications services. The
eTOM business process framework is the framework for accomplishing this mission.

The purpose of the eTOM framework is to continue to set a vision for the industry to
compete successfully through the implementation of business process driven
approaches to managing the enterprise. This includes ensuring integration among all
vital enterprise support systems concerned with service delivery and support. The
focus of the eTOM framework is on the business processes used by service
providers, the linkages between these processes, the identification of interfaces, and
the use of Customer, Service, Resource, Supplier/Partner and other information by
multiple processes. Exploitation of information from every corner of the business will
be essential to success in the future. In an e-business environment, automation to
gain productivity enhancement, increased revenue and better customer relationships
is vital. Perhaps at no other time has process automation been so critical to success
in the marketplace. The over-arching objective of the eTOM framework is to continue
to build on TM Forum’s success in establishing:
o An ‘industry standard’ business process framework.
o Common definitions to describe process elements of a service provider.
o Agreement on the basic information required to perform each process
element within a business activity, and use of this within the overall NGOSS
program for business requirements and information model development
that can guide industry agreement on contract interfaces, shared data
model elements, and supporting system infrastructure and products.
o A process framework for identifying which processes and interfaces are in
most need of integration and automation, and most dependent on industry
agreement.
This document, the eTOM Business Process Framework and the associated
business process modeling, describes for an enterprise the process elements and
their relationship that are involved in information and communications services and
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technologies management. Additionally, the points of interconnection that make up

the end-to-end, customer operations process flows for Fulfillment, Assurance, Billing
within Operations, and for Strategy, Infrastructure & Product are addressed.

Note that, although eTOM framework has been focused on information and
communications services and technologies management, this work is also proving to
be of interest in other business areas.

Service providers need this common framework of processes to enable them to do

business efficiently and effectively with other entities and to enable the development
and use of third-party software without the need for major customization. In an e-
business environment, this common understanding of process is critical to managing
the more complex business relationships of today’s information and communications
services marketplace. e-business integration among enterprises seems to be most
successful through strong process integration. Recent industry fallout, particularly in
relation to dotcoms, does not reduce the pressure for e-business automation – it
strengthens the need to capitalize on e-business opportunities to be successful.

However, the eTOM framework is not just an e-commerce or e-business process

framework, it supports traditional business processes with the integration of e-
business.

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What is the eTOM?

The eTOM is a business process framework, i.e. a reference framework or model for
categorizing all the business activities that a service provider will use. It is NOT a
service provider business model. In other words, it does not address the strategic
issues or questions of who a service provider’s target customers should be, what
market segments should the service provider serve, what are a service provider’s
vision, mission, etc. A business process framework is one part of the strategic
business model and plan for a service provider.

The eTOM framework is better regarded as a business process framework, rather

than a business process model, since its aim is to categorize the process elements
and business activities so that these can then be combined in many different ways, to
implement end-to-end business processes (e.g. fulfillment, assurance, billing) which
deliver value for the customer and the service provider. Key concepts that form the
basis for the eTOM framework are outlined in Annex A, eTOM Concepts, and readers
that are not familiar with the eTOM framework may wish to gain an initial view of
these concepts, to provide context before reading the main document.

Previous eTOM Releases have established the eTOM business process framework
as TM Forum member-approved, with global agreement from the highest conceptual
level downwards, and has gone on to take account of real-world experience in
applying the eTOM framework, and to incorporate new detail in process
decompositions, flows and business-to-business interaction. Beyond this, the eTOM
work has potential to develop further, in areas such as further lower-level process
decompositions and flows, applications in specific areas of business, guidelines and
assistance in using the eTOM framework, cost and performance issues associated
with the processes, etc. In addition, ongoing feedback from the industry, together with
its linkage with the wider NGOSS program, can be used to guide future priorities for
continuing work. It should be noted that the development of a full process framework
is a significant undertaking, and the work must be phased over time based on
member process priorities and member resource availability. This effect is visible in
eTOM’s history, from the early work on a business process map that carried through
to the eTOM framework itself, broadening along the way to a total enterprise
framework and the current Release.

A great many service providers, as well as system integrators, ASPs and vendors,
are working already with the eTOM framework. They need an industry standard
framework for procuring software and equipment, as well as to interface with other
service providers in an increasingly complex network of business relationships. Many
service providers have contributed their own process models because they recognize
the need to have a broader industry framework that doesn’t just address operations
or traditional business processes.

The TM Forum initially identified business processes as a consensus tool for

discussion and agreement among service providers and network operators, This
encouraged convergence and general support for a broad common base in this area,
which has been built on and extended with the eTOM framework, to enable:
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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

o Focused work to be carried out in TM Forum teams to define detailed

business requirements, information agreements, business application
contracts and shared data model specifications (exchanges between
applications or systems) and to review these outputs for consistency
o Relating business needs to available or required standards
o A common process view for equipment suppliers, applications builders and
integrators to build management systems by combining third party and in-
house developments
The anticipated result is that the products purchased by service providers and
network operators for business and operational management of their networks,
information technologies and services will integrate better into their environment,
enabling the cost benefits of end-to-end automation. Furthermore, a common industry
view on processes and information facilitates operator-to-operator operator-to-
customer and operator-to-supplier/partner process interconnection, which is essential
for rapid service provisioning and problem handling in a competitive global
environment. This process interconnection is the key to e-business supply chain
management in particular.

The eTOM work also provides the definition of common terms concerning enterprise
processes, sub-processes and the activities performed within each. Common
terminology makes it easier for service providers to negotiate with customers, third
party suppliers, and other service providers. Annex B, Terminology and Acronym
Glossary, contains definitions of eTOM acronyms and terminology.

Customer

Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations

Market, Product and Customer

Service

Resource
(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/ Partner

Suppliers/Partners

Enterprise Management

Shareholders Employees Other Stakeholders

Figure 1.1: eTOM Business Process Framework - Level 0 Processes

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

Figure 1.1 shows the highest conceptual view of the eTOM framework. This view
provides an overall context that differentiates strategy and lifecycle processes from
the operations processes in two large process areas, seen as the two major boxes in
the upper part of the diagram. It also differentiates the key functional areas as
horizontal layers across these process areas. The third major process area,
concerned with management of the enterprise itself, is shown as a separate box in
the lower part of the diagram. In addition, Figure 1.1 also shows the internal and
external entities that interact with the enterprise (as ovals).

Figure 1.2 shows how the three major process areas – designated as Level 0
processes of the eTOM business process framework - are decomposed into their
constituent Level 1 process groupings. This view thus provides the Level 1
decomposition of the Level 0 processes and gives an overall view of the eTOM
framework. However, in practice it is the next level – the Level 2 decomposition of the
Level 1 processes - at which users tend to work, as this degree of detail is needed in
analyzing their businesses. This view is presented later in the document in a series of
diagrams examining each area of the eTOM framework.

Figure 1.2 also shows seven end-end vertical process groupings, that are the end-to-
end processes that are required to support customers and to manage the business.
Amongst these End-end Vertical Process Groupings, the focal point of the eTOM
framework is on the core customer operations processes of Fulfillment, Assurance
and Billing (FAB). Operations Support & Readiness (OSR) is differentiated from FAB
real-time processes to highlight the focus on enabling support and automation in
FAB, i.e. on-line and immediate support of customers, with OSR ensuring that the
operational environment is in place to let the FAB processes do their job. Outside of
the Operations process area - in the Strategy, Infrastructure & Product (SIP) process
area - the Strategy & Commit vertical, as well as the two Lifecycle Management
verticals, are differentiated. These are distinct because, unlike Operations, they do
not directly support the customer, are intrinsically different from the Operations
processes and work on different business time cycles.

The horizontal functional process groupings in Figure 1.2 distinguish functional

operations processes and other types of business functional processes, e.g.,
Marketing versus Selling, Service Development versus Service Configuration, etc.
Amongst these Horizontal Functional Process Groupings, those on the left (that cross
the Strategy & Commit, Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Product Lifecycle
Management vertical process groupings) enable, support and direct the work in the
Operations process area.

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations

Strategy & Infrastructure Product Operations Fulfillment Assurance Billing &
Commit Lifecycle Lifecycle Support & Revenue
Management Management Readiness Management
Marketing & Offer Management Customer Relationship Management

Service Development & Management Service Management & Operations

Resource Development & Management Resource Management & Operations

(Application, Computing and Network) (Application, Computing and Network)

Supply Chain Development & Management Supplier/Partner Relationship Management

Enterprise Management
Strategic & Enterprise Enterprise Risk Enterprise Effectiveness Knowledge & Research
Planning Management Management Management

Financial & Asset Stakeholder & External Human Resources

Management Relations Management Management

Figure 1.2: eTOM Business Process Framework - Level 1 Processes

As can be seen in Figure 1.2, the eTOM framework provides the following benefits:
o It develops a scope addressing all enterprise processes.
o It distinctly identifies marketing processes to reflect their heightened
importance in an e-business world.
o It distinctly identifies Enterprise Management processes, so that everyone
in the enterprise is able to identify their critical processes, thereby enabling
process framework acceptance across the enterprise.
o It brings Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing (FAB) onto the high-level
framework view to emphasize the customer priority processes as the focus
of the enterprise.
o It defines an Operations Support & Readiness vertical process grouping,
that relates to all the Operations functional layers. In integrating e-business
and making customer self-management a reality, the enterprise has to
understand the processes it needs to enable for direct and (more and more)
online customer operations support and customer self-management.
o It recognizes three process groupings within the enterprise that are
distinctly different from operations processes by identifying the SIP
processes, i.e., Strategy & Commit, Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
and Product Lifecycle Management.
o It recognizes the different cycle times of the strategy and lifecycle
management processes and the need to separate these processes from
the customer priority operations processes where automation is most
critical. This is done by decoupling the Strategy & Commit and the two

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Lifecycle Management processes from the day-to-day, minute-to-minute

cycle times of the customer operations processes.
o It moves from the older customer care or service orientation to a customer
relationship management orientation that emphasizes customer self-
management and control, increasing the value customers contribute to the
enterprise and the use of information to customize and personalize to the
individual customer. It adds more elements to this customer operations
functional layer to represent better the selling processes and to integrate
marketing fulfillment within Customer Relationship Management. Note that
Customer Relationship Management within the eTOM framework is very
broadly defined and larger in scope than some definitions of CRM.
o It acknowledges the need to manage resources across technologies, (i.e.,
application, computing and network), by integrating the Network and
Systems Management functional process into Resource Management &
Operations. It also moves the management of IT into this functional layer as
opposed to having a separate process grouping.
o It recognizes that the enterprise interacts with external parties, and that the
enterprise may need to interact with process flows defined by external
parties, as in e-business interactions

3.3. eTOM is More Than One

Document

It is intended that the eTOM Business Process Framework will become a collection of
documents and models. The current document set is described earlier in this
document. In addition a separate interactive eTOM Business Process Framework
Model provides a version of the eTOM framework, processes and flows intended for
automated processing by modeling tools, etc. This is intended to be available in
several formats:

• Tool-based (e.g. XML for import into a general process analysis

environment, specific tool formats where available)
• Browsable (e.g. HTML)
• To assist import/use (e.g Excel)

3.4. Using This Document

A service provider’s specific process architecture and organization structure are

highly specific and critical aspects of a provider’s competitiveness. The eTOM
framework provides a common view of service provider enterprise process elements
or business activities that can easily translate to an individual provider’s internal
approaches. The document is not intended to be prescriptive about how the tasks are
carried out, how a provider or operator is organized, or how the tasks are identified in

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

any one organization. It is also not prescriptive about the sequence of process
elements that are combined to implement end-to-end business process flows.

The eTOM framework provides a starting point for detailed work coordinated through
TM Forum that leads to an integrated set of specifications that will provide real benefit
to both suppliers and procurers in enhancing industry service provider enterprise
process management capability. The eTOM framework is not a specification, in the
sense that vendors or operators must comply directly. However, it does represent an
industry-wide standard way of naming, describing and categorizing process
elements. It will enable unambiguous communication and facilitate the development
of standard solutions and reuse of business processes. It is not intended to
incorporate all the detail of eventual process implementation, but is more a guiding
reference for the industry.

