ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 outlines the standard for a service management system (SMS). The standard specifies the requirements for a service provider to plan, establish, implement, execute, monitor, review, maintain, and improve a service management system (SMS). These requirements encompass the design, transition, delivery, and improvement of services to meet service requirements.

ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 can be used by:
a) Organizations seeking services from a service provider and requiring confirmation that their service requirements will be met.
b) Organizations requiring a consistent approach from all their service providers, including those in the supply chain.
c) Service providers intending to demonstrate their capability for designing, transitioning, delivering, and improving services to meet service requirements.
d) Service providers to monitor, measure, and review their service management processes and the services themselves.
e) Service providers to improve the design, transition, and delivery of services through effective implementation and operation of the SMS.
f) Assessors or auditors as a criterion for assessing the conformity of a service provider's SMS with the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018.

The service management processes and the relationship between processes can be applied in various ways by different service providers. The nature of the relationship between the service provider and the user will influence how service management processes are applied.