Definição de modelo de processos para a operação do PSS de uma startup

Abstract

The combination of products and services in an integrated offer is a way to deliver value to customers and meet their needs. This combination is called product-service system (PSS) and while offering value to customers, has the potential to increase competitiveness in the marketplace. In this type of offer, the provider is responsible for the entire solution lifecycle, from product and service development to service operation and to the end of the product lifecycle and proper disposal. During the service operation, the provider is responsible for all activities that ensure the customer receives the agreed offer. Traditional manufacturing companies are moving to the PSS offering, through the so-called servitization process, while startups choose to develop this kind of business model in search of differentiation to overcome market uncertainties. In the second case, even considering the flexibility and dynamism that exists in startups, offering a PSS requires a well-planned operation. To assist in the development and initial phase of business, business process models for the service operation can be defined.Business process models are ways of representing the complexity of a business and thus transmitting information to stakeholders, making the activities of a business to be performed in a standardized manner. In order to develop a process model for the operation of a PSS startup, the particularities of the business must be considered. Thus, the objective of this paper is to define a process model for the operation of a startup's PSS, at the same time as a guide for its detail is developed. The research methodology is inserted in the framework of design science research (DRM) combined with literature review, case study, document analysis, and action research methods. The startup focus of this study is a nascent startup on the USP São Carlos campus for precision agricultural spraying in the form of a result-oriented PSS business model. The resulting model is verified according to the findings in the literature and the method is verified with the users.