One of the strengths of the eTOM framework is that it can be adopted at a variety of
levels, in whole or in part, depending upon a service provider’s needs. The eTOM
framework can also act as a translator by allowing a service provider to map their
distinct processes to the industry framework. As the process examples are
developed, service providers can use and adapt these examples to their own
business environment.

The eTOM framework can be used as a tool for analyzing an organization’s existing
processes and for developing new processes. Different processes delivering the
same business functionality can be identified, duplication eliminated, gaps revealed,
new process design speeded up, and variance reduced. Using the eTOM framework,
it is possible to assess the value, cost and performance of individual processes within
an organization.

Relationships with suppliers and partners can also be facilitated by identifying and
categorizing the processes used in interactions with them. In a similar manner, it is
possible to identify the all-important customer relationship processes and evaluate
whether they are functioning as required to meet customers’ expectations.

3.5. Intended Audience

The eTOM aims at a wide audience of professionals in the ICT (Information and
Communications Technology) industry, an area that has evolved to focus more and
more on Services, and hence could now be referred to as Information and
Communications Services. For experienced Telecommunications professionals, the
eTOM framework has proven itself to be intuitive; and a strong, common framework
of service provider enterprise processes. Through TM Forum Catalyst projects and
other work, it has been verified that the eTOM framework has strong application in
many applications and throughout many companies.

More information on use of eTOM within the industry is available at the TM Forum
website www.tmforum.org

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

The eTOM framework is aimed at service provider and network operator decision
makers who need to know and input to the common business process framework
used to enable enterprise automation in a cost efficient way. It is also an important
framework for specialists across the industry working on business and operations
automation. The document or framework supports, and is consistent with, many
efforts under way in the industry supporting the need to accelerate business and
operations automation in the information and communications services marketplace.

The eTOM framework will continue to give providers and suppliers a common basis
for discussing complex business needs in a complex industry with complex
technologies. For both service providers and network operators additional
complexities arise from:
o Moving away from developing their own business and operations systems
software, to a more procurement and systems integration approach.
o New business relationships between service providers and network
operators
The creation of new business relationships and the move away from developing
internally are a reaction to market forces. These market forces require service
providers and network operators to increase the range of services they offer, reduce
time to market for new services, increase speed of service, as well as to drive down
systems and operational costs.

The eTOM framework is also aimed at service provider and network operator
employees involved in business process re-engineering, operations, procurement
and other activities for:
o Understanding the common business process framework being used to
drive integration and automation
o Becoming involved in providing processes, inputs, priorities and
requirements
The eTOM framework is also aimed at designers and integrators of business and
operational management systems software and equipment suppliers. They can
benefit from understanding how management processes and applications need to
work together to deliver business benefit to service providers and network operators.

An equally important and related audience is suppliers of management applications,

management systems, and networking equipment, who need to understand the
deployment environment for their products and solutions.

The eTOM framework provides a common reference useful in supporting the

significant amount of merger and acquisition activity. Common process
understanding and a common process framework can greatly improve integration
performance for mergers and acquisitions. The eTOM framework is applicable for an
established service provider or a new entrant, ‘green field’ provider. It is important to
note that not all areas defined in the eTOM framework are necessarily used by all
providers. As mentioned earlier, the framework is flexible, so that the process
elements the specific service providers require can be selected on a modular basis
and at the appropriate level of detail for their needs.

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3.6. Benefits of Using the eTOM

framework

o It makes available a standard structure, terminology and classification

scheme for describing business processes and their constituent building
blocks
o It supplies a foundation for applying enterprise-wide discipline to the
development of business processes
o It provides a basis for understanding and managing portfolios of IT
applications in terms of business process requirements
o Its use enables consistent and high-quality end-to-end process flows to be
created, with opportunities for cost and performance improvement, and for
re-use of existing processes and systems
o Its use across the industry will increase the likelihood that off-the-shelf
applications will be readily integrated into the enterprise, at a lower cost
than custom-built applications

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4. Chapter 2 – The eTOM Business Process Framework

The main purpose of this Chapter is to introduce a formal description of the eTOM
Business Process Framework.

It should be noted that this framework was originally developed from the perspective
of the single enterprise, but recognized that internal processes extend across the
enterprise boundary to allow for interactions with external parties (customers and
suppliers/partners).

In some cases these external interactions can be defined and controlled by the
enterprise, and the existing eTOM framework has assumed that the currently
identified process elements would form part of the end-end inter-enterprise or
enterprise-to-customer process interaction in these cases.

However, with the rise of e-business, several industries have developed inter-
enterprise business process frameworks which specify the structure and flow of
process interactions between multiple enterprises. As yet no complete formal B2B
inter-enterprise process framework exists for the ICT industry, although aspects of
frameworks such as ebXML and RosettaNet are re-useable.

To facilitate the development of a formalized inter-enterprise B2B process framework

for the ICT industry, the eTOM team is developing a separate inter-enterprise eTOM
B2B Business Operation Map. This work is initially published in GB921B and
GB921C (which form part of this document set – see earlier). This work leverages
elements of existing industry frameworks, as well as the relevant areas of the existing
eTOM framework itself, where possible.

This chapter describes the eTOM framework that forms the core structure supporting
the single enterprise view as discussed above, and touches only briefly on the inter-
enterprise view (where there is some further background in Chapter 3). A more formal
description of the inter-enterprise framework and the eTOM B2B Business Operation
Map can be found in GB921B and GB921C.

4.7. Core eTOM single enterprise

viewpoint

The eTOM Business Process Framework considers the Service Provider’s (SP’s)
enterprise, and positions this within its overall business context: i.e. the business
interactions and relationships, which allow the SP to carry on its business with other
organizations.

This section introduces the eTOM framework and explains its structure and the
significance of each of the process areas within it. It also shows how the eTOM
framework structure is decomposed to lower-level process elements. This

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explanation is useful for those who decide where and how an enterprise will use the
eTOM framework, and those who may be modifying it for use in their enterprise.

To assist the reader in locating the process area concerned within the eTOM
framework, a graphical icon of the eTOM structure, alongside the text, is provided to
draw attention to the relevant framework area. This is highlighted in red to indicate the
focus of the associated text or discussion.

4.7.1. eTOM framework Conceptual View (Level 0)

The eTOM Business Process Framework represents the whole of a service

provider’s enterprise environment. At the overall conceptual level, the eTOM
framework can be viewed as having three major process areas, as shown in Figure
2.1.
o Strategy, Infrastructure & Product - covering planning and lifecycle
management (associated with development and delivery)
o Operations - covering the core of operational management
o Enterprise Management - covering corporate or business support
management

Customer

Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations

Market, Product and Customer

Service

Resource
(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/ Partner

Suppliers/Partners

Enterprise Management

Shareholders Employees Other Stakeholders

Figure 2.1: eTOM Business Process Framework Conceptual Structure

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

The Conceptual Structure view provides an overall context that differentiates strategy
and lifecycle processes from operations processes in two large process areas, seen
as the two large boxes towards the top of the diagram, together with a third area
beneath which is concerned with enterprise management. It also identifies the key
functional process structures in four horizontal blocks across the two upper process
areas. In addition, Figure 2.1 shows the internal and external entities (as ovals) that
interact with the enterprise.

At this highest conceptual level, the three basic process areas are outlined below.

The Operations Process Area is the traditional heart of the SP enterprise, and of the
eTOM framework. It includes all operations processes that support the customer (and
network) operations and management, as well as those that enable direct customer
operations with the customer. These processes include both day-to-day and
operations support and readiness processes. The eTOM framework view of
Operations also includes sales management and supplier/partner relationship
management.

The Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Process Area includes processes that
develop strategies and commitment to them within the enterprise; that plan, develop
and manage the delivery and enhancement of infrastructures and products; and that
develop and manage the Supply Chain. In the eTOM framework, infrastructure refers
to more than just the resource (IT and network) infrastructure that directly supports
products and services. It also includes the operational and organizational
infrastructure required to support marketing, sales, service and supply chain
processes, e.g., Customer Relationship Management (CRM). These processes direct
and enable processes within the Operations process area.

The Enterprise Management Process Area includes those basic business

processes that are required to run and manage any large business. These generic
processes focus on both the setting and achieving of strategic corporate goals and
objectives, as well as providing those support services that are required throughout
an Enterprise. These processes are sometimes considered to be the corporate
functions and/or processes. e.g., Financial Management, Human Resources
Management processes, etc… Since Enterprise Management processes are aimed
at general support within the Enterprise, they may interface as needed with almost
every other process in the Enterprise, be they operational, strategy, infrastructure or
product processes.

The conceptual view of the eTOM Business Process Framework addresses both the
major process areas as above and, just as importantly, the supporting functional
process structures, depicted as horizontal blocks in Figure 2.1. The functional
process blocks reflect the major expertise and areas of focus required to pursue the
business. The four functional process blocks are described below:
o The Market, Product and Customer processes include those dealing with
sales and channel management, marketing management, and product and
offer management, as well as operational processes such as managing the

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customer interface, ordering, problem handling, SLA management and

billing.
o The Service processes include those dealing with service development and
delivery of service capability, service configuration, service problem
management, quality analysis, and rating.
o The Resource processes include those dealing with development and
delivery of resource (network and IT) infrastructure, and it’s operational
management including aspects such as provisioning, trouble management
and performance management. Resource infrastructure supports products
and services, as well as supporting the enterprise itself.
o The Supplier/Partner processes include those dealing with the enterprise’s
interaction with its suppliers and partners. This involves both processes that
develop and manage the Supply Chain that underpins product and
infrastructure, as well as those that support the operational interface with its
suppliers and partners.

Additionally, in Figure 2.1, the major entities with which the enterprise interacts are
shown. These are:
o Customers, to whom products are sold by the enterprise: the focus of the
business!
o Suppliers, who provide resources or other capabilities, bought and used by
the enterprise directly or indirectly to support its business
o Partners, with whom the enterprise co-operates in a shared area of
business
o Employees, who work for the enterprise to pursue its business goals
o Shareholders, who have invested in the enterprise and thus own stock
o Stakeholders, who have a commitment to the enterprise other than
through stock ownership.

4.7.2. eTOM Business Process Framework CxO Level View (Level 1)

Below the conceptual level, the eTOM Business Process Framework is decomposed
into a set of Level 1 process groupings, which provide a first level of detail at which
the entire enterprise can be viewed (see Figure 1.2). These process groupings are
considered from the perspective of the CEO, CIO, CTO, etc, in that the performance
of these processes determines the success of the enterprise.

