Colleagues know the operations team helps, but they are unsure what to request or how long it might take. A small internal service catalogue explains the recurring outcomes a team provides, who can request them, the information needed and the boundaries of the service.
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It is a guide to asking for work, not a full technical inventory. Start with common requests that currently generate avoidable clarification. A short, maintained catalogue is more useful than an exhaustive list no one trusts.
Describe outcomes in the requester's language
Use names such as “prepare a standard client report” or “arrange approved system access”. Avoid organising the catalogue entirely around internal departments or tool names. The requester should recognise the outcome without knowing your operating structure.
Separate routine requests from incidents, projects and new ideas. Each may need a different assessment route even when the same team eventually handles the work.
A service-entry template
Service name and intended outcome.
Suitable requesters and situations.
Included work and explicit exclusions.
Information or approvals required to start.
Request channel and named service owner.
Expected response and how a delivery commitment is agreed.
Acceptance condition and closure evidence.
Route for exceptions or requests outside the service.
Distinguish a response expectation from a promised completion time. Any commitment should reflect current capacity and the nature of the work.
An illustrative catalogue entry
A service called “standard monthly client pack” includes assembling approved data into the existing format and performing the agreed checks. It requires the reporting period, client reference and confirmed source records.
New analysis or a redesigned template follows a separate scoping route. The requester can still ask for those changes, but they are not silently included in a routine pack request.
Maintain it through real requests
Review cases that did not fit the description. Repeated exceptions may justify a new service or a clearer boundary. Remove services the team no longer provides and show the current owner and review date.
Test the catalogue with someone outside the team. Ask them to choose the right service for a realistic need and explain what they would submit. Their confusion is useful design evidence.
Related guidance: practical process-mapping guide.
