Service Level Management Process Flow and Guide
Service Level Management Process flow
This Service level management process flow is written in a document format for easy printing and exporting as a document for your use.
Purpose & Scope
Purpose
The objective of Service Level Management process is to:
- Define, document, agree, monitor, measure, report and review the level of IT services provided to <Customer Name>.
- Provide and improve the relationship and communication with the business and customers.
- Ensure that specific and measurable targets are developed for all IT services provided by your organization.
- Monitor and improve customer satisfaction with the quality of service delivered.
- Ensure that IT and the customers have a clear and unambiguous expectation of the level of service to be delivered.
- Ensure that proactive measures to improve the levels of service delivered are implemented wherever it is cost-justifiable to do so.
Scope
The scope of Service Level Management is existing and new IT services provided by <your organization> to <Customer Name>.
Definitions
Service
A means of delivering value to Customers by facilitating Outcomes Customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific Costs and Risks.
Service Level Agreement
It is an agreement between <your organization> and <Customer Name>.
The SLA describes the IT Service, documents Service level targets, and specifies the responsibilities of the <your organization> and <Customer Name>.
Operational Level Agreement
It is an agreement between <your organization> and another department of <your organization>
An OLA supports <your organization> delivery of IT Services to <Customer name>. The OLA defines the goods or Services to be provided and the responsibilities of both parties.
Underpinning Contract (UPC)
It is a contract between an <your organization> and a Third party.
The Third party provides goods or Services that support delivery of an IT Service to a <Customer name>. The Underpinning Contract defines targets and responsibilities that are required to meet agreed Service level targets in an SLA.
Configuration Management System (CMS)
It is a set of tools and databases that are used to manage <your organization> Configuration data.
The CMS includes tools for collecting, storing, managing, updating, and presenting data about all Configuration Items and their Relationships.
The CMS also includes information about Incidents, Problems, Known Errors, Changes and Releases; and may contain data about employees, Suppliers, locations, Business Units, Customers and Users
The CMS is maintained by Configuration Management and is used by all Service Management Processes.
Service Improvement Plan
It is a formal Plan to implement improvements to a Process or IT Service.
Service Level Requirements (SLR)
A Customer Requirement for an aspect of an IT Service.
Roles and Responsibilities
Service Level Manager Responsibilities
- Keeping aware of changing business needs.
- Ensuring that the current and future service requirements of <Customer name> are identified, understood and documented in SLA and SLR documents.
- Negotiating and agreeing levels of service to be delivered with the <Customer name>; formally documenting these levels of service in SLAs.
- Negotiating and agreeing OLAs and, in some cases, other SLAs and agreements that underpin the SLAs 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 name>’s 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 <Customer name> regularly and are documented with agreed actions progressed.
- Ensuring that improvement initiatives identified in service reviews are acted on and progress reports are provided to <Customer name>.
- Reviewing service scope, SLAs, OLAs and other agreements on a regular basis, ideally at least annually.
- Ensuring that all changes are assessed for their impact on service levels, including SLAs, OLAs 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, analyzing and improving customer satisfaction.
Input, Output
Inputs
- Business Information (Such as organizations business strategy, plans and information on current & future requirements.
- Business Impact Analysis
- Business Requirements
- Service Portfolio
- Service Catalogue
- Change management information
- Configuration Management System (CMS)
- Customer feedback
- Inputs from other Service Management processes
Outputs
- Service reports
- Service Improvement Plan (SIP)
- Service Quality Plan
- Service Level Agreements (SLA)
- Operational Level Agreements (OLA)
- Service Level Requirements (SLR)
- SLA review meeting minutes
- Revised Contracts
Service Level Management Process flow
Activity No. | Step | Description | Input/Output | Role |
1 | Gather SLR | On a regular basis, the Service Level Manager will capture the Clients requirements. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
2 | Review SLR | The Service Level Manager translates the SLRs of the Client in more detail: Based on the above points, Service Level Manager determines whether IT Service Delivery Organization is capable to deliver the service(s). | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
3 | Need additional information? | If Service level manager needs more information or need to go back to the client with the possible service specification, he will re-look into SLR. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
4 | Draft SLAs | Based on the SLRs, the Service Level Manager will document the draft SLA, to be proposed to the client. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
5 | Draft OLAs & Underpinning Contracts | The respective OLAs and Underpinning Contracts may need to be changed or need to be created afresh in line with the proposed SLA. The Service Level Manager will negotiate the new OLA with the internal teams and the new UPC with the Supplier Management. | Input Output | Service Level Manager/Supplier Manager |
6 | Negotiate SLAs | Discuss the draft SLA with the client to ensure that all aspects are clearly understood and are in line with the client’s SLRs. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
7 | Review OLAs & UPCs | OLAs & UPCs will be reviewed inline with SLAs. | Input Output | Service Level Manager/Supplier Manager |
8 | Agree SLAs | After the review both parties will agree and finalises the SLA. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
9 | Agree OLAs & UPCs | After the SLA is signed off, OLAs & UPCs will be signed off. | Input Output | Service Level Manager/Supplier Manager |
10 | On-going activities | On a regular basis service performance will be monitored, reported & reviewed against SLAs. On a regular basis customer satisfaction will be collected & measured. Customer complaints & compliments will be tracked. SLAs, OLAs & UPCs will be reviewed on a regular basis at least annually (As agreed in the agreement). These ongoing activities can trigger new or modified SLRs. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
11 | Need to improve the service? | Based on the analysis & reviews, identify the need for the service improvement. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
12 | Identify Improvement opportunities | Based on the analysis improvement opportunities will be identified and will be given as the input to the Service Improvement Plan. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
13 | Instigate Service Improvement Plan | Service improvement plan will be triggered and the actions will be tracked. | Input Output | Service Level Manager |
References
- Procedure for Change Management
- Procedure for Service Portfolio Management
- Procedure for Service Catalogue Management
- Procedure for Supplier management
- Procedure for 7 Step-Improvement
Measurements
Reports are generated based on the below metrics.
Metrics | Description |
% Service targets met | Number or percentage of service targets being met (as Per SLA) |
Number and severity of service breaches | Number and severity of service breaches |
Services Vs SLAs | Number of services with up-to-date SLAs |
Service Vs reports & reviews | Number of services with timely reports and active service reviews. |
Customer Satisfaction | Improvements in customer satisfaction. |
SLA breaches due to third-party | Percentage reduction in SLA breaches caused because of third-party support contracts (underpinning contracts) |
SLA breaches due to internal departments | Percentage reduction in SLA breaches caused because of internal Operational Level Agreements (OLAs). |
Cost of monitoring & reporting | Percentage reduction in the cost of monitoring and reporting of SLAs |
Time taken to agree SLA | Percentage increase in the speed and of developing and agreeing appropriate SLAs |
Service Review meetings | Frequency of service review meetings. |
Authored by Vijay Chander – All rights Reserved – 2023