Excerpt from How To Establish Service Level …

1 Excerpt fromHow ToEstablishService LevelAgreementsNAOMI 2001 Naomi KartenExcerpt from How to Establish Service Level Agreements1_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN IN DETAILI ntroductionAbout the of this for this to Level Agreements: Role and Key FeaturesChapter first study to set the from the case a Service Level agreement a Service Level agreement is not .. parties to an participants in establishing an in SLA bother? Benefits of an role of the SLA in reducing of a Service Level long should a Service Level agreement be?.. long should an SLA take to Establish ?.. not to Establish an to make an SLA fail!.. SLA Document and Process at a GlanceChapter SLA document vs. the SLA key elements of an SLA function of the key administrative of a contractual SLA process in process: Critical initial process: Development relevant of a Sample AgreementChapter to evaluate this about this evaluation: an important Service Elements of an SLAC hapter of the Service from How to Establish Service Level Agreements2_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN IN DETAIL (cont.)

2 Service Elements of an SLA (cont.) Service element #1: Context-setting of context-setting element #2: Description of you have a Service description?.. your Service description clear?.. element #3: Service standards from everyday lesson about the risks of Service categories of Service of the five about selecting Service : Service standard # : Service standard # of Service dependencies and of Service paths and of responsibilities and Service Management Elements of an SLAC hapter of the management element #1: Service tracking & to track: objective measures .. to track: subjective measures .. on patterns of Service for Service for planning Service for Service of Service tracking and report: points worth element #2: Periodic objectives of a periodic of conducting a periodic review review review element #3: Change a change of change of a Model AgreementChapter to use this from How to Establish Service Level Agreements3_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN IN DETAIL (cont.)

3 Of a Model agreement (cont.)How to use this criteria: another agreement : points worth Initial StepsChapter 1: Assess whether an SLA is 2: Ensure management 3: Designate SLA this role is so of an SLA of an SLA regarding SLA 4: Provide SLA and how to for an overview ChecklistChapter 1: Assess current advice for advice for 2: Gather customer for gathering feedback-gathering 3: Ensure agreement about the 4: Develop a draft develop the big a meeting 5: Solicit feedback from for soliciting reviewer 6: Implement and manage the the pre-implementation a for conducting a the the in managing an and services by Naomi KartenChapter of products and in how to Establish an consulting from How to Establish Service Level Agreements4_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN OF THIS BOOKThis book is divided into 8 key chapters.

4 Here is a view of the structure by chapter:#TITLEFOCUS1 SLA: Role and KeyFeaturesAn overview of what an SLA is, its benefits, theparties to an SLA, and related information2 The SLA Documentand Process at a GlanceOverview of the SLA document and the process ofestablishing an SLA3 Evaluation of aSample AgreementAn SLA that develops skill in evaluating an SLA,highlights common flaws in SLA documents, andsets the stage for the information in Chapters 4and 5 on the elements of an SLA4&5 The Service ElementsThe ManagementElementsDescriptions and examples of three ServiceElements and three Management Elements thatare key to a successful SLA6 Evaluation of a ModelAgreementAn SLA that illustrates the Service and manage-ment elements in context7&8 Critical Initial StepsDevelopmentChecklistGuidelines for establishing an SLA, presented inthe form of four critical initial steps and six stepsthat comprise the development processExcerpt from How to Establish Service Level Agreements5_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN A Service Level agreement ISA Service Level agreement is a formal negotiated agreement which helps to iden-tify expectations, clarify responsibilities, and facilitate communication between aservice provider and its customers.

5 As such, it is:3A communication toolA properly established SLA fosters improved communications betweenthe parties. Furthermore, the very process of establishing an SLA helps tostrengthen communications, so that the two parties come to better under-stand each others needs, priorities, and expectations-managing mechanismOften it is not until it s too late that an organization realizes its expecta-tions are not going to be met. The process of establishing an SLA facilitatesthe identification and discussion of expectations. As a result, the two par-ties achieve shared expectations about services and Service conflict-reduction toolIn the absence of a shared understanding about needs and priorities, it iseasy for conflicts to arise between parties. An SLA, and the communica-tion process involved in establishing it, helps to minimize the numberand intensity of conflicts, and to more readily resolve those that do living documentThe SLA acknowledges that changing circumstances may necessitate modi-fications to services , expectations, and responsibilities.

