The Service Level PDF

The Service Level Agreement SLA Guide:
SLA Book Templates for Service Level

Management and Service Level Agreement Forms
- Fast and Easy Way to Write your SLA
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Service Level Management Workbook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS..........................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION ROADMAP .................................................................................................5
SERVICE DESIGN .................................................................................................................9
CONTINUAL SERVICE IMPROVEMENT ........................................................................... 43
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS............................................................................................. 55
Objectives and Goals ................................................................................................... 57
Policies Objectives and Goals ..................................................................................... 63
SLM Scope ...................................................................................................................... 67
Business Justification Document .................................................................................. 75
Organizing for Service Design – Roles & Responsibilities .......................................... 81
SLM Process Manager ................................................................................................... 87
Customer Based SLA ..................................................................................................... 91
Service Based SLA.......................................................................................................... 99
Multi Level SLA’s ........................................................................................................... 108
Business and IT Service Mapping ............................................................................... 116
Operational Level Agreement................................................................................... 130
Service Level Requirements........................................................................................ 136
Service Options ............................................................................................................ 144
Underpinning Contracts.............................................................................................. 150
Functional Specification ............................................................................................. 156
Technical Specification............................................................................................... 164
Price List ......................................................................................................................... 172
Communication Plan .................................................................................................. 176
Business and IT Flyers.................................................................................................... 184
Reports KPI’s Other Metrics......................................................................................... 188
SLM IMPLEMENTATION & PROJECT PLAN .................................................................. 194
FURTHER INFORMATION ............................................................................................... 204
Page 3
Page 4
INTRODUCTION ROADMAP
Many organizations are looking to implement a Service Level Management as a
way to improve the structure and quality of the business.
This document describes the contents of the Service Level Management

Workbook. The information found within the Workbook is based on the ITIL Version
3 framework, specifically the Service Design and Continual Service Improvement
phases which incorporate the updated ITIL version 3 Service Level Management
process.
The Workbook is designed to answer a lot of the questions that Service Level
Management process raises and provides you with useful guides, templates and
essential, but simple assessments.
The supporting documents and assessments will help you identify the areas within
your organization that require the most activity in terms of change and
improvement.
Presentations can be used to educate or be used as the basis for management

presentations or when making business cases for Service Level Management
implementation.
The additional information and bonus resources will enable you to improve your
organizations methodology knowledge base.
The workbook serves to act as a starting point. It will give you a clear path to travel.
It is designed to be a valuable source of information and activities.
The Service Level Management Workbook:
Flows logically,
Is scalable,
Provides presentations, templates and documents,
Saves you time.
Page 5
Step 1
Start by reviewing the PowerPoint presentations in the following order:
Presentations 1 and 2 provide a detailed and comprehensive overview of Service

Level Management in the specialist areas of ITIL Version3
1. ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - Service Design.

2. ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - CSI
These presentations will give you a good knowledge and understanding of all the
terms, activities and concepts required within the Service Level Management
process. They can also be used as the basis for management presentations or
when making a formal business case for Service Level Management
implementation.
Make sure you pay close attention to the notes pages, as well as the slides, as
references to further documents and resources are highlighted here.
Page 6
Step 2
If you did not look at the supporting documents and resources when prompted
during the PowerPoint presentations, do this now.
Below is an itemized list of the supporting documents and resources for easy
reference. You can use these documents and resources within your own
organization or as a template to help you in prepare your own bespoke
documentation.
ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - Service Design

1. Objectives and Goals
2. Policies Objectives and Scope
3. SLM Scope
4. Business Justification document
5. Organizing for Service Design - Roles & Responsibilities
6. SLM Process Manager
7. Customer Based SLA
8. Service Based SLA
9. Multi level SLA's
10. Business and IT Service Mapping
11. Operational Level Agreement
12. Service Level Requirements
13. Service Options
14. Underpinning Contracts
15. Functional Specification
16. Technical Specification
17. Price List
18. Communication Plan
19. Business and IT Flyers
20. Reports KPI's other metrics
21. SLM Process Manager
22. Organizing for Service Design - Roles & Responsibilities
ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - CSI
Page 7
Step 3
Alternatively, continue by working through the SLM Implementation & Project

Plan with the focus on your organization. This will help you ascertain the Service
Level Management maturity for your organization. You will able to identify gaps
and areas of attention and/or improvement.
The supporting documents and bonus resources found within the workbook will
help you fill these gaps by giving you a focused, practical and user-friendly
approach to Service Level Management.
Page 8
SERVICE DESIGN
Page 9
Service Level Management (SLM) is a process that is found within two

Service Lifecycle phases.
Within Service Design, Service Level Management is concerned with:

• Design and plan process
• Determining Service Level Requirements (SLRs)
• Negotiating and Agreeing upon SLAs, OLAs and UCs.
Within Continual Service Improvement, Service Level Management is

concerned with improving services and processes through constant:
• Monitoring (executed within Service Operation)
• Reporting
• Evaluating
• Improving
The major focus of Service Level Management within Continual Service

Improvement is identifying potential service improvements.
Page 10
SLM is a vital process for every IT service provider organisation as it is responsible

for agreeing and documenting service level targets and responsibilities within SLAs
and SLRs for every activity within IT.
If targets are appropriate and accurately reflect the requirements of the business,
the service delivered will align with business requirements and meet the
expectations of the customers and users in terms of service quality.
When targets are not aligned with business needs, the service provider activities
and service levels will not be aligned with business expectations and therefore
problems will develop.
The SLA is effectively a level of assurance or warranty with regard to the level of
service quality delivered by the service provider for each of the services delivered
to the business.
The quality of the Service Portfolio and the Service Catalogue is pivotal to
the success of the SLM.
Page 11
Service Level Management (SLM) negotiates, agrees and documents appropriate

IT service targets with representatives of the business, and then monitors and
produces reports on the service provider;s ability to deliver the agreed level of
service.
Page 12
Proactive measures are also taken to seek and implement improvements to the
level of service delivered.
More information is available within this workbook, in the following

documents:
• Objectives and Goals on page 57
• Policies Objectives and Scope on page 63
Page 13
SLM is the name given to the processes of planning, coordinating, drafting,

agreeing, monitoring and reporting of SLA’s, and the ongoing review of service
achievements to ensure that the required and cost-justifiable service quality is
maintained and gradually improved.
Page 14
SLM must manage the expectation and perception of the business, customers and
users in order to ensure that the quality of service delivered by the service provider
is matched to those expectations and needs. In order to do this effectively, SLA
should establish and maintain SLAs for all current live services and manage the
level of service provided to meet the targets and quality measurements contained
within the SLAs. SLM should also produce and agree SLRs for all planned new or
changed services.
This enables SLM to ensure that all services and components are designed and
delivered to meet their targets in terms of business needs. The SLM processes
should include the:
• Development of relationships with the business
• Negotiation and agreement of current requirements and targets, and the
documentation and management of SLAs for all operational services
• Negotiation and agreement of future requirements and targets, and the
documentation and management of SLRs for all proposed new or changed
services
• Development and management of appropriate Operational Level
Agreements (OLAs) to ensure that targets are aligned with SLA targets
Page 15
Continued…
• Review of all underpinning supplier contracts and agreements with Supplier

Management to ensure that targets are aligned with SLA targets
• Reporting and management of all services and review of all SLA breaches
and weaknesses
• Instigation and coordination of a Service Improvement Plan (SIP) for the
management, planning and implementation of all service and process
improvements

documents:
• SLM Scope on page 67
Page 16
SLM is not only concerned with ensuring that current services and SLA’s are
managed, but is also involved in ensuring that new requirements are captured and
that new or changed services and SLA’s are developed to match the business
needs and expectations. SLA’s provide the basis for managing the relationship
between the service provider and the customer, and SLM provides that central
point of focus for a group of customers, business untis or lines of business.

documents:
• Business Justification document on page 75
Page 17
• Written agreement between a service provider and Customers), that

documents agreed Service Levels for a Service: Service Level Agreements
(SLAs)
• Written statement of IT services, default levels and options: Service

Catalogue
• Contract with an external supplier that supports the IT organization in their

delivery of services: Underpinning Contract (UCs)
• Internal agreement which supports the IT organization in their delivery of

services: Operational Level Agreement (OLAs)
• Detailed recording of the Customer’s needs: Service Level Requirements
Page 18
More information is available, within this workbook, in the following

documents:
• Organizing for Service Design - Roles & Responsibilities on page 81
• SLM Process Manager on page 87
Page 19
Service Based SLA

The SLA covers one service, for all customers of that service.
Difficulties may arise if the specific requirements of different customers vary for the
same service, or if characteristics of the infrastructure mean that different service
levels are inevitable. As such, separate targets may be needed within the one
agreement. However, where common levels of service are provided across all
areas of the business, service-based SLAs may be the most efficient approach.
Customer Based SLA

The SLA is an agreement with an individual customer group, covering all the
services they use.
Customers often prefer such an agreement, as a single document will cover all
their needs.

documents:
• Customer Based SLA on page 91
• Service Based SLA on page 99
Page 20
Multi – level SLA’s

Some organizations have chosen to adopt a multi level SLA structure. E.g A 3
level structure such as;
Corporate Level: covers all generic SLM issues to every customer throughout the
organization.
Customer Level: covers all SLM issues relevant to a particular customer group of
business unit, regardless of the service being used
Service Level: covers all SLM issues relevant to the specific service, in relation to
a specific customer group

documents:
• Multi level SLA's on page 107
Page 21
The activity of determining the initial targets for inclusion with an SLR or SLA can
be very difficult. All other processes need to be consulted for their opinion on
realistic targets, such as Incident Management on incident targets. Capacity and
Availability Management processes will be of particular value in determining
appropriate service availability and performance targets.
While many organizations have to give initial priority to introducing SLAs for
existing services, it is also important to establish procedures for agreeing SLRs for
new services being developed or procured.
If can be difficult to draw out specific requirements, as the business may need help
in understanding and defining their needs, particularly in terms of capacity, security,
availability and IT service continuity. Several iterations of negotiations may be
required before an affordable balance is struck between what is sought and what is
achievable and affordable.
Page 22
The Service Desk, when linked to a comprehensive CMS, can be used to monitor
the customer’s perception of availability. It can also be used to monitor incident
response times and resolution times.
It is essential to ensure that any incident / problem handling targets included in

SLAs are the same as those included in Service Desk tools and used for escalation
and monitoring purposes. Some amendments may be needed to support tools, to
include the necessary fields so that relevant data can be captured.
Transaction response times can be a difficult area to monitor and can be dealt with
in the following ways:
• Include a statement in the SLA stating that any response time delays
experienced for more than x minutes should be reported to the Service Desk
• Agree and include in the SLA an acceptable target for the number of such
incidents that can be tolerated in the reporting period
• Create an incident category of ‘poor response’ to ensure that such incidents
are logged accurately
• Produce regular reports of target time breaches and instigate investigations
via Problem Management to find a solution
Page 23
Page 24
SLAs are just documents, and in themselves do not materially alter the quality of
service being provided. However, it must be noted that SLAs do affect the
behaviour and help engender an appropriate service culture, which can then have
an immediate beneficial effect and make longer-term improvements possible.
It is recommended that attempts be made to monitor customer perception on soft

issues such as opinions or feelings toward the service. Methods of doing this
include:
• Periodic questionnaires and customer surveys

• Customer feedback from service review meetings
• Feedback from Post Implementation Reviews (PIRs) conducted as part of
the Change Management process on major changes, releases, new or
changed services etc.
• Telephone perception surveys (perhaps at random on the Service Desk, or
using regular customer liaison representatives)
• Satisfaction survey handouts (left with customers following installations,
service visits etc.)
• User group or forum meetings
• Analysis of complaints and compliments
Page 25
Continued…
Where possible, targets should be set for these and monitored as part of the SLA.
Ensure that if users provide feedback they receive some return, and demonstrate
to them that their comments have been incorporated in an action plan, perhaps an
SIP. All customer satisfaction measurements should be reviewed, and where
variations are identified, they should be analysed with action taken to rectify the
variation.
Page 26
OLAs need not be very complicated, but should set out specific back-to-back
targets for support groups that underpi8n the targets included in the SLAs.
OLAs should be monitored against OLA and SLA targets, and reports on
achievements provided as feedback to the appropriate managers of each support
team. This highlights potential problem areas, which may need to be addressed
internally or by a further review of the SLA or OLA.
Before committing to new or revised SLAs, it is therefore important that existing

contractual arrangements are investigated and, where necessary, upgraded.
Page 27
Page 28
SLM should identify the specific reporting needs and automate production of all
reports wherever possible. The extent, accuracy and ease with which automated
reports can be produced should form part of the selection criteria for integrated
support tools.
Operational reports must be produced on a regular basis. This should be weekly,

or possibly more frequently and must produce exception reports whenever an SLA
has been broken or threatened.
Periodic reports must be produced and circulated to customers and appropriate IT

managers a few days in advance of service level reviews, so that any queries or
disagreements can be resolved ahead of any review meetings. These reports
should incorporate details of performance against all SLA targets, together with
details of any trends or specific actions being undertaken to improve service
quality. Other interim reports may be required by IT management for OLA or
internal performance reviews and/or supplier or contract management.
Page 29
Continued…
It is essential that accurate information from all areas and all processes are
analysed and collated into a concise and comprehensive report on service
performance, as measured against agreed business targets. Service reports
should not only include details of current performance, but should also provide
historic information on past performance and trends, so that the impact of
improvement actions can be measured and predicted.
Page 30
Particular attention should be focused on each breach of service level to determine

exactly what caused the loss of service and what can be done to prevent any
recurrence.
Reports should also be produced on the progress and success of the SIP, such as
the number of SIP actions that were completed and the number of actions that
delivered their expected benefit.
Page 31
Reviews should ensure that the services covered have:

