steps in describing an ongoing service. I will briefly elaborate on each of these steps in the following paragraphs. Identify type of service ISPL proposes two methods for identifying the type of service: ISO Life Cycle Processes (ISO-LCP) Public domain service packages These methods can be used in a successive way where the ISO-LCP standard is used to identify the different process types and public domain service packages are used to refine the ISO-LCP processes. An example of a publicly available description of service packages is the one that is present in ITIL. Note that in ITIL, service packages are referred to as processes. More info on the ISO-LCP standard can be found in the Wikipedia entry on ISO/IEC 12207. Describe service properties The service can be described in more detail by its service properties. All service properties can be divided into three groups: Investment properties Functional properties Quality properties ISPL provides methods for describing all three groups of properties. Description of projects Projects are described by an initial and a final state, i.e. the current and the desired situation. This is done by specifying the operation items (the actual parts of the Information service to be procured), and specifying the descriptive items (documentation). A short outline of documenting the initial and final state is given in the paragraphs below. More information on describing operation and descriptive items is given in the chapter #Specifying Deliverables. Document the initial state For each component of the Information Service, contents and quality of the operation items have to be described. Secondary, an assessment has to be made on which already present descriptions of future operational items are relevant to use in the project. Document the final state All the operational items that will be in use at the final state have to be documented. When describing these operation items the focus should be on: The difference between new operational items and ones that are adapted from initial operational items Specification of manuals and support documentation Conversion and migration of existing data into new operational items Specification of interfaces with new and already present operation items Not only the operational items have to be described: Descriptions of the documentation of the Information Service that is to be procured are also necessary. The client has to describe the profiles of the documentation needed for maintenance on, and further development of the Information service. Service Planning