The Department of Defense (DoD) will operate under an expanded standard information technology (IT) service management concept according to guidance issued by DoD Chief Information Officer (CIO) Terry Halvorsen.

The guidance, Defense Enterprise Services Management Framework (DESMF) Edition II, “provides a set of standards for managing IT services and establishes clear service management requirements for the acquisition and contracting of IT services across the Department for the quality delivery of IT services to the DoD customer,” Halvorsen said in a memo.

The guidance flows on from Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) ESMF Edition I (May 2013). It will be the basis for DoD CIO oversight of all DoD IT services and capabilities, Halvorsen stressed.

The stated goal off the guidance is “to provide a framework to successfully align delivery of IT services with the mission of the department.”

DESMF Edition II is “Service Oriented” and focuses on managing IT services throughout the service lifecycle, according to the guidance. “It aligns and integrates processes for service management and defines processes at a high level, describing the what, not the how.” The guidance applies to all IT services and capabilities that DoD provides and the processes that support those services.

The purpose of the DESMF is to: 1) define best practices that drive implementation; 2) define the overall structure including Domains and processes throughout the service lifecycle; 3) describe the scope, benefits, roles, and responsibilities of the processes involved; 4) define a controls framework; 5) define interfaces between Domains and processes; and 6) recommend milestones for process implementation.

Halvorsen emphasized that “the efficient and effective management of information technology services is a critical component of the Chief Information Officer Enterprise Strategy and Roadmap and well as the success of the Joint Information Environment (JIE).” The long-term goal is to adjust DESMF “based on input and lessons learned from DoD Component ITSM implementation experiences,” he said.