ITIL 4 Foundation introduced the Four Dimensions of Service Management. The four perspectives are collectively crucial to understanding service value creation for internal and external stakeholders, including customers. This is because the Four Dimensions of Service Management help organizations ensure a balanced focus on all the elements needed for successful service management (including IT service management (ITSM)) and, ultimately, competitive advantage.
The Four Dimensions of Service Management are:
- Organizations and people
- Information and technology
- Partners and suppliers
- Value streams and processes
I will cover each of these dimensions in more detail below.
Four Dimensions of Service Management #1: Organizations and people
This service management dimension covers the human resources and the organizational structures necessary to manage and perform the work required to deliver and support services (including the (IT) service desk). In the Four Dimensions of Service Management, the organizations and people dimension is not limited to IT personnel. It also includes the entire workforce interacting with services. It contains elements such as:
- Skills and competencies – which includes softer skills like communication and leadership in addition to day-to-day technical skills
- Organizational structure – an organization’s structure should be conducive to effective and efficient service management
- Workforce planning – which includes ensuring the availability of the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles
- Culture and values – ITIL 4 recommends promoting a positive, collaborative culture that aligns with the organization’s mission and values
- Leadership and management – with senior personnel understanding the balance between managing work and leading people (including project managers).
The organizations and people dimension reinforces that effective service management is not just about business processes and technology but also about the people who design, manage, deliver, and consume the services.
Four Dimensions of Service Management #2: Information and technology
This service management dimension relates to the information and technology that support services and service management practices. It covers information management, knowledge management (and knowledge bases), communication and collaboration tools, and technology and information security management. It also includes the infrastructure, applications, and data associated with services and service management.
Importantly, the technology and information employed by an organization should align with its business needs and strategic objectives. Organizations must also ensure they have policies and procedures to manage the information life cycle, including its creation, storage, use, archiving, and disposal.
Finally, the goal of the information and technology dimension is not just to focus on the technology itself but to ensure it effectively supports service management and value creation and service delivery to stakeholders.
Four Dimensions of Service Management #3: Partners and suppliers
This service management dimension relates to an organization’s relationships with the other organizations involved in the design, development, delivery, support, and continual improvement of services. It includes contracts and agreements, supplier management, relationship management, and the integration of third parties into the service value chain (SVC).
Partners and suppliers should be seen as co-creators of value because they’re not just providing a product or service but actively participating in delivering value to stakeholders. Managing relationships with partners and suppliers is therefore crucial, including establishing clear expectations, setting up mutually beneficial contracts, managing performance, and resolving issues promptly.
The ultimate goal of the Four Dimensions of Service Management is to ensure that all four dimensions work together to create and deliver value in the most effective and efficient ways. An organization’s partners and suppliers usually play a vital role in this.
4 Dimensions of Service Management #4: Value streams and processes
This service management dimension covers how different parts of an organization must work in a coordinated way to enable value creation through products and services. Organizations achieve this by defining, managing, and improving processes and value streams.
It’s crucial for organizations to visualize the value stream to understand how value is created and delivered. This activity includes mapping out all the steps, processes, and touchpoints contributing to value creation. Organizations should design value streams with a focus on the customer, customer service, customer satisfaction, and customer experience. This includes understanding their needs, expectations, and how they perceive value.
The value streams and processes dimension encourages an organization to view operations not just as independent processes but as interconnected efficient and effective activities that jointly contribute to creating value.
Ultimately, the Four Dimensions of Service Management aims to help ensure that organizations take a holistic approach to service management. This integrates the four areas that are too often viewed in isolation. Importantly, appropriate focus must go into each of the four service management dimensions. This helps ensure that the ITIL 4 service value system (SVS) remains balanced and effective.
Further Reading
If you enjoyed this Four Dimensions of Service Management article, then here are some other ITIL and ITSM articles you may find useful:
Please use the website search capability to find more helpful ITSM articles on topics such as operational models, cost-effective support, digital transformation, the bottom line in terms of what customers expect, handling service requests, asset management, service chain activities, developing team members, service manager processes, incident management, service lifecycle, service management strategy, IT support team development, reduced costs through ITSM, meeting business goals, and high-level information systems management.
Sophie Danby
Sophie is a freelance ITSM marketing consultant, helping ITSM solution vendors to develop and implement effective marketing strategies.
She covers both traditional areas of marketing (such as advertising, trade shows, and events) and digital marketing (such as video, social media, and email marketing). She is also a trained editor.
