Essay on what makes for a good catalog....
"Agile" means that you can design a useful catalog quickly. Then, over time, you can refine it as you gain experience using it.
Here's how it works:
KICK-OFF:
Workshop 1 — 2 days:
- Discussion: Why do we need a service catalog? Consensus on the "why" is needed to motivate the leadership team to participate.
- Workshop: Deconstruct your organization chart into the lines of business under each leader, using the industry-leading Structural Cybernetics framework. Knowing what business(es) you're in is prerequisite to defining a service catalog.
- Training in the guidelines: How to define the products and services that go into a catalog, with clear, documented principles drawn from the FullCost process.
- Discussion: Agree on scope, granularity, and what's to be documented for each catalog item.
- Prime the pump: Examples and templates from each of the lines of business within the organization. (time permitting)
Homework — ~2 days of work over the course of 2-3 weeks:
Leaders draft catalogs for each line of business under them.
REFINEMENT:
Workshop 2 — 3 days (one-on-one or small-group, so <1 day/manager):
- Coaching: Review with each leader their first-draft catalogs, with suggestions and detailed problem-solving. The focus is on the service offerings and their granularity, naming, and definitions.
Homework — ~1 day of work over the course of 2-3 weeks:
Leaders refine catalogs for each line of business under them, and coordinate with one-another where language is to be commonized.
FINALIZATION:
Workshop 3 — 3 days (one-on-one or small-group, so <1 day/manager):
- Coaching: Review with each leader their final-draft catalogs, with suggestions and detailed problem-solving. The focus is on readability, definitions and units.
Homework — ~1 day of work over the course of 2-3 weeks:
Leaders finalize catalogs for each line of business under them, and coordinate with one-another where language is to be commonized.
COMPLETION:
Workshop 4 — 2-3 days:
- Outstanding questions on the catalogs.
- A few key catalog items that led to insights from each.
- What did we get out of this phase of the process?
- [If 3 days] Sample "walk-through" take a project or service from start to finish using the catalogs. Who's the "prime contractor"? What subcontracts from team members are needed (using the catalogs to define clear individual accountabilities within the project team)?
- What's next in your transformation process? I.e., what will we do with the catalogs to harvest more benefits? Possibilities include: Define service levels and KPIs; map all costs to the catalog (service costing); launch the practice of documenting clear "contracts" (commitments) with customers; use walk-throughs to clarify accountabilities within teams in every project kick-off. To get the benefits of a catalog, leaders agree on exactly what they're going to do with it.
- If there's consensus on the next steps, we can discuss how to accomplish them (the plan here forward).
Homework:
Leaders make final adjustments to their catalogs.
The project team consolidates and publishes the catalog.
And together, they prepare for next steps to make use of the catalog.
TOTAL TIME: 10-11 consulting days, 10-11 managers' days, elapsed time approximately 3 months.
