SERVICE DESIGN

The Service Design publication provides guidance for the design and development of services and Service Management processes. It covers design principles and methods for converting strategic objectives into portfolios of services and service assets. The scope of Service Design is not limited to new services. It includes the changes and improvements necessary to increase or maintain value to customers over the lifecycle of services, the continuity of services, achievement of service levels and conformance to standards and regulations. It guides organizations on how to develop design capabilities for Service Management.

The aim of this publication is to give the reader guidance on using recommended practices when designing IT services and IT Service Management processes. This publication follows on from the Service Strategy publication, which provides guidance on alignment and integration of the business needs to IT. It enables the reader to assess the requirements when designing a service, and documents
industry best practice for the design of IT services and processes. Although this publication can be read in isolation, it is recommended that it be used in conjunction with the other ITIL publications. The guidance in the ITIL publications is applicable generically. It is neither bureaucratic nor unwieldy if utilized sensibly and in full recognition of the business needs of the organization. Service Design is important for setting the stage to deliver services effectively to the business and meet the demand for growth and change. Enhancement is typically greater in cost and resource than development. Significant consideration should therefore be given to designing for the ease and economy of support over the whole lifecycle, but more importantly it is not possible to completely reengineer a service once in production. It may be possible to get close, but it will be impossible to get back to a design once something is running. Retrofitting the design is difficult and costly and never achieves what could have been achieved if designed