6 Accordingly, it pro-vides mechanisms for periodic review and modifications as objective process for gauging Service effectivenessIn the absence of an agreement , two parties may disagree about serviceadequacy. An SLA provides a consistent, ongoing and mutually agreed tobasis for assessing and discussing Service from How to Establish Service Level Agreements6_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN A Service Level agreement IS NOTAn SLA is unlikely to succeed if undertaken as:7A mandateA Service Level agreement has reduced probability of succeeding if orderedinto existence, as was the case with the customer Service director in thecase study. When the decision to create an SLA is driven by a major re-structuring (such as a reorganization, downsizing, the consolidation ofservices, or the transition to a shared services environment), extra caremust be taken to involve and seek input from all pertinent get strategyAttempting to get others to do things your way may make them feelcoerced, and is likely to generate resistance and resentment.

7 It is counter-productive to view an SLA as a way to get customers to stop complainingor to get Service providers to deliver better complaint-stifling mechanismAn SLA that attempts to stifle complaints rather than understand andresolve those complaints can actually trigger an increase in SLA is not a club; it cannot be used to bludgeon the other party intoconforming to some unilateral decision-making processTrust cannot easily be built between two parties if one imposes decisionsabout how things will be done. For an SLA to succeed, both parties musthave a say in formulating quick fixEstablishing an agreement is not a quick process. Attempting to rush theprocess undermines the considerable value of that process in helping theparties to understand each other s perspective and build a strong from How to Establish Service Level Agreements7_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN TO MAKE AN SLA FAIL!

8 Many factors can account for an SLA never reaching completion or functioningineffectively. However, the following factors stand out as ones to particularlyguard again. These factors are described in detail throughout this book, and arestated here as well for of the SLA as a weaponService providers sometimes want to create an SLA to suppress cus-tomer complaints; however, customers will see such an SLA as just onemore thing to complain about. Conversely, customers sometimes wantto use an SLA as a club with which to bludgeon the Service providerwhenever Service slips, as though each such blow will motivate them todeliver better Service . For an SLA to succeed, both parties must view itnot as a gotcha, but a communications tool designed to manage expec-tations, improve communications, clarify responsibilities and between the SLA document and the SLA processEstablishing an effective SLA requires much more than simply filling inthe blanks of an SLA template or modifying a sample agreement .

9 Theprocess of communicating and building the foundation for a win-winrelationship is essential to the success of the SLA. When this processworks, the resulting document is secondary. If this relationship islacking, even the best-written document will be unrealistic expectation about how long it will take to establishThe assumption that creating an SLA is a start-today, done-tomorrowprocess is a very common misconception. It s difficult to develop an SLAquickly because of the workload involved in such tasks as negotiatingservice standards, establishing tracking mechanisms, designing reports,documenting procedures, and generating buy-in. The process is designedto help the two parties build the foundation for a strong, successful, long-term relationship. To rush this process is to sabotage the entire effort.(continued) Excerpt from How to Establish Service Level Agreements8_____Establishing Service Level Agreements 2001 NAOMI KARTEN TO MAKE AN SLA FAIL!

10 (continued) the management elements of the agreementAn SLA requires both Service elements (the services provided and theconditions of Service delivery) and management elements (servicetracking and reporting, periodic Service reviews, and the process formaking changes to the SLA). Both Service and management elementsare necessary if an SLA is to be effective; yet the management elementsare often lacking. The result is not an SLA, but a statement of servicesthat cannot be expected to function as an Creating the agreement unilaterallyBoth parties must be involved in the formulation of an SLA. If one partyattempts to control the process, members of the other party may resist itsprovisions even if they might otherwise support them. Although it maynot be feasible for both parties to collaborate on every aspect of the SLAdevelopment, the overall process must be one in which both partieshave some say.