1. A system for automated lifecycle management of a computer implemented service, according to requirements, the system having a processor to implement: a service model arranged to represent at least part of the service at a given development state in the lifecycle, a transition model representing allowed operations to change the service model to a different one of the development states of the service, according to the requirements, and the transition model having a transparent structure suitable for automated inspection of the allowed operations, and suitable for automated adaptation of the allowed operations, and a service model state manager arranged to cause the service model to be developed to another of its states of development according to the allowed operations, the service model having an encoding of allowed operations associated with a given entity in the service model, and the system being arranged to check for inconsistency between the operations in the transition model relating to the given entity, and corresponding allowed operations encoded in the service model for the same entity.