Service Assurance Initiatives: 10 Steps to Achieve Excellence

InformationWeek: Service assurance initiatives generally involve three different pieces: HRM, processes, and automation tools. This white paper suggests 10 questions any enterprise should ask when beginning a service assurance project.

1. Are enough resources available for a “big bang” initiative, or should the organization live with an incremental program?
2. “What’s in it for me?” from the customer perspective?
3. What might the unintended consequences be?
4. What level of executive suite support will be necessary for negotiations with business units?
5. What are the specific savings that may be achieved through this initiative?
6. For outsourced service assurance tools, are fiscal penalties built into the service contract or operational-level agreement?
7. How will we measure the business results of this service assurance initiative?
8. How will we share the results of our service assurance program with the people who use our services?
9. If the service assurance initiative includes implementation of an industry framework or ISO registration, what will this mean to us in operational terms, both this year and three years from now?
10. Are there cultural issues that could interfere with the initiative?