We all have walked in to our favorite sandwich shop, placed an order, and received an obvious sandwich. But imagine if you will, if you walked in, ordered the Sandwich, and the server responded with, “Great. Do you have your bread?” “The types of meats and cheeses you want on it?” as if their only role is assembly. That’s not a Service because you’re ordering a complete sandwich with all the ingredients based on the menu. “You have to get everything you want, bring it back, and we’ll have your sandwich ready in no time.” Unacceptable.
When organizations start their IT Service Management journey, they often have different teams working on various tasks, like separate islands. Each group does its own thing, unaware of what the others are doing or the overall value of their work. This happens because organizations grow over time. In smaller places, teams can collaborate because they’re close to the main business goals. It’s easy to understand what everyone’s working towards and how their work contributes. Communication is straightforward, and everyone knows what’s going on. But as organizations become larger and more complex, they drift further away from their primary purpose. The “why” and value to the business (customer) start to fade.
There’s a skill in technology that’s lacking, and it’s around Service Design or Service Architecture. The organization that works with all the Technology groups to define components of a Service, such as Dependent Services, Offerings, Commitments (SLAs, OLAs, etc.), Ownership, and Delivery Managers for the Offerings, is crucial.
To effectively communicate, everyone has their own approach. In my case, I use analogies. When it comes to Services, I often use an example of a Sandwich shop.
Services are all around us in everything we consume, order, or use. Here’s an example for a restaurant. I’ve included the very service components that we rarely think about that are happening in the background. It’s what I call the “Anatomy of a Service.”
Have you ever noticed how everything we buy, from cars to online shopping, has different options? It’s like there’s always that “thing” you want, but there are different types of it to choose from. Length of cables, sizes, colors – it’s all part of the initial “thing” you’re looking for. Now, this isn’t because people don’t understand what they’re buying. It’s just that they often don’t see the bigger picture. They think of their job as just their own little thing, without realizing how it fits into the overall service or how it helps others.
When I was working on an IT Service Portfolio and Service Catalog, I had to help people understand the importance of services and how they contribute to each other. It was a real challenge, because many people didn’t see their work as a service at all. They just thought they were managing databases or building servers. But when I asked them what their service was, they couldn’t really explain it. They just gave simple answers like, “I manage databases” or “I build servers.”
So, I decided to use a technique called the 6-Why’s, which is often used in problem management and sales. I asked them about their database using two different questions. One question was from the customer’s point of view, and the other wasn’t. When I asked them the customer’s point of view, they were able to explain how their database helped the customer. They said that it allowed the customer to access their data quickly and easily. When I asked them the non-customer’s point of view, they were able to explain how their database helped the IT team. They said that it allowed the IT team to manage the database efficiently and effectively.
So, in the end, I was able to help people understand the importance of services and how they contribute to each other. It was a great experience, and I’m glad I could help them understand the value of their Service.
Example: Database Management
Q: “What do you do to create a database?”
A: “I install xxxx database software and then create a database instance according to the request.”
Q: “What does it take to deliver a functional database?”
A: I check to see if there is an existing Database Server with capacity or if I need to have a new Server identified. If not, I install the Database software, configure it to the requestor’s specs. Then I create a database instance. Then, provision it the database.
Q: What if there is no Server?
A: Then someone has to get me one.
In the second question, they showed they could install the database software and create an instance. But in the third question, it seemed like they didn’t have the infrastructure needed for the database. Without that, they couldn’t provide a working database to the person who asked for their “Service.” Many other services depend on each other, and teams can’t just expect someone else to provide the ingredients for the “Database Sandwich.”
From the customer’s perspective, that’s not a service. They expect to get a fully functioning database with the login and password to start working. They don’t have to worry about getting the ingredients.
True service owners need to know what they offer. They either provide a fully functioning service to their customers or they depend on other services to deliver a fully formed and working service that meets the customer’s expectations. In many industries, this is also called the supply chain.
In the new world of automation and AI, we’re realizing how important it is to fully design a service. It’s not just about a workflow or process. It’s about understanding why and how a fully functioning service delivers value to the customer who asked for it. And it’s about measuring its performance and value to make sure that for anyone who needs IT services or support, it’s delivered as smoothly as possible for the customer.
Leave a Reply