Speakers corner – BiSL A Framework for Business Information Management
an overview of BiSL. The ASL BiSL Foundation’s Business Information Services Library.

Title/current version: BiSL A Framework for Business Information Management

I’d like to give you an overview of the second edition of BiSL, the ASL BiSL Foundation’s Business Information Services Library.

The basics:

BiSL is the business’ guide to IT. It helps them make the right IT investments, and ensures that they get value out of those investments.

Summary:

As service consumers, business people are responsible for:
– identifying what investments to make in information and technology,
– delegating the techie stuff to the IT department, and
– ensuring the users use the information systems well

BiSL supports this with a process model and best practices that describe everything
– from answering non-technical questions from end users,
– agreeing services and service levels with the IT department,
– to defining the portfolio of strategic investments in information systems.

Target audience:

BiSL gives guidance to business roles such as business process owners and system owners, business analysts and information managers, and super users.

– It helps them improve the business’ return on investments in information and technology
– It helps them interact more effectively with IT people
– And from a governance perspective, it lets them demonstrate that they’re managing information as a valuable business asset

Scope and constraints:

BiSL is for IT service consumers, not IT service providers. However it does interface neatly with complementary bodies of knowledge like ITIL, IT4IT and ISO 20000 for IT service providers, and with overarching models such as ISO 38500 and COBIT for governance, TOGAF for architecture, BABOK for business analysis, and the BRMBOK for business relationship management.
BiSL is a crucial part of the mix of guidance that enterprises need.

Car metaphors usually backfire on me but judge this one for yourself.
If you’ve invested heavily in IT provider-oriented frameworks but are not following BiSL guidance for the IT service consumer, then you’re running the risk of having good cars that are driven badly, and in the wrong direction.