• Relevant targets
• No significant changes
• Change Management control any agreed changes
• Include overall strategy documents.
Page 32
The Business Service Catalogue provides information on all the key business and
IT contacts relating to the services, their use and their importance. In order to
ensure that this is done in a consistent manner, SLM should perform the following
activities:
• Confirm stakeholders, customers and key business managers and service

users.
• Assist with maintaining accurate information within the service portfolio and
service catalogue.
• Be flexible and responsive to the needs of the business, customers and
users and understand current and planned new business processes and
their requirements for new or changed services, documenting and
communicating these requirements to all other processes as well as
facilitating and innovating change wherever there is business benefit.
• Develop a full understanding of business, customer and user strategies.
• Regularly sample the customer experience – providing feedback on
customer issues to IT
• Ensure the correct relationship processes are in place to achieve objectives
• Proactively market and exploit the Service Portfolio and Service Catalogue.
• Promote service awareness and understanding
Page 33
Continued…
• Raise the awareness and understanding
• Facilitate the development and negotiation of appropriate, achievable and
realistic SLR’s and Sla’s between the business and IT.
• Ensure the business, customers and users understand their
responsibilities/commitments to IT.
Page 34
Definitions of what constitutes a complaint and compliment should be agreed with

the customers, together with the agreed procedures for their correct management
and analysis.
All complaints and compliments should be recorded and communicated to the

relevant parties. All complaints should also be actioned and resolved to the
satisfaction of the originator. If not, there should be an escalation procedure for all
complaints that are not actioned and resolved within the agreed timescale.
Reports should also be produced on the numbers and types of complaints, trends
identified and actions taken to reduce the numbers received. Similar reports
should be produced for compliments.
Page 35
Page 36

documents:
• Business and IT Service Mapping on page 115
Page 37

documents:
• Operational Level Agreement on page 129
• Service Level Requirements on page 135
• Service Options on page 143
• Underpinning Contracts on page 149
• Functional Specification on page 155
• Technical Specification on page 163
• Price List on page 171
• Communication Plan on page 175
• Business and IT Flyers on page 183
Page 38
Objective:
• Number or percentage of service targets being met
• Number and severity of service breaches
• Number of services with up-to-date SLA’s
• Number of services with timely reports and active service reviews
Subjective:
Improvement in customer satisfaction
Page 39

documents:
• Reports KPI's other metrics on page 187
Page 40
Page 41

documents:
• SLM Process Manager on page 87
• Organizing for Service Design - Roles & Responsibilities on page 81
Page 42
CONTINUAL SERVICE IMPROVEMENT
Page 43
Service Level Management (SLM) is a process that is found within two

Service Lifecycle phases.
Within Service Design, Service Level Management is concerned with:

• Design and plan process
• Determining Service Level Requirements (SLRs)
• Negotiating and Agreeing upon SLAs, OLAs and UCs.
Within Continual Service Improvement, Service Level Management is

concerned with improving services and processes through constant:
• Monitoring (executed within Service Operation)
• Reporting
• Evaluating
• Improving
The major focus of Service Level Management within Continual Service

Improvement is identifying potential service improvements.
Page 44
This provides input into CSI activities and helps prioritize improvement projects.
Even though SLM is critical for many organizations it is often one of the least
mature processes.
Service Level Management can be described using two words: building

relationships! Building relationships with customers, the functional groups within IT
and the vendor community who provide services to IT.
Page 45
Even without any formal SLA’s or OLA’s, an organization can still strive to improve
the services they provide to customers.
Page 46
Explicit SLA: one of the goals of SLM, is to get a formal document that clearly
defines the services provided, levels of service, quality of service and cost of the
service. Everyone understands their responsibilities
Implicit SLA: based on how you have provided your service in the past. If you
provide good service the customers expect good service. If you improve on your
service, then this becomes the new minimal level expected. Also if you have
provided poor service in the past then your customers will actually expect poor
service. Implicit SLA’s are difficult to manage.
Psychological SLA: often associated with the Service Desk where we publish
information to the end users often b y putting a sticker on their monitor that states
‘if you need help call ######’. In the mind of end users this creates an agreement
that all they have to do is call the Service Desk to find a solution to their issues. In
realty there are some Service Desks and Help Desks that provide less than ideal
help!
Page 47
SLM is essential in any organization so that levels of IT service needed to support

the business can be determined, and monitoring can be initiated to identify whether
the required service levels are being achieved – and if not, why not!
Service Level Management is a cornerstone of CSI. Why embark on any service
improvement initiative if the customers and the business are satisfied with the
levels of service received? Because business requirements change!
Page 48
The Service Level Management process is created in the Service Design phase of
the Service Lifecycle. It is important that CSI is involved in the design of SLM to
ensure that measurable targets are created. These targets can then be used to
identify potential service improvements.
Page 49
Where an underlying difficulty has been identified which is adversely impacting

upon service quality, Service Level Management must, in conjunction with CSI,
using Problem Management and Availability Management, instigate a SIP to
identify and implement whatever actions are necessary to overcome the difficulties
and restore service quality.
Page 50
At any time, a number of separate initiatives that form part of the SIP may be
running in parallel to address difficulties with a number of services.
Page 51
If an organization is outsourcing its service provision to a third party, the issue of

service improvement should be discussed at the outset and covered in the
contract. Otherwise there is no incentive for the supplier to improve service targets
if they are already meeting contractual obligations and additional expenditure is
needed to make the improvements.
Page 52
This model emphasizes the fact that there are many opportunities for CSI.
The model illustrates a constant cycle for improvement.
Additional info for Items to consider list:
• Embrace the vision by understanding the high level business objectives.
• Access the current situation to obtain an accurate and unbiased snapshot of
where the organization right now. This baseline assessment is an analysis
of the current position in terms of the business, organization, people,
process and technology.
• Based on a deeper development of the principles defined in the vision. The
full vision can be years away but this step provides specific goals and a
manageable timeframe.
• Detail the CSI plan to achieve higher quality service provision by
implementing ITSM processes.
• Verify that measurements and metrics are in place to ensure that milestones
were achieved, process compliance is high, and business objectives and
priorities were met by the level of service.
• Finally, the processes should ensure that the momentum for quality
improvement is maintained by assuring that changes become embedded in
the organization.
Page 53
Page 54
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Through the documents, look for text surrounded by << and >> these are
indicators for you to create some specific text.
Watch also for highlighted text which provides further guidance and
instructions.
Page 55
Page 56
Objectives and Goals
IT Services
Detailed Objectives/Goals
Process: Service Level Management
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Version: <<your version>>
Release Date:
Note: SEARCH AND REPLACE

<<organization name>>
Search for any << or >> as your input will be required

Also review any yellow highlighted text
Page 57
Detailed Objectives/Goals for Service Level Management
The document is not to be considered an extensive statement as its topics have to

be generic enough to suit any reader for any organization.
However, the reader will certainly be reminded of the key topics that have to be
considered.
The detailed objectives for Service Level Management should include the following
salient points:
Objective Notes
After they have been agreed upon a specific Met/Exceeded/Shortfall

objective for the process is to continue reporting
metrics. This is an activity that is often forgotten
over time or simply not done from the out-set.
☺
Dates/names/role titles
Appoint/Recruit the SLM team and provide on-

going awareness, education and training for staff
involved with the process and communication to
non-involved, but affected personnel.
Setting schedules for reviews of Service Level

Agreements and associated supporting
documentation. Arranging the logistics of bringing
the involved parties together (at intervals that are
not considered to be a “nuisance” but will allow the
process objective to be upheld.
Monitor customer and end-user satisfaction levels.
Monitor the marketplace for appropriate process

tools and make recommendations.
Design, manage and implement an

awareness/communication plan appropriate for this
process.
Page 58
Use these objectives to generate discussion about others that may be more
appropriate to list than those provided.
Failure to meet objectives (or when service breaches are detected) should trigger a
process for improvement. Under the Service Level Management process, we refer
to this as a Service Improvement Plan (SIP).
Service Improvement Plan (SIP)
Where an underlying difficulty has been identified that has lead to a degradation in
service quality it is necessary for the Service Level Management process to start a
Service Improvement Plan (SIP).
The SIP must be drawn together with input from other processes (in particular
Problem Management) so that the action steps in the SIP do in fact contribute to
improvements and eradication of poor performance.
Areas to address Comments/Examples Time

Frame/Notes/Who
SIP Reference Unique identifying number for the SLA

number (for inclusion in the Configuration
Management Data Base – CMDB)
Owner Functional role description of who is

responsible for this SIP (who would
participate in a review of this document).
Representatives from customer and IT.
Service Name Preferably use a name that is common

language in the organization (not a
technical name).
Service Briefly describe the primary function of

Description the service.
(Business) Use language that is business user
(refer to Technical friendly.
Considerations (eg. instead of “NT Server, with 2Gb
later in this table) RAM and 500Gb of disk storage” – we
would say “large central server designed
for all customers to use and share
information from”)
Page 59
Service Breach(s) The SIP will generally be based on

details broken SLAs.
(refer to Problem & Use this section to briefly detail in
Availability generic terms why this SIP is required.
Management
issues).
Problem The SIP will be driven as a result of the

Management need to improve degraded performance.
details It is likely that there have been
continuing Problems that have led to the
service degradation.
From Problem Management we can
gain a better understanding of the
background to the SIP.
Availability After the SIP is instigated the end users

Management and customers should expect a higher
details level of service availability than they
have in the past.
The SIP must directly address the issue
of availability by reviewing the past,
current and future availability metrics for
this service.
Service Security Briefly list any considerations regarding

Considerations security considerations for this SIP.
SIP Validity period Is there a life-span for this SIP; is the life
of the SIP time based or driven by
activities only?
Page 60
SPECIFIC SIP This part of the SIP will outline actual

ACTIONS steps to be taken to improve availability
and eradicate poor performance.
This section of the SIP can be run as a
Project if large enough, or as a simple
list of action items, responsible person
and timeframe.
Action items will centre on discussions,
negotiations, communications,
documentation (new and updates to
existing), testing, reviews,
training/education and reworking current
procedures and work practices.
(Note: don’t forget to track changes and
ensure the Configuration Management
database is updated).
Version Control SIP Creation Date

Information SIP Last Modify Date
Technical In this section you can describe any

considerations technical considerations that are
essential to document.
It is more likely however, that you will
include here a link to the Service
Catalogue or Technical Specification.
Notes &
Comments
Page 61
Page 62
Policies Objectives and Goals
IT Services
Policies, Objectives and Scope
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 63
Refer to Implementation Plan - Project Plan for planning and

implementation guidelines (that includes the Policy, Objectives and Scope
statements) on page 193.
Policies, Objectives and Scope for Service Level Management

considered.
Policy Statement
A course of action, guiding principle, or procedure considered expedient, prudent,

or advantageous
Use this text box to answer the “SENSE OF URGENCY” question regarding this
process.
Why is effort being put into this process?
Not simply because someone thinks it’s a good idea. That won’t do. The reason
has to be based in business benefits.
You must be able to concisely document the reason behind starting or

improving this process.
Is it because of legal requirements or competitive advantage? Perhaps the

business has suffered major problems or user satisfaction ratings are at the
point where outsourcing is being considered.
A policy statement any bigger than this text box, may be too lengthy to read,
lose the intended audience with detail, not be clearly focussed on answering
the WHY question for this process.
The above Policy Statement was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Objectives Statement
Page 64
Something worked toward or striven for; a goal
Use this text box to answer the “WHERE ARE WE GOING” question
regarding this process.
What will be the end result of this process and how will we know when we
have reached the end result?
Will we know because we will establish a few key metrics or measurements

or will it be a more subjective decision, based on instinct?
A generic sample statement on the “objective” for Service Level

Management is:
The Service Level Management process aims to improve, while

maintaining, IT Service delivery quality. Actions to achieve this include
the requirement to conduct repetitive actions that include reporting,
agreeing and monitoring. The process must review Service
Achievements against customer expectations and take steps to
improve or modify Service Delivery accordingly.
Note the keywords in the statement. For the statement on Service Level
Management they are “report, agree and monitor”. These are definite
areas that we can set metrics for and therefore measure progress.
The above Objective Statement was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Refer to Reports, KPIs and Other Metrics for metrics on page 187.
Refer to Objectives and Goals for detailed statements of process

objectives/goals on page 57.
Page 65
The above Policy Statement was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Scope Statement
The area covered by a given activity or subject
Use this text box to answer the “WHAT” question regarding this process.
What are the boundaries for this process?
What does the information flow look like into this process and from this process
to other processes and functional areas?
A generic sample statement on the “scope” for Service Level Management

is:
Through the use of agreements written in the form of documents the SLM
process will manage relationships between providers of IT services that
are both external to the organization and internal to the organization.
These external agreements shall be referred to as Underpinning contracts

and the internal agreements will be called Operational Level Agreements.
An scope statement any bigger than this text box, may be too lengthy to read,
lose the intended audience with detail, not be clearly focussed on answering the
WHAT question for this process.
The above Scope Statement was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 66
SLM Scope
IT Services
Scope Document
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
<<Organization name>>
Page 67
Document Control
Author
Prepared by <<name and / or department>>
Document Source
This document is located on the LAN under the path:
I:/IT Services/Service Delivery/Service Level Management/Scope
Document Approval
This document has been approved for use by the following:
• <<first name, last name>>, IT Services Manager
• <<first name, last name>>, IT Service Delivery Manager
• <<first name, last name>>, National IT Help Desk Manager
Amendment History
Issue Date Amendments Completed By
Distribution List
When this procedure is updated the following copyholders must be advised
through email that an updated copy is available on the intranet site:
<<Organization Name>> Stakeholders
Business Unit
IT
Page 68
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide the IT Organization with the
specifications of the IT Services that will be included within the scope of the
Service Level Management Process.
Scope
This document describes the following:
• Scope of Service Level Management
• <<any additional items that you want>>
Audience
This document is relevant to all staff in <<Organization name>>
Ownership
IT Services has ownership of this document.
Related Documentation
Include in this section any related Service Level Management reference numbers
and other associated documentation:
• Implementation Plan / Project Plan

