The Service Offerings and Agreements (SOA) module is one of the certifications in the ITIL® Service Capability work stream. The module focuses on the practical application of SOA practices in order to enable portfolio, service level, service catalogue, demand, supplier and financial management.

The content of the course is based mainly on the best practice guidance contained in the ITIL Service Strategy and ITIL Service Design publications.

The SOA course is designed to help organizations and individuals understand how the five stages of the ITIL lifecycle (service strategy, service design, service transition, service operation and continual service improvement) can offer value to organizations and projects. It also provides guidance on how service offerings can be developed to support both business and user needs.

• Overview of SOA processes and basic principles

• The value to the business of SOA activities

• How the SOA processes rely on a good business case

• How the SOA processes rely on a good understanding of return on investment (ROI)

• Processes across the service lifecycle pertaining to the service offerings and agreements curriculum:

    • Service portfolio management, which provides documentation for services and prospective services in business terms

    • Service catalogue management, which is concerned with the production and documentation of the service catalogue from a business and a technical  viewpoint

    • Service level management, which sets up a service level agreement (SLA) structure and ensures that all SLAs have an underpinning support structure in place

    • Demand management, which identifies patterns of business activity to enable the appropriate strategy to be implemented

    • Supplier management, which ensures all partners and suppliers are managed in the appropriate way and includes contract management

    • Financial managementfor IT services, which includes ensuring understanding of the service value and the management of all financial considerations

    • Business relationship management, which ensures the customer’s requirements are correctly identified

    • SOA roles and responsibilities

    • Technology and implementation considerations

    • Challenges, critical success factors and risks

Candidates who hold the following ITIL qualifications are also eligible, and similar evidence will be required:

• Earlier ITIL (V2) Foundation plus Foundation Bridge

• ITIL Expert Certificate in IT Service Management (achieved via Service Manager or Practitioner bridging routes).

It is recommended that candidates:

• Can demonstrate familiarity with IT terminology and understand that the context of service offerings and agreements management within their own business environment is strongly recommended

• Have experience of working in the service management capacity within a service provider environment, with responsibility for at least one of the following management processes and activities:

    • Service portfolio management

    • Service catalogue management

    • Service level management

    • Demand management

    • Supplier management

    • Financial management for IT services

    • Business relationship management

• Individuals who require a deep understanding of the ITIL Certificate in theService Offerings and Agreements processes and of how it may be used to enhance the quality of IT service support within an organization.

• IT professionals that are working within an organization that has adopted and adapted ITIL, and who need to be informed about, and thereafter contribute to, an ongoing service improvement programme

• Operational staff involved in change management, release and deployment management, service validation and testing, service asset and configuration management, request fulfilment, change evaluation and knowledge management, and who wish to enhance their role-based capabilities

• Individuals who have attained the ITIL Foundation Certificate in IT Service Management and wish to advance to higher level ITIL certifications

• Individuals seeking the ITIL Expert Certificate in IT Service Management for which this qualification can be one of the prerequisite modules

• Individuals seeking progress toward the ITIL Master Certificate in IT Service Management for which the ITIL Expert is a prerequisite

Module 1: Introduction to service offerings and agreements (SOA)

Module 2: Service portfolio management

Module 3: Service catalogue management

Module 4: Service level management

Module 5: Demand management

Module 6: Supplier management

Module 7: Financial Management for IT services

Module 8: Business relationship management

Module 9: SOA roles and responsibilities

Module 10: Technology and implementation considerations