Service Catalog Best Practices

Overview

Three closely related concepts are frequently confused in Service Catalog discussions: the Service Catalog, the Service Portfolio, and a Service Request. Each represents a distinct concept with a distinct purpose. Confusing them leads to poor design decisions, misaligned expectations, and governance gaps that undermine the effectiveness of the catalog.

Best Practice

Establish and communicate clear, organization-wide definitions for each of the three concepts. The Service Catalog contains only active, currently available services that customers can request today. The Service Portfolio is the broader collection of all services the organization manages — including those under development, those that are active, and those that have been retired. A Service Request is a formal customer submission asking for a specific service from the catalog.

Benefit(s)

Clear definitional boundaries prevent scope creep in the catalog, governance confusion, and customer frustration. When these three concepts are well understood across the organization, decisions about what belongs in the catalog, what belongs in the portfolio, and how requests are handled become significantly cleaner and less contentious.