ISO/IEC TR 20000-3:2009 provides guidance on scope definition, applicability and demonstration of conformance for service providers aiming to meet the requirements of ISO/IEC 20000-1, or for service providers who are planning service improvements and intending to use ISO/IEC 20000 as a business goal. It can also assist service providers who are considering using ISO/IEC 20000-1 for implementing a service management system (SMS) and who need specific advice on whether ISO/IEC 20000-1 is applicable to their circumstances and how to define the scope of their SMS.

ISO/IEC TR 20000-3:2009 supplements the advice in ISO/IEC 20000-2, which provides generic guidelines for implementing an SMS in accordance with ISO/IEC 20000-1.

Service providers who wish to implement an SMS based on ISO/IEC 20000-1 are required to define the scope of their SMS. Most service providers are dependent on a complex supply chain for the delivery of the overall service. Most service providers provide a range of services to several different types of customer. This makes the definition of service management scope, and the agreement of the scope statement, a complex stage in the service provider's adoption of ISO/IEC 20000. ISO/IEC TR 20000-3:2009 provides guidance on the applicability of ISO/IEC 20000-1 and scope of the SMS based on practical examples.

ISO/IEC TR 20000-3:2009 takes the form of explanations, guidance and recommendations. It provides practical examples of the scope statements to service providers, irrespective of whether they have any previous experience with other management system standards.