An auditable process framework for governing after-sales service cases and maintenance execution in servitized asset-intensive systems

Abstract After-sales service cases increasingly constrain maintenance execution in asset-intensive industries, especially under servitized business models. However, research and practice still lack a portable, auditable process view that links customer-facing after-sales cases with the maintenance work-order cycle while keeping warranty-covered claims, noncovered paid repairs, maintenance-contract interventions, and PSS service events conceptually distinct. This paper focuses on the governance interface between after-sales case handling and maintenance execution, treating warranty as one contractual pathway within that broader interface. The study develops a process-oriented framework anchored to EN 13460 and operationalized through an end-to-end workflow, an activity-to-standard mapping, and a set of information objects and evidence artefacts supporting traceability and accountable roles. Design Science Research provides the overarching artefact-development logic, while a two-round modified Delphi with practitioners is used as an expert-assessment and refinement mechanism to examine perceived clarity, completeness, standard alignment, traceability, and practical usefulness. Results indicate expert agreement on the perceived adequacy and usefulness of the framework, while showing that the main refinement needs concern gateway criteria, role clarity, and evidence specification. The contribution is an integrative, process-level reference framework for governing after-sales service cases and their maintenance execution interface; Industry 5.0 is used as a secondary governance lens centred on accountability, transparency, resilience, and sustainability-oriented learning. Live implementation, benchmarking, and quantitative performance evaluation are outside the scope of this study.