Service Mapping: How to Create & Use Service Maps

Effective service management can never materialize if a service provider lacks a complete grasp of all the elements that comprise the service’s functionality and functioning.

According to USM, every service consists of a facility and the support provided for the use of the service. To gain control over a service, a smart specification of the service is required which provides the basis for understanding by the provider and customer, thus aiding proper definition of service level agreements (SLAs).

Service mapping is one of the techniques that can be applied in specifying the constituents of a service in order to support the practices that manage the service.

What is a service map?

The Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) defines a service map as a graphical display of a service that illustrates the various components upon which successful delivery of that service relies. These components include:

• Infrastructure
• Applications
• Dependent services
• People
• Settings

The service map serves as a communications tool. It illustrates the “what” of a service (its components and their relationships) as a basis for managing the “how” of a service (how the service is delivered and controlled). Thus, a service map enables the right decisions to be made by the right people in managing that particular service.

The service map does not replace architecture diagrams or other capabilities that can display service components such as configuration management systems or service catalogues. Rather, it serves as a high-level reference tool that demonstrates service relationships and dependencies across the entire spectrum of the service lifecycle.

For this reason, the service map uses more business than technical terms, offering a service-centered view of the environment which facilitates better understanding for stakeholders involved in service management.

(Compare a business service catalog to a technical one.)

Service mapping is therefore the practice of diagramming and documenting all of the components needed to operate each service the organization provides, thus enabling service management. According to Mike Bombard, this process defines hierarchical relationships that can be displayed visually, enabling people to see:

• The relationship between the service and its components
• The relationships to one another

Service mapping can be as simple or as comprehensive as you need. There are a variety of mapping methodologies to help guide your efforts. Some map approaches include:

• Application discovery & dependency mapping (ADDM)
• Value stream mapping
• Wardley Value Chain mapping
• Business capability mapping

Service mapping use cases

The usefulness of a service map goes beyond just visualizing service components. In the context of ITIL^®4 practices, we can identify several value propositions arising from the use of service maps:

Portfolio management

The portfolio management practice ensures that your organization has the right mix of services to execute its business strategy within funding and resource constraints.

Service mapping can provide capability for this practice as decisions regarding service objectives, investments, and limits can be better made by visualizing service components and dependencies.

Relationship management

Relationship management involves communication with key stakeholders regarding service needs, expectations, and experiences.

By providing the visual aids required to bring all parties to a common plane, a service mapping exercise can be useful in:

• Articulating and understanding customer needs
• Aligning expectations
• Planning value co-creation
• Determining and agreeing on service quality

Business analysis

This practice identifies and justifies solutions to meet the needs of an organization and its customers.

Service mapping can facilitate the visualization of information systems and the definition of technical requirements, both of which assist in evaluating options and communicating recommended solutions to key stakeholders.

Architecture management

Product and service architecture explores interactions between service and models that describe the structure and dynamics such as activities and flow of resources. These actions can be visualized through service maps, supporting the continual optimization of the organization to meet its target architecture.

Configuration Management

The configuration management practice ensures that accurate and reliable information about configuration of services and their components is available when and where it is needed.

Service mapping is a form of configuration modelling where connections and relationships between configuration items can be visualized and documented for purposes of:

• Impact analysis
• Cause and effect analysis
• Risk analysis
• Cost allocation
• Availability planning

These activities feed into other service management practices including change enablement, incident management, problem management, information security management, and service continuity management, among others.