問47
頻出度★★★
機能が随時追加される Web ポータルシステムのサービス提供者が, 提供中の IT サービスを一覧できる利用者向けのカタログを作成した。カタログの内容に関する記述として, 適切なものはどれか。
平成24年度 秋期 ITパスポート試験 問47
マネジメント系サービスマネジメント › サービスマネジメントシステム
This question's explanation and your answers so far.
解説
問 47
- ア
正解 The correct answer is ア. What was created in this question is “a catalog for users that lists the IT services currently being provided”, in other words a service catalog. A service catalog is a document (or a listing on a portal) in which the service provider organizes, for users, the list of the services it actually provides together with each service's content, conditions of use, how to apply, service level, fees, contact point, and so on. Its purpose is to let users judge for themselves what services exist, what they themselves may use, and how to apply for them. Its readers are not necessarily engineers of the information systems department; they also include ordinary employees of business departments and customers outside the company, that is, people who are not familiar with IT. The descriptions therefore have to be written with care: avoid technical jargon, add an explanation when jargon is unavoidable, and state not only the service name but also what can be done with that service, in the words of the user's own work. In this way the service content can be understood even by users who are not familiar with IT. A catalog that cannot be understood even after reading it invites more inquiries and mistaken applications, and the very point of preparing the catalog is lost. Hence ア is the appropriate statement about the content of the catalog.
Incorrectイ
A service catalog is a document that shows “the services currently being provided”, so it must always agree with what is actually provided. The system in this question is a Web portal system to which functions are added from time to time. If updates are bundled into once a year, a newly added function may be absent from the catalog for up to about a year, and users cannot learn about services they should be able to use. Conversely, a service that has already been discontinued may stay listed. When what is written and what is real disagree, users become confused and inquiries increase. The cost of maintaining the catalog is not something to be cut but necessary operational work; the correct practice is to update the catalog each time the service content changes, as part of the change management and release procedures.
Incorrectウ
Rigor in itself is desirable, but “using technical jargon heavily even if it becomes hard for users to understand” reverses the end and the means. The purpose of a catalog for users is to let users understand the content and thereby choose and use services appropriately; the moment they can no longer understand it, that purpose is lost. For items that really do need rigor (such as numeric service levels or the scope of application), the appropriate way is not to line up technical terms but to write them in plain words and add a glossary or notes, or to have readers consult a separate technical specification or the SLA for details, so that both rigor and understandability are achieved.
Incorrectエ
The format and wording of the catalog should be decided by the standard of how easy it is for the reader, that is the user, to understand, not by the convenience of the service provider who creates it. A format that is easy for the provider to explain often ends up arranged along the provider's own internal divisions, such as system components, servers, or equipment, and then users cannot find the service they want starting from “what I want to do in my own work”. Services should be classified and described from the viewpoint of the user's work and purpose of use, so that users can reach the service they need on their own.
ここがポイント
- What a service catalog is — a compilation prepared for users by the service provider, listing the services it currently provides together with their content, conditions of use, how to apply, service level, fees, contact point, and so on. Its purpose is to let users understand, choose, and apply for the services they need by themselves, so the descriptions should take the user's viewpoint and use plain wording that even people unfamiliar with IT can understand.
- Agreeing with reality is vital for a catalog — update the catalog every time a service is added, changed, or discontinued, so that no gap opens between what is written and what is actually provided. If lowering the update frequency to cut cost is given priority, users are given wrong information and the catalog loses its value as a catalog.
用語