so found applications in diagnosing problems with operational efficiency and can be used to conceptualise structural change (i.e. repositioning). The technique was first described by Lynn Shostack, a bank executive, in the Harvard Business Review in 1982. The blueprint shows processes within the company, divided into different components which are separated by lines.
The process of structuring a blueprint involves six steps:
- The identification of the service process, that is supposed to be blueprinted
- The identification of the customer segment or the customers that are supposed to experience the service
- Picturing the service from the customer’s perspective
- Picturing the actions of the contact employee (onstage and backstage), and/or technology actions
- Linking the contact activities to the needed support functions
- Adding the evidence of service for every customer action step