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Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations

Strategy & Infrastructure Product Operations Fulfillment Assurance Billing &
Commit Lifecycle Lifecycle Support & Revenue
Management Management Readiness Management
Marketing & Offer Management Customer Relationship Management

Service Development & Management Service Management & Operations

Resource Development & Management Resource Management & Operations

(Application, Computing and Network) (Application, Computing and Network)

Supply Chain Development & Management Supplier/Partner Relationship Management

Enterprise Management
Strategic & Enterprise Enterprise Risk Enterprise Effectiveness Knowledge & Research
Planning Management Management Management

Financial & Asset Stakeholder & External Human Resources

Management Relations Management Management

Figure 2.2: eTOM Level 0 View of Level 1 Process Groupings

The eTOM framework is defined as generically as possible, so that it is independent

of organization, technology and service. The eTOM is basically intuitive, business
driven and customer focused. To reflect the way businesses look at their processes,
the eTOM supports two different perspectives on the grouping of the detailed process
elements:
o Horizontal Level 1 process groupings, which represent a view of
functionally-related processes within the business, such as those involved
in managing contact with the customer or in managing the supply chain.
This structuring by horizontal functional process groupings is useful to those
who are responsible for creating the capability that enables, supports or
automates the processes. The horizontal functional process groupings can
therefore often represent the CIO’s view of the eTOM framework. The IT
teams will look at groups of IT functions which tend to be implemented
together e.g. the front-of-house applications in the Customer Relationship
Management process grouping, back-of-house applications in the Service
Management & Operations process grouping which focus on managing
information about the services that are packaged for sale to customers, or
the network management applications in the Resource Management &
Operations process grouping which focus on the technology which delivers
the services. Typical organization workgroups also tend to align with these
horizontal functional process groupings as the required knowledge and
skills tend to be contained into these functional processes, e.g. the front-of-
house workgroups in the Customer Relationship Management process
grouping, back-of-house workgroups customers in the Service
Management & Operations process grouping which focus on managing
information about the services that are packaged for sale to customers, or
the network management workgroups services in the Resource
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Management & Operations process grouping which focus on the

technology which delivers the services.

o Vertical Level 1 process groupings, which represent a view of end-to-end

processes within the business, such as those involved in the overall billing
flows to customers. This end-to-end view is important to those people who
are responsible for changing, operating and managing the end-to-end
processes. These processes tend to span organization boundaries, and so
the end-end effectiveness of these processes is an area of concern to
senior management and particularly the CEO. The end-end vertical process
groupings can therefore often represent the CEO’s view of the eTOM
framework. These people are more interested in the outcomes of the
process and how they effectively support customer needs in total - rather
than worrying about the IT or the specific workgroups that need to work
together to deliver the result.
The eTOM Business Process Framework was developed to help build and implement
the processes for a Service Provider. It has been developed as a structured
catalogue or hierarchical taxonomy of process elements which can be viewed in more
and more detail. Since in any taxonomy each element must be unique, it was decided
from the start that the primary top-level hierarchy of process elements would be the
functional (horizontal) groupings. The end-to-end process (vertical) groupings are
arranged as an overlay on the horizontal groupings

When viewed in terms of the Horizontal Functional process groupings, the eTOM
Business Process Framework follows a strict hierarchy where every element is only
associated with or parented to a single element at the next higher hierarchical level. In
a taxonomy, any element must be unique, i.e. it must be listed only once. Figure 2.2
shows the Level 1 horizontal functional process groupings into which the eTOM
framework is decomposed .

Additionally, the eTOM framework is intended to help Service Providers manage their
end-to-end business processes. With this in mind, the eTOM shows how process
elements have a strong association with one (or several) end-to-end vertical business
processes (e.g. Fulfillment, Assurance, Billing & Revenue Management, Product
Lifecycle Management etc., which are introduced later in this Chapter). These
Vertical End-To-End process groupings are essentially overlays onto the
hierarchical top-level horizontal groupings, because in a hierarchical taxonomy an
element cannot be associated with or parented to more than one element at the next
higher level. Note that the eTOM decomposition hierarchy operates exclusively
through the Horizontal Functional process groupings described above, and that these
Vertical End-To-End process groupings therefore do not form part of the actual
decomposition hierarchy. The Vertical End-To-End process groupings should thus be
viewed as ancillary views or arrangements of the associated Level 2 process
elements, provided for information only, as "overlays" on the actual process
hierarchy.

The overlay of the horizontal functional process groupings and the vertical end-to-end
process groupings forms the inherent matrix structure of the eTOM framework. This
matrix structure is the core of one of the innovations and fundamental benefits of the

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eTOM framework. It offers for the first time a standard language and structure for the
process elements that can be understood and used by both the people specifying
and operating the end-to-end business, and also those people who are responsible
for creating the capability that enables the processes (whether automated by IT or
implemented manually by workgroups).

The integration of all these processes provides the enterprise-level process

framework for the information and communications service provider, and Figure 2.2
reveals the process detail to Level 1. As process decomposition proceeds, each level
is decomposed into a set of constituent process elements at the level below. Thus,
Level 0 is decomposed into Level 1 processes, Level 1 into Level 2, and so on.

Thus, the Enterprise Level 0 conceptual view decomposes into seven Level 1 vertical
end-end process groupings. as well as eight Level 1 horizontal functional process
groupings in four layers. These vertical and horizontal process groupings represent
alternative views relevant to different concerns about the way that processes should
be associated. Note that we will see that these alternatives have been selected to
yield a single, common view of the Level 2 processes defined at the next level of
decomposition, and hence do not represent a divergence in the modeling.

In addition, there are seven additional enabling and support Level 1 process
groupings within Enterprise Management. This full view of the Level 1 processes is
shown in Figure 2.2.

4.7.3. Operations Process Area Level 1 Process Groupings

To be useful to a Service Provider, the eTOM framework must help the Service
Provider to develop and operate their business processes. This section shows how
the matrix structure of the eTOM framework offers for the first time a standard
language and structure for the process elements that are understood and used by
both the people specifying and operating the end-to-end business, and also those
people who are responsible for creating the capability that enables the processes
(whether automated by IT or implemented manually by workgroups).

Operations Vertical Process Groupings

The Operations (OPS) process area contains the direct operations vertical end-end
process groupings of Fulfillment, Assurance & Billing (the FAB process groupings),
together with the Operations Support & Readiness process grouping (see Figure 2.3).
The FAB process groupings are sometimes referred to as Customer Operations
processes.

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Customer
Operations

Operations Fulfillment Assurance Billing &

Support & Revenue
Readiness Management

Figure 2.3: eTOM OPS Vertical Process Groupings

Fulfillment: this vertical end-end process grouping is responsible for providing

customers with their requested products in a timely and correct manner. It translates
the customer's business or personal need into a solution, which can be delivered
using the specific products in the enterprise’s portfolio. This process informs the
customers of the status of their purchase order, ensures completion on time, as well
as ensuring a delighted customer.

Assurance: this vertical end-end process grouping is responsible for the execution of
proactive and reactive maintenance activities to ensure that services provided to
customers are continuously available and performing to SLA or QoS performance
levels. It performs continuous resource status and performance monitoring to
proactively detect possible failures. It collects performance data and analyzes them to
identify potential problems and resolve them without impact to the customer. This
process manages the SLAs and reports service performance to the customer. It
receives trouble reports from the customer, informs the customer of the trouble
status, and ensures restoration and repair, as well as ensuring a delighted customer.

Billing & Revenue Management: this vertical end-end process grouping is

responsible for the collection of appropriate usage records, determining charging and
billing information, production of timely and accurate bills, for providing pre-bill use
information and billing to customers, for processing their payments, and performing
payment collections. In addition, it handles customer inquiries about bills, provides
billing inquiry status and is responsible for resolving billing problems to the customer's
satisfaction in a timely manner. This process grouping also supports prepayment for
services.

For a high-level view of how the eTOM framework can be used to create Fulfillment,
Assurance and Billing & Revenue Management process flows, see GB921F.

In addition to these FAB process groupings, the OPS process area of the eTOM
framework contains a new, fourth vertical end-end process grouping: Operations
Support & Readiness (see Figure 2.3).

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Operations Support & Readiness: this vertical end-end process grouping is

responsible for providing management, logistics and administrative support to the
FAB process groupings, and for ensuring operational readiness in the fulfillment,
assurance and billing areas. In general, end-end processes in this grouping are
concerned with activities that are less “real-time” than those in FAB, and which are
typically concerned less with individual customers and services and more with
ensuring the FAB vertical end-end processes run effectively. A clear example of this
type of processes is the staffing capacity management processes which are used to
ensure efficient operation of call centers. They reflect a need in some enterprises to
divide their processes between the immediate customer facing and real-time
operations of FAB and other Operations processes which act as a “second-line” or
“operations management back-room”. Not all enterprises will choose to employ this
split, or to position the division in exactly the same place, so it is recognized that in
applying the eTOM framework in particular scenarios, the processes in Operations
Support & Readiness and in FAB may be merged for day-to-day operation.
Nevertheless, it is felt important to acknowledge this separation to reflect a real-world
division that is present or emerging in many enterprises. The separation, definition
and execution of the Operations Support & Readiness processes can be critical in
taking advantage of e-business opportunities, and is particularly important for
successful implementation of Customer Self Management.

Operations Horizontal Functional Process Groupings

In the OPS process area of the eTOM framework, there are four OPS functional
process groupings that support the operations processes discussed above, and also
the management of operations to support customer, service, resource and
supplier/partner interactions (see Figure 2.4).

Note that the ITU-T TMN Logical Layered Architecture with business, service, and
network layers was originally used to help organize the core business processes, as
this facilitated mapping of the management functions defined in TMN, to the
processes. This loose coupling has been maintained in the evolution of the eTOM
framework, since the TMN layering approach is still relevant. More widely, the TM
Forum is working with ITU-T to harmonize the eTOM and TMN models. See
References for further information on ITU-T TMN.

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Customer
Operations

Customer Relationship Management

Service Management & Operations

Resource Management & Operations

(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/Partner Relationship Management

Figure 2.4: eTOM Operations Horizontal Functional Process Groupings

Customer Relationship Management (CRM): this horizontal functional process

grouping considers the fundamental knowledge of customers needs and includes all
functionalities necessary for the acquisition, enhancement and retention of a
relationship with a customer. It is about customer service and support, whether
storefront, telephone, web or field service. It is also about retention management,
cross-selling, up-selling and direct marketing for the purpose of selling to customers.
CRM also includes the collection of customer information and its application to
personalize, customize and integrate delivery of service to a customer, as well as to
identify opportunities for increasing the value of the customer to the enterprise.

CRM applies to both conventional retail customer interactions, as well as to

wholesale interactions, such as when an enterprise is selling to another enterprise
that is acting as the ‘retailer’.

CRM makes no distinction between manual or automated interactions with

customers, nor whether interactions are by paper, telephone, web-based transactions
or some other alternative arrangement.

Service Management & Operations (SM&O): this horizontal functional process

grouping focuses on the knowledge of services (Access, Connectivity, Content, etc.)
and includes all functionalities necessary for the management and operations of
communications and information services required by or proposed to customers. The
focus is on service delivery and management as opposed to the management of the
underlying network and information technology. Some of the functions involve short-
term service capacity planning for a service instance, the application of a service

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design to specific customers or managing service improvement initiatives. These

functions are closely connected with the day-to-day customer experience.

The processes in this horizontal functional process grouping are accountable to meet,
at a minimum, targets set for Service Quality, including process performance and
customer satisfaction at a service level, as well as Service Cost.

The eTOM framework differentiates day-to-day operations and support from planning
and development and other strategy and lifecycle processes. This better depicts the
structure of an enterprise, especially in an e-business era.

Resource Management & Operations (RM&O): this horizontal functional process

grouping maintains knowledge of resources (application, computing and network
infrastructures) and is responsible for managing all these resources.(e.g. networks, IT
systems, servers, routers, etc.) utilized to deliver and support services required by or
proposed to customers. It also includes all functionalities responsible for the direct
management of all such resources (network elements, computers, servers, etc.)
utilized within the enterprise. These processes are responsible for ensuring that the
network and information technologies infrastructure supports the end-to-end delivery
of the required services. The purpose of these processes is to ensure that
infrastructure runs smoothly, is accessible to services and employees, is maintained
and is responsive to the needs, whether directly or indirectly, of services, customers
and employees. RM&O also has the basic function to assemble information about the
resources (e.g. from network elements and/or element management systems), and
then integrate, correlate, and in many cases, summarize that data to pass on the
relevant information to Service Management systems, or to take action in the
appropriate resource.

In an e-business world, application and computing management are as important as

management of the network resources. Moreover, network, computing and
applications resources must increasingly be managed in a joint and integrated
fashion. To cope with these needs, the eTOM framework includes the Resource
Management & Operations process grouping (together with the corresponding
Resource Development & Management grouping within SIP), to provide integrated
management across these three sets of resources: applications, computing and
network. These areas also encompass processes involved with traditional Network
Element Management, since these processes are actually critical components of any
resource management process, as opposed to a separate process layer.

