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Service Architecture and Use Cases

Brian Hill

What are Use Cases? Use cases are used to describe, capture, model, and specify the requirements of a service or system.  

Use Cases are invaluable because they help place the Service Architect in the footsteps of the user of and actors who provide the Service. Use Cases provide a foundation to guide questions about what needs to happen to satisfy the end user and allows the capture of what’s important. With a solid Use Case, a Service Architect can then build a solution that is prioritised around service to the end user and gives clarity to the actors as to what activities and tools they will need to provide the desired outcome.

Consider an example from the IT world below.

Use Case – New Joiner to the Sales Dept of a company, requires access to various systems and applications to perform her role.

  1. The Line Manager needs to place an order for a new starter and requires access to the companies IT Product Catalogue so that they can select the most appropriate device for the role along with role specific applications
  2. The Line Manager needs to able to perform a search for an appropriate bundle of devices and role specific software for a Sales person
  3. The Sales New Starter Bundle needs to consist of:
    • Hardware
      • Laptop
      • Power Supply
      • Mouse
      • Mouse Mat
      • Headphones
      • Carrier bag
    • Software
      • Microsoft Office including Teams for collaboration and PowerPoint for presentations
    • Other
      • The user will need an Instruction Manual that guides them through the setup process, how to operate and what to do when things go wrong.
      • The Windows 10 build needs to be specific to the Sales Organisation, which comes with Organisation Branding on the front screen and allows access to USB devices and screens for presentation
  4. The Sales New Starter Bundle request needs to be approved by
    • Budget Owner
    • Head of Sales
    • HR
  5. The Sales New Starter also has to provide them access to a Teams Folder and Salesforce with the correct permissions for the various folders
  6. Access to Salesforce and Teams Channel is managed by the assistant to the Head of Sales who require notifications of setup through an email once the device has been shipped
  7. The New Starter Bundle Request is supplied by a Outsource Provider, XXXYYY Ltd who will take a Laptop from storage and build it using the agreed configuration which is owned and developed by the IT Department. The Build is known as Sales Build V0.1
  8. XXXYYY Ltd will Asset Tag the machine and update the Asset Data in the ITSM Tooling ServiceNow
  9. XXXYYY Ltd will hand the device to the Shipping Company AAABBB Ltd who will update the Request in ServiceNow
  10. AAABBB Ltd will scan the Asset Tag into their Shipment Tracking System and proceed to deliver the device
  11. AAABBB Ltd deliver the device to the end user and take a photograph as proof of delivery which is uploaded to the Shipment Tracking System
  12. ServiceNow automatically sends out an email the next day to close the request OR ask the End User to mark the Request as failed with a reason

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