Double Diamond and the USM method: Balanced by Design

The Double Diamond design approach and the USM method represent a balancing act between creativity and standardization, ensuring quality in service management.

The Double Diamond fosters creativity by promoting exploration (divergence) and refinement (convergence) at different stages of service development. Its flexible, recursive nature allows it to be applied in various environments and phases of a project. However, this flexibility can feel unstructured, as the Double Diamond doesn’t impose strict guidelines, encouraging fluid movement between divergent and convergent thinking.

This lack of rigid structure is intentional. It allows for innovation and adaptability, which are critical in dynamic environments. However, creativity alone is not enough in enterprise service management, where a balance of structure and flexibility is necessary to manage services effectively and deliver them reliably.

This is where the Unified Service Management (USM) method complements the Double Diamond approach.

USM provides a standardized management system, offering a stable foundation for managing services while still allowing the flexibility needed for innovation. USM’s repeatable processes anchor the flexible Double Diamond approach, making it practical in real-world environments.

Applying the Double Diamond with USM

In a development environment, divergent thinking helps teams explore various solutions to meet customer needs, while convergent thinking narrows the focus to the best approach. During USM’s AGREE process, teams work with the customer to define a functional specification. Divergent thinking generates ideas to fulfill these requirements, while convergence finalizes the agreed approach.

In the test environment, iterative cycles of divergence and convergence continue. Teams experiment with different prototypes and designs, refining the solution based on feedback. This is where USM’s CHANGE process facilitates the transition from concept to validated prototype. For example, during testing, divergent thinking leads to the creation of varied test cases and scenarios, while convergence identifies the best-performing features for deployment.

USM’s RESTORE process ensures that incidents or errors encountered during testing are tracked and resolved. USM’s structure prevents the chaos that can arise in creative environments by ensuring all changes are documented and aligned with the service agreement.

In production, the creativity of the Double Diamond is applied to refining operations through incremental changes. Divergent thinking helps identify areas for improvement in live services, while convergence implements the most effective changes. USM’s IMPROVE process ensures these changes align with customer expectations and operational stability, enabling continuous service optimization.

The recursive nature of the Double Diamond ensures creativity at every stage of the service lifecycle, while USM provides the repeatable processes that keep innovation aligned with operational and customer requirements.

USM’s Role in Security

USM’s separation of duties creates natural checks and balances that reduce the risk of insider threats and human error. Its recursive nature ensures security is continually revisited and improved across the service lifecycle. Additionally, USM can seamlessly integrate any practice framework, including security guidelines.

For example, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) security frameworks provide specific practices for compliance, while USM ensures these are consistently applied across the organization. This integrated approach standardizes security practices without sacrificing the flexibility needed to address emerging threats, resulting in stronger risk management and continuous security improvement.

By embedding security into each USM process—whether during design, changes, or operational refinement—USM supports a proactive, rather than reactive, security posture.

Conclusion

The combination of the Double Diamond design approach with the USM method offers a powerful way to balance creativity and structure throughout the service lifecycle. The Double Diamond’s flexible, recursive nature drives innovation, while USM’s standardized, repeatable processes ensure that services are delivered reliably, securely, and in alignment with customer expectations.

Together, they enable enterprises to innovate effectively while maintaining operational stability and quality.