The Guiding Principles
The guiding principles are universal, enduring recommendations that guide an organization in all circumstances, regardless of changes in its goals, strategies, or structure. There are seven principles, and they can be applied to any initiative or relationship. They encourage continual improvement and a shared way of working across the organization.
Focus on Value and Start Where You Are
'Focus on value' means everything the organization does should link, directly or indirectly, to value for stakeholders. Understanding who the service consumer is and what their experience should be is central to this principle. 'Start where you are' advises against building from scratch without first assessing what already exists. Existing services, processes, and people may already provide value and can be leveraged rather than discarded.
Progress Iteratively with Feedback
Rather than attempting one huge effort, work should be organized into smaller, manageable iterations that can be completed in a timely manner. Each iteration should be reassessed as it proceeds so the organization can respond to changing needs. Feedback loops before, during, and after each iteration keep actions focused and relevant. This approach reduces risk and delivers value earlier.
Collaborate and Promote Visibility
Working together across boundaries produces results that gain greater buy-in, more relevance to objectives, and increased likelihood of long-term success. Identifying and involving the right stakeholders is essential. When work and its consequences are made visible, better decisions can be made and hidden work is reduced. Poor visibility leads to poor decision-making and mistrust.
Think and Work Holistically; Keep it Simple and Practical
'Think and work holistically' recognizes that no service, practice, or component stands alone; outcomes require coordinating all four dimensions and the whole service value system. 'Keep it simple and practical' advises using the minimum number of steps needed to accomplish an objective and eliminating anything that provides no value. If a process, service, or metric fails to provide value, it should be removed. Simplicity often achieves objectives more efficiently.
Optimize and Automate
'Optimize and automate' recommends maximizing the value of work carried out by people and technology. Optimization means making something as effective and useful as it needs to be; automation typically means using technology to perform steps with limited human intervention. The correct sequence is to optimize a process first and only then automate it, because automating an inefficient process simply produces waste faster. Automation frees human resources for more complex decision-making.