Setting targets

Targets set by management are quantified objective s to be attained. They express the aims of the service or process at any level and provide the basis for the identification of problem s and early progress towards solutions and improvement opportunities.

Service measurement targets are often defined in response to business requirement s or they may result from new policy or regulatory requirements. Service Level Management through Service Level Agreement s will often drive the target that is required. Unfortunately, many organizations have had targets set with no clear understanding of the IT organization’s capability to meet the target. That is why it is important that Service Level Management not only looks at the business requirements but also IT capability to meet business requirements.

When first setting targets against a new service it may be advisable to consider a phased target approach. In the other words, the target in the first quarter may be lower than the second quarter. With a new service it would be unwise to enter into a Service Level Agreement until overall capabilities are clearly identified. Even with the best Service Design and Transition, no one ever knows how a service will perform until it is actually in production.

Setting targets is just as important as selecting the right measures. It is important that targets are realistic but challenging. Good targets will be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely). Targets should be clear, unambiguous and easy to understand by those who will be working toward them.

Remember that the choice of measures and their targets can affect the behaviour of those who are doing the work that is being measured. That is why it is always important to have a balanced approach.

Let’s look at an example of common measures that are captured for the Service Desk. It is common for the Service Desk to measure the Average Speed of Answer (ASA), number of calls answered and call duration. These measures are often collected through telephony systems. If a Service Desk manager emphasizes the above measures more than others such as quality incident tickets, first contact resolution, customer satisfaction etc., it may be that the Service Desk analysts are focused on how many calls they can answer in a day and how quickly they can complete one call and start the next. When this happens with no thought about the quality of service being provided to restore service, or how the customer is treated, it will result in negative behaviour that is counter-productive to the goal of providing good service. The focus is only on volume and not quality.

When setting targets it is important to determine the baseline: this is the starting point from which you will measure improvement.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-02