Service Design Optimization

#BadassBookAlert Kate Tarling's The Service Organization offers a blueprint for organizations that want to deliver high-quality services efficiently, with a strong emphasis on customer needs and internal alignment. This book delves into the systemic issues that affect service delivery and proposes practical steps for creating service-oriented cultures. "A service is not what the organization thinks it provides but what a user experiences." Kate stresses that services should be designed based on real user experiences and needs, not around internal processes or organizational structures. This is vital for both customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. "A service organization needs to design for the entire system, not just the touchpoints." Organizations often approach service improvement with isolated fixes or one-off projects, which she argues are insufficient. Systemic, organizational change is necessary to build sustainable service improvements. "We can't design effective services if each part of the organization is working in isolation." Modern service organizations have to break down silos and ensure departments collaborate effectively. Cross-functional teams are key to ensuring that services meet user needs and organizational goals. "Good services are designed and then redesigned as we learn more." Service organizations should not view their work as static. Tarling advocates for iterative design processes that involve ongoing testing, learning, and adaptation. "The people who work on services must be trusted to shape them." To build a truly service-centric organization, employees must be empowered to make decisions and provide input into how services are delivered. This fosters accountability and innovation. In the age of digital transformation, companies that focus on the customer journey and needs will outperform those that remain focused on internal metrics or outdated processes. For example, the approach resonates with businesses that prioritize service design and UX, ensuring all touchpoints are seamless and intuitive. Many modern businesses, especially large corporations, still struggle with departmental silos. Applying Tarling’s insights can help these organizations unify their efforts, ensuring that all teams (from customer service to IT) are aligned around shared goals. Tarling’s emphasis on continuous improvement ties into modern agile and lean methodologies, where the focus is on testing, learning, and evolving quickly to meet changing needs. This book is a great read for companies and designers looking to thrive in today’s service-driven economy. Her work underscores the importance of designing services with users in mind, embracing systemic change, fostering collaboration, and focusing on continuous improvement. This approach is highly applicable to businesses across industries, from healthcare to technology. #SystemsDesign #ServiceDesign #BusinessDesign #OrgDesign #Strategy

😤𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐈𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐬. Ever wonder why some services feel smooth and seamless, while others leave you frustrated and stuck? It’s not just about technology, it’s about how the organization behind the service is designed. Here’s the kicker: 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲. Most leaders focus on headcount, budgets, or shiny new tools. But the truth is, the 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 of your organization, the 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬, and 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 paths, has the biggest 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 on how your 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦. Why? 𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐎𝐫𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧: 🚶♂️ 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: Simple changes take forever. 💥 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: Miscommunications and unclear ownership wreak havoc. 💸 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬: Incidents escalate, damaging your reputation and bottom line. 🍝 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬: Your architecture ends up as tangled spaghetti. 𝐒𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧? 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲. By focusing on how users (internal or external) interact with your services, you can: 🔗 Identify pain points in team handoffs. ✂️ Simplify dependencies and ownership. 🤝 Design a structure that supports collaboration, not chaos. 💡 Remember: 𝐀 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. To build reliable services, we need to think bigger than micro-optimizations like CI/CD or TDD. The key lies in designing organizations that enable seamless collaboration and robust system reliability. #Organization #Systemreliability #ConsumerJourney #Leadership #DigitalTransformation

Public-sector organizations are under increasing pressure to modernize, but bureaucracy, legacy systems, and institutional complexities often prevent them from doing so. Service design, however, can change that. It’s a human-centered approach that can align internal processes or constraints with user needs in public service delivery to deliver on policy intent. Key methods that make the difference: • people-centered research through observations and citizen journey mapping to identify friction points and improvement opportunities • Service delivery design that optimizes touchpoints, citizen interactions, and supporting processes • Co-creation workshops that bring stakeholders and citizens together to develop solutions collaboratively The impact is real. Services can become more efficient and easier to navigate. People have better experiences with public services, leading to greater trust and engagement. Innovation can thrive as teams navigate and challenge outdated assumptions and work across silos. There are challenges—resistance to change, complexity, institutional rigidity. However, organizations that embrace service design are proving that thoughtful, well-designed services don’t just improve experiences. They create lasting impact. I came across this paper by Tsotsas and Fragidis entitled: The Contribution of Service Design in Public Sector Modernization: Challenges, Barriers, and Opportunities of the Design Methods They outline three key barriers to adopting service design in the public sector: • Institutional structures and regulations that limit flexibility • The complexity of public service ecosystems makes change difficult to implement • Resistance from public servants who may see design-driven change as disruptive   Despite these barriers, they argue that service design presents a significant opportunity to modernize public administration by increasing efficiency, fostering people-centered innovation, and improving service delivery at scale. #ServiceDesign #PublicSectorInnovation #HumanCenteredDesign #DigitalTransformation #GovernmentInnovation #CitizenExperience #ServiceDelivery #PolicyDesign #InnovationInGovernment #SystemsThinking #PublicService #DesignThinking #UserCenteredDesign #CoCreation #ModernizingGovernment #PublicSectorTransformation #OrganizationalChange #DesignForImpact