The USM Ecosystem
The USM Knowledge Platform
The SURVUZ Foundation does not provide USM services to the market: no coaching, no training, no exams, no projects. Instead, SURVUZ supports an ecosystem of professionals and a knowledge platform in which the USM architecture serves as a standard.
All deployment instruments and all products that are used in practice are normalized against the USM architecture, to make sure they can act as certified service management building blocks in an unambiguous approach. This creates a unique marketplace in which all support of USM deployments is delivered through accredited partners, who always work with certified professionals and certified products, and a lot of the required knowledge products are made available for free. These USM partners, professionals, and products are published on the USM portal so that USM users can always verify that they deploy qualified resources.
USM partners and professionals are part of the USM Management Group, which is under the direction and ultimate responsibility of the SURVUZ Foundation's board. The USM Management Group is engaged in adapting and improving existing products and in expanding USM with new products. USM Partners create both open and partner-specific USM products. The Foundation assesses the products and determines whether they can be included in USM.
- After acceptance, an open USM product is part of USM and is made available at the USM portal.
- A partner-specific USM product is listed on the USM portal after acceptance, but the associated product partner is responsible and accountable for its delivery.
SURVUZ offers opportunities for numerous professionals, in many roles, to support the market for service providers with better products, for the benefit of a better economy.
User organizations
SURVUZ supports user organizations that want to embrace and deploy USM in their own practice.
These user organizations can get access to free USM resources on one condition: that they are willing to share their experience and lessons learned with other USM users. USM is a community effort.
User organizations may apply for access to these USM resources at the USM Portal.
Providers
Economy also requires professional providers of all kinds of facilities, including coaching, training, products, audits.
SURVUZ differentiates between Deployment partners, Education partners, and Product partners. These providers are also supported by the SURVUZ Foundation with free support, provided they work with certified professionals. Check the USM Portal for detailed information about Partners and for the Partner register.
Accreditation as a professional USM partner in the USM ecosystem requires an association agreement with the SURVUZ Foundation, in which the partner subscribes to the mission and goals and IP of the SURVUZ Foundation. Providers that are interested in empowering their professional services with USM may apply for association with the SURVUZ Foundation at the USM Portal.
USM Professionals
USM Professionals are qualified specialists who use USM in the delivery of their services. They have access to free USM resources provided by the SURVUZ Foundation, and they have demonstrated the ability to use these resources and to explain USM to others.
USM Professional always work for a USM Partner, or (in case of an independent professional) they are the USM Partner. SURVUZ distinguishes between USM coaches, USM trainers, USM product experts and USM tool auditors.
Check the USM Portal for detailed information about USM Professionals and for the USM Professional Register.
Service management experts who are interested in joining the community of USM Professionals need to finish the USM Professional track before they can apply for that position.
Public Education Institutes
SURVUZ supports universities and business schools with a free Online Learning Environment that can be customized to the specific wishes of the institute. The Learning Environment includes flash lectures, slide decks for the lectures and for the additional Readers, exercises, videos, mock exams, templates, and tools. All in a separate student and a separate teacher environment (with additional guidance).
The Online Learning Environment is available in Dutch and English.
Public education Institutes that consider applying the USM Online Learning Environment in their curriculum may request access at the USM Portal.
Special Interest Groups (SIGs)
Apart from the regular professional meetups, USM Professionals can set up SIGs to discuss specific USM topics and exchange knowledge and experience. Current SIGs include:
- SIG Practical Deployment
- SIG ISO Cross-references
This is supported by the SURVUZ Foundation, e.g. with the monthly MeetUps for USM Professionals, with SIG meetups, or through local groups like the itSMF Finland Community of Interest.