The RM&O processes thus manage the complete service provider network and sub-
network and information technology infrastructures.

The eTOM framework differentiates day-to-day operations and support from planning
and development, and other strategy and lifecycle processes. This better depicts the
structure of an enterprise, especially in an e-business era.

Supplier/Partner Relationship Management (S/PRM): this horizontal functional

process grouping supports the core operational processes, both the customer
instance processes of Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing and the functional operations
processes. Supplier/Partner Relationship Management (S/PRM) processes align
closely with a supplier’s or partner’s Customer Relationship Management processes.

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The inclusion of distinct Supplier/Partner Relationship Management processes in the

eTOM framework enables the direct interface with the appropriate lifecycle, end-to-
end customer operations or functional processes with suppliers and/or partners. The
processes include issuing requisitions and tracking them through to delivery,
mediation of requisitions as required to conform to external processes, handling
problems, validating billing and authorizing payment, as well as quality management
of suppliers and partners.

It is important to note that when the enterprise sells its products to a partner or
supplier, this is done through the enterprise CRM processes, which act on behalf of
the supplier or the enterprise in such cases. Supplier/Partner processes only cover
the buying of services by the enterprise.

4.7.4. Strategy Infrastructure & Product Process Area Level 1 Process Groupings

SIP Vertical End-end Process Groupings

The Strategy and Commit, Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Product
Lifecycle Management process groupings, are shown as three vertical end-to-end
process groupings (see Figure 2.5). The Strategy and Commit vertical end-end
process grouping provides the focus within the enterprise for generating specific
business strategy and gaining buy-in within the business for this. Product Lifecycle
Management vertical end-end process grouping drives and supports the provision of
products to customers, while the Infrastructure Lifecycle Management vertical end-
end process grouping delivers of new or enhanced infrastructure on which the
products are based. Their focus is on meeting customer expectations whether as
product offerings, the infrastructure that supports the operations functions and
products, or the suppliers and partners involved in the enterprise’s offering to
customers.

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Customer
Strategy, Infrastructure & Product

Strategy & Infrastructure Product

Commit Lifecycle Lifecycle
Management Management

Figure 2.5: eTOM SIP Vertical End-end Process Groupings

Strategy & Commit: this vertical end-end process grouping is responsible for the
generation of strategies in support of the Infrastructure and Product Lifecycle
processes. It is also responsible for establishing business commitment within the
enterprise to support these strategies. This embraces all levels of operation from
market, customer and products, through the services and the resources on which
these depend, to the involvement of suppliers and partners in meeting these needs.
Strategy & Commit processes are heavily focused on analysis and commitment
management. These processes provide the focus within the enterprise for generating
specific business strategy and gaining buy-in within the business to implement this
strategy. Strategy & Commit processes also track the success and effectiveness of
the strategies and make adjustments as required.

Lifecycle Management vertical end-end process groupings drive and enable core
operations and customer processes to meet market demand and customer
expectations. Performance of Lifecycle processes are viewed at the highest levels of
the enterprise, due to their impact on customer retention and competitiveness. There
are two end-to-end Lifecycle Management processes introduced in the eTOM
framework, i.e., Infrastructure and Product. Both end-end processes have a
development and deployment nature, in terms of introducing new infrastructure, or a
new product. Infrastructure Lifecycle Management deals with development and
deployment of new infrastructure, assessing performance of the infrastructure and
taking action to meet performance commitments. Product Lifecycle Management
deals with introducing new products, in the form of services delivered to Customers,
and assessing and taking action on product performance.

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The eTOM framework consciously decouples the Lifecycle Management processes

from day-to-day operations processes represented by the Operations Processes
(Operations Support & Readiness, Fulfillment, Assurance & Billing). In the past, some
of these processes were not distinguished from the core operations framework and
this sometimes resulted in some confusion and lack of guidance for designing
processes. Lifecycle Management vertical end-end processes have different
business cycle times, different types of objectives for the enterprise and are inherently
different processes than operations processes, i.e., enabling processes rather than
operations processes. Mixing these processes with the customer operational
processes diminishes focus on the Lifecycle Management vertical end-end
processes. In addition, Lifecycle Management processes need to be designed to
meet cycle time and other performance characteristics critical to the success of the
enterprise, e.g., new product time to market, and infrastructure unit cost. The
Lifecycle Management end-end processes interact with each other. The Product
Lifecycle Management vertical end-end process drives the majority of the direction for
the Infrastructure Lifecycle Management vertical end-end processes either directly or
indirectly, for example. However Infrastructure Lifecycle Management vertical end-
end processes are also driven by decisions within the Strategy & Commit vertical
end-end processes to deploy new infrastructure in support of new business
directions. These processes prepare the customer and functional operations
processes to support customer interaction for products, providing the infrastructure for
the products to use and providing the supplier and partner interface structure for the
enterprise offers. To enable and support customer and functional operations, these
processes often have to synchronize for on-time and quality delivery.

Infrastructure Lifecycle Management: this vertical end-end process grouping is

responsible for the definition, planning and implementation of all necessary
infrastructures (application, computing and network), as well as all other support
infrastructures and business capabilities (operations centers, architectures, etc.). This
applies in connection with the resource layer or any other functional layer, e.g., CRM
Voice Response Units, required to provide Information and Communications products
to the Customer and to support the business. These vertical end-end processes
identify new requirements, new capabilities and design and develop new or enhanced
infrastructure to support products. Infrastructure Lifecycle Management vertical end-
end processes respond to needs of the Product Lifecycle Management vertical end-
end processes whether unit cost reductions, product quality improvements, new
products, etc.

Product Lifecycle Management: this vertical end-end process grouping is

responsible for the definition, planning, design and implementation of all products in
the enterprise’s portfolio. The Product Lifecycle Management vertical end-end
processes manage products to required profit and loss margins, customer satisfaction
and quality commitments, as well as delivering new products to the market. These
lifecycle processes understand the market across all key functional areas, the
business environment, customer requirements and competitive offerings in order to
design and manage products that succeed in their specific markets. Product
Management processes and the Product Development process are two distinct
process types. Product Development is predominantly a project-oriented process that
develops and delivers new products to customers, as well as new features and
enhancements for existing products and services.

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SIP Horizontal Functional Process Groupings

Corresponding to the Operations horizontal functional process groupings (see
above), there are four horizontal functional process groupings in the Strategy
Infrastructure & Product process area also (see Figure 2.6). These support the SIP
vertical end-end processes described above and the management of operations to
support marketing and offer, service, resource and supply chain interactions.

Customer
Strategy, Infrastructure & Product

Marketing & Offer Management

Service Development & Management

Resource Development & Management

(Application, Computing and Network)

Supply Chain Development & Management

Figure 2.6: eTOM SIP Horizontal Functional Process Groupings

Marketing & Offer Management: this horizontal functional process grouping

focuses on the knowledge of running and developing the core business for an
Information & Communication Service Provider enterprise. It includes
functionalities necessary for defining strategies, developing new products,
managing existing products and implementing marketing and offering strategies
especially suitable for information and communications products and services.

Marketing and offer management are well known business processes,

especially in the more competitive e-business environment, where the rate of
innovation and brand recognition determine success. Although most companies
carry out all these activities, depending upon the size of the company, they are
combined in a variety of ways. These processes are enabling processes, but
also the key processes that are accountable for commitment to the enterprise
for revenue, overall product results and profit and loss. These processes deal
with the creation of product, markets and channels; they manage market and
product strategies, pricing, sales, channels, new product development (and
retirement), marketing communications and promotion.

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Service Development & Management: this horizontal functional process grouping

focuses on planning, developing and delivering services to the Operations domain. It
includes processes necessary for defining the strategies for service creation and
design, managing existing services, and ensuring that capabilities are in place to
meet future service demand.

Resource Development & Management: this horizontal functional process grouping

focuses on planning, developing and delivering the resources needed to support
services and products to the Operations domain. It includes processes necessary for
defining the strategies for development of the network and other physical and non-
physical resources, introduction of new technologies and interworking with existing
ones, managing existing resources and ensuring that capabilities are in place to meet
future service needs.

Supply Chain Development & Management: this horizontal functional process

grouping focuses on the interactions required by the enterprise with suppliers and
partners, who are involved in maintaining the supply chain. The supply chain is a
complex network of relationships that a service provider manages to source and
deliver products. In the e-business world, companies are increasingly working
together with suppliers and partners (synergistic clusters, coalitions and business
ecosystems) in order to broaden the products they offer and improve their
productivity. These processes ensure that the best suppliers and partners are chosen
as part of the enterprise supply chain. They help to support sourcing decisions made
by the enterprise, and ensure that the capabilities are in place for interaction between
the enterprise and its suppliers and partners. They ensure that the contribution of
suppliers and partners to the supply chain is timely and delivers the required support,
and that their overall contribution is as good or better than for vertically integrated
enterprises. These processes include establishing and maintaining all the information
flows, managing any mediation required, and financial flows between the provider
and supplier.

4.7.5. Enterprise Management Process Area Level 1 Process Groupings

This process area includes those processes that manage enterprise-wide activities
and needs, or have application within the enterprise as a whole. They encompass all
business management processes that:
o are necessary to support the whole of the enterprise, including processes
for financial management, legal management, regulatory management,
process, cost and quality management, etc.;
o are responsible for setting corporate policies, strategies and directions and
for providing guidelines and targets for the whole of the business, including
strategy development and planning, for areas such as Enterprise
Architecture, that are integral to the direction and development of the
business;
o occur throughout the enterprise, including processes for project
management, performance assessments, cost assessments, etc.

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Enterprise Management

Strategic & Enterprise Risk Enterprise Knowledge & Research

Enterprise Planning Management Effectiveness Management Management

Financial & Asset Stakeholder & External Human Resources

Management Relations Management Management

Figure 2.7: eTOM Enterprise Management Process Groupings

Many process groupings within Enterprise Management (see Figure 2.7) will contain
elements that relate to both policy setting and support of the enterprise. For example,
Human Resources Management is concerned with both strategy and direction as well
as supporting the management of Human Resources throughout the enterprise1 .

These processes are sometimes collectively considered as the “corporate” functions

and/or processes.

Strategic & Enterprise Planning: this enterprise management process grouping

focuses on the processes required to develop the strategies and plans for the service
provider enterprise. This process grouping includes the discipline of Strategic
Planning that determines the business and focus of the enterprise, including which
markets the enterprise will address, what financial requirements must be met, what
acquisitions may enhance the enterprise's financial or market position, etc. Enterprise
Planning develops and coordinates the overall plan for the business working with all
key units of the enterprise. These processes drive the mission and vision of the
enterprise. Enterprise Architecture Management is also a key process within this
process grouping. This also directs IT across the enterprise, provides IT guidelines
and policies, funding approval, etc. (note that IT development and management
processes are managed within the Resource Development & Management horizontal
functional process grouping).

Enterprise Risk Management: this enterprise management process grouping

focuses on assuring that risks and threats to the enterprise value and/or reputation
are identified, and appropriate controls are in place to minimize or eliminate the
identified risks. The identified risks may be physical or logical/virtual. Successful risk
management ensures that the enterprise can support its mission critical operations,
processes, applications, communications in the face of a serious incidents, from
security threats/violations and fraud attempts.

Enterprise Effectiveness Management: this enterprise management process

grouping focuses on defining and providing the tools, methodologies and training to
ensure that the enterprise operational processes and activities are managed and run

1
Note that functionality associated with a process grouping that is not required throughout the
enterprise will not normally be located within Enterprise Management (for example, Human Resource
Management issues specific to Call Centers are likely to be associated with the processes in
Operations directly involved in this area).

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efficiently and effectively. These processes ensure that the enterprise’s operational
processes evolve as required over time; that program and project management
processes are effective; and that quality and performance management processes
are effective.

Knowledge & Research Management: this enterprise management process

grouping focuses on knowledge management, technology research within the
enterprise and evaluation of potential technology acquisitions.

