Page 361 - Handbook of Modern Telecommunications

3-152 CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition

• Traffic Status and Performance Analysis: If the performance analysis identifies a resource quality
problem, this will be reported by the Report Resource Performance processes. Once reported to
Resource Trouble Management or Service Quality Management, the Analyze Resource Performance
processes will continuously monitor the resource performance and possibly escalate the problem,
ensuring the resource performance is restored to an acceptable level in a timely manner.
• Control Resource Performance: The objective of the Control Resource Performance processes is to
apply controls to resources in order to optimize the resource performance. The need for install-
ing performance controls can be identified by the Analyze Resource Performance processes or
requested by the Service Quality Management processes. This also includes the establishment
of preplans, which have been defined in order to cope with abnormal situations caused by, for
example, natural disasters or mass calling events. In the case of, for example, circuit switching
and SS7 networks, this encompasses the application of traffic controls that affect call processing
and traffic routing in order to optimize the call completion rate. In the case of packet networks,
this encompasses various types of traffic conditioning, such as policing and shaping.
• Report Resource Performance: This process reports the findings of the Analyze Resource Performance
processes. If the performance analysis identifies a resource quality problem, this will be reported to
the Resource Trouble Management and/or the Service Quality Management processes. The latter
processes are responsible for deciding on and carrying out the appropriate action/response.

3.6.6.7 Resource Data Collection and Processing
This process supports the Assurance and Billing end-to-end processes on the Resource Management level.
Resource Data Collection and Processing collects usage, network, and information technology events
and performance information for distribution to other processes within the enterprise.
Principal processes are:

• Collect Resource Data: This process collects usage, network, and information technology events
and performance information. Before this information is distributed to other processes within
the enterprise, it will be passed to Process Resource Data for processing.
• Process Resource Data: The processes are responsible for processing the raw data collected from the
resources. This includes the filtering of Resource Data based on well-defined criteria, as well as pro-
viding summaries of the Resource Data through aggregation. These processes are also responsible
for formatting the Resource Data before distributing it to other processes within the enterprise.
• Report Resource Data: The Report Resource Data processes are responsible for distributing processed
Resource Data to other processes within the enterprise for further analysis and/or reporting.
• Audit Resource Usage Data: The Audit Resource Usage Data processes are responsible for auditing
the resource data collection stream in order to identify possible anomalies such as loss of usage
data in the different collection and processing steps.

3.6.7 Supplier/Partner Relationship Management (S/PRM)
Supplier/Partner Relationship Management functional processes support the core operational processes,
both the customer instance processes of Fulfillment, Assurance, and Billing and the functional opera-
tions processes. Supplier/Partner Relationship Management (S/PRM) processes align closely with a sup-
plier’s or partner’s Customer Relationship Management processes. The inclusion of distinct Supplier/
Partner Relationship Management processes in the eTOM framework enables a direct interface with
the appropriate lifecycle, end-to-end customer operations or functional processes with suppliers and/
or partners. The processes include issuing RFPs as part of the buy process, issuing purchase orders and
tracking them through to delivery, mediation of purchase orders as required conforming to external
processes, handling problems, validating billing and authorizing payment, as well as quality manage-
ment of suppliers and partners.