iCore Compass

Find the right starting point for your technology and service management challenges.

Answer two short questions and we will suggest the most appropriate way to begin.

Where is your current challenge sitting? *IT Service Management – Process performance, operational stability, service controlSIAM and Supplier Ecosystems – Multi supplier coordination, governance and accountabilityOperating Model and Governance – Roles, decision rights and organisational alignmentExperience and Value Measurement – Service experience, XLAs and outcome visibilityTooling and Platform Decisions – Platform strategy, implementation readiness and architecture

Which of these best reflects the challenge you are facing with your ITSM practices today?We have processes in place, but performance is inconsistent and it is difficult to see where things are breaking down.Operational noise is high and teams spend most of their time reacting to incidents rather than improving service stability.Different teams run processes in different ways and governance across service management practices is unclear.We know our ITSM capability needs improvement and want to redesign or strengthen key practices.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Investigate

Why this fits
When processes exist but outcomes vary, the underlying issue is usually a lack of visibility into maturity, capability gaps or structural weaknesses in how the practices operate.

What this typically involves
A focused diagnostic of key ITSM practices.
Identification of capability gaps and operational constraints.
A clear view of where improvement effort will have the greatest impact.

Secondary route
If you already understand the gaps and need support shaping the improvement approach, Counsel may be the better starting point.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Counsel

Why this fits
Persistent firefighting often indicates structural issues across process, governance and prioritisation. Leadership clarity is usually needed before improvement activity can succeed.

What this typically involves
Advisory support to frame the problem properly.
Identification of the key factors driving operational instability.
Guidance on where to intervene first to regain control.

Secondary route
If the situation requires coordination across multiple teams or suppliers, Orchestrate may be required to drive alignment.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Orchestrate

Why this fits
When processes exist but operate differently across teams, the challenge is usually coordination, governance and consistent execution rather than process design.

What this typically involves
Establishing clear governance and accountability.
Aligning teams around common practices and expectations.
Creating the structure needed to manage service performance consistently.

Secondary route
If the underlying process designs themselves require improvement, Realise may be the next step.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Realise

Why this fits
When the organisation already recognises the need for improvement, the priority shifts to designing and implementing stronger practices.

What this typically involves
Redesign of key service management practices.
Creation of clear process models, roles and governance.
Practical implementation support to embed the improvements.

Secondary route
Once the design is agreed, organisations often move into Execute to accelerate delivery.

Where are you experiencing the greatest friction in managing your supplier ecosystem?We suspect our SIAM model is not working as intended, but it is difficult to pinpoint where the real issues sit.Suppliers deliver against their own contracts, but service outcomes across the ecosystem are inconsistent.Cross supplier coordination is difficult and issues often fall between organisational boundaries.We are establishing or evolving a SIAM model and want to design it properly from the outset.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Investigate

Why this fits
When the model feels ineffective but the root causes are unclear, the priority is understanding how the current operating model is actually functioning in practice. Misaligned responsibilities, unclear decision rights and ineffective governance structures are common underlying factors.

What this typically involves
A focused review of the current SIAM structure and governance model.
Identification of accountability gaps and coordination weaknesses.
A clear view of where the model is breaking down and why.

Secondary route
If the structural issues are already understood and leadership needs support shaping the response, Counsel may be the better starting point.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Counsel

Why this fits
When individual supplier performance appears acceptable but overall service outcomes remain inconsistent, the issue is often in how the ecosystem is governed and directed rather than how individual suppliers operate.

What this typically involves
Advisory support to examine how the supplier ecosystem is managed.
Identification of governance gaps, reporting blind spots and incentive misalignment.
Guidance on strengthening control of the ecosystem.

Secondary route
If coordination mechanisms across suppliers need to be actively established, Orchestrate may be required.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Orchestrate

Why this fits
When suppliers operate effectively within their own towers but collaboration across them is weak, the challenge is usually orchestration. Clear integration mechanisms and operational governance are required to align the ecosystem.

What this typically involves
Strengthening cross supplier governance structures.
Clarifying roles and accountabilities across the retained organisation and suppliers.
Introducing coordination mechanisms that support integrated service delivery.

Secondary route
If the underlying operating model requires structural redesign, Realise may follow.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Realise

Why this fits
When organisations are introducing SIAM or significantly evolving their sourcing model, the priority is designing a structure that clearly defines responsibilities, governance and integration across suppliers.

What this typically involves
Designing the SIAM operating model and integration framework.
Defining retained accountabilities and supplier responsibilities.
Establishing governance and operational management structures.

Secondary route
Once the model is defined, organisations often move into Execute to support implementation and transition.

Which aspect of your operating model is proving most difficult to make work in practice?We have an operating model on paper, but it is not clear how well it is working in reality.Leadership teams sense that the operating model is creating friction, but it is difficult to agree what should change.Accountabilities, decision rights and governance structures are unclear across teams.We want to design or evolve our operating model to better support our strategy and delivery goals.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Investigate

Why this fits
When an operating model exists but its effectiveness is unclear, the priority is understanding how it is functioning in practice. Organisations often discover gaps between the documented structure and how decisions, accountability and coordination actually work.

What this typically involves
A focused review of how the current operating model functions day to day.
Identification of structural gaps, unclear responsibilities and coordination issues.
A clear view of where the model supports delivery and where it creates friction.

