Module #3

Question 1

These types of decisions should be made using data and evidence rather than emotion, rumor, or unconfirmed reports

Answer 1

Build vs buy decisions

Question 2

What does this describe:

• the service component heavily relies on knowledge of the org and its business
• Customer demand for personalized products services or experience is high
• The ecosystem is volatile or subject to rapid change
• service components lack mass market adoption
• Compliance to standards and policies is a high priority
• the service provider is undergoing rapid growth, which can lead to inconsistent or frequently changing requirements

Answer 2

Building service components using existing resources works better with that context

Question 3

What does this describe?

• In house resources are scarce or highly utilized in other areas
• the skills or competencies needed to create, operate, and maintain the component are highly specialized and would take time to build
• the processes to build products and services are immature and need to be developed and implemented
• Components or services are highly commoditized
• The demand for service components is low or subject to significant fluctuation
• The service component is not core to the strategy, brand, or competitive differentiation of the service provider
• Creating the service component is predictable and repetitive work
• the ecosystem is stable and generally not subject to volatility

Answer 3

Buying, or otherwise acquiring service components

Question 4

When considering whether to build or buy a service component, it is important to consider the current level of _______________ and ongoing industry trends to __________ that component

Answer 4

Commodification, and commodify

Question 5

When do these factors come into play?

• The orgs current and future sourcing needs
• the current and estimated future costs of sourcing service components
• The scarcity of resources in the ecosystem
• The influence of competition, suppliers and customers within the ecosystem.
• the barriers preventing new suppliers from emerging, and those preventing existing suppliers from winding down
• the costs and risks of sourcing components for an array of suppliers

Answer 5

Defining a sourcing strategy

Question 6

What does this list define?

• Reflect the needs of all relevant stakeholders
• Cover a broad range of topics and not be limited to users functional needs
• Defined using outcomes

Answer 6

Defining requirements for a sourcing strategy, these requirements should be front of mind (must have)

Question 7

What is this list of?

• maintainability and supportability
• Geographic location of vendor resources
• Cultural alignment between the org and the vendor
• Cost of service consumption
• Alignment with the organizations business, technical, and information architecture
• Vendor brand and public image
• Interchangeability of vendors

Answer 7

Defining potential requirements for a sourcing strategy (Nice to have)

Question 8

What is the MoSCoW method?

Answer 8

Must have, Should have, Could have, wont have

Question 9

What are the three “R”s for selecting a suitable vendor

Answer 9

Request for quote (RFQ)
Request for proposal (RFP)
Request for information (RFI)

Question 10

This request is used when requirements are defined and prioritized, and the org needs info on how the vendor will meet the requirements, and how much it will cost

Answer 10

RFQ - Request for quote

Question 11

This request is used when the problem or challenge statement has been clearly articulated, but the exact requirements or specifications of the service components are unclear or likely to change. Vendors are asked to provide recommendations or potential solutions, articulating benefits and outcomes as well as costs

Answer 11

RFP - Request for proposal

Question 12

This request is used when requirements are unclear or incomplete and external assistance is needed to refine or add requirements. These are often followed by a RFQ or RFP

Answer 12

RFI - Request for information

Question 13

What is a sourcing model?

Answer 13

A component of an overall sourcing strategy that describes topics such as:

• Conditions under which the org will source service components or a specific type of component
• Roles and responsibilities of the vendor
• Degree of oversight that the organization requires over the vendor resources
• Vendor assessment criteria
• General management policies
• Financial management policies

Question 14

What are the two common sourcing models?

Answer 14

Insourcing, or outsourcing

Question 15

What is insourcing?

Answer 15

The orgs existing resources are leveraged to create, deliver, and support service components

Question 16

What is outsourcing?

Answer 16

The org transfers responsibility for the delivery of specific outputs, outcomes, functions, or entire products or services to a vendor

Question 17

What are the three types of outsourcing models?

Answer 17

Onshoring, nearshoring, offshoring

Question 18

What is onshoring?

Answer 18

Vendors are in the same country, and are likely to speak the same language, and have a similar culture

Question 19

What is nearshoring?

Answer 19

Vendors are located in different country or continent, but there is minimal difference in time zone

Question 20

What is offshoring?

Answer 20

Vendors are located in a different country or continent, often several time zones away from the org

Question 21

True or false:
When outsourcing work, the organization resources that remain after the work has been shifted to a vendor are referred to as the ‘retained organization’.

Answer 21

true

Question 22

This is an approach orgs use to manage and integrate multiple suppliers in a value stream

Answer 22

Service integration and management SIAM

Question 23

What are the four SIAM models?

