The central element in the ITIL SVS is the Service Value Chain.
The service value chain is an operating model for the creation, delivery and ongoing improvement of services. It outlines the key activities required to create value in response to demand, through the creation and delivery of products and services.
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In ITIL, there are six activities in the service value chain which represent the steps an organization takes in the creation of value:
- Plan
- Engage
- Design and Transition
- Obtain/Build
- Deliver and Support
- Improve
Each activity contributes to the value chain by transforming specific inputs into outputs. The inputs could be demand from outside the value
chain, or outputs of other activities, while the transformation is facilitated by ITIL practices, undertaken using internal or third-party resources, processes, skills, and competencies.
Let us look at each activity in detail, specifically the purpose, inputs and outputs. As each value stream is made up of a different combination of activities and practices, the inputs and outputs listed will not always apply, as they are specific to particular value streams. The lists of inputs and
outputs given are not prescriptive, and they can and should be adjusted when organizations design their value streams.
[This article is part of our ITIL 4 Guide. Use the right-hand menu to navigate.]
1. Plan
Purpose
| To ensure a shared understanding of the vision, current status, and improvement direction for all four dimensions and all products and services across the organization.
|
Inputs
| - Policies, requirements, and constraints, provided by the organization’s governing body
- Consolidated demands and opportunities, provided by engage
- Value chain performance information, improvement initiatives, and plans, provided by improve
- Improvement status reports from improve
- Knowledge and information about new and changed products and services from design
and transition, and obtain/build
- Knowledge and information about third-party service components from engage
|
Outputs
| - Strategic, tactical, and operational plans
- Portfolio decisions for design and transition
- Architectures and policies for design and transition
- Improvement opportunities for improve
- A product and service portfolio for engage
- Contract and agreement requirements for engage
|
2. Engage
Purpose
| To provide a good understanding of stakeholder needs, ensure transparency, and maintain continual engagement and good relationships with all stakeholders.
|
Inputs
| - A product and service portfolio provided by plan
- High-level demand for services and products, provided by internal and external customers
- Detailed requirements for services and products, provided by customers
- Requests and feedback from customers
- Incidents, service requests, and feedback from users
- Information on the completion of user support tasks from deliver and support
- Marketing
opportunities from current and potential customers and users
- Cooperation opportunities and feedback, provided by partners and suppliers
- Contract and agreement requirements from all value chain activities
- Knowledge and information about new and changed products and services from design and transition, and obtain/build
- Knowledge and information about third-party service components from suppliers and partners
- Product and service performance information from deliver and support
- Improvements initiatives and plans from improve
- Improvement status reports from improve
|
Outputs
| - Consolidated demands and opportunities for plan
- Product and service requirements for design and transition
- User support tasks for deliver and support
- Improvement opportunities and stakeholders’ feedback for improve
- Change or project initiation requests for obtain/build
- Contracts and agreements with external and
internal suppliers and partners for design and transition, and obtain/build
- Knowledge and information about third-party service components for all value chain activities
- Service performance reports for customers
|
3. Design and Transition
Purpose
| To ensure that products and services continually meet stakeholder expectations for quality, cost, and time to market.
|
Inputs
| - Portfolio decisions, provided by plan
- Architectures and policies, provided by plan
- Product and service requirements, provided by engage
- Improvement initiatives and plans, provided by improve
- Improvement status reports from improve
- Service performance information, provided by deliver and support,
and improve
- Service components from obtain/build
- Knowledge and information about third-party service components from engage
- Knowledge and information about new and changed products and services from obtain/build
|
Outputs
| - Requirements and specifications for obtain/build
- Contract and agreement requirements for engage
- New and changed products and services for deliver and support
- Knowledge and information about new and changed products and services to all value chain activities
- Performance information and improvement opportunities for improve
|
4. Obtain/Build
Purpose
| To ensure that service components are available when and where they are needed, and that they meet agreed specifications.
|
Inputs
| - Architectures and policies provided by plan
- Contracts and agreements with external and internal suppliers and partners, provided by engage
- Goods and services, provided by external and internal suppliers and partners
- Requirements and specifications, provided by design and transition
- Improvement initiatives and plans, provided by improve
- Improvement
status reports from improve
- Change or project initiation requests, provided by engage
- Change requests, provided by deliver and support
- Knowledge and information about new and changed products and services from design and transition
- Knowledge and information about third-party service components from engage
|
Outputs
| - Service components for deliver and support
- Service components for design and transition
- Knowledge and information about new and changed service components to all value chain activities
- Contract and agreement requirements for engage
- Performance information and improvement opportunities for improve
|
5. Deliver and Support
Purpose
| To ensure that services are delivered and supported according to agreed specifications and stakeholders’ expectations.
|
Inputs
| - New and changed products and services, provided by design and transition
- Contracts and agreements with external and internal suppliers and partners, provided by engage
- Service components provided by obtain/build
- Improvement initiatives and plans, provided by improve
- Improvement status reports from improve
- User
support tasks provided by engage
- Knowledge and information about new and changed service components and services from design and transition, and obtain/build
- Knowledge and information about third-party service components from engage
|
Outputs
| - Services delivered to customers and users
- Information on the completion of user support tasks for engage
- Product and service performance information for engage and improve
- Improvement opportunities for improve
- Contract and agreement requirements for engage
- Change requests for
obtain/build
- Service performance information for design and transition
|
6. Improve
Purpose
| To ensure continual improvement of products, services, and practices across all value chain activities and the four dimensions of service management.
|
Inputs
| - Product and service performance information, provided by deliver and support
- Stakeholders’ feedback, provided by engage
- Performance information and improvement opportunities, provided by all value chain activities
- Knowledge and information about new and changed products and services from design and transition, and obtain/build
- Knowledge and
information about third-party service components from engage
|
Outputs
| - Improvement initiatives and plans for all value chain activities
- Value chain performance information for plan and the governing body
- Improvement status reports for all value chain activities
- Contract and agreement requirements for engage
- Service performance information for design and transition
|
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About the author
Joseph Mathenge
Joseph is a global best practice trainer and consultant with over 14 years corporate experience. His passion is partnering with organizations around the world through training, development, adaptation, streamlining and benchmarking their strategic and operational policies and processes in line with best practice frameworks and international standards. His specialties are IT Service Management, Business Process Reengineering, Cyber Resilience
and Project Management.
About the author
Jon Stevens-Hall
Jon Stevens-Hall is a Principal Product Manager for BMC Helix ITSM. He was a contributing author on several of the ITIL 4 Managing Professional books [“Create Deliver and Support”, and “High Velocity IT”]. His work focuses on innovative new tooling for Service Management, and the evolution of ITSM in the DevOps era.
Which of the following is a primary component of the value chain?
The value chain framework is made up of five primary activities -- inbound operations, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, service -- and four secondary activities -- procurement and purchasing, human resource management, technological development and company infrastructure.
Which if the following represents one of the primary components of the value chain?
The primary activities of the value chain include inbound logistics, operation outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service.
What one of the following is not one of the primary components of a value chain?
The correct answer is D] procurement. This option is correct because procurement is one of the secondary activities of the value chain.
Which of the following can be considered a primary activity in the value chain process?
The five key [primary] activities that generate higher profits include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and services.