A service network perspective to evaluate service matching in early design

Purpose – Service matching is defined in this paper as the process of combining a new service with one or more existing services. A recurring problem for service designer is to match new services with existing ones. This process may be seen as the fundamental action for the development of a service network. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the consequences that may follow from service matching. Design/methodology/approach – Through an analogy with living organisms in natural ecosystems, the service relationship deployment (SRD) allows the investigation of the possible relationships between matched services. Findings – This paper presents a new method, named SRD, developed to support the process of service matching in the early design phases of a new service. The description of the method is supported by some practical examples. Originality/value – The focus of the scientific community on the problem of matching new services with existing ones, is very limited. This paper proposes a new methodology to address this issue.