A post by our guest editor, John Worthington.

Rebuilding from the Middle Out

How USM enables overlays, unlocks value, and holds the system together

“Buy the ticket, take the ride.” — Hunter S. Thompson

We’ve reached the summit.

You’ve seen how strategy gets lost in translation. How overlays sit on sand. How operating models are diagrams without engines. And how practices become tribal rituals in the absence of structure.

So now the question is:

How do we rebuild it all—with clarity, coherence, and control?

The answer: Start where it matters most. Rebuild from the middle out.

đŸ§± Start with the System, Not the Stuff

When transformation fails, it’s rarely because you chose the 'wrong' framework.

It fails because you didn’t choose a system.

You started with:

  • New tools
  • New practices
  • New org charts

But not a unifying method.

USM gives you that method.

It doesn’t replace your practices. It doesn’t compete with your tools. It aligns them—through a shared architecture of profiles, processes, and workflows.

🔁 How USM Binds the Layers

Let’s go back to the stack—now with USM running through all of it.

Article content
USM as the Heart of Service Management

It’s not just a binding agent—it’s the core logic that makes every layer meaningful.

🌐 Why Overlays Like SIAM and DVMS Need USM

  • SIAM is great for coordinating multiple providers—but without a system, coordination is wishful.
  • DVMS helps translate digital value into governance—but without structure, it becomes another advisory deck.
  • XLA frameworks push us toward experience—but without consistent service behaviors, the experience remains random.

USM provides:

  • The recursion that makes SIAM manageable
  • The governance execution loop DVMS depends on
  • The standardization that makes experience design scale

đŸ”© Practices Don’t Need to Match—Just Plug In

USM doesn’t ask teams to abandon their tools or practices. It asks them to operate within a shared structure.

  • Your DevOps team can use GitLab
  • Your Ops team can use ServiceNow
  • Your support vendor can use Freshdesk

As long as everyone understands:

  • Who is the Customer, Provider, or Operator
  • Which workflow type triggered the work
  • Which of the 5 processes owns it

Then you're good.

It's like plug-and-play, but for service management.

đŸ§± Build Your Value Engine

Think of USM as your value engine:

  • Governance feeds in through policies and constraints
  • Services are described through consistent logic (Facility & Support)
  • Work is organized through 5 core processes and 8 workflows
  • Practices get plugged in modularly
  • Feedback flows upward for continuous improvement

The result? A service ecosystem that actually works—because it has a spine.

🚀 Start Small. Scale Fast.

You don’t need a massive transformation program.

You need:

  • A pilot service team
  • A few roles trained in USM logic
  • One or two value streams to map
  • A feedback loop to learn and adapt

From there, you can scale outward—recursively, sustainably.

You don’t need to climb the mountain. You just need to start at the real base—the system.

Here’s the punchline. The value of USM isn’t just in making service management simpler, smarter, and more structured. It’s that this logic is universal. You can apply it across IT, HR, facilities, education, logistics, healthcare—anywhere a service is being delivered.

That’s not a claim. It’s a design feature.

USM gives organizations a common language, a shared operating system, and a way to integrate—not just optimize. In a world of overlays, frameworks, and fractured tooling, USM is the glue. And once you see that, you can never unsee it.

🎯 Final Word

Every layer matters. Every stakeholder plays a role. But only one thing holds it all together: the management system.

And until you have that, everything else is just strategy on paper and chaos in practice.

💬 Question for You:

Where would you start?

  • One team?
  • One value stream?
  • One supplier relationship?

And if you're already “doing service management,” do you have a system—or just stuff?

Let’s compare maps.

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If you enjoyed John's post and it made you think about improving your own organization, please check out his USM Professional profile and his personal website, or better: contact John for a free consultation.
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