• Policies, Guidelines and Scope Document
• Process Template
• Service Catalogue
Page 69
Executive Overview
Describe the purpose, scope and organization of the document.
Service Level Management Overview

The document’s intent is to provide a scope for the Service Level Management
Process.
The definition of an SLA is:
<< Insert your organizations definition here >>
The definition of an OLA is:
The definition of a UC is:

Process Scope
The process scope details the scope of the activities that need to occur within the
Service Level Management Process.
Definition
This activity helps define the services that you already deliver and can deliver. The
output from this activity is the Service Catalogue.
In this section determine the scope of the Service Catalogue.
Page 70
Specify
This activity is about gathering the Service Level Requirements. This will be done
by a series of interviews with department managers and senior executives.
In this section determine the scope of the Requirements gathering.
Department Services Business IT Owner

Owner
<<
Department: The department to be interviewed

Services: The services being provided to that department
Business Owner: The department manager or other
IT Owner: The IT personnel who will be responsible for providing the
service
>>
Negotiate and Agree

In this activity we create the necessary SLAs, OLAs and UCs necessary to support
the agreed services.
In conjunction with the above table, we can now set the scope for the SLA. In this
manner we need to determine what will be included in the SLA.
Page 71
For example:
Customer IT Service Service Level Agreements
Availability Capacity Disaster

Recovery
Marketing Email
Sales and Logistics

Support
Monitor
In this section we need to set the scope for which aspects of the services we are
going to monitor, and what tools we are going to use to monitor the services with.
This will be done in conjunction with the above table.
Reports
Reports are an integral way of spreading information about IT Services back to the
business as well as to IT Departments for process improvement.
As such the reports should be written in Business English as well as Technical
English.
In this section, provide a list of reports necessary for each customer based on each
service. The below table provides an example.
Reports
Business Reports IT Reports

Customer Service
No. of % of CPU Transaction
Productivity Bandwidth
Incidents Availability Seconds Rates
Marketing Email
Marketing Internet
Sales Logistics
Sales Accounts
Transport Logistics
Page 72
Appendices
Include any applicable appendixes that are needed.
Terminology
Make sure that all terminology is captured and documented correctly.
Page 73
Page 74
Business Justification Document
IT Services
Business Justification
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:

Search for any << or >> as your input will be

required
Page 75
Business Justification Document for Service Level Management

The document is not to be considered an extensive statement as its topics have to be
generic enough to suit any reader for any organization.
considered.
This document serves as a reference for HOW TO APPROACH THE TASK OF

SEEKING FUNDS for the implementation of the Service Level Management
process.
This document provides a basis for completion within your own organization.
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Service Level Management Business Justification

A strong enough business case will ensure progress and funds are made available for
any IT initiative.
This may sound like a bold statement but it is true. As IT professionals we have (for too
long) assumed that we miss out on funds while other functional areas (e.g. Human
resources and other shared services) seem to get all that they want.
However, the problem is not with them, it’s with US. We are typically poor salespeople
when it comes to putting our case forward.
We try to impress with technical descriptions, rather than talking in a language that a
business person understands.
Page 76
For example:
We say We should say

We have to increase IT security controls, Two weeks ago our biggest competitor lost
with the implementation of a new firewall. information that is now rumored to be
available on the internet.
The network bandwidth is our biggest The e-mail you send to the other national
bottleneck and we have to go to a switched managers will take 4 to 6 hours to be
local environment. delivered. It used to be 2 to 3 minutes, but
we are now using our computers for many
more tasks.
Changes to the environment are scheduled We are making the changes on Sunday
for a period of time when we expect there afternoon. There will be less people working
to be minimal business impact. then.
Doesn’t that sound familiar?

To help reinforce this point even further, consider the situation of buying a new fridge.
What if the technically savvy sales person wants to explain “the intricacies of the tubing
structure used to super cool the high pressure gases, which flow in an anti-clockwise
direction in the Southern hemisphere”.
Wouldn’t you say “too much information, who cares – does it make things cold?”
Well IT managers need to stop trying to tell business managers about the tubing
structure and just tell them what they are interested in.
So let’s know look at some benefits of Service Level Management. Remember that the
comments here are generic, as they have to apply to any organization.
Notes/Comments/Relevance
The most important aspect of Service Level

Management is the monitoring and delivery of
services that lead to increasing satisfaction levels of
customers.
(Note in ITIL terms the Customer is the person who

“pays” for the IT Service)
Page 77
With Service Level Management we focus on

meeting the Service Level Requirements specified to
us by customers.
The SLR gives us a blueprint to check our own

Service Delivery against. IT Services delivered that
have no corresponding SLR may in fact be surplus to
business requirements.
Service Level Management forces us into the

creation of targets and metrics against which we can
measure performance.
If it can’t be measured it can’t be managed.
Through the process of Service Level Management

we can develop a common language of
understanding between IT and Customers.
The process of establishing and monitoring

performance levels means that when IT and
business people discuss IT related issues they are in
fact talking about the same thing (and not – as often
happens – talking at odds with each other. For
example if a meeting is held to discuss the Service
Level Agreement for the provision of E-mail services
then there is common ground for discussion.
Service Level Management also ensures that we

have clearly defined roles and responsibilities.
This is a clear benefit in that we can easily identify
those involved with negotiations, escalations,
monitoring and reporting. Even if one person
performs many different roles within the process we
can clearly articulate what these are.
(importantly, the process also allows us to document

customer responsibilities as well as IT)
The monitoring aspect of SLM is the perfect way to

discover weak or potentially weak areas of Service
Delivery.
Ideally, identified in advance so that remedial action
can be taken (e.g. Service Improvement Plan – SIP)
Page 78
SLM underpins supplier management (and vice versa)

- in cases where services are outsourced the SLAs are
a key part of managing the relationship with the third-
party - in other cases service monitoring allows the
performance of suppliers (internal and external) to be
evaluated and managed
When we create Service Level Agreements – the most

widely known single activity of Service Level
Management - we generally include a section on
Pricing.
The SLA then becomes the basis of charging for IT
Services
(Note that IT Service Managers must be able to clearly
articulate the difference between cost and value – cost
is discussed in absolute monetary terms; value is a
discussion regarding potential business impact).
An important, but often overlooked part of this process

is the identification of weaknesses in the use of IT
Services from the organization end-user population.
Monitoring the nature of calls for support and general
communication can help us to identify such
weaknesses and therefore suggest education
programs that will address the lack of knowledge and
skill.
Having a continuous improvement philosophy regarding IT Service delivery ensures that

the IT Department is (a) looking to reduce service disruptions and (b) decrease the
overall cost of service delivery (without compromising the quality).
Page 79
Page 80
Organizing for Service Design – Roles & Responsibilities
To enable the Service Design phase to be successful, it is essential that the relevant
roles and responsibilities are defined, within the organization of various activities.
When designing a service or a process, it is imperative that all the roles are clearly
defined. A trademark of high performing organizations is the ability to make the right
decisions quickly and execute them effectively. Whether the decision involves a
strategic choice or a critical operation, being clear on who has input, who decides and
who takes action will enable the company to move forward rapidly.
The RACI model is beneficial in enabling decisions to be made with pace and
confidence. RACI is an acronym for the main roles of:
Responsible – person or people responsible for getting the job done.

Accountable – only one person can be accountable for each task.
Consulted – people who are consulted and whose opinions are sort.
Informed – people who are kept up-to-date on progress.
Occasionally an extended version of RACI is used called RACI-VS, with two further
roles as follows:
Verifies – person or group that checks whether the acceptance criteria have been met.
Signs off – person who approves the V decision and authorizes the product hand-off.
This could be the Accountable (or A) person.
A third variation of the RACI model is RASCI, where the S represents Supportive. This
role provides additional resources to conduct the work, or plays a supportive role in
implementation, for example. This could be beneficial for IT service implementation.
The RACI chart shown below in Table 1 shows the structure and power of RACI
modelling with the activities down the left-hand side including the actions that need to
be taken and decisions that must be made. Across the top, the chart lists the functional
roles responsible for carrying out the initiative or playing a part in decision making.
Page 81
Whether RACI or some other tool or model is used, the important thing is to not just
leave the assignment of responsibilities to chance or leave it to the last minute to
decide. Conflicts can be avoided and decisions can be made quickly if the roles are
allocated in advance.
To build a RACI chart the following steps are required:

• Identify the activities/processes
• Identify/define the functional roles
• Conduct meetings and assign the RACI codes
• Identify any gaps or overlaps – e.g. where there are two R’s or no R’s
• Distribute the chart and incorporate feedback
• Ensure that the allocations are being followed.
Table 1 Example RACI matrix
Director Service Problem Security Procurement

service Level Manager Manager Manager
management Manager
Activity 1 AR C I I C
Activity 2 A R C C C
Activity 3 I A R I C
Activity 4 I A R I
Activity 5 I I A C I
Page 82
Functional Roles Analysis
• Many A’s: are duties segregated properly? Should someone else be

accountable for some of these activities? Is this causing a bottleneck in some
areas that will delay decisions?
• Many R’s: Is this too much for one function?
• No empty spaces: Does this role need to be involved in so many tasks?
• Also, does the type or degree of participation for this role’s qualifications?
Activity Analysis
• More than one A: only one role can be accountable.
• No A’s”: at least one A must be assigned to each activity.
• More than one R: too many roles responsible often mean that no one takes
responsibility. Responsibility may be shared, but only if roles are clear.
• No R’s: at least one person must be responsible.
• Many C’s: is there a requirement to consult with so many roles? What are the
benefits and can the extra time be justified?
• No C’s and I’s: are the communication channels open to enable people and
departments to talk to each other and keep each other up-to-date .
Page 83
Skills & Attributes
The specific roles within ITIL Service Management all require specific skills, attributes
and competences from the people involved to enable them to work effectively and
efficiently. However, whatever role, it is imperative that the person carrying out that
role has the following attributes:
• Awareness of the business priorities, objectives and business drivers
• Awareness of the role IT plays in enabling the business objectives to be met
• Customer service skills
• Awareness of what IT can deliver to the business, including latest capabilities
• The competence, knowledge and information necessary to complete their role
• The ability to use, understand and interpret the best practice, policies and
procedures to ensure adherence.
The following are examples of attributes required in many of the roles, dependent on
the organization and the specific role:
Management skills – both from a person management perspective and from the
overall control of process.
Meeting skills – to organize, chair, document and ensure actions are followed up
Communications – an important element of all roles is raising awareness of the

processes to ensure buy-in and conformance. An ability to communicate at all levels
within the organization will be imperative.
Articulate - both written, for reports etc., and verbal
Page 84
Negotiation – required for several aspects, such as procurement and contracts
Analytical – to analyse metrics produced from the activity.
More information about the skills and competences of these roles can be found within
the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA – www.sfia.org.uk)
Service Level Manager
The Service Level Manager has responsibility for ensuring that the aims of Service
Level Management are met. This includes responsibilities such as:
• Keeping aware of changing business needs

• Ensuring that the current and future service requirements of customers are
identified, understood and documented in SLA and SLR documents.
• Negotiating and agreeing levels of service to be delivered with the customer
(either internal or external); formally documenting these levels of service in
SLA’s.
• Negotiating and agreeing OLA’s and, in some cases, other SLA’s and
agreements that underpin the SLA’s with the customers of the service.
• Assisting with the production and maintenance of an accurate Service Portfolio,
Service Catalogue, Application Portfolio and the corresponding maintenance
procedures.
• Ensuring that targets agreed within underpinning contracts are aligned with SLA
and SLR targets.
• Ensuring that service reports are produced for each customer service and that
breaches of SLA targets are highlighted, investigated and actions taken to
prevent their recurrence.
• Ensuring that service performance reviews are scheduled, carried out with
customers regularly and are documented with agreed actions progressed.
• Ensuring that improvement initiatives identified in service reviews are acted on
and progress reports are provide to customers
Page 85
• Reviewing service scope, SLA’s, OLA’s and other agreements on a regular

basis, ideally at least annually.
• Ensuring that all changes are assessed for their impact on service levels,
including SLA’s, OLA’s and underpinning contracts, including attendance at
CAB meetings if appropriate.
• Identifying all key stakeholders and customers
• Developing relationships and communication with stakeholders, customers and
key users.
• Defining and agreeing complaints and their recording management, escalation,
where necessary, and resolution
• Definition recording and communication of all complaints
• Measuring, recording, analysing and improving customer satisfaction.
Page 86
SLM Process Manager
IT Services
Role, Responsibilities
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:

