In a SIAM model the service integrator sits ‘between’ the service providers and the customer’s organization. This makes their performance difficult to measure: if there is any performance degradation, is that due to a badly operating service provider, or the integrator? And similarly, good performance could be due to service providers achieving their objectives and not necessarily effective coordination actions of the service integrator.
The SIAM Community
This was the topic of an event organized by the Scopism global SIAM Community, early in 2024. It was a well-attended session of interested parties, with plenty of lively discussion on current, real-world approaches vs. best practices with regards to measuring the value of a SIAM environment and the service integrator’s role within it.
The subject was clearly a topic of great interest to many. As a result of a number of active community members formed a working group to explore the challenge in more detail. The working group first collected lived experiences, stories and challenges from the event and the wider SIAM community. This formed the basis for developing a white paper on service integrator measurements. Dedicated author-groups (from the community) have since been creating the content for this and soon we hope to share the results.
The Service Integrator
The service integrator’s value in a SIAM environment lies in its ability to not only assure the performance of individual providers. It extends to end-to-end service through consumer satisfaction, service scalability, cost efficiency, operational governance, collaboration, improvement, agility, ‘one team’ culture. These are amongst many aspects that contribute to a well-functioning SIAM environment. However, these aspects are not always easily measurable and as a result are often not measured.
Measuring individual service provider performance is simply not enough in a SIAM environment. Even measuring end-to-end service value (for the customer) is not directly an indicator of service integrator performance. Given that the service integrator neither delivers the outputs (this is what the service providers do) nor is responsible for the outcomes (of the customer), the only way to appreciate their value is to define and enable an additional set of measures to demonstrate their contribution to the performance of the SIAM ecosystem. This means measuring the perhaps less visible aspects of SIAM (such as collaboration, improvement, and the ‘one team’ culture).
The Challenge
Based on the collected examples from the community regarding ‘real-world’ practices and metrics used to measure service integrator performance, the working group identified several key challenges that organizations encounter in adopting, measuring, and realizing the benefits of a service integrator, including:
- Lack of SIAM knowledge: Organizations frequently mistake service provision for service integration and erroneously perceive the service integrator as another provider. This obscures the benefits of introducing a service integrator and how the measurement practices within a SIAM ecosystem must be enabled to demonstrate such benefits.
- Lack of a (communicated) SIAM strategy: Without a SIAM strategy, the service integrator lacks understanding of the objectives of the customer organization and their business (a defined value proposition), which are necessary for determining service levels and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Unsuitable (or legacy) agreements/contracts: Within the SIAM environment, various contracts and agreements may exist with distinctive measurements and often limited flexibility for adjustment. The service integrator is expected to harmonize the different metrics, navigate conflicting service provider incentives, and manage complex escalations, often through manual approaches (such as ‘swivel chair’) which increase effort, are more time-consuming, less effective, and error-prone.
- Too financially focused: In a SIAM environment, an overemphasis on financial performance can undermine the broader goals of SIAM. An excessive focus on pecuniary penalties for underperforming service providers can hinder improvement and collaboration between them, and with the service integrator.
- Too operationally focused: Relying solely on operational metrics creates a blind spot for organizations implementing SIAM and undermines and undervalues the positioning and role of the service integrator. This narrow focus can disconnect operational performance and overall business value and materialize as the ‘watermelon effect’.
- Combative/overly competitive measurements: Within a SIAM environment, ill-conceived competitive measurements can foster a culture of rivalry rather than collaboration. This can lead to siloed service provider operations, hampering the service integrator’s ability to facilitate seamless, end-to-end services.
- Difficulty in generating meaningful metrics: While traditional metrics can capture performance data, they frequently overlook the collaborative and co-creative aspects essential in a SIAM environment. These more qualitative metrics are perhaps not easy to measure but ignoring them obscures any performance or progress in these areas.
The Solution
That is a work in progress. The working group is still working on the recommendations around measuring the performance of the service integrator. Together with a case study (what does good look like?!), we hope to present these as a whitepaper at the upcoming Service North conference (18 November in Manchester, UK).
The recommendations in this whitepaper will provide a starting point for organizations when designing their SIAM model and in particular the performance management and reporting framework. Recognizing the service integrator as a distinct component of the SIAM model and measuring their performance more specifically will benefit the customer (as the SIAM model should provide more value) and the integrator (as there as fewer challenges). Win-Win!
Introducing our authors
Michelle Major-Goldsmith and Simon Dorst have been leading the community working group that has a white paper on service integrator measurements. This collaborative effort is a testament to the power of community-driven knowledge and learning. You can dive deeper into what they have discovered and its impact on measuring the service integrator at the upcoming Service North event, where Simon and Michelle, along with members of the working group, will present the finding.
Following the presentation, a panel session will discuss the challenges and solutions that emerged from the community discussions. This is more than just a presentation—it’s an invitation to share the power of collective insight and how our discoveries can help you tackle the complexities of service integration measurement. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation and see how we’ve turned challenges into solutions that will benefit us all. Book your in person or live stream ticket for Service North 2024 here.
A word from our community manager
Steph Ward, the Scopism SIAM community manager shared her thoughts about the progress of the working group:
“As the community manager, I’m thrilled to see how our platform has become a vibrant hub for professionals worldwide who are passionate about advancing SIAM. Collaboration is at the heart of our community, and it’s been incredible to witness how members naturally identify gaps in knowledge or practice through discussions, posts, webinars, and more. During the event earlier this year, it became clear just how important the topic of measuring service integrator performance within a SIAM model is to many, leading to the creation of the dedicated working group to explore this issue in depth. In addition, we continue to respond to other queries. One such query, highlighted by a member post and further recognized by our SIAM Leadership Council, led to the development of SIAM pitch materials to help clearly communicate SIAM’s value to stakeholders. We’ve also formed a working group focused on creating SIAM introduction training, addressing the strong demand we’re hearing across various sectors.
What makes our community great is that the content we produce is born from these real, lived experiences, ensuring it’s not only high-quality but also deeply relevant and actionable for everyone involved. Together, we’re driving the continuous evolution of SIAM practices, and I couldn’t be prouder of the contributions each member makes. It’s incredibly encouraging to see how quickly our community responds to emerging needs, with more working groups already in the making. As a community, we offer the opportunity for everyone to get involved, share your ideas, and continue helping us shape the future of SIAM together. Why not join us and see for yourself!”
