Value chain activities and sourcing patterns

The value chain is the blueprint, workflows as designed, at the center of the value system. Eight interconnected activities, up from ITIL 4’s six:

• Discover: align roadmaps and offerings with consumer needs and strategy.
• Design: blueprints, specs, prototypes: functionality, UX, operations.
• Acquire: secure and allocate resources sustainably.
• Build: develop, integrate, test; designs become working product.
• Transition: introduce new and changed products into operations, onboard suppliers.
• Operate: maintain and monitor for performance and reliability.
• Deliver: serve users, onboard and offboard them, hold quality, gather feedback.
• Support: resolve incidents, restore normal operations, run DR.

The metrics follow the activity: cycle times and roadmap adherence early in the chain, satisfaction and SLA performance in deliver, first-contact resolution and incident impact in support.

Sourcing patterns

Who does which activities defines the operating model:

• Internal dev: everything in-house. Proprietary products for competitive advantage.
• COTS services: you run acquire through support; customers discover, vendors design and build. Efficiency from standard products.
• Managed service: you keep deliver and support; vendors design and build, MSPs acquire and operate. Third-party experts run it.
• Mass market SaaS: everything in-house, selling SaaS directly to end users.
• Custom software: you do design, acquire, build, and part of transition; the customer handles the rest. The B2B custom dev shop.
• Systems operation: you do part of transition, operate, and support; the customer handles the rest. Infrastructure operations as the business.