Technical description
Delivery of next generation services happens in a framework where the lines between network and IT are blurred. Within this framework, profitability as well as customer experience can be driven by managing the complete service lifecycle in a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) aligned environment.

The goal of the TM Forum Service Delivery Framework (SDF) program is to define a generic management framework for next generation services regardless of the software or network technologies used to implement those services. This management framework is aimed at addressing the full lifecycle of the services, from concept to cash.

Inside the Information Framework
A key deliverable of the project is the SDF Reference Model which is an abstract representation of the entities and relationships involved in the problem space. It thereby serves as a template for the development of more specific models in a given domain and allows for comparison between complying models. The goal of the Reference Model is to establish a vocabulary and common understanding of an SDF.

The Reference Model consists of a set of concepts, rules and relationships to promote the understanding of the domain of Service Delivery Frameworks.  It represents the commonality that applies to all service delivery frameworks and from which each may derive its own reference architecture.

The following diagram illustrates the Reference Model that consists of a few essential building blocks that need to be put in place in order to provide a managed SDF Service environment.

As shown in the diagram, the key components of the Service Delivery Framework are:

• Interfaces
• SDF Services
• SDF Service Management Interface (SDF SMI)
• SDF Support Services
• SDF Management Support Services (SDF MSS)
• SDF Infrastructure Support Service (SDF ISS)
• Infrastructure
• Resources

Each of these is described in detail in the Service Delivery Framework Overview document TR139