Financial & Asset Management: this enterprise management process grouping

focuses on managing the finances and assets of the enterprise. Financial
Management processes include Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Expense
Reporting, Revenue Assurance, Payroll, Book Closings, Tax Planning and Payment
etc. The Financial Management processes collects data, reports on and analyzes the
results of the enterprise. They are accountable for overall management of the
enterprise income statement. Asset Management processes set asset policies, track
assets and manage the overall corporate balance sheet.

Stakeholder & External Relations Management: this enterprise management

process grouping focuses on managing the enterprise's relationship with
stakeholders and outside entities. Stakeholders include shareholders, employee
organizations, etc. Outside entities include regulators, local community, and unions.
Some of the processes within this grouping are Shareholder Relations, External
Affairs, Labor Relations, and Public Relations.

Human Resources Management: this enterprise management process grouping

focuses on the processes necessary for the people resources that the enterprise
uses to fulfill its objectives. For example, Human Resources Management processes
provide salary structures by level, coordinates performance appraisal and
compensation guidelines, sets policies in relation to people management, employee
benefit programs, labor relations, including Union contract negotiations, safety
program development and communication, employee review policies, training
programs, employee acquisition and release processes, retirement processes,
resource planning and workplace operating policies. Moreover it defines the
organization of the enterprise and coordinates its reorganizations.

Note that Human Resources Management processes are concerned with preparing
people to carry out their assigned tasks (e.g., organizing training, remuneration,
recruiting, etc.). The actual assignment of specific tasks is the responsibility of Work
Force Management processes.

4.8. External Interactions

The eTOM Business Process Framework recognizes that any single organization
interacts with external parties. The major parties recognized by the eTOM framework
are customers, suppliers/partners, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders.

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External interactions from/to a Service Provider to other parties can be achieved by a

variety of mechanisms including:
o Exchange of emails or faxes
o Call Centers
o Web Portals
o Business to Business (B2B) automated transactions
o Other means….
In order to show how the eTOM framework accommodates processes and
transactions amongst a Service Provider and the external parties (that may be trading
partners), it is useful to visualize the eTOM framework against this external
environment, and Figure 2.8 tries to illustrate this.

In Figure 2.8, the external environment is shown diagrammatically by:

o two horizontal “bars”, the first one positioned above SIP and the
Operations process areas (the Sell Side), and the second one positioned
under the SIP and the Operations process areas (the Buy Side). These
represent the two aspects of trading interactions in the external
environment.
o one vertical bar, representing the external environment and all the external
parties with links to the two horizontal bars which represent the majority on
the interactions that occur.

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Customer
Sell Side
Strategy, Infrastructure & Product Operations

Market, Product and Customer

External Environment
Service

Resource
(Application, Computing and Network)

Supplier/ Partner

Buy Side

Suppliers/Partners

Enterprise Management

Shareholders Employees Other Stakeholders

Figure 2.8: the eTOM framework and the external environment

When the interaction with the external environment is by way of B2B trading
processes, the nature and approach of these external interactions is often defined by
organizations which are separate to the single enterprise. The process interactions
must then be based on the concept of shared public processes, which synchronize
the internal processes amongst trading partners. These shared processes have a
defined “buy” and a “sell” side, which interact in a trade between a Service Provider
and its Suppliers/Partners. Complex interactions of this kind can then be considered
to consist of an appropriate set of “buy” and “sell” interactions/transactions.

B2B process interactions, and potentially other electronic interactions with customers
or suppliers/partners, have specific externally specified interaction requirements. This
requires that the eTOM Business Process Framework recognizes that a degree of
mediation may be required as part of the process flow between the single enterprise
and external parties.

When the Enterprise is trading externally, involving the use of Application-to-

Application integration based on public processes, these are modeled by the added
“bars”. They represent the agreed industry processes to support trading with
customer and partners. Some of these trading relationship with partners may involve
third parties such as marketplaces, agents, trust providers, etc. which also form part
of this external environment.

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Further detail of the process components that support this form of external interaction
is provided in GB921B and GB921C. Some further information is provided in Chapter
3 following.

4.9. Process Flow Modeling

Approach

A basic process flow modeling methodology has been used to show how the eTOM
process elements should be used to design process flows consistent with the eTOM
framework. The methodology is available in an outline form at this time and will be
updated based on what proves to work well for the activity. This outline business
process modeling methodology is documented separately in GB921F.

A top-down approach was adopted in the framework development phase. This

enabled the definition of the Business Process Framework at the Enterprise level in a
series of Level 1 process groupings. These Level 1 processes are split into Vertical
(i.e. “end-to-end”) and Horizontal (i.e. functional) groupings, with the dependant Level
2 processes positioned within the Vertical and the Horizontal grouping appropriate to
the process concerned. As described in the process methodology, the eTOM
framework uses hierarchical decomposition to structure the business processes.

Through hierarchical decomposition, complex entities can be structured and

understood by means of the formalization of their components. Hierarchical
decomposition enables detail to be defined in a structured way. Hierarchical
decomposition also allows the framework to be adopted at varying levels and/or for
different processes.

For the eTOM framework, each process element has a detailed description that can
include (as appropriate) the process purpose, its basic inputs and outputs, its
interfaces, high level information requirements and business rules.

The eTOM process flow modeling depicts process flows in a swim lane approach that
drives end-to-end process and process flow-through between the customer and the
supporting services, resources and supplier/partners.

Based on the above-described process modeling approach, the eTOM framework

process work starts at Level 0, the enterprise level, and shows the component Level
1 processes (see Figure 2.2). Each Level 1 process is then decomposed into its
Level 2 component processes, etc.

Some examples of business process flows are presented in GB921F.

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4.10. Summary

The eTOM Business Process Framework is an enterprise process framework for

service providers. The processes of the enterprise fall into four major categories with
twelve enterprise level process groupings in all.

The main strengths of the eTOM framework are that it:

o Provides an enterprise-wide total business process framework for the
Service Provider
o addresses not only operations and maintenance aspects, but covers all
significant enterprise process areas
o supports e-business, introducing concepts such as Retention and Loyalty, a
new Business Relationship Context Model, Supplier/Partner Relationship
Management, etc.
o covers not only the area of network management, but enlarges its scope to
application and computing management and the management integration
beginning to be required.
o decouples lifecycle management, including development processes, from
operations and day-to-day processes.
o can represent both the Framework (static) and be used for the process flow
(dynamic) view, including high level information requirements and business
rules for strong linkage to automation solutions.
o provides a process Framework reflecting the most current thinking in
designing and documenting processes.
o provides a sound reference process framework for the ICT industry in the e-
business era
The eTOM already has this standing, not only because it builds on and enhances
previous business process analysis and modeling and analysis, but because its
continuing development has extensive Service Provider involvement, including
adoption by many Service Providers, Vendors, Integrators and Process Tool
developers.

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5. Chapter 3 – The emergence of e-business within the ICT

Market
The application of the latest technologies is transforming access to information, which
in turn is revolutionizing the ways companies can share the information and can use it
to interact with their customers. This process is resetting customer expectations and
as they experience and adapt to this new way of conducting business, with its
improvements in both service and levels of control, they are becoming increasingly
intolerant of organizations that are incapable of delivering to these new standards.

In this new paradigm, the distinction between products and services often blurs.
Success depends on creating new ‘product offerings and experiences’ in which
customers see value. Value is now defined in terms of the whole customer
experience. Customers value one-stop shopping, selection choices, personalization
of service and the empowerment gained from self-service. The common denominator
is making life easier and simpler for the customer.

To meet and deliver against these new customer expectations, information-centric

business designs have to be developed and investment in technology is required to
support their implementation. Priorities include the need to integrate and share data
with partners to give both a better integration of the supply chain and a unified
approach to order entry, fulfillment and delivery.

This chapter introduces e-business, what it is and the impact its emergence is having
on Service Providers. A simple model is then presented that helps clarify the main
concepts that relate to e-business and some of the standardization related activities
that have emerged in response to this phenomenon are introduced. The issues that
are raised for the eTOM business process framework by these developments are
then summarized as a prelude to Chapter 4.

5.11. What is e-business?

In general e-business is understood as the interaction amongst business partners

with the help of information technologies. It refers not only to buying and selling over
the Internet (or other computer network), but also to servicing customers and
collaborating with business partners.

The term e-business has often been interchanged with the term e-commerce.
However, it is becoming increasingly accepted that the use of e-commerce should be
restricted to referring to just those web transactions (mainly business-to-consumer)
which are used while buying and selling services and goods over the Internet.

An e-business Enterprise is then, an enterprise that utilizes Internet and related

technologies to compete effectively in its business space. The technologies enable it
to act more efficiently and effectively by facilitating better customer interactions,

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streamlining interfaces with partners and suppliers and in general, improving the
quality and competitiveness of their offerings.

e-business’s can be characterized as communities of complementary organizations

linked together to create unique business entities that are easy to re-configure in
response to evolving customer needs. The central theme of e-business becomes the
delivery of “value” by creating and utilizing end-to-end value streams that are based
on an integrated and customer-centric technological foundation. Communities of
complementary organizations are tied by these streams and form an extended
enterprise that is transparent to the customer. These communities are effectively in
competition with each other and not just the fronting companies.

A core focus for e-business is therefore on relationships between organizations, in

part, because relationships that were previously not possible are now feasible; but
also because it also makes possible the streamlining and automation of the existing
value network, resulting in significant productivity gains for all parties.

5.12. Implications of e-business on the

for Service Providers

As new technologies and markets emerge, enterprises have to adapt or die.

Technologies affect customer needs while customer needs influence business
designs. As business designs emerge, they affect processes and processes influence
both customer expectation, and the next generation of technology.

In response to this new paradigm, it is imperative that enterprises integrate business,

technology and processes. They must redefine the way in which they operate by
using new technology-based business designs, creating new inter-enterprise
processes, and integrating operations to support changing customer requirements. A
Service Providers business management team has to understand what can be
enabled by the application of technology to their business and then realize a strategy
that can underpin the transition. Failure to do so will result in an inability to meet
changing customer demands, offerings that lack in quality, and ever increasing costs.
Competition from more agile and efficient rivals will lead to the organization’s demise.

The three principal reasons Service Providers must integrate e-business and
traditional business processes are therefore:
o Customer expectations and the need to move to an approach that
focuses on the management of Customer Relationships and the importance
of improving customer retention and increasing the value customers
contribute to the enterprise.
o Productivity gains and the need to ensure that these can continue to be
obtained.
o Provision of a broader range of products and services to customers -
this, for the Information and Communications Technology industry (more

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than almost any other industry) requires a focus on better collaboration

between and integration of processes.
The processes required in an e-business environment are fundamentally different
from those in a traditional business environment. An enterprise that is to transition
successfully to e-business must determine the processes they implement based on
criteria such as:
o Their relevance to their customers needs
o The contribution they make to providing an integrated and unique identity
for the enterprise,
o How critical they are to the enterprises operational performance
Other considerations that should influence process design include:
o Exceptions should be handled excellently. In other words, process
problems are identified in real time and actions to support the customer are
taken real time.
o Business rules should be easily configured and applied automatically
o The ability to treat a process as an asset that can be assessed, replaced,
outsourced, as appropriate to improve the operation of the business.

5.12.1. How can a Service Provider migrate towards e-business

There are several alternative approaches to implementing e-business. Some

companies are treating e-business (and e-commerce) as separate units. Some are
overlaying e-business on traditional business operation. Yet other businesses are
approaching e-business as a replacement of traditional business channels. The most
successful e-business enterprises integrate e-business and traditional business
channels where cost, quality and profit can be best rationalized. This is much more
than just throwing together a set of web pages to front an organization, although
integrating storefront and Web operations is clearly a key part of the model for some
businesses.

The integration of e-business and traditional business channels is the model that is
most applicable to Information and Communications Service Providers . Undertaking
such an integration is typically a substantial exercise. The use of systematic Business
Process Frameworks as a basis for structuring the existing business and to help
understand and guide the integration of e-business into an existing business can
have major benefits.

