Building Professional Services: The Sirens' Song

How to build a winning professional services organization.

Companies worldwide are discovering outstanding growth opportunities in professional services-but building professional services organizations at "product-centric" firms can be extremely challenging. Now, three leading experts present a comprehensive guide to creating professional services organizations, managing them to maturity, and delivering both quality services and superior margins. Building Professional Services introduces a complete, practical framework for delivering the full spectrum of professional services—from support and education services to managed, consulting, and productized services.

• Managing the professional services business at every stage of its lifecycle
• Focusing on the key factors that drive success: revenue, references, and repeatability
• Responding to the unique challenges faced by professional services in product-based companies
• Aligning services with the rest of the organization
• Establishing effective metrics and business review processes
• The four phases of building a successful professional services organization
• Frameworks for organization, project delivery, solutions development, and operational infrastructure
• Customer engagement models and workflows

Drawing on their experience working with leading technology service providers, the authors cover every aspect of professional services: strategy, tactics, and operations. From financial models to customer relationships, Building Professional Services will help you transform the promise of services into a profitable reality.

"I can't imagine anyone starting a professional services organization without first referencing this work."

—Dave Nestic,
President, NezTech Corporation

"This book is a significant contribution and a practical guide to a fast-evolving frontier. With clearly expressed views and recommendations, it will stimulate both thought and action."

—David H. Maister, co-author of First Among Equals

"Extraordinary insight into the issues faced when building a professional services business unit at a product company."

—Kenneth Coleman, Sr.
Vice President of Silicon Graphics
and retired CEO of K&S Solutions

Harris Kern's Enterprise Computing Institute SeriesSolutions for IT Professionals

Table of Contents

Introduction.
Why Product Companies Jump In.
The Sirens' Song of Services.
The Product-Services Wheel.
Good Reasons to Offer New Services.
1. Mapping the Voyage.
2. Setting the Parameters.
3. Levers for Profitability.
4. Organizational Overview.
5. Selling.
6. Delivering.
7. Productizing.
8. Promoting.
9. Operational Infrastructure.
10. Putting It All Together.
11. Customer Engagement Workflow.
12. Four Phases of Building PS.
13. Unique Issues.
14. Summary of Key Concepts.
Appendix A. Evaluating Your Service Vendors.
Appendix B. Key Financial Models.
Appendix C. PS Business Review.
Appendix D. Sample Project Review.
Appendix E. Solution Portfolio Management.
Appendix F. Customer Request and Qualification Form.
Glossary.
Glossary of Terms.
Selected Bibliography.
Index.