ESM Course Syllabus

ENTERPRISE SERVICE MANAGEMENT PRACTITIONER SYLLABUS

INTRODUCTION
The Enterprise Service Management (ESM) Practitioner course and qualification is intended to introduce candidates to the theory and leading practices relating to ESM including the provision and consumption of services in any service environment.

Unlike other equivalent qualifications the ESM course and qualification includes both theoretical and practical guidance that will allow students to take away and successfully apply improvement ideas to beneficial effect within their working environment and across the entirety of the enterprise service management landscape.

The ESM Practitioner examination is intended to assess the extent to which the candidate is able to demonstrate both an understanding of the principles as well as the deployment of generic leading practices of ESM as described in the syllabus below.

QUALIFICATION OVERVIEW

Qualifying for the ESM Practitioner Certificate is in two parts as follows:
Part A) comprises an assessment of candidates’ practical knowledge and course contribution through on-course assessment by the tutor. This assessment will represent 20% of the final score and is based on the following criteria:

  • Level 1: Demonstrated no understanding of ESM, made no effective contribution to the course and played little if any active part in the exercises
  • Level 2: Showed almost no understanding of ESM, contributed very little to the course and played only a peripheral role in the exercises
  • Level 3: Showed a basic understanding of ESM, made a small contribution to the course and played a minor part in the exercises
  • Level 4: Showed some understanding of ESM, made minor contributions to the course and was active in a few of the exercises
  • Level 5: Understood the basics of ESM, made small but effective contributions to the course and was active in many of the exercises
  • Level 6: Showed a good theoretical understanding of ESM, made several useful contributions to the course and was active in most of the exercises
  • Level 7: Showed a theoretical and practical understanding of ESM, was fully engaged during the course and took a leading role in at least one exercise
  • Level 8: Demonstrated a good practical understanding of all aspects of ESM, participated in many course discussions and took a leading role in at least two exercises
  • Level 9: Demonstrated strong practical understanding of ESM, was active in most course discussions and took a leading role in several exercises
  • Level 10: Demonstrated exceptional practical understanding of ESM, contributed to, prompted and/or led several course discussions and was fully engaged in all exercises

Part B) comprises an exam paper of 40 questions designed to test the candidate’s knowledge of ESM at a Foundation level.
The sample paper that forms part of the course will provide further examples of the exam format and content.

Material allowed  

None

 This is a ‘closed book’ exam. The ‘Journey to Service
Excellence’ publication should be used for study but is NOT permitted to be used in the exam.
 

Exam duration

  

60 mins

 Candidates taking the exam in a language that is not
their native or working language may be given 75 minutes in total.
Number of
questions

40

 There are 40 questions of equal value and worth one
mark each. There is no negative marking.
 

Level of thinking

  

Blooms Levels 2 & 3

 ‘Bloom’s level’ describes the type of thinking needed to answer the question. For Bloom’s level 2 questions, you need to show understanding of the ESM concepts. For Bloom’s level 3 questions, you need to be able to
understand and apply the learning.
Multiple Choice Multiple Choice: select the single correct answer from a list of possible answers
Select ALL correct answers from a list of possible answers
Select the answer that is NOT the correct answer from a list of possible answers
Missing Word(s): Select the correct missing word(s) from a list of possible missing word(s)
Arrange the statements in the required sequence
Align the statements in one column with the statements in another column
Select ALL that apply
Negative questions
Question types
Missing Word(s)
Sort/Sequence Align
 

Exam result grades

  

 

4

 There are four grades based on the combination of the candidate’s performance across both the on- course assessment and the exam paper:
Fail: Less than 20 out of 50
Pass : Between 20 and 30 out of 50
Merit: Between 31 and 37 out of 50 Distinction: More than 37 out of 50

SYLLABUS

The table below lists the categories, sub-categories and topics that are tested in the exam, covered by the presentation slides used on the course and described in detail in the ‘Journey to Service Excellence’ textbook. The verb for each learning outcome indicates the Bloom’s level where:

  • ‘Understand’/’Describe’/‘Explain’, indicates Bloom’s Level 2 understanding/comprehension
  • ‘Understand and apply’ or ‘Understand the meaning and application of’ indicates Bloom’s Level 3 practical application.

Syllabus Category and Number of
Questions

Syllabus Sub-Category and Assessment Criteria

Bloom’s Level

Marks Available

1. The Journey to Service Excellence

10 questions

    1. Understand key terms and their meaning:
      1. Service excellence
      2. Service management and enterprise service management
      3. The service provider as a cost centre, service provider, business partner and innovator
      4. Cross-functional working
      5. The capability axis and the value axis
      6. The value stream and the supply chain
      7. Optimising the customer journey using Lean, Six Sigma, problem management and continual service improvement

 

 

 

2

 

 

 

4

    1. Understand key roles and responsibilities:
      1. Stakeholders
      2. Customers
      3. Consumers
      4. Suppliers and partners

 

2

 

2

    1. Understand and apply key techniques:
      1. Stakeholder mapping
      2. Value stream mapping
      3. Process adoption

 

3

 

4

2. Service Management Concepts

4 questions

    1. Understand the meaning and application of value:
      1. Services
      2. The value of a service
      3. The efficiency of a service

a) The effectiveness of a service

 

2/3

 

2

    1. Understand the meaning and application of governance:
      1. Service governance
      2. Process governance

d)   The process control model

 

2/3

 

2

Syllabus Category
and Number of Questions

Syllabus Sub-Category and Assessment Criteria

Bloom’s Level

Marks Available

3. Adopting and Adapting Service Management

11 questions

    1. Understand the meaning and application of:
      1. Transformation programmes
      2. Kotter’s eight step change model
      3. The CSI model and the CSI register
      4. A service directory
      5. Matrix management
      6. Measurement
      7. Process optimisation
      8. Process policies
      9. Process maturity

 

 

2/3

 

 

9

    1. Understand the roles and responsibilities of:
      1. The Process Owner
      2. The Process Manager
      3. The Service Owner

 

2

 

1

    1. Understand the meaning and application of:
      1. Service costing
      2. Incident or failure costing

 

2/3

 

1

4. The ESM Principles

4 questions

    1. Understand the meaning and application of:
      1. Focus on value
      2. Start where you are
      3. Progress iteratively with feedback
      4. Collaborate and share success
      5. Think and work holistically
      6. Keep it simple and practical
      7. Optimise and automate

 

 

2/3

 

 

4

5. The ESM dimensions

1 question

    1. Understand the meaning and application of:
      1. Information and technology
      2. Organisations and people
      3. Value streams and processes
      4. The physical environment

 

2

 

1

6. The structure and application of the ESM processes

10 questions

    1. Understand the meaning and application of:
      1. Support centre management
      2. Incident management
      3. Problem management
      4. Operational change management
      5. Service level management
      6. Relationship management
      7. Supplier and partner management
      8. Business analysis
      9. Knowledge management
      10. Risk and continuity management

 

 

 

2/3

 

 

 

10