The TM Forum mission of Business Process Automation based on standards and

common frameworks/models with plug and play flexibility has never been more
relevant. eTOM addresses the total business process framework required for a
service provider enterprise operating in the ICT industry. It recognizes the need to
integrate traditional business and e-business processes. And it provides a basis for
understanding how to migrate from a current to a desired organizational structure.

The use of systematic Business Process Frameworks, like the eTOM, also makes it
easier to evaluate and improve the processes themselves. Employing business
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process modeling techniques contributes to the goals and profitability of Service

Providers. Using consistent modeling techniques for Business Development and
Information Systems Development brings noticeable efficiency improvements and
removes barriers within those enterprises and across cooperative, inter-corporation
projects.

Service Providers that use systematic business process modeling to manage and
improve their businesses have a much greater chance of migrating their existing
organizational structure to encompass new challenges, the current of which is fully
embracing the e-business paradigm.

5.13. An e-business Reference Model

e-business involves increasingly complex networks of relationships to operate. Figure

3.1 depicts the sets of relationship groupings involved in a value network in the ICT
industry. The value network must operate with the efficiency of a self-contained
enterprise, which requires managing the network on a process rather than an
organizational basis. The model explicitly shows the use of the eTOM Business
Process Framework by the Service Provider at its core. It is only shown here to
simplify the figure and its presence is not intended to imply that its use by the Service
Provider is prescribed, just that the Service Provider would probably benefit from its
use. Likewise, it is not intended to preclude the use of eTOM by the other entities
shown within the value network. These entities may or may not make use of the
eTOM Business Process Framework.

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Customer

Service Provider

Intermediary Complementor

Supplier

Figure 3.1: The e-business Reference Model2

The roles of the entities in the Value Network shown in Figure 3.1 are described
below.

5.13.1. Customer

The Customer is responsible for ordering, using and (usually) paying for service
products. The Customer may represent an end Customer, where the product
provided by the value network is consumed, or a wholesale Customer that resells the
product provided, generally with some added value. Depending on the Customer’s
activities, there may be a further refinement of this role as follows:
o The Subscriber role is responsible for concluding contracts for the service
products subscribed to and for paying for these products.
o The End User role makes use of the products.

5.13.2. Service Provider

The Service Provider presents an integrated view of service products to the

Customer. It is responsible for the contractual interface with the Customer to, sell
products to the Customer, provide the Customer with contact and support, and bill the
Customer for the products supplied. The Service Provider can deliver some or all of a

2
Based on P. Keen and M. McDonald, The e-Process Edge, Osborne/McGraw-Hill, Berkeley, CA, 2000.
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service product to the Customer itself, or it might subcontract out provision of parts, or
even all, of the product to other service providers while maintaining the Customer-
facing role of the one-stop shop. The Service Provider is responsible for acting on
behalf of the value network it represents in relationships with Intermediaries as well as
with the Customer.

5.13.3. Complementary Provider

The Complementary Provider extends the product provided by the Service Provider
and offers additional capability that the Service Provider is not itself offering to the
Customer, i.e. it complements the product being provided by the Service Provider and
adds value to it, but is not essential for provision of the product itself. It could act, for
instance, as a specialist Content Provider to a Service Provider that is operating a
mobile phone service. The Complementary Provider is in a partnership with the
Service Provider and can enhance the Service Provider’s product to the Customer
with its own products, thus making interactions with the Service Provider more
attractive and convenient for the Customer. A business relationship between the
Complementary Provider and the Customer may exist, depending on the nature of
the product being provided and possibly on the business culture of the environment.
Frequently, products offered by a Complementary Provider are co-branded.

5.13.4. Intermediary

The Intermediary supplies a service for a fee. For example, a localized selling
function in a market where the Service Provider has a limited presence and/or
understanding of, is a typical service provided by an intermediary. The service
provided could be an information service enabling Customers to locate Service
Providers most appropriate to their specific needs, or the provision of an environment
in which providers can make their products known to Customers in an electronic
marketplace or trading exchange (infomediary).

At a time of Internet globalization an Intermediary can play an important role as it can

promote market transparency by overcoming the geographic constraints that used to
limit knowledge about the products available. Functional intermediaries provide a
specific function, such as selling, electronic payment or authentication.

5.13.5. Supplier

The supplier interacts with the Service Provider in providing hardware, software,
solution and services which are assembled by the Service Provider in order to deliver
its solutions or services to the Customer. The Service Provider is bounded by its
Suppliers’ ability to deliver.

Note that individual enterprises can adopt multiple roles in different value networks.
For example a service provider may be the customer facing service provider in one
value network , while in another may complement, or act as an intermediary, for
another SP. In today’s fast-moving marketplace, these relationships can be very

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short-lived compared with the more static relationships of the traditional

telecommunications market.

The implications of e-business developments, and how these are supported by

eTOM, are discussed in a separate Application Note [Ref 10].

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6. Annex A – eTOM Concepts

6.14. Overview

So that the eTOM Business Process Framework can be understood and used
effectively, it is essential to review the key concepts that were the basis for creating
and evolving the eTOM framework. These concepts were used to make the eTOM
framework highly effective for the integration of e-business process design and
assessment with traditional business processes.

These concepts make use of terminology and ideas explained in more detail later; for
example, references to “levels” of decomposition.

To assist the reader in understanding the process area within the eTOM framework
that relate to a particular paragraph or section, a graphical icon of the eTOM
framework is provided alongside text to draw attention to the relevant area. This is
highlighted in red to indicate the focus of the following text or discussion.

6.15. Business Concepts

1. The eTOM framework focus is on the customer and the processes

that directly support the customer. In the Level 0 View of the eTOM
framework, the three end-to-end (vertical) process groupings of
Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing are depicted. These processes are also
referred to as Customer Operations. These processes directly interface
and support the customer and are the priority focus of the enterprise.

2. The eTOM framework has an Operations Support & Readiness end-

to-end (vertical) grouping that includes those processes needed to
ensure that Customer Operations processes can respond with what
the customer requires, in a timeframe and cost the customer
requires, including delighting the customer with delivery and
support. The Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing (FAB) vertical end-end
processes, supported by the horizontal functional processes, need to be
enabled and supported to function for the customer on an online and
immediate basis. To support FAB end-end processes, Operations
Support & Readiness processes prepare information, products, services
and resources, as well as suppliers and partners to deliver and support
individual customer service instances.

3. Processes which are essential to drive and support the Customer

Operations and Operations Support & Readiness groupings are
referred to as Strategic, Infrastructure and Product (SIP). This

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grouping consists of three Level 1 end-to-end (vertical) process

groupings, i.e., Strategy & Commit; Infrastructure Lifecycle
Management and Product Lifecycle Management. The end-end
processes in these groupings are separated from Operations
because they are characteristically different than Operations
processes as listed below.
o These end-end process groupings do not focus on direct interface with the
customer.
o These end-end process groupings address business activities which are
critical to the enterprise, understanding its markets and developing what is
required to enable delivery to customer expectations.
o Each of these end-end process groupings in Strategic, Infrastructure and
Product (SIP) have different business time cycles. , i.e., as you move from
right to left, generally the time cycle becomes longer. E.g. strategies change
less often than Infrastructures, which change less often than Products,
which change less often than Operations Support Processes, which change
less often than customer Fulfillment, Assurance or Billing requests. The
Business time cycles in Strategic, Infrastructure and Product (SIP) are quite
different to those of the Operations processes.
o Each of the end-end process groupings in Strategic, Infrastructure and
Product (SIP) have process similarities among them, but they are very
different compared with the Operations end-end processes.
4. The eTOM framework focuses on e-business opportunities and
therefore integrates the processes occurring within the Enterprise
with those of partners and suppliers. The eTOM framework supports
both traditional business processes and those that are e-business
enabled. e-business requires a heightened focus on Supply Chain
Management. The Supplier/Partner process grouping consists of
Supplier/Partner Relationship Management and Supply Chain
Development & Management. Supplier/Partner Relationship
Management provides the operational interface and support between the
enterprise and its suppliers and partners. Supply Chain Development &
Management processes include the developing of relationships and
managing the service provider’s supply chains.

5. The eTOM framework includes an Enterprise Management process

area so that all Service Provider processes are included. Service
Providers consistently employ enterprise or corporate level processes to
manage and support their businesses. These process groupings have
significant importance for service providers and have unique or custom
requirements for Information and Communications Service Providers.

6.15.1. eTOM Framework and Process Implementation Concepts

6. The eTOM framework uses both the terms “product” and “service” and
these terms focus on specific parts of the eTOM framework. The Product
view focuses on what the Service Provider offers to its Customers. The

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horizontal functional processes that determine the Customer’s needs and

match these to the offerings from the Service Provider are placed in the
Market, Product and Customer functional (horizontal) grouping. The
Service view focuses on the hardware and the information necessary to
support and deliver a Product to the Customer. The horizontal functional
processes that determine these details and enable these items are placed
in the Service and the Resource functional (horizontal) groupings. For a
full definition of “Product” and “Service” as they are used in the eTOM
framework, see Terminology and Glossary.

7. The eTOM framework is organized with both end-to-end (vertical)

and functional (horizontal) process groupings. Below the very
conceptual level, there are seven End-to-End (vertical) processes that
deliver for the enterprise. At Level 1 of the Framework, there are fifteen
Functional (horizontal) process groupings which support the execution of
the vertical processes. The eTOM framework Level 1 End-to-End
(Vertical) Processes are:
o Strategy & Commit
o Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
o Product Lifecycle Management

o Operations Support & Readiness

o Fulfillment
o Assurance
o Billing

o The Level 1 Functional (Horizontal) Process groupings are:

o Marketing & Offer Management
o Customer Relationship Management
o Service Development & Management
o Service Management & Operations
o Resource Development & Management
o Resource Management & Operations
o Supply Chain Development & Management
o Supplier/Partner Relationship Management

o Strategic & Enterprise Planning

o Enterprise Risk Management
o Enterprise Effectiveness Management
o Financial & Asset Management

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o Knowledge & research Management

o Stakeholder & External Relations Management
o Human Resources Management

8. Service Providers interact with many external and internal entities. The
eTOM framework groups these into five entity groupings:
o Customers (the SP sells to them)
o Suppliers/Partners (the SP buys from them or co-operates with them)
o Shareholders (the SP obtains financial resources from them)
o Employees (the SP obtains their services to execute the processes of the
enterprise)
o Other Stakeholders (include Regulators, Media, Local Community,
Government, Labor Unions, Competitors, etc.)
9. Business to Business Application of the eTOM Business Process Framework is
supported within the framework. The eTOM Business Process Framework
recognizes that some process interactions may be defined by parties external to
the enterprise, and that mediation process may be required to join the internally
and externally defined processes.

10. The eTOM framework is structured in hierarchical decomposition of all

Processes in the Enterprise. For all process elements, the eTOM framework
generally decomposes the process elements into three levels below the
very high conceptual view of the Framework. This allows the Framework to be
adopted at varying levels by Service Providers and Suppliers.

11. The process elements in the eTOM framework include every process
element or activity used by the Enterprise. All areas of the enterprise must be
able to unambiguously identify where their key activities would be mapped. This
is essential to having the Framework accepted by all units in the Enterprise.

12. The eTOM framework clearly defines each process element. Each process
element in the framework is a category that allows actual activities in the
enterprise to be unambiguously assigned to a category. This modularized
approach makes it easier for processes to be re-used, updated or replaced
independently. The solutions based on this framework can then be built by using
Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) product, since solution vendor will increasingly
structure and describe their offerings consistently with the eTOM framework.

13. Process elements can be included in more than one end-end process
grouping, where it is necessary to deliver consistency across several end-
end processes. Processes that appear in more than one end-to-end process
grouping may provide the same functionality in several groupings or may provide
somewhat different functionality, to support each specific process grouping. For
example, Customer Interface Management processes are used in Fulfillment,

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Assurance and Billing, with the content of the interaction being different, but
overall the interface must have a consistent look and feel.