Page 87
Detailed responsibilities of the Service Level Management process owner
The Service Level Manager…..
Description Notes/Comments
1.
Will design, maintain and review a structure for the process that Use the
covers the interactions of the people involved and the expected
content of Service Level Management related documents notes/Comme
(involving IT and Customers) nts column in
different ways.
AND If you are
Coordinates any required Service Improvement looking to
Plans/Programmes to eradicate falling Service Delivery apply for a
performance process role,
then you can
2.
Will coordinate process reviews utilizing independent parties to check yourself
provide an objective view on the simplicity of the process and against the list
areas for improvement. (with ticks or
look to update
Will be responsible for implementing any design improvements
identified. your resume).
3.
Will establish, maintain and review:
• Service Level Agreements with the business Customer If you are
(including a decision on SLA Structure). looking to
• Operational Level Agreements with the IT provider appoint a
• Underpinning Contracts with third party providers. process
manager or
4.
Is responsible for the creation, maintenance, marketing and promote
distribution of the Service Catalog (which documents the IT someone from
Services offered by the organization) within the
organization
5.
Will control and review: you can make
• Any outstanding process related actions
• Current targets for service performance
• Performance against SLAs, OLAs and UCs
6.
Make available relevant, concise reports that are both timely and
readable for Customers and IT providers.
Page 88
Detailed skills of the Service Level Management process owner
The Service Level Manager…..
Description Notes/Comments
1.
The Service Level Manager will display a communication style Use the
based around listening and demonstrable genuine interest. notes/Comment
Ability to use and apply valuable information gained from s column in
customers. different ways.
If you are
2.
looking to apply
High degree of people/relationship management focus and an
ability to deal with an administrative workload. Will also tend to for a process
be balanced in negotiations – almost to the point of neutrality role, then you
during discussions between the customer and the IT Service can check
Provider. yourself against
the list (with
3. ticks or look to
The Service Level Manager will take an active interest in learning
update your
about services offered by external and internal providers. The
manager will be interested in understanding how services are resume).
provided, rather than just accepting a marketing statement.
4.
If you are
The Service Level Manager must have good oral and
presentation skills. They are a “champion” for this process and looking to
must display an air of confidence, without arrogance. appoint a
process
5. manager or
The Service Level Manager must be able to communicate with promote
people at all levels of the organization; this is one contributing someone from
factor that also will require a high degree of understanding of
within the
human emotion and resistance.
organization
6.
The process manager must be able to demonstrate ways to “do
things differently” that will improve the process.
They must not be risk adverse, but must be very risk conscious.
7.
Although not a highly numeric role, the selected person must be
able to understand the basics of supply and demand, with a
commonsense attitude to service charging and a grip on basic
statistical analysis.
8.
The process manager will need to be able to engage in technical
discussions with technical people (to ensure credibility) and to
engage in business discussions with business people, about
those technical issues (of course in non-technical terms).
Page 89
Page 90
Customer Based SLA
IT Services
Customer Based SLA
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 91
Customer Based Service Level Agreement (SLA)

considered.
This document serves as a GUIDE FOR THE CREATION OF AN AGREEMENT

BETWEEN THE SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT PROCESS OWNER AND THE
CUSTOMER OF IT SERVICES (Covering all the IT Services they use). This
document provides a basis for completion within your own organization.
The customer based SLA is usually preferred by customers as it allows a single

document to cover all the IT Services that they use. It means less administration time
spent in negotiating different documents and generally only requires a single
representative to participate on behalf of the business.
An agreement with an individual Customer group, covering all the services they use.
For example, agreements may be reached with an organization’s Finance Department
covering, say, the Finance System, the Accounting System, the Payroll System, the
Billing System, the Procurement System and any other IT systems that they use.
Advantage An agreement with an individual Customer

groups could cover all of the services they
Customer based SLA use.
Disadvantage An inability to deal with differing requirements

amongst users in the same customer group.
Service A
Customer Service B
Service C
Page 92
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
The following form can be used as the Customer Based SLA document. The SLA does
not have to be in a lengthy written format and in fact it is more likely to be adopted if it
is kept concise, with only salient details.
With regard to Customer Based SLA the following points should be addressed:
Overall SLA Information

Frame/Notes/Who
Description of the “agreement” Brief description of the

contents of this SLA
Note: the SLA may cover
several IT Services. Use this
section simply as an Executive
summary.
Do not try to describe each
service here.
Reference number Unique identifying number for

the SLA (for inclusion in the
Configuration Management
Data Base – CMDB)
Owner Functional role description of

who is responsible for this SLA
(who would participate in a
review of this document?)
Representatives from
customer and IT.
(Special tip: Avoid using
names as it dates the
document quickly)
Page 93
Customer definition List and/or describe the

customers that are considered
for in this SLA.
SLA Validity period Duration that this SLA is

expected to remain in place
before it is reviewed.
SLA Review Procedure The process for reviewing the

SLA and who is involved.
Special Tip: Avoid using
people’s names and use role
descriptions to avoid dating
the document.
Version Control Information SLA Creation Date

SLA Last Modify Date
Specific Service Information
(Duplicate the following table for each service to be covered in this SLA).

Frame/Notes/Who
Service Name Preferably use a name that is

common language in the
organization (not a technical
name).
Service Description (Business) Briefly describe the primary

(refer to end of table for function of the service.
technical considerations) Use language that is business
user friendly.
(eg. instead of “NT Server,
with 2Gb RAM and 500Gb of
disk storage” – we would say
“large central server designed
for all customers to use and
share information”)
Page 94
Service Expectation Level This is a unique concept to this

SLA design template.
Far too often we write
descriptions of IT Services in a
clinical fashion.
These clinical descriptions set
an expectation for the
customer/end-user about the
IT Service. Quite often the
description is interpreted by
the reader in a way not
intended by the writer.
Use this section to set the

expectations of the reader.
If you feel that there could be
some interruptions to service
delivery, because the service
is relatively new, then
document that here. However,
remember that using the
reason “new service” has only
a limited life-span.
Service Security Considerations Briefly list any considerations

regarding security
considerations for this service.
Are there any differences in
the level of accessibility for
different people/roles for this
service? (try to use role
descriptions – instead of
names)?
Service Target Response If the SLA accommodates

priorities different priorities they must be
listed here, with a description
on the type of service that
each priority level should
receive.
Service Target Response time Here we document the agreed

response time for the different
priority levels.
Page 95
Service Support Hours Consider marginally longer

(Availability) support hours (if less than 24)
Maximum number of accepted
outages.
Minimum percentage
availability.
Maximum number of errors or
reruns.
Service Out of Hours support Are the in hours support staff

procedure the same as out of hours?
Phone numbers and what
information will be required
when support is called.
What does the user do if the
nominated person is not
available?
Service Charging policy Do we require external staff to

only act if they have a
validated cost code for work?
Are there any special aspects
of the work that has to be
recorded for later charging?
Service Metrics for performance What will be the performance

numbers for the work
performed under this UC?
Will the expected performance
be higher than negotiated in
the SLA to allow a safety
margin?
Service Breach Clause Perhaps your organizational

culture is built upon imposing
penalties for poor
performance.
If this is the case, then the
penalties for failing to meet the
stated metrics must be listed
here.
If the SLA is not to have a
penalty focus, then simply
remove this line.
Page 96
Continuity Considerations If the agreed support hours

(should be linked to the IT cannot be met, then it is
Service Continuity Plan) necessary to invoke a continuity
option for this service.
The definition of when this
invocation should occur will be
listed here.
Cross-referencing to the IT
Service Continuity Plan is also
required.
UC Cross references Reference number to related

and closely coupled UCs
OLA Cross references Reference number to any

closely coupled agreements
with internal IT department
Technical considerations In this section you can describe

any technical considerations
that are essential to document.
It is more likely however, that
you will include here a link to the
Service Catalogue or Technical
Specification.
Notes & Comments
NOTE: THERE CAN BE NO SINGLE CORRECT DEFINITION OF AN SLA THAT WILL

COVER ALL SITUATIONS FOR ALL ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS TEMPLATE HOWEVER, DOES PROMPT THE READER TO CONSIDER THE MOST
CRITICAL AREAS OF AN SLA and IT PROVOKES THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER AREAS
THAT COULD BE INCLUDED BASED ON INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
Page 97
Page 98
Service Based SLA
IT Services
Service Based SLA
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 99
Service Based Service Level Agreement (SLA)

considered.

CUSTOMER OF IT SERVICES, FOR A SINGLE SERVICE. This document
provides a basis for completion within your own organization.
The service based SLA is usually preferred by IT as it allows a single document to

cover a single service for all end-users of that service. It means less administration
time spent in negotiating different documents with different customers and less time
spent on worrying about accommodating different requirements amongst users.
Just one SLA document could be agreed for

Advantage
all Customers/end users of a single service.
Service based SLA
Inability to satisfy the customers that have
Disadvantage differing requirements of the service being
addressed.
Customer A
Service Customer B
Customer C
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 100
The following form can be used as the Service Based SLA document. The SLA does
not have to be in a lengthy written format and in fact it is more likely to be adopted if it
is kept concise, with only salient details.
With regard to Service Based SLA the following points should be addressed:
(Duplicate the following table for as many services to be covered in this SLA).

Frame/Notes/Who

Note: the SLA will cover only
ONE IT Service, but end users
from many areas.
Use this section simply as an
Executive summary.

Data Base – CMDB)

review of this document?).
customer and IT.
document quickly)

name).
Page 101

(refer to Technical function of the service.
Considerations later in this table) Use language that is business
user friendly.
Service Expectation Level This is a unique concept to this

clinical fashion.

regarding security
names)?

receive.
Page 102

priority levels set.

outages.
Minimum percentage
availability.
reruns.

available?

Service Metrics for performance What will be the performance

numbers for the work
performed under this UC?
Will the expected performance
be higher than negotiated in
the SLA to allow a safety
margin?

culture is built upon imposing
penalties for poor
performance.
penalties for failing to meet the
stated metrics must be listed
here.
remove this line.
Page 103

Service Continuity Plan) necessary to invoke a
continuity option for this
service.
invocation should occur will be
listed here.
Service Continuity Plan is also
required.

SLA Review Procedure The process for reviewing the

SLA and who is involved.
the document.


OLA Cross references Reference number to any

closely coupled agreements
with internal IT department
Technical considerations In this section you can

describe any technical
considerations that are
you will include here a link to
the Service Catalog or
Technical Specification.
Notes & Comments
Page 104
Page 105
Customer Information
Comments/Examples Time Frame/Notes/Who

Areas to address
Customer definition
List and/or describe the

customers that are included
in this SLA.
It is most likely that the

customers will be all end-
users of IT services in the
organization. However, the
SLA for this service may be
only for particular function
holders that are spread
throughout the organization).
NOTE: THERE CAN BE NO SINGLE CORRECT DEFINITION OF AN SLA THAT WILL

COVER ALL SITUATIONS FOR ALL ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS TEMPLATE HOWEVER, DOES PROMPT THE READER TO CONSIDER THE MOST
CRITICAL AREAS OF AN SLA and IT PROVOKES THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER AREAS
THAT COULD BE INCLUDED BASED ON INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
Page 106
Page 107
Multi Level SLA’s
IT Services
Multi-Level Based SLA
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 108
Multi-Level Based Service Level Agreement (SLA)

considered.

CUSTOMER OF IT SERVICES, FOR MULTIPLE SERVICES. This document
The multi-level based SLA is usually preferred by IT as it allows a single document to

cover a single service for all end-users of that service. It means less administration
time spent in negotiating different documents with different customers and less time
spent on worrying about accommodating different requirements amongst users.
This structure allows SLAs to be kept to a

manageable size, avoids unnecessary
Advantage
Multi-Level duplication, and reduces the need for frequent
based SLA updates.
It requires more time to negotiate and obtain

Disadvantage
agreement than other structures.
Service A
SERVICE D
Customer Service B
Customer Service C
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 109
(The following form can be used as the Multi-Level Based SLA document. The SLA
does not have to be in a lengthy written format and in fact it is more likely to be
adopted if it is kept concise, with only salient details)
SLA Information

Frame/Notes/Who

Note: the SLA will cover only
ONE IT Service, but end users
from many areas.
Use this section simply as an
Executive summary.

Data Base – CMDB)

review of this document?).
customer and IT.
document quickly)
Page 110

(Duplicate the following table for as many services to be covered).
Frame/Notes/Who
Service Identification Code A unique reference number

(This code can be cross- for this service.
referenced in the Customer
information table).

name).
Service Description Briefly describe the primary

(Business) function of the service.
(refer to Technical Use language that is
Considerations later in this business user friendly.
table) (eg. instead of “NT Server,
Service Expectation Level This is a unique concept to

this SLA design template.
descriptions of IT Services in
a clinical fashion.
These clinical descriptions
set an expectation for the

document that here.
However, remember that
using the reason “new
service” has only a limited
life-span.
Page 111

regarding security
names)?

receive.

priority levels set.

outages.
Minimum percentage
availability.
reruns.

available?

Page 112
Service Metrics for What will be the

performance performance numbers for
the work performed under
this UC?
Will the expected
performance be higher than
negotiated in the SLA to
allow a safety margin?

culture is built upon
imposing penalties for poor
performance.
penalties for failing to meet
the stated metrics must be
listed here.
remove this line.

Service Continuity Plan) necessary to invoke a
continuity option for this
service.
invocation should occur will
be listed here.
Service Continuity Plan is
also required.

SLA Review Procedure The process for reviewing

the SLA and who is involved.
the document.

Page 113

OLA Cross references Reference number to any closely

coupled agreements with
internal IT department
Technical considerations In this section you can describe

any technical considerations that
are essential to document.
you will include here a link to the
Service Catalog or Technical
Specification.
Notes & Comments
(Duplicate the following table for as many customers to be covered).

