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Follow the links below to find material targeted to the unit's elements, performance criteria, required skills and knowledge

Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Identify and analyse maintenance needs
   • Identify risks to business continuity due to system malfunction, including quantification of possible loss
   • Identify core business functions and determine the service requirements for those functions
   • Develop a maintenance philosophy to meet business needs and apply it to dealings with the client
2. Identify and analyse IT system components to be maintained
   • Review systems architecture and configuration documentation for currency
   • Conduct an equipment and software audit if appropriate information is not available
   • Determine and document the warranty status of components and software according to vendor, project or organisational requirements
   • Identify critical components and software, and document recommendations regarding possible service arrangements
3. Develop service level agreements
   • Determine the views and requirements of the client in order to identify maintenance requirements
   • Prepare service level agreements (SLAs) to match client user and business requirements
4. Formulate maintenance strategy
   • Examine maintenance options against cost constraints, risks to business continuity and SLAs
   • Identify a specific maintenance strategy based on cost, business and SLA requirements
   • Create a preventative maintenance schedule based on cost, business and SLA requirements
   • Negotiate a maintenance strategy with client and make changes to SLAs where necessary
   • Document the recommended procedure for approval from appropriate person according to organisational requirements
5. Define client and supplier processes and standards
   • Negotiate and create reporting procedures for service requests with client and suppliers
   • Determine response time standards with client and suppliers
   • Create escalation procedures with client and suppliers
   • Set up the help desk or other support function according to agreed standards and procedures and in line with industry best practices

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

identify and analyse maintenance needs

determine maintenance strategies

implement support processes for maintaining the continuity of information and communications technology (ICT) operations and business functions

define standards required for helpdesk support.

Note: Evidence must be provided for at least TWO clients.

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Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

describe the client business domain and the features of the ICT system that support the client's business activity

describe the key features of current industry accepted hardware and software products

explain the information found in product warranty and service difficulty records

research and document helpdesk and maintenance practices, including general composition and operation of information database for tracking hardware, software and operational issues

describe how the system has been set up to process data and what data elements are stored

explain quality assurance practices with reference to maintenance, warranty and repair of network equipment and software

discuss relationships between the stakeholders and the service provider.

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