When the executive decides it is time to create a new service, the following information needs to be gathered:
- Name the service
- A budget for discovery
- Hypothetical user needs and measurements of success
- Expectations of how the service will be consumed & supported
- How evolved the executive considers this type of service
With this information, a Service Contract can be written, and then a Service Manager should be assigned for the discovery phase of its lifecycle.
In the discovery phase, research is conducted to validate the hypothetical user needs and ensure that nothing has been missed.
It should be agreed early on between the service manager and the executive what the timeline for discovery is. Shortly into the discovery phase, a timeframe for a Service Assessment should be scheduled to review what the discovery process has uncovered.
The discovery phase doesn't need to last for a long time, and it shouldn't be expensive. Its purpose is to test some assumptions that the executive inevitably makes when they consider the service and ensure that no opportunity is missed.
If it is determined that the service isn't needed then it should be shut down at the earliest opportunity.
How to know when to create a new service
There are two occasions likely to arise where a new service might be needed. The first is that a set of previously unmet needs is identified - this could be as a new product line for the end consumer, or it could be to enhance how internal services work.
The second circumstance occurs when two or more existing services are addressing a need within their service boundary and the opportunity to remove duplication exists by consolidating that capability as a shared service that they - and other services could consume instead.
Service assessments & unmet needs
Maps
Service managers should produce Wardley maps of their services, including the components or systems they use within the service. As the executive considers maps of multiple services, it should be possible to identify duplication that might suggest unmet needs across service boundaries.
Dependencies
As service managers select other services to depend upon they generate signals about the user needs that they have. This information should be used to both confirm and disprove bias. For example, if a service manager declines to use a service it may be that the service manager was unaware of it, but equally, it may indicate there are unmet needs.
Demand Requests
External demand may be captured from requests that users make to service managers.