Here's a fun little meditation I've prepared for you.
We've talked a lot of the different views of the service catalog. So let's take a real life example to these views with food examples. I've prepared four questions and examples. Please let me know which one you think is the one closest to your project. Feel free to use it with attribution; at the end take a moment for a one-click poll.
Which is your service catalog?
An Inventory of your (IT) Refrigerator and its technical specs?
Is your service catalog an inventory of apps and technical devices? Are measure microwave availability? Are offering what's in the fridge, not what a customer wants to buy?
Are spending a lot of time doing tables like this one below from Lowes?
| Color: | Stainless |
| Capacity (Cu. Ft.): | 25.5 |
| Flush / Built-In Look: | No |
| Ice Maker: | Yes |
| Water Dispenser: | Yes |
| Water Filtration: | Yes |
| Defrost Type: | Frost-Free |
| Dual Cooling: | Yes |
| Fresh Food Shelves: | 4 |
| Door Shelves: | 3 |
| Freezer Shelves: | 2 |
| Freezer Baskets/Bins: | 4 |
| Custom Door Kit Compatible: | No |
Is our service catalog a listing of costs?
The picture comes from Restaurant ResourceGroup. I picked it because it's another way of looking at a catalog. And economically speaking, food service and IT service are both classified as part of the "service economy."
"This article is .... intended to explain the importance of taking accurate and timely physical counts of your food and beverage inventories and to show you how to make a series of simple QuickBooks accounting entries (or any other accounting software program that you use) to insure accurate food and beverage cost reporting for your critical Profit and Loss Statements."
Kind of like what we try to do in IT.
A recipe?
Are we trying to document the process and resources necessary to deliver the service? Like this:
Ingredients (Consumables Resources)
a 3-pound live lobster
1 medium onion
1 celery rib
1 carrot
1 vine-ripened tomato
1 head garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
8 black peppercorns
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup dry Sherry
4 cups fish stock*
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Preparation (part of delivery process)
Fill a 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil. Plunge lobster headfirst into water and cook, covered, over high heat 8 minutes. Transfer lobster with tongs to a large bowl and in a measuring cup reserve 2 cups cooking liquid. Let lobster stand until cool enough to handle. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, twist off tail and claws and reserve juices. Reserve tomalley and discard head sacs and any roe. Remove meat from claws and tail, reserving shells and lobster body. (Lobster meat will not be cooked through.) Coarsely chop meat and transfer to a bowl. Chill lobster meat, covered.
(See the rest at Epicurious)
You'll notice that as thoroughly as the recipe is documented, it assumes know-how, tools, and a context (home cooking, rather than party).
A (delicious) outcome and experience?
Now try this description of the service.
The staff at Aria is well-trained to make you feel pampered with their manners, attentiveness and enthusiasm. Bread and butter is swiftly served upon your arrival and your glass of ice water is always refilled to the brim. Lunchtime sees a sizeable crowd in the modest premise of Aria but the staff is always on hand to offer more bread or water. Patrons can also request for wine recommendations – the knowledgeable staff will help you find a complementary Chardonnay or dessert wine for your meal at Aria.
I think I've made my point. So leave a comment and or click this poll.
Now I'm going to go make lobster bisque from scratch. My particular recipe adds a hint of Chile Pasilla for very mild heat and depth. Bathe the Chile Pasilla for 3-4 minutes in the broth, then remove. I'm looking forward to having my tongue reeling in sheer delight. That's an outcome I can believe in.
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