Answer 23

Retained org, single supplier, service guardian, separate service integrator

Question 24

What is a retained organization?

Answer 24

an organization manages all vendors and coordinates the service integration and management function itself

Question 25

What is a single supplier?

Answer 25

A single vendor provides all services as well as the service integration and management capabilities

Question 26

What is a service guardian?

Answer 26

A vendor provides the service integration and management capability and one or more delivery functions, in addition to managing other vendors

Question 27

What is a separate service integrator?

Answer 27

A vendor provides the service integration and management capability and manages all the other suppliers, does not deliver any services to the org.

Question 28

True or false: SIAM can be delivered using different models, although the basic concept, that the delivery of outsourced products and services is managed by a single entity, regardless of the number of vendors, remains the same

Answer 28

True

Question 29

True or false: | A clear org structure, with appropriate governance and management model is required for any SIAM approach

Answer 29

True

Question 30

SIAM is increasing in importance why?

Answer 30

- Vendors are increasingly specializing in niche areas, which leads to an increased number of vendors working in a single org - The commodification of some types of service components means that vendors can be regularly replaced to leverage better pricing or service experience - The increasing complexity of technology products and services means using multiple vendors to support the org

Question 31

Where do queues occur?

Answer 31

Anywhere demand for work exceeds the capacity to complete the work within expected timeframe

Question 32

True or false: | An imbalance between demand and capacity creates queues or backlogs where work items need to be prioritzed

Answer 32

True

Question 33

True or false Prioritization of work is necessary to co-create value while minimizing costs and risks that arise from unfulfilled demand and from idle capacity

Answer 33

True

Question 34

When ____________, these are ways to manage the situation: - Reducing variation in demand, including altering expectations or pricing - Reducing variation in how much demand is taken into a value stream or step - Increasing how much demand can be satisfied in a given period of time - Reducing the cost of increasing or decreasing capacity - Using shift left techniques to deflect demand, or prevent demand from being created

Answer 34

When demand exceeds capacity, these are ways to manage demand and minimize queues

Question 35

What are the age and time factors for prioritization?

Answer 35

First in, first out last in, first out Shortest item first longest item first

Question 36

These are techniques to ______ work - Resource availability or quality - Current workload of resources - Economic or financial factors - highest benefit, or highest impact are dealt with first. Or compliance features that if not completed may result in fines - Source or type of demand - triage based on impact, or urgency - The consideration of multiple factors - cost of delays,

Answer 36

Prioritize

Question 37

What does this describe? - Identify the most urgent work and complete it first - focus on medium priority work when all urgent work is under control - Take low priority work only when all urgent/medium priority work is under control - Establish procedures to ensure low priority work is not left unattended

Answer 37

Triage

Question 38

This is a method of managing work in which many different specialist resources or stakeholders begin working on an item until it becomes clear which one of them is the best placed to continue and which can move on to other work items

Answer 38

Swarming

Question 39

this is an alternative to hierarchical organizations of specialist resources through which work escalates until it reaches the right level of competence

Answer 39

Swarming

Question 40

this helps to reduce the disadvantages of a hierarchical structure, like queues and longer wait times, lateral reassignments, easy cases being escalated to specialists.

Answer 40

Swarming

Question 41

This practice addresses the disadvantages of traditional hierarchical escalation methods by: - Creating a single cross functional and self organizing team with a dynamic and flexible structure and composition that reacts to work as it comes in - Relying heavily on good communication and collaboration within the team and with external stakeholders - Focusing on avoiding queues - sharing and encouraging the development of skills and experience across all team members

Answer 41

Swarming

Question 42

What are the challenges to swarming?

Answer 42

- Justifying a perceived increase in 'per-record' cost, because higher skilled staff may be involved earlier - Changing performance management from individual contributions to team contributions - Ensuring individual contributors do not disrupt discussions or dominate decision-making processes - Accepting the fluidity and high degree of collaboration required to form successful swarms - Securing executive support to loosen rules, move away from rigid, prescriptive processes, funding and policies

Question 43

What are the three types of swarms?

Answer 43

dispatch, backlog, drop-in swarm

Question 44

What is a dispatch swarm?

Answer 44

meets frequently to review incoming work. Cherry picking quick solutions, and validating correct information has been collected

Question 45

What is a backlog swarm?

Answer 45

Convened flexibly or periodically to review backlog

Question 46

What is a drop in swarm?

Answer 46

Experts are continually available to front line staff