Service Operation encompasses the time a service spends in a deployed state. Active services need to be managed.  Both normal and unforseen events happen that require some action be taken. 

The process begins by putting together an operational plan for the service. This plan may be similar to other plans that your organization uses for ensuring continuous operations. It identifies who the responsible parties are, how to get in touch with them, etc. The plan also identifies the procedures and expectations for monitoring the service and handling any exceptions.

As the system is monitored, faults may be detected and reported back to the development teams.  In addition, normal operations will require active monitoring. SOA Administrators or Operations Specialists must forecast service usage to determine if additional capacity will be needed in the future. 

The runtime reports are also used by the business units that funded the service. They need to know that the services that were developed are actually being used.