Frame/Notes/Who
Customer definition List and/or describe the

customers that are included in
this SLA.
It is most likely that the
customers will be all end-users
of IT services in the
organization. However, the
SLA for this service may be
only for particular function
holders that are spread
throughout the organization).
Applicable Services Description of Service and/or

Service identification code/s
NOTE: THERE CAN BE NO SINGLE CORRECT DEFINITION OF AN SLA THAT

WILL COVER ALL SITUATIONS FOR ALL ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS TEMPLATE HOWEVER, DOES PROMPT THE READER TO CONSIDER THE

MOST CRITICAL AREAS OF AN SLA and IT PROVOKES THOUGHT ABOUT
OTHER AREAS THAT COULD BE INCLUDED BASED ON INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
Page 114
Page 115
Business and IT Service Mapping
IT Services
Business and IT Service Mapping
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:


Page 116
Document Control
Author
Prepared by <name and / or department>
Document Source
I:/IT Services/Service Delivery/Business and IT Service Mapping/
Document Approval
• <first name, last name>, IT Services Manager
• <first name, last name>, IT Service Delivery Manager
• <first name, last name>, National IT Help Desk Manager
Amendment History
Distribution List
When this procedure is updated the following copyholders must be advised through
email that an updated copy is available on the intranet site:
<<organization name>> Stakeholders
Business Unit
IT
Page 117
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide IT departments with an understanding of
how the IT Services provided map to the organization’s business processes.
Scope
• details of each Business Process and the corresponding IT Service provided by
the IT departments within the organization:
• description of business process
• description of service
• business contacts
• service contacts
Note: It is assumed for each Business Process and IT Service described in this
document that the supporting back-end technology is already in place and operational.
Audience
This document is relevant to all staff in <<organization name>>
Ownership
IT Services has ownership of this document in conjunction with nominated Business
Representatives.
The following documents may help you to complete or understand the purpose of this
document:
• Relevant SLA and procedural documents
• Relevant IT Services Catalogue
• Relevant Technical Specification documentation
• Relevant Functional Specification documentation
• Relevant User Guides and Procedures
Page 118
Executive Overview
In the past organization’s IT Services functions have generally grown and developed
into large complex environments. Unfortunately this growth has not always been as
structured and pre-planned as it should have been.
The result has been an IT department not having a very clear picture of all the services
they currently provide, and with no accurate profile of the actual customers for each of
these services.
With increasing demands being placed on IT services and increasing reliance on IT

systems, it has become imperative for the IT department to establish an accurate
picture of the services it provides and to whom it provides them.
This document describes an approach for mapping IT Services to the Business

Process. That is, mapping what services are provided by IT to the business areas that
use them.
Mapping Business Process and IT Service: An approach

Most organizations now understand the benefits of having Information Technology (IT)
throughout their structure. Few realize the potential of truly aligning the IT
department’s objectives with the business objectives. However, more and more
organizations are beginning to recognize IT as being a crucial delivery mechanism of
services to their customers.
When the IT services are so critical, steps must be in place to ensure that the IT group
adds value and delivers consistently.
In line with this concept, the first step in mapping IT Services to the needs of the
business is to understand the organization.
An organization starts with a Mission Statement. The Mission Statement for an

organization defines its reason for being. Once we capture the Mission Statement, the
next thing to look at is the Vision Statement.
Page 119
The Vision Statement defines where it is that the organization wants to go. By
understanding where the organization wishes to position itself within its market space,
then we can start looking at how its short term and long term objectives align with this.
At this point we need to see the “objectives and strategy” of the organization. By
having this information, IT departments are more likely to be aware of the pressing
business issues and needs that may impact on the services that they provide. For
example, the organization may have an objective of expanding its business into new
markets within the next 12 months, requiring additional offices and staff. The direct
impact on IT departments would be the successful planning of capacity of new IT
Services, the successful planning of how to change our current services to meet the
demands of the business, and being flexible enough to meet these demands.
However, an objective is not sufficient enough to determine how IT departments

should be delivering its services. The organization will meet these objectives by
changing, enhancing or creating new business processes. For example,
Administration staff may need additional resources, a new ordering package may be
required, or perhaps a new billing process needs to be implemented to meet these
objectives.
Therefore, after capturing the organizational objectives, we need to understand how

these map to current business process, if the current business processes are
changing or if they are becoming obsolete and if there will be any new business
processes.
This is where the IT departments need to capture the Business Processes being used
by the organization.
Once the IT departments have a clear view of each of the business units involved in
the business process, we need to capture the fact that the business processes need
one or more IT services (eg. CRM application, e-mail, word processing, financial tools)
to function.
Page 120
Each of these IT services runs on IT infrastructure. This is where IT departments now

map the IT Services to those Business Processes listed above.
With this information IT Departments will now be able to clearly see how their IT
Infrastructure / IT Services supports the business. This allows IT to better deliver IT
aligned Services to the organization.
A simple model for this approach is illustrated below.
• What are the Objectives of the organization? What is its Mission and Vision?
• What Business Processes are in place or will be in place to meet these needs?
• What IT Services are needed or in place to service the Business Processes?
Business Objectives
Business Processes
IT Services
Page 121
Mission Statement
A mission statement describes the reason for the organization’s being. Without an
understanding of the mission statement of an organization, it becomes hard to define
what it is that the organization is trying to achieve.
In this section of the document capture the mission statement of the organization. It is
important to show that the IT department is aware of the business.
Vision Statement
In this section, document the Vision statement for the organization.
Below is a text example of what may be included in this section.
Listed below is the Vision Statement for <<organization name>>:

• Quality Care
• Convenient Service
• Good Experiences
• Care at Competitive Prices
• Service You'll Recommend to Friends and Family
These are the major goals of the staff at <<organization name>>. With over xxx
services and xxx staff, we constantly strive to provide the highest-quality service
throughout the xxxxxxxx. >>
Business Process Summary

The below table is an example of a Business Process Summary Table. Columns and
Rows can be added as needed. A more detailed breakdown of each process name is
provided in the following pages.
<<
Business Process Name: The name of the process if available

Process Owner: The name of the Department head or Business
Representative for the process
Description: A brief description of the process
Page 122
Department(s): The Department(s) that is involved or uses this process

Parent Process: Any process that may be considered a lead into this
process or is seen has having a higher business criticality
Triggers: What causes the process to start? This is important as IT
can then determine if and how their Services interact with
other business process or external organizations.
>>
BUSINESS Process Description Department(s) Parent Triggers

Process Owner Process
Name
Business Process A
This section of the document should be repeated for each Business Process.
Department
Name of the department
Process
Name of the process, and official abbreviation, if any
Process Owner
Name of the Department head or person responsible for ensuring the effectiveness
and efficiency of the process.
Page 123
Description
Briefly explain the purpose of the business process.
Parent Business Activity/Process

Name of the parent business activity or process, if any
Primary Product(s)
List the primary product(s), and explain if necessary. Identify the customer for each
primary product.
Trigger(s)
List the event(s) that trigger the process. (Triggers can be a calendar date, as well as
an actual event.)
Sub-processes
If the process is subdivided, list the sub-processes here.
Standard Path Events/Activities

List the important activities and/or events that occur as part of the standard path for
this process. If an activity or event occurs in a specific sub-process, identify the sub-
process that includes the activity/event. Note any locations where an alternative path
breaks off from the standard path.
Alternative Path Events/Activities

List the important activities and/or events that occur as part of the alternative path for
this process, beginning with a note on where the alternative path breaks off from the
standard path, and ending with a note on where the alternative path rejoins the
standard path, if it does. If an activity or event occurs in a specific sub-process, identify
the sub-process that includes the activity/event.
Inputs
List the inputs to the process, and explain if necessary. Identify the source of the input.
If the input is specific to a sub-process, identify the sub-process.
Page 124
Secondary Products
List the by-products, or minor outputs that result from the process. Identify the
customer for each output. If the secondary product is specific to a sub-process, identify
the sub-process.
Participants
List the participants (actors) in the process, and explain their function briefly. If the
participant is active only in a specific sub-process, identify the sub-process.
IT Services
The following section provides a table for capturing those IT Services that help support
the business process described in this section.
<<
Fields:
• IT Service: In this field capture the name of the IT Service. A

likely source of for this information would be the IT
Service Catalogue.
• Description: Write a brief description about the service.
• IT Service Owner: List any responsibilities for this IT Service. This

would include the owner of the IT Service and any
additional support personnel that are involved in the
deliver of the IT Service.
• Hours of Availability: List the hours of support for the particular IT Service.
Eg. 24 hours x 7 Days per week, Monday – Friday:
8.00am – 6.00pm, etc.
Page 125
• Contract: Is the IT Service provided under the agreement of a

contract? If so, it is important to capture any
contracts that may be in place for the IT Service.
Contracts will have a direct impact on how the IT
Service is delivered.
• Service Level Agreements:List any applicable SLAs for the IT Service.
• Impact: If the particular IT Service was unavailable, how

would this impact on the Business Process.
>>
This table should be used on a landscape page layout.
IT Service Description IT Service Hours of Contract Service Level Impact

Owner Availability Agreements
Page 126
Business Process B
Department
Process
Process Owner
Description
Parent Business Activity/Process
Primary Product(s)
Trigger(s)
Sub-processes
Standard Path Events/Activities
Alternative Path Events/Activities
Inputs
Secondary Products
Participants
IT Services
IT Service Description IT Service Hours of Contract Service Level Impact

Owner Availability Agreements
Page 127
Business Process and IT Service Summary
This section provides a summary matrix table of the business processes and their
corresponding IT Services.
This is a comprehensive summary table designed to be tailored for your needs. If

necessary add or remove rows and columns as needed. A simpler matrix may be
just as effective for your needs.
The table breaks down the IT Services and offers you the ability to capture the
owner of the IT Service, the impact of the service on the business process and the
agreed service hours.
The impact is an arbitrary value that IT and the business need to agree upon.
These values may be defined within the Service Catalogue or the Service Level
Agreements.
The table also breaks down the Business Processes and offers you the ability to
capture the department(s) that are involved in that particular business process, the
business owner of the process, and the business rating.
The Business Owner may be hard to define in an organization, in this instance

there maybe a number of owners of the process which would generally be made
up of the Department heads.
The Business Rating is also an arbitrary value that the business needs to agree
upon. In most instances each department will rate their business processes Critical
or Very High. The easy way to determine the Business Rating of the process would
be to ascertain if the business could still deliver its services if that business process
was unavailable for a period of time.
Page 128
Business Process A Business Process B
Department Owner Business Department Owner Business

Rating Rating
IT Services Accounting <<Busines Very High Admin <<Business Medium

s Process Process
Owner>> Owner>>
Owner <<IT
Service
Owner>>
Impact Very
Service A
High
Servic 24 x 7
e
Hours
Owner <<IT
Service
Owner>>
Service B Impact High
Servic Mon-Fri:
e 8am -
Hours 6pm
Owner <<IT
Service
Owner>>
Service C Impact Medium
Servic Mon-Sat:
e 6am -
Hours 6pm
Owner <<IT
Service
Owner>>
Service D Impact Low
Servic Mon-Fri:
e 6am -
Hours 10pm
Appendices
List any appendices needed in conjunction with this document.
Terminology
IT Infrastructure: includes hardware, software, procedures, policies,
documentation, etc.
Page 129
Operational Level Agreement
IT Services
Operational Level Agreement
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 130
Operational Level Agreement (OLA)

considered.

BETWEEN THE SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT PROCESS OWNER AND
THE IT DEPARTMENT. This document provides a basis for completion within
your own organization.
There is a common misconception that the Service Level Management

Process owner must be a member of the IT Department. This is not the case
and quite often the best person for the role is someone with no bias towards
IT. For example, a Human Resource Manager would do well in a role that has
such a high degree of communication required.
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 131
(The following form can be used as the OLA document. The OLA does not have to
be in a lengthy written format and in fact it is more likely to be adopted if it is kept
concise, with only salient details)
With regard to OPERATIONAL LEVEL AGREEMENTS (OLAs) the following points
should be addressed:
Frame/Notes/Who
Link to parent Service Level Agreement Cross reference to the

“parent” SLA.
Description of Service Brief description

(should be taken from
SLA)
OLA Reference number Unique identifying

number for the OLA
(for inclusion in the
Configuration
Management Data
Base – CMDB)
OLA Owner Functional role

description of who is
responsible for this
OLA (who would
participate in a review
of this document)
(Special tip: Avoid
using names as it
dates the document
quickly)
OLA Parties involved Within the IT

department perhaps
there are different
functional parties
involved. List them
here with a brief
description of their
involvement.
Page 132
OLA Target Response priorities If the OLA caters for

(reflected in parent SLA) different priorities they
must be listed here,
with a description on
the type of service that
each priority level
should receive.
OLA Target Response time Consider quicker

(reflected in parent SLA) response time to allow
for delays
OLA Support Hours Consider marginally

(reflected in parent SLA) longer support hours
(if less than 24)
OLA Out of Hours support procedure Are the in hours

(reflected in parent SLA) support staff the same
as out of hours.
Phone numbers and
what information will
be required when
support is called.
What does the user do
if the nominated
person is not
available?
OLA Charging policy Do we require staff to

(reflected in parent SLA) only act if they have a
validated cost code for
work?
Are there any special
aspects of the work
that has to be
recorded for later
charging?
OLA Metrics for performance What will be the

(reflected in parent SLA) performance numbers
for the work performed
under this OLA?
Will the expected
performance be higher
than negotiated in the
SLA to allow a safety
margin?
Page 133
OLA Cross references Reference number to

other closely coupled
OLAs
UC Cross references Reference number to

any closely coupled
agreements with
external suppliers
OLA Validity period Duration that this OLA

is expected to remain
in place before it is
reviewed.
OLA Review Procedure The process for

reviewing the OLA and
who is involved.
Special Tip: Avoid
using people’s names
and use role
descriptions to avoid
dating the document.
Version Control Information OLA Creation Date

OLA Last Modify Date
Notes & Comments
(Duplicate the above table for the number of OLAs to be created)
Page 134
Page 135
Service Level Requirements
IT Services
Service Level Requirements
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:


Page 136
Service Level Requirements (SLR)

considered.
This document serves as a GUIDE FOR ESTABLISHING THE NEEDS OF

CUSTOMERS WITH REGARD TO IT SERVICES. This document provides a
basis for completion within your own organization.
The document is made up of 3 sections.
The first section allows you to briefly describe the service. The second
section is where you capture user specific requirements (duplicate this
section the number of times required). The third section allows you to cross
reference the requirements uncovered in this study with other
agreements/documents that may already exist.
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 137
(The following form can be used as an SLR interview or data gathering document.
The SLR document does not have to be in a lengthy written format and in fact it is
more likely to be adopted if it is kept concise, with only salient details)
With regard to understanding SERVICE LEVEL REQUIREMENTS (SLR’s) the
following points should be addressed:
Service Information

Frame/Notes/Who
Unique SLR Reference # Useful to cross reference to

related Service Level
Agreements, OLAs or
Underpinning Contracts
Related SLA Reference # For cross referencing to the

created Service Level
Agreement (filled in after the
SLA is created).
Service Name
Preferably use a name that is
name).

(refer to end of table for function of the service.
technical considerations) Use language that is business
user friendly.
Page 138
(Duplicate the following table for as many services to be covered in this

SLR).

