Business Process Framework (eTOM) Foundation

--Study Notes by Ashish

Module 1: Introduction, Concepts, and History

Purpose: Introduction to the eTOM, understanding its structure, principles, and its evolution.

Key Points:

- eTOM (Enhanced Telecom Operations Map) has evolved from TOM (Telecom Operations Map)

and is now known as the Business Process Framework.

- It is a reference framework for categorizing business activities in telecom and digital enterprises.

- Principles of the Business Process Framework:

- Decomposition Model: Processes are broken down into levels (0-4), where Level 0 is the

broadest and Level 4 is more granular.

- Traceability: Lower-level elements should align with higher-level process goals.

- Standardization: Provides a standard structure and terminology for business processes.

- Activity-based: Defines 'what' needs to be done, not 'how' it should be done.

- Horizontal and Vertical Groupings:

- Horizontal Domains: Strategy, Infrastructure & Product (SIP), Operations, and Enterprise

Management.

- Vertical Groupings: Fulfillment, Assurance, and Billing (FAB).

- Core Constructs:

- Domains: Management areas like Customer, Service, Product, and Market.

- Process Hierarchies: Core processes, tasks, and subprocesses.

Module 2: Business Process Framework in the Open Digital Framework (ODF)

Purpose: Understand how eTOM integrates with the Open Digital Framework (ODF) and Open

Digital Architecture (ODA).

Key Points:

- ODF Overview:

- Migration path from legacy systems to cloud-native architectures.

- Consists of the ODA, APIs, software components, and transformation tools.

- eTOM's Role in ODF:

- Helps define core business processes for digital enterprises.

- Provides mapping to key functional blocks like Party Management, Core Commerce, Production,

and Intelligence Management.

- ODA Functional Architecture:

- Defines functional blocks for a digital business.

- Key Elements:

- Architecture Vision: Lays out requirements and business drivers.

- Normative Taxonomy: Standardized business functions for a digital enterprise.

- Core Business Processes: Standardized interactions between business functions.

Module 3: Examples of How to Use the Business Process Framework

Purpose: Demonstrate practical applications of eTOM across various organizational levels.

Key Points:

- General Uses:

- Helps organizations understand roles, tasks, and responsibilities.

- Standardizes process flows, enhancing clarity and communication.

- Operational Uses:

- RACI Matrix: Used for assigning roles and responsibilities.

- Process Flow Analysis: Standardizing business processes for efficiency.

- Project Management Uses:

- Scoping Projects: Use eTOM's Level 2 processes to define project scope.

- Governance and Impact Analysis: Mapping business impacts for transformation projects.

- Use-Case Management:

- Use eTOM as a source of high-level and detailed use-cases, like Order Fulfillment.
Module 4: eTOM Documentation, Summary, and Next Steps

Purpose: Understand the documentation suite of eTOM and plan next steps for certification.

Key Points:

- GB921 Documentation Suite:

- GB921D: Provides descriptions to eTOM Level 3.

- GB921DX: Extends descriptions to Level 4.

- GB921F: Scenario-based document, detailing how eTOM can be applied to business cases.

- Suggested Readings:

- GB991 (Overview of Frameworx), GB921P (Primer), and GB921D/X for detailed process

definitions.

- Exam Information:

- 40 multiple-choice questions, 1-hour duration, no negative marking.

- Focus areas include principles, process structure, and eTOM-ODA integration.

 Key Definitions and Concepts

- Business Process Framework (eTOM): A multi-layered, industry-standard framework that

categorizes business activities into domains and process flows.

- Core Process: A collection of activities or tasks that align with a specific business objective.

- Horizontal and Vertical Domains:

- Horizontal Domains: Strategic, operational, and management functions.

- Vertical Domains (FAB): Fulfillment, Assurance, and Billing.

- RACI Matrix: Used to define roles: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.

- ODF (Open Digital Framework): TM Forum's structure for digital transformation, including ODA,

Open APIs, and reference implementations.

Useful link:

https://www.tmforum.org/resources/?filter_/document-type=standard

Sample questions:

1. When mapping existing processes to the eTom, what do you think the main challenges would be?

A. Getting an excel version of eTOM

B. Getting accurate information about the existing processes

C. Using excel

D. The time it takes to do the mapping

2. What is the role of the Strategy to Readiness(S2R) process grouping within the Business Process

Framrwork?

