The purpose of the service configuration management practice is to ensure that accurate and reliable information about the configuration of services, and the CIs that support them, is available when and where it is needed. This includes information on how CIs are configured and the relationships between them.

Sustainability assures that a service or product continually meets requirements for environmental responsibility, ensuring that its design, delivery, and operation minimize negative environmental impact over time.

An organization may engage external suppliers to obtain specialized capabilities, expertise, or resources that are difficult, costly, or time-consuming to develop internally, thereby enhancing its ability to deliver value.

A service relationship is defined as the cooperation between a service provider and service consumer. Service relationships are established between two or more organizations to co-create value. An organization can play the role of provider or consumer interchangeably, depending on the situation.

A value stream is a series of steps an organization undertakes to create and deliver products and services, enabling value for consumers through coordinated activities and the use of management practices.