ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 Service Manager GRC Responsibilities
Comprehensive guide to Service Manager responsibilities in Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) under ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 for effective Service Management System implementation.
Leadership & Governance Framework
Strategic Direction
Drive the SMS vision and objectives aligned with organizational goals and stakeholder expectations. Translate top management's strategic direction into actionable service management programs and policies.
Establish, endorse, and regularly update the Service Management Policy ensuring alignment with corporate governance principles.
Framework Implementation
Implement and maintain a governance structure defining roles, responsibilities, escalation paths, and decision-making authority for all SMS activities.
Monitor process adherence and ensure transparency in decision-making. Lead regular SMS governance meetings, steering committees, and stakeholder reviews.
Documentation & Stakeholder Management
Documentation Control
Ensure comprehensive documentation of all service management processes, policies, plans, and records as per clauses 7.5.1 to 7.5.4. Establish and maintain a Documented Information Register, overseeing the lifecycle from creation to archival.
Stakeholder Governance
Identify and engage with internal and external interested parties to ensure their requirements are understood and reflected in the SMS. Govern third-party providers through well-defined contracts, SLAs, and performance reviews.
Risk Management Process
Identification
Lead risk identification workshops across service lifecycle stages. Identify risks to service availability, continuity, capacity, security, financial stability, and regulatory compliance.
Analysis
Apply qualitative and quantitative techniques to assess service risks, their likelihood, impact, and criticality. Maintain a Service Risk Register capturing risk scores and ownership.
Treatment
Design and implement risk treatment plans ensuring risk reduction to acceptable levels. Integrate risk controls into operational processes.
Monitoring
Monitor key risk indicators and track mitigation action plans. Lead periodic risk reviews and ensure corrective actions are implemented and verified.
Embedding Risk-Based Thinking
Strategic Risk Integration
Align risk management with organizational objectives
Cultural Transformation
Promote proactive risk identification across teams
Process Integration
Embed risk controls in operational activities
Promote a culture of proactive risk identification and control across service teams and suppliers. Integrate risk awareness in planning (Clause 6), operations (Clause 8), and performance evaluation (Clause 9) to create a comprehensive risk management approach throughout the organization.
Compliance Management
Standards & Regulatory Compliance
Ensure SMS compliance with ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 requirements and other applicable standards such as ISO 27001, ISO 22301, and GDPR. Maintain an SMS Compliance Register tracking all regulatory, statutory, legal, and contractual obligations.
Policy Compliance
Ensure service management policies are understood, implemented, and followed by all stakeholders including internal staff and third parties. Conduct regular compliance checks and audits against internal policies, SLAs, and external requirements.
Internal Audit Oversight
Plan and oversee internal audits to assess the effectiveness and compliance of SMS controls. Facilitate auditor access to processes, documents, and personnel and ensure findings are addressed.
Corrective Action & Continual Improvement
Identify Nonconformities
Detect and document compliance gaps
Root Cause Analysis
Investigate underlying issues
Implement Corrections
Apply remedial actions
Verify Effectiveness
Confirm resolution and update registers
Lead the investigation of nonconformities (Clause 10.1), identify root causes, and initiate corrective actions. Monitor the status and effectiveness of corrective actions and update risk/compliance registers accordingly. Promote a culture of continual improvement by embedding the PDCA cycle in all SMS activities.
Operational Integration of GRC
Incident Management
Embed governance and risk controls in incident handling processes (Clause 8.6.1)
Problem Management
Integrate risk assessment in root cause analysis activities (Clause 8.6.3)
Change Management
Apply governance approval workflows and risk evaluation (Clause 8.5.1)
Asset & Configuration Management
Implement compliance controls for IT assets (Clause 8.2.5 & 8.2.6)
Supplier & Relationship Management
Supplier Onboarding
Establish governance processes for evaluating and onboarding new service providers with clear compliance requirements and risk assessments.
Performance Monitoring
Implement regular review cycles to assess supplier performance against SLAs, compliance obligations, and risk mitigation responsibilities.
Compliance Verification
Ensure third parties adhere to contract clauses, data protection requirements, and service commitments through systematic verification.
Reporting & Communication
Prepare comprehensive reports for top management and stakeholders on GRC dashboards, compliance audit outcomes, SLA performance, service disruptions, and risk status. Conduct awareness sessions and training to educate staff and third parties on GRC responsibilities, ensuring all employees understand their contribution to governance, risk control, and compliance.
Awareness & Training Responsibilities
GRC Awareness Programs
Develop and deliver targeted training sessions that educate staff on governance structures, risk management principles, and compliance requirements specific to their roles within the SMS framework.
Role-Based Training
Implement specialized training programs tailored to different organizational roles, ensuring each team member understands their specific GRC responsibilities and how they contribute to the overall SMS effectiveness.
Continuous Education
Establish ongoing education channels including e-learning modules, knowledge bases, and regular updates on changing standards to maintain high awareness levels across the organization.
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