In the second webinar of "The USM Revolution" series (https://lnkd.in/gfXbYCdU), we received more live questions than we could handle online. Let's now answer Live Question 4 from that webinar.
"๐๐ง๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐จ๐ '๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐'?"
The ๐ฌ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ญ answer is "Absolutely - like so many other definitions, it's way too vague and not operable, not measurable, and not underpinned with a detailed spec of a service construction."
The ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐๐ซ answer would be this:
ITIL4 defines a service as "๐ด ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ก ๐ก๐ ๐๐โ๐๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ค๐๐กโ๐๐ข๐ก ๐กโ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐๐ โ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ."
It's almost impossible to get much more vague than this: you can't ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ก a service based on this definition. You can't ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ and ๐๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐ the components of that service, as the definition doesn't specify any.
But ITIL is in good company. ๐๐๐๐๐
's definition of service is very incomplete, as it only includes behavior:
1. A repeatable activity...
2. An element of behavior that ...
This means there are no ๐๐๐๐๐ involved as components of the service.
๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ and ๐๐๐๐ก๐ฆ๐๐ง do not even โ๐๐ฃ๐ a definition of 'service'.
๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ'๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฆ๐๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค and the ๐๐ฉ๐๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฉ'๐ฌ ๐๐๐๐๐ do not define 'service' either, as they are ๐๐ frameworks. They only define '๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐': again as only an activity or as a vague statement about what it refers to.
ITIL and these EA frameworks do not specify ๐๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ either. They only talk about ๐๐ Service Management (ITSM). They define ITSM as "A customer-focused approach to delivering value through the delivery of IT." Again: as vague as it gets.
Neither ITIL or any of these EA frameworks define ๐๐๐ซ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐.
This means we can't rely on any of these sources, as they are all ๐ก๐๐โ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฆ- and ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐-based frameworks that provide incomplete definitions or vague statements that you can't put to practice in an unambiguous way.
The USM method takes a very different approach: it provides a measurable specification of the concept of 'service'ย that has a ๐ข๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐ nature, covering any service in any line of business for any organization of any size. All the definitions mentioned above can be covered by the USM definition: 'A service is a ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ that is composed of ๐ ๐จ๐จ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ'. Each component is a part of a structured service system.
If you want to learn more about the architecture behind the new thinking of USM, please join the next webinar in the USM Revolution series: Service Management Architecture & System - 17 September - https://ow.ly/pgML50SIUAf