Service Reporting and Continual Improvement Procedure

1. Introduction

A service that is measured but not reported is invisible to the people who pay for it, and a service that is reported but never improved only gets better by accident. This procedure joins the two: it defines the reports the Organisation produces, the data behind them, the meetings where they are read, and the register through which findings turn into funded and tracked improvements.

It supports the Service Management Policy and the SMS Objectives, and it feeds the Internal Audit and Management Review Procedure with the performance information that management review needs.

2. Purpose

The purpose is to make sure that the performance and effectiveness of services and of the service management system are measured, reported to the people who need the information and acted on, and that improvements are identified, prioritised, planned, carried out and checked.

3. Objectives

• Every service has a defined set of measures, a named data source and a report issued on a fixed date.
• Report data is accurate: the sampled error rate in the monthly report is below [2 percent].
• Every report is read at a review meeting and produces recorded decisions or actions.
• Every improvement opportunity is logged within [5 business days] of being identified, and reviewed within the next [monthly] review.
• At least [80 percent] of approved improvements are completed by their planned date, and their benefit is checked after completion.

4. Scope

• In scope: reports on service performance against agreed targets, on process performance, on customer satisfaction and on the service management system; the measurement data behind them; and the improvement register and the improvement plan.
• In scope: improvements arising from incidents, problems, audits, reviews, customer feedback, supplier reviews, staff suggestions and changes in the environment.
• In scope: all services in the service management system scope and all service management processes.
• Out of scope: financial statements and statutory reporting, which follow finance procedures; and the corrective action process for audit findings, which is in the Internal Audit and Management Review Procedure and shares the improvement register.

5. Terms and Definitions

6. Roles and Responsibilities

7. Service Reporting

7.1 Report set

The report set below is the minimum. Customer agreements may add reports. Each report has an owner who answers questions on it and signs it as accurate before issue.

7.2 Key measures and data sources

Every measure in a report is defined once in the measure catalogue with its formula, source, collection method and owner. A measure whose source cannot be named is not reported. Where a measure is calculated by hand, the method is written down and checked by a second person.

7.3 Review cadence

7.4 Reporting steps

1. CollectThe Reporting analyst extracts measures from the data sources on business day [1] after month end. Time target: [1 business day].
2. ValidateThe Reporting analyst compares the extract with a sample of at least [20] source records, checks totals against the previous month and resolves differences with the data source owner. Target: [1 business day].
3. AnalyseThe Reporting analyst identifies trends, breaches and unusual changes, with causes proposed by the Service owner. Target: [1 business day].
4. ApproveThe Service owner and the Service Delivery Manager approve the report. Corrections are made before release. Target: business day [4].
5. IssueThe Reporting analyst issues the report through the channel in the Communication Procedure by business day [5].
6. ReviewThe report is read at the service review. Variances, complaints and ideas are entered in the improvement register within [5 business days].
7. RetainThe Reporting analyst files the issued report and the data extract.

7.5 Report quality rules

• Every number shows the period, the target and the previous period.
• A missed target carries the cause and the action in the same report.
• Charts have labelled axes; tables show the count as well as the percentage.
• A change in how a measure is calculated is stated in the report and the previous period is restated.
• Reports that go to customers contain only that customer's data, and no personal data of users beyond what the agreement allows.

8. Customer Satisfaction

The Reporting analyst runs a survey of customer representatives and a sample of users every [6 months], and a short survey of [10 percent] of closed incidents each month. Scores below [3.5 out of 5] or any written complaint are reported to the Service owner within [5 business days], who replies to the person and proposes an improvement where a pattern is found.

9. Continual Improvement

9.1 Sources of improvement

9.2 Improvement register

All opportunities go into one improvement register, whatever their source, so that nothing depends on who raised it. An entry has a reference, source, description, service or process affected, owner, date logged, expected benefit, priority, status, planned and actual dates and a benefit-check result. Nothing in the register is deleted; a rejected entry is closed with the reason.

9.3 Planning and prioritisation

The Head of Service Management reviews new entries at the monthly improvement review. Each is scored on three factors from 1 to 5. The score is benefit multiplied by urgency divided by effort, rounded to one decimal place, and decides the order of work. Anything touching a mandatory legal or contractual duty or a security risk rated high goes to the top regardless of score.

9.4 Planning and delivery steps

1. IdentifyAnyone logs the opportunity in the register with the source and description. Target: [5 business days] from identification.
2. AssessThe Reporting analyst checks for duplicates and adds the factor scores proposed by the owner. Target: [5 business days].
3. PrioritiseThe Head of Service Management confirms scores and priority at the improvement review. Target: next monthly review.
4. PlanThe owner writes the objective, actions, resources, dates and the measure of success. Large items go to the Service Design and Transition Procedure. Target: [10 business days] after approval.
5. Approve resourcesThe approver in the priority table commits budget and people; large items go to management review.
6. DeliverThe owner carries out the work. Any change to a live service goes through the Change Management Procedure.
7. CheckAfter [3] reporting periods the Reporting analyst compares the measure before and after and records the benefit. Target: [3 months] after completion.
8. CloseThe Head of Service Management closes the entry when the benefit is confirmed, or reopens it with a revised plan.

9.5 Tracking

The Reporting analyst reports overdue items at each monthly improvement review and the quarterly continual improvement report. An item overdue by more than [30 days] is escalated to the Service owner; more than [90 days], to Top management at the next review.

9.6 Improvement process flow

1. An opportunity is found from a report, audit, incident, complaint, review or suggestion.
2. It is logged in the improvement register.
3. The Reporting analyst assesses and scores it.
4. The improvement review sets priority and owner.
5. The owner plans actions, resources and measure of success; Top management approves large items.
6. The work is delivered, using the Change Management Procedure for live changes.
7. The benefit is checked against the measure after [3] reporting periods.
8. The entry is closed and lessons are shared; the improvement plan is updated for management review.

10. Interfaces with Other Processes

11. Key Performance Indicators

12. Records and Evidence

Annexure A: Monthly service report template

Annexure B: Improvement register

Annexure C: Improvement proposal form

Annexure D: Measure definition sheet

Annexure E: Document history

13. Exception

Exceptions to this document are allowed only where compliance is not practicable and the risk has been assessed. A request must state what is to be excepted, why, the risk it creates, the compensating controls, and an end date no later than [6 months]. It is approved in writing by the document owner and the risk owner, recorded in the exceptions register, and reviewed at the end date. An exception does not change the document.

14. Enforcement

Compliance is monitored through internal audits, management review and routine checks by the document owner. Non-compliance is reported through the incident or non-conformity process and handled under the organisation's disciplinary procedure, and under the terms of any contract for people who are not employees. Serious or repeated non-compliance may lead to loss of access and, where the law is broken, to referral to the authorities.

15. Review

This document is reviewed at least every [12 months], and when there is a significant change to the organisation, its systems, its risks or the law, or after an incident that shows it was not effective. Each review is recorded in the revision history.

ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 references

Related documents

• Service Level Management Procedure
• Business Relationship Management Procedure
• SMS Objectives
• Internal Audit and Management Review Procedure
• Communication Procedure
• Service Incident Management Procedure
• Problem Management Procedure
• Information Security Monitoring and Compliance Policy