Service science: introducing service networks performance analytics

Although services are delivered across dispersed complex service eco-systems, monitoring performance becomes a difficult task. This paper explores a number of areas to support the development of service performance analytics within the discipline of service science. The paper provides a comprehensive account for the need to introduce modelling techniques to address the significant research void and explains how actor network theory (ANT) can be introduced as one of the core theories to examine service operations and performance. ANT sets out to develop an understanding on both how and why networks exist and to understand processes co-creation between human and non-human actors. By examining performance, this paper draws our attention towards the need to formulate methods to examine service network key performance indicators and the need to model service interaction, structure, and behaviour which impact on performance and consequently on service evolution.