USM - the Unified Service Management method - is a universal methodical approach for service management.
The USM method provides a standardized management system for a service organization to manage its people, its processes, its technology, and its services, based on an explicit service management architecture.
Service management architecture: a set of rules and guidelines for setting up and managing a service organization that enable consistent decision making in the future.
A service management architecture defines a series of architecture patterns: specifications of elements and their relations, with a set of constraints on how they may be used. With that service management architecture, you lay the fundament for the structure of a successful service organization. Local choices then determine how you organize your own 'floors' on that fundament, with your own people and your own tools, to deliver your own services.
USM is principle-based, and therefore complementary to the traditional practice-based frameworks: it's like comparing the fundament of your building (USM) with all the floors (ITILv3, ITIL4, COBIT, IT4IT, ASL, BiSL, TOGAF, Lean, Agile, DevOps, etc. etc.). You'll always be redecorating your floors, but you have only one fundament - and whatever you do in these floors, the fundament will not change.
USM can be deployed in all service organizations and teams. With USM you can easily realize a common management system for all teams in an Enterprise Service Management strategy or in a nationwide system to control health care data or civil data, or realize the requirements of standards such as ISO27001 or ISO20000 in a cheap and efficient way. USM offers an easily learned methodical approach to service management, based on business principles.
With USM, the organization gets in control of its routines in a quick and cheap way, in her own right, creating order and tranquility and room for exploiting the creative potential of employees.
A USM deployment works from the idea that an organization only learns to perform better if that organization learns to do so with internal employees, on its own.
External support is only aimed at coaching those internal employees, where there is a need. No expensive consultants who do the work for you, but a 100% investment in your own employees.
Coaching is the most effective tool for personal development and performance improvement.
To get an idea what USM is all about, you may download a free e-book with a summary of USM.
Note: Universal Service Management, or the Universal Service Management Body of Knowledge (USMBOKtm) are in no way related to the Unified Service Management Method (USM Method), or its acronym USM.
