MSS Operations Process Development

Challenge/Opportunity
Create, develop, and implement the key operations model required to ensure successful service support and delivery for a mobile satellite (MSS) / telephony services provider. The client was preparing to launch two satellites providing next-generation MSS technology and was planning the addition of a terrestrial mobile telephone service. A Concept of Operations strategy and a process framework was required to cohesively link the operations activities at six facilities and multiple cell sites across North America in support of the MSS and mobile service. The facilities included four gateways housing satellite ground communications equipment and two Network Operations Centers (NOCs) functioning as primary and secondary service support and operations facilities. The framework had to effectively leverage advanced OSS tools to ensure full awareness of network health status with the ability to rapidly identify, target, and react to a service-threatening event. In addition, the processes had to ensure rapid and effective communications and interactions among multiple 3rd parties participating in managing components of the network.

Solution
A Concept of Operations document defining the service support organization structure, operations methods and tools, and maintenance requirements was developed as the guiding foundation. A Process Framework was established defining operations processes considered essential in support of the client’s objective to establish a vigilant approach to service management. The primary objectives were the following: achieve unsurpassed service availability by monitoring & managing the operational infrastructure in a highly coordinated manner among 3rd-party partners, enable rapid resolution of anomalies that could jeopardize service delivery, maintain the health and track the status of the service assets, and direct the operations focus on continual improvement. Among the operations processes developed and implemented were:

• Incident (Fault) Management
• Problem Management
• Change and Maintenance Management
• Configuration/Asset Management
• Release Management

In addition, the processes were developed to work in concert with the client’s next-generation OSS network and IT management tools by identifying and defining requirements necessary to ensure process and tool harmonization. The approach included the following activities and deliverables:

• Operational assessment of client goals, service objectives, and desired outcomes for requirements identification
• Identification and engagement of the “players” including 3rd parties involved in MSS next-generation operations management
• Operations organization assessment of roles and responsibilities in support of process
  execution and effective/consistent use of tools and reporting
• Identification, development, and documentation of essential Level 1 and 2 service operations
  processes
• Initial rollout of a process subset to be used in support of current-generation services to develop familiarity and maturity for next-generation services
• Training of engineering, operations, and 3rd-party staffs.

Benefits

Implementation of the process framework was successfully applied to the client’s communications service infrastructure and adopted by the support organizations. In response to positive feedback, the client requested that Widelity expand the process implementation program to include IT operations. The benefits included the improved ability to monitor the operations infrastructure, rapidly detect events, and respond with the correct action to maintain service health and availability. Significant improvements were made in increasing the planned to unplanned work ratio in commercial service support and IT operations. The following Widelity disciplines and skill sets contributed to the success of the operations framework solution:

• Service Operations Model Development Employing eTOM Constructs
• ITIL Service Management Process Development & Deployment
• OSS Tools Implementation Support with Tight Process Integration
• Broad Network & IT Operations Management Experience
• Training Development & Delivery
• Vendor Management