Service Level Management

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 Goal – Primary Objective

• To maintain and gradually improve business

aligned IT service quality, through a constant
cycle of
• Defining
• Agreeing
• Monitoring
• Reporting
• Reviewing IT service achievements and through
instigating actions to eradicate unacceptable
levels of service

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 Responsibilities

• Produce and maintain the Service Catalogue

• Negotiate and agree service levels
• Measure and report actual service levels against
targets
• Maintain service levels in line with business
requirements
• Co-ordinate other ITSM functions and suppliers
• Review all agreements and contracts against
changing business need
• Proactively improve Service Levels

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 Terminology

• Service Catalogue (ARGOS Catalogue)

• Service Level Requirements (SLR) – Amounts
Availability, Response Time ……..
• Service Level Agreement (SLA) – Document
Client/Supplier
• Operational Level Agreement (OLA) – Document
Internal
• Underpinning Contract (UC) – Document 3rd Party
Suppliers
• Service Improvement Programme (SIP) – To
Maintain Business alignment

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 Structure of SLAs
Some organisations adopt a multi-layer structure:
• Corporate Level
- Covering all generic SLM issues appropriate to
every Customer throughout the organisation
• Customer level
- Covering all SLM issues relevant to the
particular Customer group, regardless of the
service being used
• Service Level
- Covering all SLM issues relevant to the specific
service, in relation to a specific Customer group

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 Structure of SLM
Customer Customer Customer
Customers

SLA

IT Service

IT Service
Department
IT Systems IT Systems

OLA UC
Supplier &
Maintenance Internal External

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 SLA Contents
Examples
- Introduction - Change
- Service Hours - IT Service Continuity
- Availability % - Security
- Reliability - Charging
- Support - Service Reporting
- Throughput and Reviewing
- Transaction Response - Glossary of
terms
Times - Escalation Path
- Batch turnaround times

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 Benefits

• Actual service delivered measured

against targets
• Allows Customer to weigh service
against charges (Value for Money)
• Potential cost reduction in long term
• Agreed conflict resolution route
• Less unpredictable demands
• Improved customer relations
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SLM

Exam Tips
• Negotiate and Agree

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 Exam Question
• Which of the following are direct advantages of entering into
Service Level Agreements?
1 The expectations of both the IT customer and the provider
should be aligned
2 Fewer incidents will occur
3 Unambiguous measurements of service provision will be
provided
4 The number of changes that have to be backed out will
decrease

A 2&4
B 1&2
C 3&4
D 1&3

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 Financial Management
Availability Management
Capacity Management
IT Service Continuity Managemen

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