Service Level Management. Service Level Management (SLM) is critical for CSI

Service Level Management (SLM) is critical for CSI. SLM activities support The 7-Step Improvement Process in that the SLM should drive what to measure, defining monitoring requirements, reporting Service Level Achievement s and working with the business to understand new service requirement s or changes to existing services. This provides input into CSI activities and helps prioritize improvement projects. Even though SLM is critical for many organizations it is often one of the least mature processes.

Service Level Management can be described in two words: building relationship s. That is building relations with IT customer s, building relationships between functional groups within IT, and building relationships with the vendor community who provide services to IT. Service Level Management is so much more than simply a SLA.

Many people have worked in organizations where management and/or the business refuse to sign any document that will commit anyone to a level of service. This leads many organizations to think that they cannot implement Service Level Management, but they are wrong. You can still build relationships with your customers by meeting with them on a consistent basis. Share with them your Service Level Achievements, and discuss any future new service s or requirements. Having knowledge about what they need doesn’t necessarily mean they get it, but it is surely better than not knowing what they need at all.

Even without any formal SLAs or OLAs, an organization can still strive to improve the services they provide to its customers.

Every organization already has three types of SLAs in place whether they know it or not. The first is an explicit SLA and this is one of the goals of SLM, to get a formal document that clearly defines the service provided, levels of service, quality of service and cost of the service. Everyone understands their responsibilities. The second type of SLA is the implicit SLA. This is based on how you have provided service in the past. If you provide good service the customers expect good service. If you improve on your service, then this becomes the new minimal level expected. Also if you have provided poor service in the past then your customers will actually expect poor service. Implicit SLAs are difficult to manage. The third type is psychological SLAs. They are often associated with the Service Desk where we publish information to the end users often by putting a sticker on their monitor or other piece of equipment that basically says: ‘If you need help, please call xxxxxx’. In the mind of the end user this creates a psychological agreement in that all the end user has to do is call the Service Desk and they will get help. We all know how there are still some Service Desks and help desk s that provide less than ideal help.

CSI plays a part in all three types of SLAs. If they are formal, then it will take a more formal approach to service improvement. If they fall in the other areas it may be less formal, but still very important and improvement opportunities have to be reviewed.

Service Level Management is essential in any organization so that the levels of IT service needed to support the business can be determined, and monitoring can be initiated to identify whether the required service level s are being achieved – and if not, why not. SLM is a cornerstone of CSI. Why embark on any service improvement initiative if the customers and the business are satisfied with the levels of service received? Because business requirements change!

Дата добавления: 2015-10-02