2.4.2. SVC Core Activities: Design, Build, Deliver

💡 First Principle: The tangible creation of value occurs through a sequence of designing solutions that meet expectations, acquiring the necessary components, and reliably delivering and supporting the final service.

Scenario: A new service is conceived. The team must Design & Transition the architecture and deployment plan. They then Obtain/Build the necessary servers and code. Finally, they Deliver & Support the running service, handling incidents and requests.

This part covers the SVC activities focused on creating, acquiring, and supporting services to meet stakeholder needs.

• Design & Transition: To ensure that products and services continually meet stakeholder expectations for quality, cost, and time-to-market.
  • Practical Role: This activity involves designing new services, developing or configuring service components, testing, and deploying them into the live environment. Professionals involved in development, testing, and release management contribute heavily here.
• Obtain/Build: To ensure that service components are available when and where they are needed, and meet agreed specifications.
  • Practical Role: This activity involves acquiring or building new service components. This could be procuring hardware, developing software, or configuring cloud infrastructure. Professionals working with suppliers or in development teams are key to this activity.
• Deliver & Support: To ensure that services are delivered and supported according to agreed specifications and expectations.
  • Practical Role: This is the most visible activity to users and customers. It includes managing incidents, fulfilling service requests, and monitoring service performance. Many IT professionals are directly involved in this activity through practices like Incident Management, Service Request Management, and Monitoring and Event Management.

⚠️ Common Pitfall: A poor handoff between the Design & Transition and Deliver & Support activities. If the support teams are not properly prepared or equipped to support a new service, its value will be diminished as soon as the first incident occurs.

Key Trade-Offs:

• Build vs. Buy: A central trade-off in the Obtain/Build activity is whether to develop a solution in-house (more control, potentially higher initial cost) or purchase a commercial product (faster to implement, less control).

Reflection Question: Why is it crucial for the Deliver & Support activity to provide feedback to the Design & Transition and Improve activities? What kind of information would it provide?