14. The eTOM framework process elements are defined as generically as

possible to support all Products, Services and Channels that are used
within the enterprise. The eTOM Business Process Framework is technology,
organization and service Independent.

15. Each Service Provider will choose to implement their reference process
flows differently; according to their business vision and mission, their
target markets and strategies, etc. A methodology for building reference
Process Flows using the eTOM framework process elements as building blocks
is described in Gb921F. There is no intent to make Reference Process Flows
prescriptive as there will be numerous different implementations of flows. What is
essential to ensure clear communications between Service Providers is that each
one builds up their Reference using the industry-standard eTOM framework
process elements as building blocks.

16. The eTOM framework process flows and decompositions are designed to
link Input, process element and output, and to provide a high-level
definition of information requirements and business rules. This level of
process information and discipline creates the opportunity for better linkage to
systems work.

6.16. End-to-End Process Flow

Concepts

The eTOM framework includes a considerable amount of process flow modeling to

support and apply the process decompositions. This modeling will continue to be
developed for the process areas of the eTOM framework which have a high priority
for member organizations. Process flow modeling, definition of high level information
requirements and business rules are essential elements in linking to systems analysis
and design for development and delivery of automation solutions. The process
decomposition and flow modeling are also critical linkages to the NGOSS systems
initiatives.

This chapter addresses end-to-end process flow concepts in relation to the eTOM
framework. It first gives some general information on how the process flow work is
done using the eTOM framework and then looks at the Operations processes
separately from the Strategy, Infrastructure and Product processes.

6.16.1. eTOM Business Process Framework Process Flows

Process flow modeling using the eTOM framework follows the hierarchical process
decomposition and description of each process element in the hierarchies. There are
two types of process flow in the eTOM framework. First, there are the process flows
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for an individual process that has been decomposed to a level where it is convenient
for a process ‘thread’ to be developed, e.g., Credit Authorization. In this context,
thread is used to encompass the local process flow concerning the individual process
concerned. The second type of process flow has a larger scope, and is more of a
picture that connects the most important elements of several process threads to
provide an ‘end-to-end’ process flow, e.g., service request. This type of process flow
typically represents an area of business solution, and will begin to be added to the
eTOM framework in subsequent releases.

Whether a process thread or an end-to-end process flow, each process involved is

initiated by an event(s), e.g., a customer inquiry, and ends with a result(s), e.g., credit
approved. The sequence of process steps to achieve the required overall result(s) is
shown, with an association made to the high level information involved as inputs or
outputs. In early input/output diagrams, each high level process showed its high level
input and output, but the inputs and outputs were not defined and were not tied to a
specific process activity. This deficiency is addressed in process flow modeling with
the eTOM framework, which will provide this information as more and more process
flow modeling is completed.

Current process modeling methodologies use a swim lane approach to process flow
diagramming, and so does the eTOM framework. For the most part, the swim lanes
are the functional layers of the eTOM framework, e.g., CRM, SM&O, RM&O, S/PRM
within the Operations area. Swim lanes are the horizontal layers into which the
process elements and their flows are mapped. The top swim lane represents the
customer. Using a swim lane approach to process flow modeling enables better:
o End-to-end process flow design, e.g., from customer request to correctly
provided service
o Process flow through design, e.g., from customer to resource element
o Customer contact and interface process design, due to better visibility of the
interfaces with the customer and the gaps between them
o Value add process element focus in process design
o Visibility of too many hand-offs, too much specialization, etc.

6.16.2. Operations Processes

Figure A.1 shows the Operations portion of the eTOM framework decomposed into
the Operations Support & Readiness vertical end-end process grouping plus the
three Customer Operations vertical end-end process groupings of Fulfillment,
Assurance and Billing & Revenue Management. The purpose is to show in more
detail the predominant processes that need to be involved - integrated and
automated - to support the vertical end-to-end, Customer Operations processes of
Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing & Revenue Management as well as the Operations
Support & Readiness processes.

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Operations
Operations Support Fulfillment Assurance Billing & Revenue
& Readiness Management
Customer Interface Management
Customer Relationship
Selling Bill Payments & Receivables Mgt.
Management
Problem Customer Bill Invoice Bill Inquiry
CRM Marketing Order QoS / SLA Management Handling
Support & Fulfillment Handling
Handling Management Manage
Readiness Response Billing Events Charging

Retention & Loyalty

Service Management &

Service Service Service
SM&O Operations Service Guiding
Configuration Problem Quality
Support & & Mediation
& Activation Management Management
Readiness

Resource Management & Resource Resource

Resource Trouble Performance Resource Mediation
RM&O Operations Provisioning & Reporting
Management Management
Support & Manage
Readiness Workforce Resource Data Collection & Distribution

Supplier/Partner Relationship S/P S/P Problem S/P S/P Settlements

Management Requisition Reporting & Performance & Payments
S/PRM
Management Management Management Management
Support &
Readiness Supplier/Partner Interface Management

Figure A.1: The Operations End-To-End Process Breakdown

Even though the end-to-end process breakdown in Figure A.1 provides a sound
image of which component process belongs to which end-to-end process, it does not
get across the dynamic, end-to-end process flow required to support, for example, the
Customer Operations end-end processes of Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing &
Revenue Management. Figure A.2 shows the three essential flow elements :
o Between the customer interface and support in a resource element and/or
supplier/partner
o From selling through billing
o Between other providers and network operators
The vertical arrows represent the process interactions between the customer
interface and the resource elements, i.e., process flow through. The overlapping
balloons indicate that Fulfillment, Assurance, and Billing predominantly include
specific processes from the framework. However, all three end-to-end processes
have interactions among many processes across the framework. The directionality of
the white vertical arrows shows end-to-end flow. The customer predominantly initiates
the Fulfillment process. The Assurance process can be triggered by the customer or
resource elements, and the Billing flow is predominantly from data collection in the
resource elements to bills presented to the customer. The black arrows show the
process flow interfaces required with other providers and operators. All three flow
elements are required for integration and automation.

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Customer

Fulfillment

Assurance
Billing

Resource Element

Supplier and/or Partner

Figure A.2: FAB End-To-End and Flow-through Process Flows

The end-to-end process flow for Operations Support and Readiness will be shown in
a subsequent release of the eTOM framework.

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7. Annex B – Terminology and Acronym Glossary

7.17. Terminology

Definitions are provided here for common terms concerning Business processes and
the activities occurring within them. Common terminology makes it easier for Service
Providers to communicate with their Customers, Suppliers and Partners.

For the eTOM framework documentation to be understood and used effectively, it is

essential that the wording listed here be interpreted using the meanings provided,
rather than common usage or specific usage.

Complementary Provider
The Complementary Provider provides additional products and services to extend the
attractiveness of an enterprise’s products and services and scope of its of the value
network. Frequently, these products and services are co-branded.

Customer
The Customer buys products and services from the Enterprise or receives free offers
or services. A Customer may be a person or a business.

Customer Operations Process

A Customer Operations Process is an end-end process that focuses totally on directly
supporting Customer needs, i.e., Fulfillment, Assurance or Billing. It may be initiated
by the Customer or be initiated by the Service Provider.

e-business
e-business includes the Internet presence and buy and sell transaction over digital
media of e-commerce. It also includes the integration of front- and back-office
processes and applications to provide support and bill for the product or service. For
the eTOM framework it is even more expansive. e-business is the integration of
traditional business models and approaches with e-business opportunities.

e-commerce
e-commerce is Internet presence and business buying and selling transactions
over digital media.

End-to-End Process Flow

End-to-end process flow includes all sub-processes and activities and the sequence
required to accomplish the goals of the process. Note that the top-level views of the
eTOM framework do NOT show end-to-end process flow since there is no indication

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of sequence. The eTOM framework shows end-to-end process groupings (see

definition below)

The end-to-rend, customer processes recognized in the eTOM framework are

generic sequences of activities that need to occur in the enterprise to achieve desired
results. (i.e. they are not specific to a particular ICSP Business, Product, Channel or
Technology).

The eTOM framework does not direct or constrain the way end-to-end processes can
be implemented, rather it only guides the definition of standardized process elements
to be used within the enterprise. In this way process elements can be assembled for
a specific service provider’s end-to-end process requirements. The eTOM framework
does not mandate a single way the process elements should be organized or
sequenced to create end-to-end processes.

End-to-End Process Grouping

The top-level view of the eTOM framework shows end-to-end process groupings. At
this level of the process framework, flow is not appropriate. However, these groupings
represent processes that have end-to-end results that are key measures for the
enterprise.

Also termed as vertical process grouping(s).

End User
The End User is the actual user of the Products or Services offered by the
Enterprise. The end user consumes the product or service. See also Subscriber
below.

Enterprise
Enterprise is used to refer to the overall business, corporation or firm, which is using
the eTOM framework for modeling its business processes. The enterprise is
responsible for delivering products and services to the Customer. It is assumed that
the enterprise is an Information or Communications Service Provider (see ICSP
explanation below).

Enterprise Management Process Grouping

This Process grouping involves the knowledge of Enterprise-level actions and needs,
and encompasses all Business Management functionalities necessary to support the
operational processes, which are critical to run a business in the competitive market.
These are sometimes thought of as corporate processes and support. Some
functions such as for Enterprise Risk Management (e.g. security and fraud
management) have to be more tailored to Information and Communications Service
Providers, but most (e.g., Financial Management, Public Relations) are not
significantly different for the ICSP industry.

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Entity
Entity, is used to mean a person, a business, technology, etc. with which a process
interacts. The Customer is the most important Entity. The Enterprise Management
processes interact with Government, Regulators, Competitors, Media, Shareholders,
the Public, Unions and Lobby groups. The Supplier and Partner Management
Processes interact with Dealers, Retailers, Partners, Brokers, Third-Party Providers,
Complementary Provider, Financial Provider, Service Suppliers, and Material
Suppliers.

Flow-through
Flow-through is automation across an interface or set of interfaces within an end-to-
end process flow. For the eTOM Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing processes,
process flow-through is between the customer and the resource elements.

Functional Process Groupings

The functional process groupings (e.g. Customer Relationship Management, Service
Management & Operations, etc.) aggregate processes involving similar knowledge.
The eTOM functional process groupings are the highest level decomposition of the
enterprise. Functional process groupings are shown horizontally in eTOM.

These functional process groupings are not hierarchical with respect to each other
and are not built one above the other (i.e., one is not a decomposition of the one
above), e.g., ‘Service Management & Operations’ is NOT a decomposition of
‘Customer Relationship Management’.

Also termed as horizontal process grouping(s).

Hierarchical Process Decomposition

Hierarchical Process Decomposition is the systematic approach to modeling
processes above the level suitable to process flow. The Hierarchical Process
Decomposition approach allows processes to be developed more modularly. See
Levels below.

Information and Communications Service Provider (ICSP)

A Service Provider Enterprise that sells Information and/or Communications Services
to other parties.

Intermediary
Within the Value Network, the Intermediary performs a function on behalf of the
Enterprise that is a part of the Enterprise’s operational requirements. Intermediaries
provide products and services that the enterprise either cannot provide itself or
chooses not to due to cost and quality considerations. There are typically three
categories of intermediaries: sales, fulfillment, and information and communication.

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Levels
The best to way to structure a large amount of content and detail, while still allowing
the higher-level views to present a summary view, is to structure the information in
multiple Levels, where each Level is decomposed into greater detail at the next lower
Level. This is Hierarchical Decomposition.

By having the eTOM framework structured into multiple Levels it enables users of the
framework to align their enterprise framework or their process implementations with
the eTOM framework at different levels e.g., Align at Level 1 and 2 or align at Level 1,
2 and 3.

To summarize how levels are used in the eTOM framework.

