SERVICE MANAGEMENT RELOADED(WHAT IF ISAAC ASIMOV WAS DESIGNING BEST PRACTICES ?)

#Governance

Massimo Cardaci – 09.12.2017

Service Management Systems (SMS) are becoming everyday more accurate and comprehensive.

And more complex.

Applicable Best Practices and Standards (example: ITIL and ISO)

are becoming every day more detailed and precise.

Looking at all these Tons of specifications, and clauses, and

explanatory notes...

a key doubt emerges.

Are we so flooded by details,

to loose the direction ?

What is more complex in terms of governance rules definition:

The Positron Robot living with human beings of Asimov’s science

fiction stories

or the Service we manage ?

(let’s be honest here)

That Robot

If that Robot can be successfully controlled with 3 laws,

why we need thousand pages of rules to govern our activities?

The Three Asimov’s laws

of Robotics

First Law

A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a

human being to come to harm.

Second Law

A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the

First Law.

Third Law

A robot must protect its own existence as long as such

protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The Three (derived) Asimov’s laws

of Service Management

First Law

The Company may not generate damage for its Customers and its

people, or, through inaction, allow its Customer or its people to come

to harm.

Second Law

The Company must operate to satisfy Customer requirements, except where such orders would

conflict with the First Law.

Third Law

The Company must protect its own existence and its people, and

ensure its own growth, as long as such protection does not conflict

with the First or Second Law.

The Company is your commercialentity, but is also you.

Is anything mentioned in your SMS that is not a direct derivation from

these rules ?

Having few and easy to verify rules would eliminate the risk of

“reading-between-the-lines” borderline deviations.

Having few and comprehensive rules would eliminate the presence

of uncovered specific cases, leaving dangerous holes.

Giving behavioural guidelines, instead of detailed atomic

instructions,

is a way to increase people ownership.

And maybe a way to get better efficiency and effectiveness.

THANK YOU!

To know more about the project and for contacts:

www.edc-consulting.org [Italian]

Publications: www.amazon.com, www.lulu.com/spotlight/maxcardaci, www.edc-consulting.org

- Time Management: “Would you change 25 Minutes?” [3a Ed.] [English: Paperback and Kindle; Italian]

- Ethical Governance Methods: “La Terza Strada: Una storia di Principi, Maestri e Cappellai” [Italian]

- History of Science - Sunspots: “Macchie sul Sole? Che fai, scherzi?” [14 volums in Epub format] [Italian]

Something more on what I do :

- LinkedIn profile: Massimo Cardaci [English]