Secondary route
If the issues are already understood and leadership needs support shaping the response, Counsel may be the better starting point.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Counsel

Why this fits
When organisations recognise that their structure or governance is holding them back, the first step is often clarifying the options and building leadership alignment around the direction of change.

What this typically involves
Advisory support to clarify the challenges within the current model.
Identification of the key structural decisions that need to be made.
Guidance to help leadership teams align on the most practical way forward.

Secondary route
Once the direction is clear, Realise may follow to design the improved model.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Orchestrate

Why this fits
When responsibilities and decision authority are poorly defined, organisations often struggle with duplicated effort, slow decision making and gaps in ownership. Strengthening governance and coordination can often resolve many of these issues.

What this typically involves
Clarifying roles, decision rights and governance structures.
Aligning teams around how decisions are made and how work is coordinated.
Introducing practical mechanisms to support effective collaboration.

Secondary route
If the structure itself requires redesign rather than coordination improvements, Realise may be required.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Realise

Why this fits
When organisations are intentionally reshaping how they operate, the priority becomes designing a model that clearly defines structure, responsibilities and governance in a way that supports delivery.

What this typically involves
Design of the future operating model structure.
Definition of roles, responsibilities and governance mechanisms.
Support to embed the model so it works in practice rather than only on paper.

Secondary route
Once the design is agreed, organisations may move into Execute to support implementation.

Where are you struggling to understand or demonstrate service value?We collect a lot of service metrics, but they do not clearly show whether the organisation is actually experiencing good service.Leadership is asking how we demonstrate the value of IT services, but our reporting does not answer that question.We want to introduce experience based measures such as XLAs but are unsure how to embed them across the organisation and suppliers.We want to design and implement an experience driven measurement approach that complements or replaces traditional SLAs.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Investigate

Why this fits
Many organisations have extensive SLA reporting but limited visibility into real user experience. The first step is understanding what the current metrics actually tell you and where the gaps are.

What this typically involves
A review of current service metrics and reporting.
Identification of where SLAs fail to reflect real experience.
Clarity on what meaningful experience measurement should look like.

Secondary route
If the organisation already understands the gap but needs guidance on how to evolve its approach, Counsel may be the better starting point.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Counsel

Why this fits
When senior leadership wants clearer visibility of service value, the challenge is often reframing measurement so it connects operational performance with business outcomes.

What this typically involves
Advisory support to redefine how service value is communicated.
Identification of metrics that reflect business impact rather than activity.
Guidance on how experience measurement can support leadership decisions.

Secondary route
If the organisation needs to coordinate changes across teams and suppliers, Orchestrate may follow.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Orchestrate

Why this fits
Experience measurement usually requires coordination across service providers, internal teams and governance structures. Without orchestration it often becomes another isolated reporting layer.

What this typically involves
Aligning teams and suppliers around shared experience measures.
Introducing governance mechanisms that support experience based reporting.
Ensuring experience insights influence operational decision making.

Secondary route
If the organisation needs a structured framework for designing experience measurement, Realise may be appropriate.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Realise

Why this fits
When organisations are ready to move beyond traditional SLA reporting, the priority becomes designing a practical experience measurement framework that integrates with existing service management practices.

What this typically involves
Design of an XLA or experience measurement framework.
Definition of measurement methods and reporting structures.
Support to embed experience metrics into operational management.

Secondary route
Once the framework is defined, organisations often move into Execute to support implementation and integration with tooling.

Where are you encountering uncertainty in your platform or tooling strategy?We are not confident our current platform landscape supports where the organisation needs to go.We are considering a new platform or major change, but leadership needs independent perspective before committing.We have selected a platform but are concerned about how it will integrate with our processes, teams and suppliers.We want to implement or significantly evolve a platform and ensure it supports strong service management practices.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Investigate

Why this fits
When organisations question whether their current platforms are still appropriate, the first step is understanding how well the existing landscape supports operational needs and future direction.

What this typically involves
A focused review of the current tooling landscape.
Identification of capability gaps and platform overlap.
Clarity on whether optimisation or change is required.

Secondary route
If the organisation already understands the landscape but needs support shaping the decision, Counsel may be the better starting point.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Counsel

Why this fits
Major platform decisions often carry long term operational and financial implications. Advisory support helps ensure the decision is based on strategic fit rather than vendor narrative.

What this typically involves
Advisory support to frame the decision landscape.
Review of platform options against organisational needs.
Guidance to support confident leadership decision making.

Secondary route
If the organisation is preparing for a formal tool selection or structured evaluation, Investigate may also be appropriate.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Orchestrate

Why this fits
Platform success depends on how well the technology integrates with operating practices and governance structures. Without coordination across teams and suppliers, implementation risk increases significantly.

What this typically involves
Aligning platform implementation with operating practices.
Coordinating stakeholders involved in service delivery.
Establishing governance to ensure the platform supports operational outcomes.

Secondary route
If the platform implementation requires significant process design work, Realise may follow.

Recommendation

Recommended starting point
Realise

Why this fits
When organisations are implementing or evolving platforms, the priority becomes designing the processes, structures and governance needed to make the technology effective.

What this typically involves
Design of service management practices aligned to the platform.
Definition of roles, workflows and governance structures.
Support to ensure the platform delivers operational value.

Secondary route
Once the design is agreed, organisations often move into Execute to accelerate delivery.