SPICE for IT Service Management

A service is not a physical product, by definition it is intangible and cannot be stored. This means that a service is provided on demand. These aspects also imply that a service is fundamentally fragile because errors can occur at any time during its development, provision, or execution.

This fragility is especially the case with the software-defined car. Here, a successful execution of the different services relies on the interplay of four columns.

Here, we find high-performance computing platforms with independent modules, intelligent sensors, hyper visors, containers, and cloud-native apps.

There is a network infrastructure that allows to run cloud-native apps as well as Software containers, and it provides communication possibilities.

The cloud supports local and global workloads. It usually relies on shared data centers and consists of containers with virtual machines.

This is the backbone of our service. It allows the centralized and direct communication between the customer’s app and the service vendor, and it allows the sharing of sensitive data.

With the software-defined car, IT Service Management describes a service value chain that covers two dimensions:

• on the one hand, ITSM is about all the skills required to set up the service,
• and on the other hand, ITSM addresses the capabilities to run the service operationally.

Both capabilities are two sides of the same coin. This is due to the continuous nature of services, which requires a continuous approach.

The value orientation is achieved by the combination of the design of a coherent user experience with a service management, through which this experience can be reliably delivered.

Enable services with a car architecture that supports services. Examples for this are service-oriented architecture (SOA) as well as micro-services. For this, we need to consider the availability targets early, and include for example the capability for remote factory resets. Another architectural prerequisite for services is updateability.

Use such software and service development concepts that incorporate maintenance and operations. Examples of this are DevOps or Site Reliability Engineering.

This principle is elementary for seamlessly linking and coordinating components and activities. The sooner this happens, the sooner expensive errors can be avoided.

This again involves all stakeholders throughout the service chain so that the service can be reliably set up and obstacles can be removed at an early stage.

Establish short development cycles and ask your stakeholders for feedback on a regular basis. To achieve this responsiveness, install a high degree of automation as well.

With these six principles, you create a continual approach that creates customer value and safeguard the delivery of this value. ITSM is comprehensive because it addresses your business goals, stakeholders, processes, functions, suppliers, as well as your organization.

ITSM describes the skills required to provide high-quality digital services over the entire service lifetime.

The principles we have worked out can be transferred into an operational model. The best-known model for this is ITIL. I will show you its core elements in this graphic:

1. Service Design
2. Service Transition
3. Service Operation

These three elements are based on a service strategy and are wrapped in a continuous improvement and learning process. Using this model, the various management tasks can be structured and controlled.

The ITIL model was originally designed for classic service tasks in IT. However, the applications in the software-defined vehicle with connectivity and the link-up of numerous edge applications require some special considerations.