SST.SP 1.1 Analyze Service System Transition Needs

The purpose of this practice is to identify and mitigate issues associated with the transition. This identification and mitigation is accomplished in part by analyzing how the current (as-is) service system will be affected by the changes anticipated for the post-transition (to-be) service system.

The transition of new or modified service system components affects the service delivery environment. Some of these effects may have been anticipated during the development of the service system.

Similarly, ongoing service delivery activities (if any), ad hoc service requests, and environmental circumstances can lead to deployment failure if the constraints they impose are not considered. Actual deployment of new or changed service delivery capabilities may need to be phased in over time because of these constraints. The service system design may need to be adjusted to make the transition feasible. Consequently, this practice should be conducted in parallel with service system development practices and should continue throughout transition to an operational state.

 

Example Work Products

1. Compatibility analysis of current and post-transition service systems
2. Issues to be addressed and risks to be mitigated associated with the transition

Subpractices

1. Establish a baseline of the current service system, if it has not been done previously.

2. Analyze the current service system as it operates within the current delivery environment.

In some cases, documentation and operational concepts can exist for the current service system. These documentation and operational concepts can be used to better understand current operations. If the current service system is undocumented or does not exist, elicit as much input as possible from relevant stakeholders regarding current operations.

3. Analyze the service system components that are proposed for transition (e.g., the post-transition or to-be service system) for potential compatibility, functionality, quality attribute, or interface issues.

This analysis should use development documentation for the proposed service system components. This documentation can include operational concepts, scenarios, design documents, and workflow diagrams.

If necessary, define procedures to ensure service system compatibility prior to actual deployment. These procedures can reuse applicable verification and validation methods employed during service system development, but they should also account for additional real world constraints that are in place once service system transition begins. Depending on the complexity of the service system and the risks associated with the transition, these procedures can range from a simple analysis and resolution of potential compatibility issues to a formal test and evaluation regimen.

4. Identify and mitigate potential issues.