The Service Level Management process

Service Level Management (SLM) is the foundation and underpinning element of ITSM. This recipe looks at the common input components of SLM and the deliverables of the process. SLM typically can be applied internally, externally, or both. The external application of SLM can be complex as it typically requires legal contracts with external providers outside an organization. In this recipe, our focus will be on the internal execution of SLM.

Getting ready

SLM is a vital organization function. The goal of SLM is to ensure that the customers' expectations are met in line with formal published agreements. We must be able to consistently capture the inputs, and accurately report on the adherence or non-compliance to the agreed SLM objectives. We must have organization buy-in and a full understanding of SLM through official ITIL© material, or appropriate training in the SLM discipline.

How to do it...

SLM is the key to all processes and functions in ITIL©. The common area in SLM is Service Level Agreements (SLAs. We will use Incident Management and Service Request Fulfillment to implement this:

1. Agree and publish Service Level Agreements for Incident Management response times and resolution times. The following table provides an example of the SLM inputs for five categories (priority) of incidents based on urgency and impact. The second table provides an example of the SLM inputs for the Service Request Fulfillment:

   Incident Priority	Target first response	Target resolution time
   1	30 minutes	4 hours
   2	2 hours	8 hours
   3	8 hours	24 hours
   4	16 hours	80 hours
   5	24 hours	120 hours
   Service Request priority	Target first response	Target implementation
   1	8 hours	16 hours
   2	16 hours	24 hours
   3	24 hours	72 hours

2. Install and configure an appropriate ITSM tool with SLM implementation capabilities (for example, SCSM).
3. Configure the tool with the details of the organization SLM requirements.
4. Capture the SLM metrics. Examples of some incident metrics are as follows:
   • Number of SLA breaches
   • Average time to resolve incidents
   • Number of incidents per week/month/quarter
5. Monitor the operational adherence to the SLM metric.
6. Report and adjust the appropriate execution of the processes to ensure adherence is in line with the agreed SLM objectives.

How it works...

Service Level Management is what we use to ensure that IT capabilities are aligned with customer expectations of the services provided by IT. The successful implementation of SLM involves creating agreements between the supplier of services (IT and supporting third parties), and the consumer of the services (business customers). A driver for successful SLM is when an organization commits to compliance with industry-recognized standards. The following standards are typical drivers:

• ISO 9001
• ISO 27001
• ITIL© certification

The overall goal is to ensure services are delivered at the right cost to the expectations of the service consumers. SLM is at its most effective when we create credible agreements, report proactively on performance of the service, and accurately capture the service consumer's feedback (for example, using customer satisfaction surveys).