The service system project was created to address some of our ongoing challenges in delivering services. For several cycles, our Issue Discussion Topics focused on "infrastructure" or "service structure" or "building a bridge to service," and we heard the same struggles repeated over and over: apathy, disunity, communication problems, difficulties with our public image, and challenges delivering basic services (e.g., helplines that don't get answered). The service system project grew out of the need to find solutions to these old problems.