Frame/Notes/Who
Customer Definition and date of Whether the customer is an;

discussion Individual
Individual representing a group
of users
A group meeting to discuss
service requirements.
It should be documented here.
The date is an important
consideration as requirements
will definitely change over
time.
You can use this form or the
SLA that will be derived from it
as a starting point for the next
review.
Customer Expectations This is a unique concept to this

clinical fashion.
Page 139

regarding security
considerations that the
representative has for this
service.
Should there be differences in
names).
Be careful of using generic
terms like “confidential”.
Confidential can be interpreted
different ways (eg. Confidential
to the individual or for the
functional group or for a peer
group).
Service Target Response What sort of priority levels of

priorities support need to be in place for
this service?
Are there categories of end
user for the service that
require differing levels of
support?
(Eg. Group A requires phone
support only, Group B needs
face-to-face support)
Service Target Response time Against the levels/priorities

defined are there
corresponding response times
for the different priorities?
(Eg. Group A needs immediate
response, Group B needs a 2
hour response)
Service Support Hours What are the REALISTIC

(Availability) support hours required for this
service?
Impress upon the
representatives understand
that IT staff also have day jobs
and do not automatically start
work, after they have gone
home!!
Get numbers:
What is the maximum number
of accepted outages, in a
Page 140
given time period?

What would be an acceptable
number of errors or reruns?
Is after hours support

Service Out of Hours support required?
procedure To what degree is the support
needed (full support, partial,
best effort)?
Service Charging policy Does the representative have

any expectation regarding
charges for Service Delivery?
Be careful with this question
as it may create some
defensive reaction from the
representative (what do you
mean I have to pay for the
service? I never have in the
past!!)
The question of charging is
generally a more strategic
decision made by business
managers.
How is charging to be
implemented? (eg. Per user,
per transaction)
What is the customer budget
with regard to this service?
Service Metrics for performance Can the representative help

you to define metrics for this
service?
Does the representative have
a way that they classify the
service? (that we may have
missed – as our focus tends to
be more on technical issues)
Service Breach Clause Does the representative have

any thoughts regarding
penalties that should be
imposed if the service cannot
be delivered according to
agreed expectations?
(Realistic!)
Page 141
Continuity Considerations Does the representative have

any expectations regarding
how the service should be
recovered in the event of an
extended outage?
Do they require immediate
recovery, or can they work in a
paper based mode for a period
of time?
Can the customer accept any
loss of data? If yes, what is the
roll back point (eg. 2 hours, 1
day, 1 week)?
Non-representative Information
(Duplicate the following table for the number of services that data is being
gathered on).

Frame/Notes/Who
SLA Cross Reference Make a reference to any

existing SLAs that may be able
to be adapted or modified to
meet this requirement.
Technical considerations In this section you can

describe any technical
considerations that are
you will include here a link to
the Service Catalog or
Technical Specification.
You can use this section as a
check that the service is in fact
documented in the Service
Catalog.
Notes & Comments
Page 142
NOTE: THERE CAN BE NO SINGLE CORRECT DEFINITION OF A DATA

GATHERING EXERCISE FOR IT SERVICE DELIVERY REQUIREMENTS THAT
WILL COVER ALL SITUATIONS FOR ALL ORGANIZATIONS.
THIS TEMPLATE HOWEVER, DOES PROMPT THE READER TO CONSIDER

THE MOST CRITICAL AREAS OF DATA GATHERING and IT PROVOKES
THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER AREAS THAT COULD BE INCLUDED BASED ON
INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.
(Duplicate the above table for the number of Services that requirements are
to be gathered for)
Page 143
Service Options
IT Services
Service Options
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:


Page 144
Document Control
Author
Document Source
I:/IT Services/Service Delivery/Service Level Management/Service Options
Document Approval
♦ <first name, last name>, IT Services Manager
♦ <first name, last name>, IT Service Delivery Manager
♦ <first name, last name>, National IT Help Desk Manager
Amendment History
Distribution List
<Company Name> Business Stakeholders
Unit
IT
Page 145
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide the IT Organization with a breakdown
of options for the Services listed in the Service Catalog
Scope
• Service Options
• <<any additional items that you want>>
Audience
This document is relevant to all staff in <company name>
Ownership
Include in this section any related Service Level Management reference numbers
• Implementation Plan / Project Plan

• Policies, Guidelines and Scope Document
• SLM Process Template
Executive Overview
Note:
The intent of this document is to provide a simple break down of options available
for IT Services.
This document is to be used in conjunction with Service Catalogue.
Page 146
Service Level Management Overview
Summarize the organization definition for crucial Service Level Management

components here.
The definition of an SLA is:
<< insert your company’s definition here >>
The definition of an OLA is:
The definition of a UC is:
The definition of a service is:
Service Options
The following table breaks down each service and the available options. This is a
template and is used to illustrate for the user of this document the available options
and structure to use when creating service options.
The below table should be created for each individual service offered in the
Service Catalogue.
Page 147
IT Service: Business
Process:
IT Owner: Business
Owner:
Service Business
Criticality: Process
Criticality:
Service Service Options

Components
Platinum Gold Silver Bronze Default
Availability
Capacity
Response
SLA
Recovery
SLA
Service
Hours
Recovery
Options
Security
Pricing
Appendices
Include any applicable appendixes that are needed.
Terminology
Make sure that all terminology is captured and documented correctly.
Page 148
Page 149
IT Services
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 150
Underpinning Contract (UC)

considered.

BETWEEN THE SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT PROCESS OWNER AND AN
EXTERNAL PROVIDER (THIRD PARTY) OF IT SERVICES. This document
There is a common misconception that the Service Level Management

Process owner must be a member of the IT Department. This is not the case
and quite often the best person for the role is someone with no bias towards
IT. For example, a Human Resource Manager would do well in a role that has
such a high degree of communication required.
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
(The following form can be used as the UC document. The UC does not have to be
in a lengthy written format and in fact it is more likely to be adopted if it is kept
concise, with only salient details)
With regard to UNDERPINNING CONTRACTS (UCs) the following points should
be addressed:
Page 151

Frame/Notes/Who
Link to parent Service Level Agreement Cross reference to the

“parent” SLA.
Description of Service Brief description

(should be taken from
SLA)
UC Reference number Unique identifying

number for the UC (for
inclusion in the
Configuration
Management Data
Base – CMDB)
UC Owner Functional role

description of who is
responsible for this UC
(who would participate
in a review of this
document?)
(Special tip: Avoid
using names as it
dates the document
quickly)
UC Parties involved Within the external

provider there may be
different functional
parties involved. List
them here with a brief
description of their
involvement.
UC Target Response priorities If the UC

(reflected in parent SLA) accommodates
different priorities they
must be listed here,
with a description of
the type of service that
each priority level
should receive.
UC Target Response time Consider quicker

(reflected in parent SLA) response time to allow
for delays
Page 152
UC Support Hours Consider marginally

(reflected in parent SLA) longer support hours (if
less than 24)
UC Out of Hours support procedure Are the in hours

(reflected in parent SLA) support staff the same
as out of hours?
Phone numbers and
what information will
be required when
support is called.
What does the user do
if the nominated
person is not
available?
UC Charging policy Do we require external

(reflected in parent SLA) staff to only act if they
have a validated cost
code for work?
Are there any special
aspects of the work
that has to be recorded
for later charging?
UC Metrics for performance What will be the

(reflected in parent SLA) performance numbers
for the work performed
under this UC?
Will the expected
performance be higher
than negotiated in the
SLA to allow a safety
margin?
UC Cross references Reference number to

other closely coupled
UCs
OLA Cross references Reference number to

any closely coupled
agreements with
internal IT department
Page 153
UC Validity period Duration that this UC is

expected to remain in
place before it is
reviewed.
UC Review Procedure The process for

reviewing the UC and
who is involved.
Special Tip: Avoid
using people’s names
and use role
descriptions to avoid
dating the document.
Version Control Information UC Creation Date

UC Last Modify Date
Notes & Comments
(Duplicate the above table for the number of UCs to be created)
Page 154
Page 155
Functional Specification
IT Services
Functional Specification
Service: <service name>
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 156
Document Control
Author
Prepared by <<name and / or department>>
Document Source
I:/IT Services/Service Delivery/Functional Specifications/
Document Approval
• <<first name, last name>>, IT Services Manager
• <<first name, last name>>, IT Service Delivery Manager
• <<first name, last name>>, National IT Help Desk Manager
Amendment History
Distribution List
<<Organization name>> Stakeholders
Business Unit
IT
Page 157
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide relevant Business Units with the
functional specifications of the range of services provided by IT Services to the
<<Organization name>> community.
Scope
details of each service provided by IT Services including:
• functional capabilities of the service
• user characteristics
• user operations and practices
• software and hardware interfaces
• details of procedures for the service
Note: It is assumed for each service described in this document that the supporting
back-end technology is already in place and operational.
Audience
This document is relevant to all staff in <<Organization name>>
Ownership
Include in this section any related Service Level Agreement reference numbers
Page 158
Executive Overview
Describe the purpose, scope and organization of the Functional Specification
document.
Service Overview
Service Description
Describes briefly the reason for the service, and lists the most important features
and capabilities.
Also include the services relationship to the business processes.
Service functional capabilities
This section presents a list of the functions that the service will be required to
perform.
Where the service comprises of several functional capabilities, a table may be
developed to illustrate these relationships. The list of functional capabilities may be
an updated version of the capabilities listed in the original “Service Level
Requirements” for this service.
(Refer to Service Level Requirements)
User characteristics
This section describes the intended users of the service in terms of job function,
specialized knowledge, or skill levels required.
This section should consider various user classes or profiles such as managers,
engineers, equipment operators, IT support staff, and network or database
administrators.
User operations and practices
Describes how persons will normally use the service, and the tasks they will most
frequently perform.
Also covers how users might use the service on an occasional basis. Consider
using a formal “Use Case” to specify the end-users' expected use of the service.
This may also be derived from the Service Level Requirements.
Page 159
General constraints
This section will list the limitations, user interface limitations, and data limitations of
the service. Includes items such as minimum availability, capacity, security needed
by the service to function.
It should also include maintenance requirements; more specifically the amount of
time and frequency the service will be unavailable due to maintenance and service.
Also, states if training is required for use of the system.
Assumptions
This section lists any assumptions that were made in specifying the functional
requirements of this service.
Other services
How does the service interact with other services?
Specific Function Descriptions

This section is repeated for each function of the service. Some examples of
functions are: email sending or receiving, sorting or archiving email, virus checking
and scanning of email, and recovery of email services.
Description
The description describes the function and its role in the service.
Inputs
Describe the inputs to the function. Input validation strategy, allowed email types
and values are specified for each input.
Processing
Describes what is done by the function. Cited here would be database definitions
where relevant, transaction algorithms or functions, flow of information etc.
Page 160
Outputs
This section describes the outputs of the function. Where a user interface
description is relevant, it is included.
Reports generated are also defined.
External Interfaces
The interfaces in this section are specified by documenting: the name and
description of each item, source or input, destination or output, ranges, accuracy
and tolerances, units of measure, timing, display formats and organization,
availability and capacity requirements and any relevant agreements that may
impact on the service.
User Interfaces
Where necessary.
This section describes all major forms, screens, or web pages, including any
complex dialog boxes. This is usually best done via simulated, non-functioning
screen shots (such as PowerPoint slides), and may take the form of a separate
document.
The navigation flow of the windows, menus, and options is described, along with
the expected content of each window. Examples of items that could be included
are screen resolutions, color scheme, primary font type and size.
Discussion also includes how input validation will be done, and how the service will
be protected from security issues.
This section can be generic enough to describe simply the User Interfaces to the
functions of the service. Examples of items here would be client interface available,
web interface available, email interface available etc.
Hardware Interfaces
Describes the components needed to provide the service, and also other output or
input devices such as printers or handheld devices.
Page 161
Software Interfaces
This section describes any software that will be required in order for the service to
operate fully. Includes any developed software or commercial applications that
customers will be utilizing together with the planned service. Also describes any
software that the service will interact with such as operating system platforms
supported, file import and export, networking, automation, or scripting.
This section will also specify whether the users must provide the interface software
and any special licensing requirements.
Communication Interfaces
Describes how the service will communicate with itself (for multi-platform
applications) or other software applications or hardware, including items such as
networking, email, intranet, and Internet communications, PABX, IP telephony etc.
Functional Design Constraints

Any examples of constraints that will prevent or influence the ability of the system
to deliver the expected functionality will be listed here.
Attributes
Security
Describes where necessary the technical security requirements for the service. For
example, any password-protected access levels such as operator,
engineer/modeller, manager, database administrator and which functionality will be
accessible to each access level, firewall requirements and virus software.
This section should also describe all physical, organizational and procedural
security requirements for the service.
Reliability, Availability, Maintainability

This section describes requirement items such as days or weeks of continuous
operation, strategy for data recovery, structuring of service for ease of future
modification.
Page 162
Installation and Distribution

This section describes the planned method for installation and distribution of
releases for the service: done by the user independently, done by customer
company internal IT services, done by an external contractor.
The section should specify the handling of such items as data transfer from prior
releases, the physical storage of hardware and software in conjunction with
releases and the presence of software or hardware elements from prior releases.
Usability
It is important to describe items that will ensure the user-friendliness of the service.
Examples include error messages that direct the user to a solution, user
documentation, online help etc.
Additional Requirements
Describes other characteristics the service must have, that were not covered in the
prior sections.
Administration
Includes any periodic updating or data management needed for the service.
• User documentation: Describes the user documentation to be delivered in
conjunction with the service, including both hard copy and online
requirements.
• Other requirements: Describes any other requirements not already
covered above that need to be considered during the design of the service.
Page 163
Technical Specification
IT Services
Technical Specification
Service: <service name>
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:


