Service portfolio management: A repository-based framework

The paper discusses a framework for managing and evaluating ICT-enabled service portfolios along the service design phase. The framework adopts a service reuse perspective and it is made up of i) a model for the representation of a repository of services, ii) a model for the definition of a service portfolio representing current production lines of a service provider organization, iii) a set of metrics for service portfolio evaluation, and iv) a tool supporting managers in decision making for the achievement of design objectives. The proposed metrics and the tool are supposed to allow decision makers to get an improved view of the service design process. Furthermore, the framework supports managers in decision making for the achievement of production objectives as well as operational strategies, resulting in potential reuse initiatives, likewise. To provide evidence of the impacts of the proposed framework, experimental activities are discussed focusing on a real life case study, referring to an Italian small size service provider.