ISO (the International Organisation for Standardisation) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical Commission) form the specialised system for worldwide standardisation. National bodies that are members of ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees established by the respective organisation to deal with particular fields of technical activity. In the field of information technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.

This international standard has been created for establishing, implementing, maintaining and continually improving a service management system (SMS). An SMS supports the management of the service lifecycle, including the planning, design, transition, delivery and improvement of services, which meet agreed requirements and deliver value for customers, users and the organisation delivering the services. Implementation and operation of an SMS provides on-going visibility, control of services and continual improvement, leading to greater effectiveness and efficiency.

This standard can be used by

• Customer seeking services and requiring assurance regarding quality of the service being provided

• Customer requiring consistent approach to the service lifecycle by all its service providers

• an organisation to demonstrate its capability for the planning, design, transition, delivery and improvement of services

• an organisation to monitor, measure and review its SMS and the services

• a provider of training or advice in service management.