Page 164
Document Control
Author
Document Source
I:/IT Services/Service Delivery/Technical Specifications/
Document Approval
• <first name, last name>, IT Services Manager
• <first name, last name>, IT Service Delivery Manager
• <first name, last name>, National IT Help Desk Manager
Amendment History
Distribution List
<<Organization name>> Stakeholders
Business Unit
IT
Page 165
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide relevant IT Units with the technical
specifications for the range of services provided by IT Services to the
<<Organization name>> community.
Scope
details of each service provided by IT Services including:
• functional capabilities of the service
• user characteristics
• user operations and practices
• software and hardware interfaces
• details of procedures for the service
Note: It is assumed for each service described in this document that the supporting
functional awareness of the service is already known.
Audience
This document is relevant to IT staff in <<Organization name>>
Ownership
Include in this section any related Service Level Agreement reference numbers
Page 166
Executive Overview
Describe the purpose, scope and organization of the Technical Specification
document.
Service Overview
Service Description
Describes briefly the reason for the service, and lists the most important features
and capabilities.
Also include the services relationship to the business processes.
Service technical capabilities

This section presents a list of the technical aspects that the service will be required
to perform.
Where the service comprises of technical aspects, a table may be developed to
illustrate these relationships.
User characteristics
This section describes the intended users of the service in terms of job function,
specialized knowledge, or skill levels required.
This section should consider various user classes or profiles such as managers,
engineers, equipment operators, IT support staff, and network or database
administrators.
User operations and practices

Describes how persons will normally use the service, and the tasks they will most
frequently perform.
Also covers how users might use the service on an occasional basis. Consider
using a formal “Use Case” to specify the end-users' expected use of the service.
This may also be derived from the Service Level Requirements.
Page 167
Assumptions
This section lists any assumptions that were made in specifying the technical
requirements of this service.
Other services
How does the service technically interact with other services?
Specific Technical Descriptions

This section is repeated for each technical aspect of the service. Some examples
of technical aspects are: Processing, Backup, Archive, Restores.
Description
The description describes the Technical aspect and its role in the service.
Inputs
Describe the inputs to the aspect. Data feeds from other systems, human input or
automated timed activities are examples of inputs.
Processing
Describes what is done. For example with regard to backups we would describe
the database close, backup and database restart activities.
Outputs
This section describes the outputs. For example, if we are describing the archive
activity we would expect to end up with a media storage device that would be
stored in a secure location.
Reports generated are also defined.
Other technical considerations
The interfaces in this section are specified by documenting: the name and
description of each item, source or input, destination or output, ranges, accuracy
and tolerances, units of measure, timing, display formats and organization,
availability and capacity requirements and any relevant agreements that may
impact on the service.
Page 168
Hardware details
Describes the technical components needed to provide the service, and also other
output or input devices such as printers or handheld devices.
Software details
Describes the technical aspects of the software used to provide the service (eg.
client server details), operating system levels, backup software used, virus
protection details, other supporting services and applications that contribute to the
service availability.
Communication details
Describes how the service will communicate with itself (for multi-platform
applications) or other software applications or hardware, including items such as
networking, email, intranet, and Internet communications, PABX, IP telephony etc.
Performance
Discusses items such as response times, throughput requirements, data volume
requirements, maximum data file size or problem complexity, maximum number of
concurrent uses, and peak load requirements (for web-based applications).
Includes expected response times for entering information, querying data files and
databases, performing calculations of various complexities, and
importing/exporting data.
Technical Design Constraints
Examples of technical constraints that affect service design choices are items such
as memory constraints involving minimum and maximum RAM and hard disk
space, and limitations arising from hardware, software or communications
standards.
Additional Requirements
Describes other characteristics the service must have, that were not covered in the
prior sections.
Page 169
Administration
Includes any periodic updating or data management needed for the service.
• User documentation: Describes the user documentation to be delivered in
conjunction with the service, including both hard copy and online
requirements.
• Other requirements: Describes any other requirements not already
covered above that need to be considered during the design of the service.
Page 170
Page 171
Price List
IT Services
Price List
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 172
Price List Considerations for Service Level Management

considered.
This document serves as a GUIDE FOR DETERMINING THE PRICE OF IT

SERVICE DELIVERY TO CUSTOMERS. This document provides a basis for
completion within your own organization.
This document can be read in conjunction with:
Service Catalogue (which is where summary pricing information is
presented).
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
There are three considerations to review when looking to establish the prices for IT
Services that are delivered. It is the combination of these areas that will help the
Service Level Manager (along with the process owner for Financial Management
for IT Services) set and negotiate pricing for IT Service delivery.
These considerations are:
1) The degree of IT costs that are expected to be recovered.

Such a decision will generally come from a business policy regarding cost
recovery for other shared services. For example if Human Resources aim to
recover all costs from the departments or user groups it supports, it is likely
that this will also apply to IT.
Page 173
2) The degree that IT wants to change consumption patterns of Customers and

Users
There is no surer thing. Once services start to cost, then behaviours will
change and demand will decrease. Of course, the major challenge of
looking to use pricing to influence (drive down) consumption is the major
resistance that can be expected.
3) Budget influence
Careful and well articulated pricing for IT Services allows better predictions
regarding the expected budget required for a future time period. This
positive influence helps to reduce the number of unexpected surprises that
can often happen, when budget funds cannot support requirements.
Use the following table with examples to help determine which IT Services will be
charged for in your organization and the basis upon which you will levy that
charge.
Chargeable Item (examples) Ancillary Services Cost basis
Sales transaction Network connection Simple cost per transaction,

Personal Computer or;
File server processing Cost per speed of processing,
or;
Cost per size of transaction
E-mail sent Network connection to Per unit, or;

mail server Stored limit, or;
Personal Computer Mail items in the “in-box”
Internet connection
An important point to consider regarding the pricing of services is the case when a
customer claims that they can buy the service cheaper from an external provider.
While this may be the case, the overall impact on the organization may be negative
– so it may be necessary to impose restrictions regarding purchase of external
services when suitable internal services are available.
Page 174
Once the pricing differential is identified a controlled process of (a) reducing costs
or (b) outsourcing to an external provider can be carried out.
The final point to consider regarding the price of IT Services is whether actual
funds transfer will take place or if charges are just imaginary (or “nominal”).
Nominal charging allows customers to see the costs of the IT Services they
consume, but they are not expected to transfer funds from their cost centres to the
IT department. This method can have a low impact; in that without transferring
funds, the affect on behaviour may be negligible.
Page 175
Communication Plan
IT Services
Communication Plan
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 176
Communication Plan for Service Level Management

considered.
This document serves as a GUIDE FOR COMMUNICATIONS REQUIRED for

the Service Level Management process. This document provides a basis for
This document contains suggestions regarding information to share with

others. The document is deliberately concise and broken into
communication modules. This will allow the reader to pick and choose
information for e-mails, flyers, etc. from one or more modules if and when
appropriate.
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 177
Initial Communication
Sell the Benefits
First steps in communication require the need to answer the question that most
people (quite rightly) ask when the IT department suggests a new system, a new
way of working. WHY?
It is here that we need to promote and sell the benefits. However, be cautious of
using generic words. Cite specific examples from your own organization that the
reader will be able to relate to.
Generic Benefit statements Specific Organizational example
CM provides accurate information This is important because…

on our IT components.
Allows us to more carefully control In recent times our control on IT has…

the valuable IT infrastructure.
Helps us to more effectively Apart from the obvious benefits, the IT

manage our expenditure on IT. department in recent times has…
Assists with protecting against A recent example of … saw the

illegal or unauthorized software. individual and the company face severe
penalties.
The above Communication module (or elements of) was/were distributed;
To:
On: <<date>>
By:
On: <<date>>
Page 178
Service Level Management Goals

The Goals of Service Level Management
The Goals of Service Level Management can be promoted in the following

manner.
Official Goal Statement: Through a process of continual negotiation,

discussion, monitoring and reporting the Service Level Management process
aims to ensure the delivery of IT Services that meet the requirements and
expectations of our customers and end-users.
• Seek agreement on expected delivery of IT service by gaining an

understanding of the Service Level Requirements from nominated personnel
(Special Tip: Beware of using only Managers to gain information from, as the
resistance factor will be high)
• Oversee the monitoring of service delivery to ensure that the negotiations

regarding the service requirements are not ignored and treated as a once off
exercise.
• Provide relevant reports to nominated personnel.
(Special Tip: Beware of reporting only to Managers. If you speak to a lot of people
regarding Service Delivery then you need to establish ways to report to these
people the outcomes and progress of the discussions).
Always bear in mind the “so what” factor when discussing areas like goals and
objectives. If you cannot honestly and sensibly answer the question “so what” – then
you are not selling the message in a way that is personal to the listener and gets
their “buy-in”.
The above Service Level Management Goals module was distributed;
To:
On: <<date>>
By:
On: <<date>>
Service
Page 179
Service Level Management Activities

Intrusive & Hidden Activities
The list of actions in this module may have a direct impact on end users. They
will be curious as to why staff have a sudden interest in trying to develop an
understanding regarding what they need from IT. There could be an element of
suspicion, so consider different strategies to overcome this initial scepticism.
Identification
• Analysing current services and Service Level Requirements
• Recording the current service provision in a Service Catalogue.
Definition
Matching & customising (with the customer) of the right service provision
against the right costs:
• Demands of the customer (Service Level Requirements).
Agreement (Defining and signing SLA/s)

• Service Level Agreements, supported by: Operational Level
Agreements (OLAs) and Underpinning Contracts
Monitoring
Measuring the actual service levels against the agreed service levels
Reporting
Reporting on the service provision (to the customer and the IT
organisation)
Evaluation (review)
• Evaluate the service provision with the customer
• Match & customise: adjust service provision if required? (SIP, SQP)
• Match & customise: adjust SLA if required?
Information regarding activities was distributed;
To:
On: <<date>>
By:
On: <<date>>
Page 180
Service Level Management Deliverable

Outputs of the Process
There are a variety of output documents that should be visible to the customer and
end-user. Outlining these will allow the use of common terms – which enhances the
overall communication process.
SLR = Service Level Requirements

• Detailed recording of the customers’ needs
• Blueprint for defining, adapting and revising of services
Service Spec Sheets = Service Specifications

• Connection between functionality (externally / customer focussed) and
technicalities (internally / IT organisation focussed)
Service Catalogue
• Detailed survey of available services
• Detailed survey of available service levels
• Derived from the Service Spec Sheets, but written in “customer terminology”
SLA = Service Level Agreement

The written agreement between the provider and the customer (business
representative)
Service Level Achievements = the Service Levels that are realised
SIP = Service Improvement Programme / Plan

Actions, phases and delivery dates for improvement of a service
OLA = Operational Level Agreement (or SPA, Service Provisioning

Agreement)
A written agreement with another internal IT department to support the SLA
UC = Underpinning Contract (=a written agreement with an external IT supplier)
News about the Service Level Management deliverables was distributed;
To:
On: <<date>>
By:
On: <<date>>
Page 181
Service Level Management Planning

Costs
Information relating to costs may be a topic that would be held back from general
communication. Failure to convince people of the benefits will mean total rejection of
associated costs. If required, costs fall under several categories:
• Personnel – audit verification staff, database management team (Set-up and

ongoing)
• Accommodation – Physical location (Set-up and ongoing)
• Software – Tools (Set-up and ongoing)
• Hardware – Infrastructure (Set-up)
• Education – Training (Set-up and ongoing)
• Procedures – external consultants etc. (Set-up)
The costs of implementing Service Level Management will be outweighed by the

benefits. For example, many organizations have a negative perception of the
function of the IT Department. A well run Service Level Management process will
make major inroads into altering that perception.
Failure to deliver acceptable services will only add to any poor perceptions and start
business people questioning the value of IT.
Details regarding the cost of Service Level management were distributed;
To:
On: <<date>>
By:
On: <<date>>
Page 182
Page 183
Business and IT Flyers
IT Services
Business and IT Flyers
Statu In draft
s: Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Versi <<your version>>

on:
Rele
ase
Date:


Page 184
Introduction
The following pages provide 2 examples of flyers that can printed and
distributed throughout your organization.
They are designed to be displayed in staff rooms.
Note, they are examples, and your input is required to complete the flyers.
Remember, the important thing is to ensure that the message delivered in the
flyer is appropriate to the audience that will be reading it.
So think about how and where you will be distributing the flyers.
Page 185

Service Level Management

Key Points: IT Services Department

The IT Department is Where are you going services being
embarking on a Service to send this flyer? delivered by the IT
•Agreed Levels
Which locations will Departments. >>
of Service. Level Management
Improvement the flyer be posted at? << What process do

Programme. If you are posting the they need to follow
•Easy to << Provide brief flyer in staff rooms, when recording
understand description of Service then the content needs information about
Service Level Management >> to reflect the failures in IT Services?
Catalogue.
information that will be >>
<<First, determine the of use to them. For
audience of this flyer. Provide contact lists
example, list a for the IT Department
•Services You This could be anyone common set of
who might benefit from as well as the
Need. services and the level business managers
the information it that they are provided
contains, for example, IT that they can contact.
at. This helps set the >>
•Services at the employees or business expectations for the
Right Time! staff.

