David M. Northcutt

Modeling a complex global service delivery system

Enterprises and IT service providers are increasingly challenged with improving the quality of service while reducing the cost of service delivery. Effectively balancing dynamic customer workload, strict service level constraints, and diverse service personnel skills challenges the most experienced management teams. In this paper we describe a modeling framework for analyzing complex service delivery systems. The interaction among various key factors are included in the model to allow decision-making around staffing skill levels, scheduling, and service level constraints in system design. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach in a large IT services delivery environment.

Predicting service delivery cost for non-standard service level agreements

One of the key promises of IT strategic outsourcing is to deliver greater IT service management through lower cost. However, this raises a critical question on how to predict service delivery cost during the service engagement phase where nonstandard service level agreements (SLAs) are negotiated and detailed service modeling data are not available. In this paper we propose a modeling framework that uses queueing model based approaches to estimate the impact of SLAs on the delivery cost. We further propose a set of approximation techniques to address the complexity of service delivery and an optimization model to predict the delivery cost subject to service level constraints and service stability conditions. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology using data from a large IT service delivery environment.

Modeling the Impact of Service Level Agreements During Service Engagement

One of the key promises of IT strategic outsourcing is to deliver greater IT service management through lower cost. However, this raises a critical question: How can one predict the service delivery cost that will deliver the promised service level agreements (SLAs)? This is particularly challenging since such prediction is mostly needed during the service engagement phase where the SLAs and the delivery cost are negotiated, and the detailed service modeling data are not available. In this paper, we propose a modeling framework that uses queueing-model-based approaches to estimate the impact of SLAs on the delivery cost. We further propose a set of approximation techniques to address the complexity of service delivery and an optimization model to predict the delivery cost subject to service-level constraints and service stability conditions. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology using data from a large IT service delivery environment.

SLA impact modeling for service engagement

During the customer engagement phase it is critical for the service providers to estimate the impact of service level constraints on service personnel needs. However, it is often difficult due to the implication from customer workload. In this paper we propose an SLA impact evaluation methodology that uses queueing models to quantitatively evaluate the impact of SLAs to the engagement cost model.

Service-Delivery Modeling and Optimization

Service-delivery modeling and optimization is a complex problem involving multiple service levels, skill sets, request classes, and service times. In this paper, we describe a comprehensive and scalable end-to-end analytical methodology that we developed and implemented at a global information technology service delivery provider. This methodology provides predictive insight and prescriptive solutions to the problem of staffing service-delivery units in this complex environment. Our solution has been deployed globally at more than 640 service-delivery units and has yielded more than

Managing and Monitoring Continuous Improvement in Information Technology Services

52 million in cost savings and cost avoidance to date.