Service Catalog - Definition

badraoul said, 02/16/2007:

Interesting perspective. I think it is critical to understand that this is the same catalog with different views, not two separate catalogs.

LucySky said, 02/19/2007:

I think there are multiple views we need but not in relation to the service catalogue. a service catalogue should be a collection of service and service level descriptions and they should be written in a customer understandable way. the service catalogue is a document we can give to our customers. other views need should be named differently.

smcd said, 02/23/2007:

I disagree with Lucy Sky (nice name, btw) in terms of the "views" and agree with badraoul. What is important to note -- and the reason why there are different views of the same service catalog -- is that there are different customers of service catalog services. Ultimately, a "Service Level Manager" is one specific customer of the services offered up by the service catalog itself (i.e. "a collection of service and servcie level descriptions ... written in a customer understandable way" as Lucy Sky eloquently stated). The way that this particular customer, the Service Level Manager, understands services is probably quite different than the way other customers understand those same services -- and, hence, unique and multiple "views" of the very same catalog of services is a fundamental requirement.

In fact, I would multiply the number of views well beyond the two mhamilton11 has suggested. If we accept that different customers have different understandings of service, then there should be as many views of the catalog as there are customer types. An Operations Management customer, for instance, has a very different view of the catalog than does a Business Unit customer -- one that focusses almost obsessively on the technology components and workflow deployed to support the service consumed by business users. And both of those views are different than the Service Level Manager's or a Finance Manager's, each of whom should have a view of the services being consumed by an organization's customers.

trew said, 03/13/2007:

what is a "different view"? does that mean a physically different document, with different content? if so this is getting away from the point of a service catalogue. surely it is critical that the service (level) manager and the customer have the SAME view of the service? to see what IT components/dependencies make up the service, then the Service manager should be looking at the CMDB. internal and external agreements should be covered in OLAs and UCs (which are seperate entities/documents).

as for the user/customer - the service catalogue is for the customer - as he is paying for the service. if a mechanism is required to explain to the users how to physically order services that are defined in the catalogue, there are various methods to acheive this, but it is not the purpose of the service catalogue

my view: keep it simple...

joachimfinck said, 04/15/2007:

There can be only one ...

I am not so sure, if the amount of views is the key issue. I agree with mhamilton11 in the way that he discripes two examples of categories for different views.
Perhaps, there can be a lot of views, since there is a multiple group of users but also contributers of the service catalog (sc).
If we regard the sc as a medium for communication, the different views assure, that the different groups understand the content of the sc.
I would suggest three categories of sc relevant groups and each group might need at last one view: The sc-consumers (represents the end-users as well as the power users), the sc-contributers (e.g. produktmanagers, service managers) and the sc-managers (e.g. the service level manager, financial manager, etc.).

Trew asks "what is a different view"? It might be an approach to regard the "view" on a sc accordingly to views we know from reports.
One can have different reports and therefore views onto a database. The important thing about the view or how the view is created is, that a view must not change the facts, that the report is based on.
The same is true for the views on the sc: One can create multiple views, but you must not change the facts (this is especially important with regards to the marketing group of a company ;-) they like to change the wording accordingly to what they think is relevant for the target group).

So perhaps it is helpful to create a sc-definition without referring to the views and start with the content (as Lucy Sky did). After that one can discuss if it is one document, view or whatever.

I would suggest a very basic statemant to start with the work on a definition of a sc:
"The sc is a comprehensive and legal binding description of the services beeing offered by an (it) organization to its customers and users.
The sc therefore defines the scope, quantity, quality and prices of services."

I am not sure what else a definition should contain, without becoming a description of how a sc is created or implemented and so on.
Perhaps it is possible to include the expected benefits or the use of a sc for the different target groups.

In my understanding there can be only one sc since the definition of the service scope, quality and so on is usually based on a legal agreement (sla) between provider and customer. The agreement forms the framework within a provider can act to deliver the services.
This framework is at least set up by service level objects (slo) and service level indicators (sli). The different views one can have onto a sc must be always based on these definitions. There might be different documents, papers and so on needed to explain/translate the definitions accordingly to the target group. But they have to be based always on the sc and have therefore have to be subjected under the processes of the sc management.

LucySky said, 04/27/2007:

I think it is right to start with a definition of sc and I agree with the definition joachimfinck (German?) gave us. Perhaps it is useful to speak about a service catalogue and a service decription. than this service description within the sc has to fulfill some aspects we have also to define (e.g. an prerequisite could be: "customer/user understandable"). Going this way there are many possibilities / views to write or build service descriptions but only one (defined) way to put a service description into a service catalogue.

LucySky said, 04/27/2007:

In my opinion we also have to keep in mind, that the sc could be part of framework of documents: service description within the sc. Services build in CMDB, OLAs UCs, Customer Contract documents, Attachment documents (e.g. responibility matrix) and so on. Perhaps it could be useful to define the elements of such a framework so we overlook the documents and their intention we have to define.

LucySky said, 04/27/2007:

To summarize it: We can have different views on "service description" but only one (defined) view on "service catalogue". What prerequisites do we need and what kind of definition do we need regarding sc is than the next question. what do you thionk?

LucySky said, 06/08/2007:

first proposal of SC items:

- Service Name
- Short Description
- Features & Benefits
- Restrictions
- Customer's Obligations
- Service Time
- Support Time
- Bases for Charging
- Service Level
- Service Owner

what's missing?

Silversix said, 07/04/2007:

What's missing?

- Who can request the service (unless you include this in Restrictions)
- How to request the service

sbhikha said, 09/28/2007:

Please advice on which of the 2 “Service Catalogue & CMDB” takes preference when implementing Service Management and how would one go about it to make sure that the project becomes a success?? Is there a relationship between the 2 or are they separate entities??

michellekennedy said, 10/05/2007:

There's a great white paper in the community resources on the topic “Service Catalogue & CMDB” - from the Butler Group, an analyst firm in the UK

Just go to the link in resources at http://www.servicecatalogs.com/WikiHome/Resources/Resource5

Helen_tekle said, 04/03/2008:

Hi All,

I am developing a business focused service catalog is any one aware of any industry standard service catalogue I can used?

Regards
Helen