THE THE PROCESS CONTACTS
•Improved IT BENEFITS
Services <<
<<
List the <<
List the steps
•Less Disruption benefits to List the contacts
involved in
the intended the process
audience. Input any
• <<any
additional points graphics in here
Keep it
>> Keep it simple >>
Simple

Show steps
Use Bullet as necessary
Points and
>> beneficial
>>

Page 186

Service Level
Management
IT SERVICE
IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAMME
HELP US HELP YOU

Contact your immediate Manager to let them know what you
need to do your job better
We need to know about the Services YOU NEED.
IMPROVED SERVICE DELIVERY IS OUR GOAL
KNOW YOUR SERVICE RIGHTS
Sponsored by IT SERVICES
“Constantly improving and aligning to your needs”
Page 187
Reports KPI’s Other Metrics

IT Services
Reports and KPI Targets
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:


Page 188
Reports and KPI Targets for Service Level Management
The document is not to be considered an extensive statement as its topics

have to be generic enough to suit any reader for any organization.
However, the reader will certainly be reminded of the key topics that have to
be considered.
This document serves as a GUIDE ON SUITABLE KEY PERFORMANCE

INDICATORS (KPIs) and REPORTS FOR MANAGEMENT for the Service
Level Management process. This document provides a basis for
This document contains suggestions regarding the measures that would

be meaningful for this process. The metrics demonstrated are intended
to show the reader the range of metrics that can be used. The message
must also be clear that technology metrics must be heavily
supplemented with non-technical and business focused
metrics/KPI’s/measures.
This document was;
Prepared by:
On: <<date>>
And accepted by:
On: <<date>>
Page 189
Key performance indicators (KPI’s)
Continuous improvement requires that each process needs to have a plan

about “how” and “when” to measure its own performance. While there can be
no set guidelines presented for the timing/when of these reviews; the “how”
question can be answered with metrics and measurements.
With regard to timing of reviews then factors such as resource availability,

cost and “nuisance factor” need to be accounted for. Many initiatives begin
with good intentions to do regular reviews, but these fall away very rapidly.
This is why the process owner must have the conviction to follow through on
assessments and meetings and reviews, etc. If the process manager feels
that reviews are too seldom or too often then the schedule should be changed
to reflect that.
Establishing SMART targets is a key part of good process management.
SMART is an acronym for:
Simple
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time Driven
Metrics help to ensure that the process in question is running effectively.
Page 190
With regard to SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT the following metrics and

associated targets should be considered:
Key Performance Indicator Target Value Time
(some Frame/Notes/Who
examples)
The percentage of Underpinning contracts Expressed as a

and OLAs in place that are supporting percentage, it
Service Level Agreements. indicates that
SLAs are more
than just a
document, but
have been
extended into
related
agreements
with internal
and external
providers.
Meetings held (on time) to review A reducing

performance number here
may be a good
indication or at
least the
number should
be stable.
Costs of Service Delivery decreasing.
The percentage of targets relating to Service

delivery being met.
The number of Service breaches recorded
Improvements in salient points from

Customer feedback forms
Others
Special Tip: Beware of using percentages in too many cases. It may even be
better to use absolute values when the potential number of maximum failures
is less than 100
Page 191
Reports for Management
Management reports help identify future trends and allow review of the “health” of
the process. Setting a security level on certain reports may be appropriate as well as
categorizing the report as Strategic, Operational or Tactical.
The acid test for a relevant report is to have a sound answer to the question; “What
decisions is this report helping management to make?”
Management reports for Service Level Management should include:
Report Time Frame/Notes/Who
Expected growth in demand for the service (will

generally be high at start-up, but then plateau)
Serious Service breaches and remedy steps taken
Backlog details of process activities outstanding (along

with potential negative impact regarding failure to
complete the work in a timely manner) – but also
provide solutions on how the backlog can be cleared.
Simple breakdown of new SLA/OLA/UCs created,

simple notes on reviews of same completed.
Analysis and results of meetings completed
The situation regarding the process staffing levels and

any suggestions regarding redistribution, recruitment
and training required.
Human resource reporting including hours worked

against project/activity (including weekend/after hours
work).
Relevant Financial information– to be provided in

conjunction with Financial Management for IT Services
Page 193
SLM IMPLEMENTATION & PROJECT PLAN
IT Services
Implementation Plan/Project Plan
Skeleton Outline
Status: In draft
Under Review
Sent for Approval
Approved
Rejected
Release Date:
Page 194
Planning and implementation for Service Level Management
This document as described provides guidance for the planning and implementation
of the Service Level Management ITIL process.
The document is not to be considered an extensive plan as its topics have to be
considered for planning and implementation of this process.
Initial planning
When beginning the process planning the following items must be completed:
CHECK DESCRIPTION
☺ or 2
or date
Get agreement on the objective (use the ITIL definition), purpose,
scope, and implementation approach (eg. Internal, outsourced,
hybrid) for the process.
Assign a person to the key role of process manager/owner. This

person is responsible for the process and all associated systems.
Conduct a review of activities that would currently be considered as

an activity associated with this process. Make notes and discuss the
“re-usability” of that activity.
Create and gain agreement on a high-level process plan and a

design for any associated process systems. NOTE: the plan need
not be detailed. Too many initiatives get caught up in too much
detail in the planning phase. KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING.
Review the finances required for the process as a whole and any
associated systems (expenditure including people, software,
hardware, accommodation). Don’t forget that the initial expenditure
may be higher than the ongoing costs. Don’t forget annual
allowances for systems maintenance or customizations to systems
by development staff.
Agree to the policy regarding this process
Page 195
Create Strategic statements
Policy Statement
The policy establishes the “SENSE OF URGENCY” for the process.
It helps us to think clearly about and agree on the reasons WHY effort is put into this
process.
An inability to answer this seemingly simple, but actually complex question is a major
stepping stone towards successful implementation
The most common mistake made is that reasons regarding IT are given as the WHY
we should do this. Reasons like to make our IT department more efficient are far too
generic and don’t focus on the real issue behind why this process is needed.
The statement must leave the reader in no doubt that the benefits of this process will
be far reaching and contribute to the business in a clearly recognizable way.
Objective Statement
When you are describing the end or ultimate goal for a unit of activity that is about to
be undertaken you are outlining the OBJECTIVE for that unit of activity.
Of course the activity may be some actions for just you or a team of people. In either
case, writing down the answer to WHERE will this activity lead me/us/the
organization is a powerful exercise.
There are many studies that indicate the simple act of putting a statement about the
end result expected onto a piece of paper, then continually referring to it, makes
achieving that end result realistic.
As a tip regarding the development of an objective statement; don’t get caught up in
spending hours on this. Do it quickly and go with your instincts or first thoughts –
Page 196
BUT THEN, wait a few days and review what you did for another short period of time
and THEN commit to the outcome of the second review as your statement.
Scope Statement
In defining the scope of this process we are answering what activities and what
“information interfaces” does this process have.
Don’t get caught up in trying to be too detailed about the information flow into and
out of this process. What is important is that others realize that information does in
fact flow.
For example, with regard to the SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT process we can
create a simple table such as:
Service Level Management Information flows

Process Process Information
SLMMgt to FinancialMgt Customer budget details
FinancialMgt to SLMMgt Expected ROI calculations for new service
to
SLMMgt ReleaseMgt Details regarding mandatory times for service
availability
to
ReleaseMgt SLMMgt Expected impact (+ve or –ve) of release
to
SLMMgt ServiceDesk Client expectations regarding call pick up times (eg.
2 rings)
to
ServiceDesk SLMMgt Details of irate callers
Page 197
Steps for Implementation
There can be a variety of ways to implement this process. For a lot of organizations
a staged implementation may be suitable. For others a “big bang” implementation –
due to absolute equality may be appropriate.
In reality however, we usually look at implementation according to pre-defined

priorities. Consider the following options and then apply a suitable model to your
own organization or case study.
STEPS NOTES/
/RELEVANCE/DATES/
WHO
Produce the Service Catalog
Plan the SLA Structure
Establish the Service Level Requirements
Draft SLA and seek initial approval
Establish monitoring levels
Review agreements with internal and external suppliers
Define reporting standards
Publicize and market
The priority selection has to be made with other factors in mind, such as competitive
analysis, any legal requirements, and desires of “politically powerful influencers”.
Page 198
Costs
The cost of process implementation is something that must be considered before,

during and after the implementation initiative. The following points and table helps to
frame these considerations:
(A variety of symbols have been provided to help you indicate required expenditure,
rising or falling expenditure, level of satisfaction regarding costs in a particular area,
etc.)
Initial During Ongoing

Personnel
Costs of people for initial design of process,
0 /
implementation and ongoing support
☺
Accommodation
Costs of housing new staff and any associated new
equipment and space for documents or process related
concepts.
Software
New tools required to support the process and/or the
costs of migration from an existing tool or system to the
new one.
Maintenance costs
Hardware
New hardware required to support the process
activities. IT hardware and even new desks for staff.
Education
Re-education of existing staff to learn new techniques
and/or learn to operate new systems.
Procedures
Development costs associated with filling in the detail of
a process activity. The step-by-step recipe guides for all
involved and even indirectly involved personnel.
In most cases, costs for process implementation have to be budgeted for (or
allocated) well in advance of expenditure. Part of this step involves deciding on a
charging mechanism (if any) for the new services to be offered.
Page 199
Build the team
Each process requires a process owner and in most situations a team of people to
assist.
The Service Level Management process is perhaps the process in the Service
Delivery set that has the largest amount of initial and on-going activity.
The team size may or may not reflect this. Of course a lot will be dependant on
the timing of the implementation and whether it is to be staged or implemented
as one exercise.
Analyze current situation and FLAG
Naturally there are many organizations that have many existing

procedures/processes and people in place that feel that the activities of SLM are
already being done. It is critical to identify these systems and consider their future
role as part of the new process definition.
Examples of areas to review are:
Area Notes
Power teams
Current formal procedures
Current informal procedures
Current role descriptions
Existing organizational structure
Spreadsheets, databases and other repositories
Other…
Page 200
Implementation Planning
After base decisions regarding the scope of the process and the overall planning
activities are complete we need to address the actual implementation of the process.
It is unlikely that there will not be some current activity or work being performed that
would fit under the banner of this process. However, we can provide a
comprehensive checklist of points that must be reviewed and done.
Implementation activities for Service Level Management
Activity Notes/Comments/Ti
me Frame/Who
Review current and existing Service Level Management practices in

greater detail. Make sure you also review current process
connections from these practices to other areas of IT Service
Delivery.
Review the ability of existing functions and staff. Can we “reuse”

some of the skills to minimize training, education and time required
for implementation?
Establish the accuracy and relevance of current processes,

procedures and meetings. As part of this step if any information is
credible document the transition from the current format to any new
format that is selected.
Decide how best to select any vendor that will provide assistance in
this process area (including tools, external consultancy or
assistance to help with initial high workload during process
implementation).
Page 201
Establish a selection guideline for the evaluation and selection of

tools required to support this process area (i.e. SLA Management
tools).
Purchase and install tools required to support this process (i.e. SLA
Management tool). Ensure adequate skills transfer and on-going
support is considered if external systems are selected.
Create any required business processes interfaces for this process

that can be provided by the automated tools (eg. reporting –
frequency, content).
Document and get agreement on roles, responsibilities and training

plans.
Communicate with and provide necessary education and training

for staff that covers the actual importance of the process and the
intricacies of the process itself.
An important point to remember is that if this process is to be implemented at the

same time as other processes that it is crucial that both implementation plans and
importantly timing of work is complementary.
Cutover to new processes
The question of when a new process actually starts is one that is not easy to answer.
Most process activity evolves without rigid starting dates and this is what we mean
when we answer a question with “that’s just the way it’s done around here”.
Page 202
Ultimately we do want the new process to become the way things are done around
here, so it may even be best not to set specific launch dates, as this will set the
expectation that from the given date all issues relating to the process will disappear
(not a realistic expectation).
Page 203
FURTHER INFORMATION
For more information on other products available from The Art of Service, you can
visit our website: http://www.theartofservice.com
If you found this guide helpful, you can find more publications from The Art of
Service at: http://www.amazon.com
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The Service Level Agreement SLA Guide:

SLA Book Templates for Service Level

Trademarks: Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to

ITIL® is a Registered Community Trade Mark of OGC (Office of Government

Up to $99 RRP – Absolutely Free

How Does it Work?

What Happens When I Submit my Review?

This document describes the contents of the Service Level Management

Presentations can be used to educate or be used as the basis for management

Start by reviewing the PowerPoint presentations in the following order:

Presentations 1 and 2 provide a detailed and comprehensive overview of Service

1. ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - Service Design.

ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - Service Design

ITIL V3 SLM Presentation - CSI

Alternatively, continue by working through the SLM Implementation & Project

Service Level Management (SLM) is a process that is found within two

Within Service Design, Service Level Management is concerned with:

Within Continual Service Improvement, Service Level Management is

The major focus of Service Level Management within Continual Service

SLM is a vital process for every IT service provider organisation as it is responsible

Service Level Management (SLM) negotiates, agrees and documents appropriate

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

SLM is the name given to the processes of planning, coordinating, drafting,

• Review of all underpinning supplier contracts and agreements with Supplier

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

• Written agreement between a service provider and Customers), that

• Written statement of IT services, default levels and options: Service

• Contract with an external supplier that supports the IT organization in their

• Internal agreement which supports the IT organization in their delivery of

• Detailed recording of the Customer’s needs: Service Level Requirements

More information is available, within this workbook, in the following

Service Based SLA

Customer Based SLA

More information is available, within this workbook, in the following

Multi – level SLA’s

More information is available, within this workbook, in the following

It is essential to ensure that any incident / problem handling targets included in

It is recommended that attempts be made to monitor customer perception on soft

• Periodic questionnaires and customer surveys

Before committing to new or revised SLAs, it is therefore important that existing

Operational reports must be produced on a regular basis. This should be weekly,

Periodic reports must be produced and circulated to customers and appropriate IT

Particular attention should be focused on each breach of service level to determine

Reviews should ensure that the services covered have:

• Confirm stakeholders, customers and key business managers and service

Definitions of what constitutes a complaint and compliment should be agreed with

All complaints and compliments should be recorded and communicated to the

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

More information is available within this workbook, in the following

CONTINUAL SERVICE IMPROVEMENT

Service Level Management (SLM) is a process that is found within two

Within Service Design, Service Level Management is concerned with:

Within Continual Service Improvement, Service Level Management is

The major focus of Service Level Management within Continual Service

Service Level Management can be described using two words: building

SLM is essential in any organization so that levels of IT service needed to support

Where an underlying difficulty has been identified which is adversely impacting

If an organization is outsourcing its service provision to a third party, the issue of

Objectives and Goals

Process: Service Level Management