Service Level Agreement

Market is shifting its multiplier principle towards service industry. Service is heading as its own identity coming out of production & manufacturing corners. Service is very simple to define and likely tough to experience and keep promises.

In words of Hess:

Service...
Giving what you don't have to give.
Giving when you don't need to give.
Giving because you want to give.

Focusing on ICT industry, service is focusing on more legal terms than simply promises in words. Your client expects you to node you head on defined agreement.

Service level agreement is surrounded by good practices such as proper principles, sound corporate governance and underpinned with proper human and technical resources.

An SLA is a contract that specifies in measurable terms the services to be provided, the standards to be attained in the execution of those services, and the consequences that occur in the event the standards are not met.

An SLA is a type of results-oriented performance agreement that can be used as a baseline to measure performance and determine the quality of services provided from one group to another.

"An SLA is a negotiated agreement designed to create a common understanding about services, priorities and responsibilities."

1. SLA is a starter and open ups communication with the other party.
2. Purpose of SLA is to establish base of effectiveness evaluating quality or expecting it.
3. It clarifies all doubts among parties and behaves as dispute prevention tool.
4. If nothing, it is a legal document a right of entry for service satisfactoriness and negotiation adjustment.
5. It is a sound basis for determining resource requirements covering hardware, software, people, process and organization.
6. It clarifies what the business experts to do now.

In other simple terms try to follow six principles of SLA.
1. Set objectives
2. Characterize
3. Quantify
4. Supervise
5. Review
Get better

The assessment tests the impact of 22 factors on user satisfaction study done in North America. The factors included key measurements of availability and performance, recovery, Service Level Management features (agreements, reporting, measurement, monitoring, and documentation), resource use, and trends in help desk use and software costs. Performance management and fault management are undeniable components found in Service level agreement.

Van Gogh said on service "How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?"

Elements of SLA

Keep it up to relative group.
Never go beyond limited expectations.
SLA needs formal discussion and negotiation.
Limit it to key areas of the business. Be at ground realities.
Make it short, simple and sweet.
Motivate IT staff to breathe up to the agreements. Break downs into several plans.
Measure SLA with customer satisfaction.
SLA requires regular attention and maintenance.
Managing change is required.
Mark Cost vs. service tradeoffs.
Define responsibilities of both parties.
Disagreement resolutions.
Involve your past experiences.

Considering beneficiary part of SLA, it helps to a manager in following areas:

1. It ensures a common understanding of the required service to be provided.
2. It congeals the relationship between parties by clearly delineating customer expectations and service provider obligations.
3. It upholds a strong relationship in a constantly changing environment.

Role of IT Manager in terming SLA

IT manager should envision SLA considering issues related to business, technology, people, process and organization demands.

There is no definition of perfection. Still IT manager can try his best in terming SLA considering importance of following issues in SLA.

--Scope of SLA
--Establish Measures
--Agreement on Measures
--Corrective Actions & Remedies to tackle unexpected situation among parties
--Change management in internal and external organization
--Training & guidance

However considering above aspects gives just nutshell idea about SLA. As always it happens with all business practicalities, never forget your prior experiences while defining and following service level agreements. Rightly said by J. Dulles "The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it's the same problem you had last year."