Proposal and test of a conceptual framework for field service network planning

Objectives The purpose of this master thesis study is to understand how to support Field Service Network (FSN) planning of parts and people that are needed to deliver industrial field services in B2B environment. Firstly, we explore whether a conceptual framework, providing a structured and scientific approach might help improving the industrial practice. Secondly, we develop a Conceptual Framework to guide companies in the planning task. Thirdly, we explore how could this framework support companies in decision making in FSN planning. Context The thesis was carried out within the project AsPlanned. AsPlanned was a research project led by the BWI (Center for Industrial Management Logistics, Operations and Supply Chain Management) at ETH Zurich, and funded by the CTI, the Swiss Commission for Technology and Innovation. The aim of the project was to develop a holistic planning methodology and software tool for effective and efficient design of field service networks. The project lasted for two years and involved a consortium of five industrial service-providing companies, a software firm, and different partners for the dissemination of results. Methodology A first series of exploratory interviews are conducted to empirically validate the gap identified in literature. A Framework has consequently been proposed based on literature and feedback from five companies participating in a research project. The Framework has then been tested by applying it in five FSN planning simulation projects. Results We proposed a Conceptual Framework for planning the network of parts and people that are needed to deliver industrial field services in a B2B environment. The general structure of the planning framework allows practitioners in industry position themselves to structure their efforts in FSN planning. For companies offering PSS (Product Service Systems) this might lead to a redesign of formal planning with all its organizational consequences. Originality Based on the outcome of the literature review, limited support for these aspects has been found in the state of the art in academia and in the state of practice in industry. Indeed, models in literature miss an adequate level of detail to be effectively applicable for practitioners: despite they consider the servitized products, they do not focus on the network configuration and design; or, at least, they are often too narrow as they consider only a limited part of the entire planning problem, rarely addressing many decisions at the same time. On the other hand, we claim that the Framework developed in the present work is completely covering the wide set of planning tasks needed to deliver industrial field services in a B2B environment.