The IFIP WG5.7 Service Systems Special Interest Group Research Agenda Evolution on Service and Product-Service Systems Design, Engineering and Management

Over the past decade, Service Systems and Product-Service Systems (PSSs) have become important research areas within the IFIP WG5.7 on Advances in Production Management Systems (APMS). In particular, the Special Interest Group (SIG) on Service Systems Design, Engineering & Management (SSDE&M) has provided an interdisciplinary forum for advancing research on service-oriented solutions in manufacturing and industrial service contexts. Despite the growing number of contributions within this SIG, a systematic synthesis of its research streams remains limited. This paper investigates the evolution of the IFIP WG5.7 SSDE&M SIG research agenda over the past decade of APMS conferences. Drawing on a structured literature review and thematic analysis, the study adopts a backcasting perspective to examine how research themes have evolved and how the SIG’s focus has shifted in response to servitization, digitalization, and sustainability. The analysis identifies four distinct phases in the evolution of this research area and four dominant research streams shaping the field. Building on this retrospective reflection, the paper adopts a forecasting approach to identify key research gaps and propose future investigations for Service Systems and PSSs research. The main contribution is a conceptual research framework that links research streams, persistent gaps, and future directions to support the renewal of the SSDE&M SIG research agenda.