In the context of IT-business alignment, IT service management needs to focus on ensuring the correct services are provided by IT, in an appropriate manner to meet changing business requirements, according to a report by London-based Macehiter Ward-Dutton. To do so, IT service management should enable and support an ongoing dialogue between IT and the business, starting from the inception of a service, through deployment to its operation. This report is the first in a set of two, which explains how organizations can frame their thinking about their requirements for IT service management. (The second report, "Assessing IT Service Management," explains the criteria behind assessments of vendors' offerings in this area.)