What are the TAMBOK Life Cycle Process Groups
The Institute for Technology Asset Management's TAMBOK is focused on simplicity--on minimizing acronyms as well as eliminating as much of the jargon and nit-picking from the process as is humanly possible. We also try to minimize the incredible disconnects represented by multiple attempting to establish their own unique (very frequently contradictory) lexicon for asset management terms and processes. While we include many of these alternative definitions and acronyms in our discussions, The Institute always tries to reduce the dictionary pack down to a single phrase, or term, that is in the most credible and widely accepted use.
Within the Technology Asset Management Body of Knowledge we have attempted to reduce the life cycle of the average technology asset, product, service, or contractual relationship to its most basic form. As well, our goal is to advocate a predictable, repeatable, and cost-effective technology environment infrastructure management process that is infinitely scalable--for use in any enterprise, from the small business up to and including the multi-nationals. With this in mind we've identified the following basic life cycle process groups:
- Procurement
- Distribution
- Operations
- Governance
When the enterprise, or the practitioner, conducts an effective business process analysis on the various activities within and around the IT portfolio of goods and services a pattern will emerge. Essentially, every action withing the management life cycle of IT portfolio activities can be positioned within one (and sometimes more than one) of the Life Cycle Process Groups identified in The Institute's TAMBOK. Is this document perfect? Hardly... However, the TAMBOK is the only resource in the industry fully developed and maintained by technology asset management practitioners. With each Edition, this document becomes more and more effective in its delivery of a supplier-neutral, product neutral, and agenda free framework for the cost-effective, real world, management of the IT portfolio of goods, services, and relationships.
Technology Asset Management Infrastructure
How do These Groups Function within the Enterprise Infrastructure
The process groups delineated by the TAMBOK represent an effort by Institute member practitioners to establish large life cycle service categories under which to rank the more focused life cycle deliverables addressed by the technology asset management team. Our member research team reviewed over fifteen professional bodies of knowledge, from which we extracted methodologies and professional development frameworks that we felt were the most appropriate to our fields.
A key factor that filtered to the top of virtually all viable professional service groups was their ability to utilize work flow analysis and/or process mapping. In mapping out the core processes and procedures of technology asset management, we discovered that a majority of actions within the asset management framework could be grouped within these four life cycle process groups.
The enterprise as a whole will make effective use of these Life Cycle Process Groups by recognizing that the delivery of asset management value is different from the asset management profession. In terms of delivery, the enterprise should conduct a SWOT Analysis to identify their current state of technology asset management infrastructure--based on the check-listed information in the TAMBOK. Then, once you have identified the areas that are in need of adjustment, cycle through the processes and build an internal framework that enables you to establish and retain meaningful control over the information technology portfolio of goods, services, contractual agreements, and suppliers.
How do They Function for the Practitioner?
As noted, The Institute practitioner members have identified the need to separate the "service" of information technology asset management from the professional requirements for gaining and retaining a credential in the IT asset management. Practitioners, and credential candidates, need to know--up front--what the standardized requirements are for fulfilling both the original credentials and their credential renewal process.
The Institute is the first in its industry to utilize the publicly available Guide to the Technology Asset Management Body of Knowledge (TAMBOK) as a basic guideline for building our professional development programs; for populating our credential exams; and for documenting the member's actual hands-on experience in the field. The practitioner uses the TAMBOK to build their professional portfolio to match the credential requirements. Those who are responsible for hiring technology asset managers and/or software asset managers use the TAMBOK to quantify the job candidate's actual qualifications against a solid measure of real world practitioner-driven excellence.
Where Can You Learn More?
In yet another industry first, The Institute will "lock in" your credential road map to the edition of the TAMBOK* that is in effect when you begin your credential journey. In effect, this means that, once committed, you follow the same requirements until you receive the credential or credentials you targeted. Then, once you are credentialed, you will adjust your knowledge base to the most recent TAMBOK as part of your credential renewal process. (See the Member & Credentialing Handbook for details.)
* The TAMBOK is currently in its Fourth Edition. For the next eight years, the official TAMBOK updates will occur on a two year cycle, giving you two years before you will want to upgrade your credential qualifications. Unofficial updates to the TAMBOK are produced and approved by the practitioner members twice per year through the end of 2013. These unofficial updates will not impact your credential road map.
