eTOM

The Business Process Framework (eTOM) is a critical component of Frameworx, the TM Forum’s blueprint for enabling successful business transformation. 

It is a comprehensive, industry-agreed, multi-layered view of the key business processes required to run an efficient, effective and agile enterprise.

All of Frameworx, including the Business Process Framework, is created and evolved by industry leaders and practitioners in TM Forum’s collaboration community.

What is the Business Process Framework?

It is a hierarchical catalog of the key business processes required to run a service-focused business. At the conceptual level, the framework has three major process areas, reflecting major focuses within typical enterprises:

Strategy, Infrastructure, and Product

Operations

Enterprise Management

6 Things You Can Do With the Business Process Framework

Create a common language for use across departments, systems, external partners and suppliers, reducing

cost and risk of system implementation, integration and procurement Adopt a standard structure, terminology and classification scheme for business processes to simplify internal

operations and maximize opportunities to partner within and across industries Apply disciplined and consistent business process development enterprise-wide, allowing for cross-

organizational reuse Understand, design, develop and manage IT applications in terms of business process requirements so

applications will better meet business needs Create consistent and high-quality end-to-end process flows, eliminating gaps and duplications

Identify opportunities for cost and performance improvement through re-use of existing processes and

systems

Get the Business Process Framework

Enhanced Telecom Operations Map (eTOM)he Business Process Framework (eTOM), published by the TM Forum, defines a model for

the telecommunications industry. The model describes business processes required by a service

provider and defines key elements and how they interact.

The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is an analogous standard or framework for best

practices in information technology. Both of these frameworks are part of Total Quality Management, in

which industries have, since 1950, formalized their business processes and metrics in search of higher

quality, fewer defects, and greater efficiency. ISO 9000 is another of these "process and results

improvement" standards, but it is far more generic than either Business Process Framework or ITIL.

Business Process Framework has been adopted by the ITU-T as a Recommendation and published in

the M.3050.x series.

Description[edit]

The Business Process Framework model consists of Level-0, Level-1, Level-2, Level-3 and Level-4

processes. These levels form a hierarchy, with each level encapsulating a group of processes at the next

level of detail. The graphic representation of an Business Process Framework model consists of rows and

columns, the intersections of which denote specific business processes. The top row includes customer

facing activities such as marketing, while the bottom row includes supplier facing and support activities. In

this manner the Business Process Framework map covers the whole value chain. The map also indicates

the interaction between processes.

Business Process Framework processes fall into three broad sections: "Strategy, Infrastructure &

Product", "Operations", and "Enterprise Management", as shown in the following diagram.

Strategy, Infrastructure & Product

Columns

Strategy and Commit, Infrastructure Lifecycle Management and Product Lifecycle Management

Rows

Marketing & Offer Management, Service Development & Management, Resource Development &

Management and Supply Chain Development & Management

Operations

Columns

Operations Support & Readiness, Fulfillment, Assurance and Billing

Rows

Customer Relationship Management, Service Management & Operations, Resource

Management & Operations and Supplier/Partner Relationship Management.