A. It defines how the enterprise sets overall high level direction for its business

B. It defines how the enterprise operates its business on a day-to-day basis

C. It defines how the enterprise identifies and plans to support its products
 Key Definitions and Concepts
D. None of the above

3. The Business Process Framework...

A. Provides a standard process structure

B. Provides a process classification scheme

C. Enables consistent end-to-end process flows to be created

D. All of the above

4. Why is process standardization a good idea?

A. Process Standardization ensures that great process flows are created

B. Process standardization ensures that all staff follow the standard

C. Process standardization can facilitate communications about how the business operates and

enable smooth handoffs across process boundaries

D. Process standardization ensures that all organizations that use the standard, do exactly the same

things in exactly the same way

5. Which of these would NOT be helped to achieve by mapping current processes to the eTOM?

A. Trying to find duplicate processes

B. Going through a formal conformance assessment

C. Trying to find the root cause of a problem

D. In assessing potential partners

6. If you were asked to describe the eTOM in simple terms to a non-technical person, which of these

do you think would be the best answer?

A. Its a list of all the process flows that need to be in place to manage a digital business

B. Its a list of all the departments in a modern business and descriptions of what they all do

C. Its a business departmental template

D. Its a list of all the jobs that need to be done in a digital business, organised into a hierarchy
 Key Definitions and Concepts

7. Within the TM Forum's Frameworz and ODA, the business process framework provides us with?

A. An information focus

B. An Integration focus

C. An Application focus

D. A Process focus

8. What does eTOM Conformance measure?

A. How close enterprises processes or software are to the eTOM tasks within the scope of the

exercise

B. How close, or equivalent, an enterprise's processes or software functionality are to the

framework's core processes

C. The alignment of an enterprise's domains are to the framework's domains

D. How closely ab enterprise's processes or software functionality are mapped to the information

framework

9. When using the framework to define the scope of a project, at what level would you start?

A. First level core processes

B. Sub-task

C. Process categories

D. First level tasks

10. How would you describe the eTOM's role with respect to use-case?

A. It determines the best use-cases to develop

B. The eTOM is a use-case framework

C. A source for use cases and use case actors

D. A source of high level and more detailed use-cases

Key Definitions and Concepts
11. Which of these statements is NOT correct?

A. A Service can be a Product

B. A combination of Service and Resource can be a Product

C. PRoducts are what Customers buy

D. The terms Service and PRoduct are interchangeble

12. Which of these statements is NOT correct?

A. Processes in the framework appear only once

B. At LEvel 3, processes may be core processes or task processes

C. PRocesses can only be used once in a process flow

D. Processes have a unique name

13. What sets the eTOM apart from most other process frameworks?

A. Its use of Dimensions in its structure

B. It covers an entire business not just parts

C. Its has more details

D. It can be used in a Finance Business Such as a Bank or Insurance COmpany

14. which domain is responsible for managing individual items of network equipment like modems?

A. Product

B. Customer

C. Service

D. None of the above

15. After qualifying the project, what is the first step in peforming a conformance assessment?

A. Identify the tasks to be scoped

B. Decompose the processes to the lowest level possible

C. Determine an initial overall conformance score

 Key Definitions and Concepts
D. Determine scope of the assessment

16. What is the role of the Operations(OPs) process area within the Business Process Framework?

A. It defines how the enterprise sets overall direction for its business

B. It defines how the enterprise operates its business on a day-today basis

C. It defines how the enterprise indentifies and plans to support its products

D. All of the above

17. What are core processes?

A. A random grouping of tasks

B. One way to categorise a process

C. Grouping of tasks that can occur at any level

D. One of the framework's process area

18. Which of these statements is correct? The Business Process Framework...

A. Can be used to help scope a project

B. Can be used to transform current processes

C. Can be used to help understand oganization roles and responsibilities

D. All of the above

19. Where within the Business Process Framework is the focus for management of the enterprise's

own telecommunications network?

A. The Problem Handling Core Process

B. The Strategy to Readiness process area

C. The Resource Domain

D. The Service Domain

20. Which of the following does the Business Process Framework directly include?
 Key Definitions and Concepts
A. Allocation of process responsibilities within the organization structure

B. Design of management systems

C. Partitioning of management solutions

D. None of the above

21. What is the downside of using the eTOM as an information repository?

A. There is no downside

B. It restricts the use of the eTOM

C. It can be hacked

D. It has to be managed

22. Which of these do you think is a potential benefit, to an organization of an eTOM conformance

assessment, for its software product?

A. It says that the software is better than the software offered by the competition

B. It guarantees to the buyer that the software it will work

C. Easier to demonstrate the functionality as its is presented in eTOM terms

D. Guarantees sales

23. The Business PRocess Framework can be used to represent a ...

A. Telecoms company

B. Service Provider

C. Digital Service Provider

D. Any of the above