1. The whole-of-Enterprise view (i.e., all of the eTOM framework) is Level 0.
2. Each Vertical (End-to-End) Process Grouping is Level 1.
3. Each Horizontal (Functional) Process Grouping is also Level 1.
4. All the Process Elements, e.g., Order Handling (which appear in the End-
to-End Process and the Functional Process Groupings) are Level 2.
5. Level 2 Process Elements may be decomposed into Level 3 Process
Elements.
6. Level 3 Process Elements may be decomposed into Level 4 Process
Elements.
7. For the eTOM framework, all subsequent levels of process decomposition
are Level 4, since decomposition level does not necessarily mean the
same level of detail from one process decomposition to another. The
number of levels of decomposition required has more to do with the
complexity of the process and the level at which process flow makes
sense.
Offer
An offer is an aggregation or bundling of Products or Services for sale to a Customer.

Outsourcing
Outsourcing is when an enterprise contracts out one or more of its internal processes
and/or functions out to an outside company. Outsourcing moves enterprise resources
to an outside enterprise and keeping a retained capability to manage the relationship
with the outsourced processes.

Out-tasking
Out-tasking is when an enterprise contracts with outside enterprise to provide a
process, function or capability without transfer of resource. The enterprise begins
using the other enterprise’s capabilities directly and electronically.

Partner
A Partner has a stronger profit and risk-sharing component in their Business
Agreement with the Enterprise, than a Supplier would have. A Partner generally is
more visible to the Enterprise's customer than a Supplier would be. A partner might
be part of an alliance, a joint service offering, etc.

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Process
A Process describes a systematic, sequenced set of functional activities that deliver a
specified result. In other words, a Process is a sequence of related activities or tasks
required to deliver results or outputs.

Product
Product is what an entity (supplier) offers or provides to another entity (customer).
Product may include service, processed material, software or hardware or any
combination thereof. A product may be tangible (e.g. goods) or intangible (e.g.
concepts) or a combination thereof. However, a product ALWAYS includes a service
component.

Process Element
Process Elements can also be considered as the building blocks or components,
which are used to ‘assemble’ end-to-end business processes. Therefore, a process
element is the highest level of the constructs within the eTOM framework, which can
be used directly by the enterprise. Process elements first become visible when either
a functional process grouping or an end-to-end process grouping is decomposed into
the second level, e.g., Order Handling,

Process elements are modular for potential reuse and independent update and/or
replacement.

Resource
Resources represent physical and non-physical components used to construct
Services. They are drawn from the Application, Computing and Network domains,
and include, for example, Network Elements, software, IT systems, and technology
components.

Service
Services are developed by a Service Provider for sale within Products. The same
service may be included in multiple products, packaged differently, with different
pricing, etc.

Service Provider (SP)

See under Information and Communications Service Provider (ICSP)

Subscriber
The Subscriber is responsible for concluding contracts for the services subscribed to
and for paying for these services.

Supplier
Suppliers interact with the Enterprise in providing goods and services, which are
assembled by the Enterprise in order to deliver its products and services to the
Customer.
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Supply Chain
’Supply Chain’ refers to entities and processes (including those external to the
Enterprise) that are used to supply goods and services needed to deliver products
and services to customers.

Swim Lane
A way of depicting process flow in two dimensions by showing sequence horizontally
and different actors or process types vertically. Using swim lanes to depict process
flow allow for better process design in better end-to-end flow, better flow-through and
better visibility of customer interactions in the process.

Third Party Service Provider

The Third Party Service Provider provides services to the Enterprise for integration
or bundling as an offer from the enterprise to the Customer. Third party service
providers are part of an enterprise’s seamless offer. In contrast, a complementary
service provider is visible in the offer to the enterprise’s customer, including having
customer interaction.

TMN - Telecommunications Management Network

The Telecommunications Management Network (TMN) Model was developed to
support the management requirements of PTOs (Public Telecommunication
Operators) to plan, provision, install, maintain, operate and administer
telecommunication networks and services. As the communications industry has
evolved, use of TMN also evolved and it has influenced the way to think logically
about how the business of a service provider is managed. The TMN layered model
comprises horizontal business, service, and network management layers over
network hardware and software resources, and vertical overlapping layers of Fault,
Configuration, Accounting, Performance and Security (FCAPS) management
functional areas. The latter should not be considered as strictly divided “silos” of
management functions, but inter-related areas of functionality needed to manage
networks and services. Indeed, ITU-T Recommendations M.3200 and M.3400 define
a matrix of management services and management function sets (groups of
management functions), which in turn are used to define more detailed
Recommendations on specific management functions.

TOM
The Telecom Operations Map, GB910 Version 2.1 published by the
TeleManagement Forum.

Total Enterprise Process View

The Total Enterprise Process View Includes all business processes within the
Enterprise. In the eTOM framework, the Total Enterprise Process View is also
referred to as Level 0, since it includes all Level 1 process groupings.

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User
See End User above.

Value Network
The enterprise as the hub a value network is a key concept of e-business. The value
network is the collaboration of the enterprise, its suppliers, complementary providers
and intermediaries with the customer to deliver value to the customer and provide
benefit to all the players in the value network. e-business success and, therefore part
of the definition of a value network, is that the value network works almost as a
vertically integrated enterprise to serve the customer.

Vendor
Synonymous with Supplier above.

7.18. Acronyms

ADSL Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line

ANSI American National Standards Institute
ASP Application Service Provider
ATM Asynchronous Transfer Mode
B2B Business to Business
BM&A Brand Management, Market Research & Advertising
BOM Business Operations Map
BPSS Business Process Specification Schema
BSS Business Support System
BTA Business Transaction Activity
CAM Content Assembly Mechanism
CBL Commerce One Business Library
COTS Commercial Off-the-shelf
CRM Customer Relationship Management
DRS&F Disaster Recovery, Security and Fraud Management
DSL Digital Subscriber Line
DTD Document Type Definition
DWDM Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing
E2E End-to-end
ebXML Electronic Business Extensible Markup Language
EDI Electronic Data Interchange
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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

eTOM enhanced Telecom Operations Map

EM Enterprise Management
EQPIA Enterprise Quality Management, Process & IT Planning & Architecture
FAB Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing
F&AM Financial & Asset Management
GTDD Generic Telecom Data Dictionary
HDSL High-bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line
HR Human Resources
HTML Hyper Text Markup Language
ICSP Information and Communications Service Provider
ICT Information and Communications Technology
ILM Infrastructure Lifecycle Management
IP Internet Protocol
ISP Internet Service Provider
ITU-T International Telecommunication Union – Telecommunication Standardization
Sector
KPI Key Performance Indicator
KQI Key Quality Indicator
M&OM Marketing & Offer Management
NMF Network Management Forum (predecessor of TM Forum)
NGOSS New Generation Operations Systems and Software
OAGIS Open Applications Group Integration Specification
OASIS Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
OPS Operations
ORT Operations Readiness Testing
OSR Operations Support & Readiness
OSS Operations Support System
PIP Partner Interface Process
PLM Product Lifecycle Management
QoS Quality of Service
R&DTA Resource & Development, Technology Acquisition
RD&M Resource Development & Management
RFP Request for Proposal
RM&O Resource Management & Operations
RNIF RosettaNet Implementation Framework
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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

S&EP Strategic & Enterprise Planning

S&ER Stakeholder & External Relations
SC Strategy & Commit
SCD&M Supply Chain Development & Management
SD&M Service Development & Management
SDH Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
SID Shared Information & Data Model
SIP Strategy, Infrastructure and Product
SLA Service Level Agreement
SM&O Service Management & Operations
SOAP Simple Object Access Protocol
SONET Synchronous Optical Network
SP Service Provider (see also ICSP)
S/P Supplier/Partner
S/PRM Supplier/Partner Relationship Management
TM Forum TeleManagement Forum (see also TMF)
TML Telecommunications Markup Language
TMF TeleManagement Forum (see also TM Forum)
TMN Telecommunications Management Network
TOM Telecom Operations Map
UML Unified Modeling Language
UN/CEFACT United Nations Center for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business
VC-MC Value Chain Market Center
W3C World Wide Web Consortium
XML Extensible Markup Language

To find Acronyms expansions go to http://www.acronymfinder.com.

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

8. Appendix 1 – TM Forum NGOSS and eTOM

NGOSS is the TM Forum’s New Generation Operations Systems and Software
program, which delivers a toolkit to guide the definition, development, procurement
and deployment of OSS/BSS solutions while also defining a strategic direction for a
more standardized OSS marketplace.

NGOSS uses a common business process map, systems descriptions, and

information models and couples them with pre-defined integration interfaces,
architectural principles and compliance criteria. NGOSS’s end-to-end approach
enables service providers to redesign their key business processes in line with
industry best practices while allowing suppliers to cost-effectively develop OSS
software that can easily fit into a service provider’s IT environment.

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Figure App1.1: TM Forum NGOSS Framework

Figure App1.1 provides a representation of the NGOSS Framework, and the vital role
of the eTOM framework within this. The eTOM framework provides the Business
Process Map for NGOSS. Moving around the NGOSS “wheel”, the eTOM framework

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

feeds requirements to the Information Model and thence to the Integration

Framework and Compliance Criteria.

More information on NGOSS is available through the TM Forum website

www.tmforum.org

8.18.1. Note: Relationship to Standardization Activities

Much of the management infrastructures upon which systems will be built are
expected to be based on standard interfaces. Relating business needs to available,
or necessary, standards is a primary goal of the TM Forum in promoting a standards-
based approach to information and communications services management. Where
applicable, the TM Forum uses industry standards in its work to promote the
acceptance of standards and to minimize redundant work. People active in
management standardization (in the broadest sense) will find the eTOM framework
useful in setting a top down, enterprise-level, customer-centric context of how
management specifications need to work together.

TM Forum uses existing standards as much as possible. As a result of

implementation experience through Catalyst projects, TM Forum provides feedback
to appropriate standards bodies.

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

9. Administrative Appendix
This Appendix provides additional background material about the TeleManagement Forum and this
document.

9.1. Acknowledgments

The release of the Business Process Framework Version 8.0 is the result of the
combined efforts of a large group of individuals from companies all over the world.
Most noteworthy is the participation of numerous service providers. The knowledge
and commitment in providing contributions and participating in discussions are greatly
appreciated. Contributors over the program leading to previous Business Process
Framework/eTOM releases were acknowledged in those documents

With the move to management of the eTOM Framework under the TM Forum
Change Control Board it has become difficult to list all those involved in the ongoing
work, but thanks are due to all of those concerned.

Particular thanks and acknowledgement to Kevin Scaggs, AT&T who has the
significant task of acting as eTOM Team Lead, and steering the work.

The team looks forward to continued input and involvement for ongoing work on the
eTOM framework. Thank you for making the Enhanced Telecom Operations Map
(eTOM), the acknowledged, best framework for Telecom and Information Services
business processes.

9.2. Document History

9.2.1. Version History

Version Number Date Modified Modified by: Description of

changes
Version 8.0 Oct 2008 Mike Kelly Minor changes to align
with detailed GB912
documents. Name
changed to “Concepts
and Principles”
Version 8.1 Nov 2008 Tina O’Sullivan Minor corrections prior
to release.

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 Business Process Framework (eTOM) – concepts and Principles

9.2.2. Release History

Release Number Date Modified Modified by: Description of

changes
8.0 Oct 2008 Mike Kelly Minor changes to align
with detailed GB912
documents. Name
changed to “Concepts
and Principles”

9.3. About TM Forum

TM Forum is a global industry association focused on transforming business

processes, operations and systems for managing and monetizing on-line Information,
Communications and Entertainment services. It has over 650 member companies in
65 countries across the converging industries of telecom, cable, media and the
Internet. Its mission is to help enterprises automate their business processes in a
cost- and time-effective way. Specifically, the work of the TM Forum includes:
o Establishing operational guidance on the shape of business processes.
o Agreeing on information that needs to flow from one process activity to
another.
o Identifying a realistic systems environment to support the interconnection of
operational support systems.
o Enabling the development of a market and real products for integrating and
automating operations and business processes.

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