| Service Level Management is one element of the 11 | | | | Agreements (SLA's) with its own end users. This |
| ITIL disciplines, and details the need to plan, draft, agree, | | | | enables the service department to provide a reliable, |
| monitor and report on service achievement within the | | | | and more importantly, repeatable service to its users, |
| business. It also incorporates the requirement for an | | | | which in turn raises the IT Service perception in addition |
| organisation to implement actions to eradicate potential | | | | to service delivery itself. |
| unsatisfactory service. | | | | How best to introduce Service Level Management into |
| Service Level Agreements are one component of | | | | the Business? |
| Service Level Management; these are documented | | | | When implemented successfully Service Level |
| agreements and are written from the perspective of | | | | Management benefits can be achieved by |
| both the supplier and recipient or end user. These | | | | organisations who embrace the methodologies, |
| agreements dictate the Service Levels and include | | | | however, careful planning must be taken into |
| services provided, metrics, responsibilities and help to | | | | consideration before undertaking this sort of service |
| ensure that all support requests are responded to and | | | | improvement process. As mentioned previously an |
| fixed within the agreed timeframes. | | | | assessment must be made of the service provision |
| "Implementing effective Service Level Management | | | | before any SLA's can be agreed with end users. If the |
| can dramatically increase an organisation's ability to | | | | Service provision itself is unable to provide the service |
| respond to and fix users requests." - Emma Anderson, | | | | requested by the end user community a decision must |
| Service Manager (SSI Computer Services) | | | | be made as to whether the service department |
| Why introduce Service Level Management? | | | | gear-up or make alternative arrangements to meet the |
| Service Level Management is fundamental to an | | | | user's expectations - for example outsourcing or 3rd |
| effective service provision, however it's a topic not | | | | party assistance. |
| widely discussed among organisations looking to | | | | Educating the end user community is a key factor in |
| improve their Service Delivery. Most organisations | | | | implementing Service Level Agreements and ensures |
| have the impression that new tools alone will increase | | | | that the users are aware of the service they should |
| their organisations ability to respond to a growing | | | | expect to receive. This process should be in |
| number of requests. In fact, a major factor in Service | | | | partnership with the end users as buy-in at this stage |
| improvement is in the ability of the IT resource to | | | | ensures a smooth transition. |
| understand its own limits and set realistic Service Level | | | | |