Complete Guide to IT Service Level Agreements (eBook)

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

FOREWORD

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

1 AN OVERVIEW OF SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS: WHAT THEY
CAN
AND CANNOT DO
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Service Level Agreements: Definition
1.3 Serving the Business
1.4 Availability
1.5 Performance: Speed, Response and Accuracy
1.6 Security
1.7 Quality
1.8 Service Culture
1.9 But Why SLAs?
CHECKLIST #1.1: Service Orientation

2 THE MEASUREMENT OF SERVICE AVAILABILITY AND QUALITY:
KEY
METRICS AND TECHNIQUES
2.1 Availability: Optimizing Uptime
2.2 Change Management
2.3 Problem Management
2.4 Critical Component Failure Analysis
Table 2.1: Critical Component Analysis - Cumulative Availability
Table 2.2: Contacts for Monte Carlo Analysis Tools
2.5 Relationship with Security and Contingency Planning
2.6 Scope of Service
2.7 Service Products
2.8 Service Hours
2.9 Real Time Interactive Services
2.10 Batch Services
2.11 Output Arrangements
2.12 Telecommunication and Network Services
2.13 Outsourcing
2.14 Applications Development Services
2.15 Distributed Processing
2.16 Help Desk and Technical Support
2.17 Internet and Intranet Based Services
2.18 Security Services
2.19 Special Requirements
2.20 Personal Computing
2.21 Customer Self Computing
2.22 Training


3 HOW SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS APPLY IN AN APPLICATIONS
DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT
3.1 Applications Development
3.2 Development Environment
3.3 Feasibility Study
3.4 System Analysis/Specification
3.5 System Design
3.6 Invitation to Tender/Contract
3.7 Implementation
3.8 Post-Implementation Review
3.9 Service Orientation


4 KEYS TO MEASURING AND MONITORING SERVICE; DESIGNING AND
IMPLEMENTING AN SLA

4.1 Introduction to Service Measurement
4.2 Measuring Performance and Availability
4.3 Monitoring Tools and Their Use
4.4 Application Monitoring
4.5 Network Monitoring
4.6 Case Study
4.7 Systems Monitoring
4.8 Satisfaction Monitoring
4.9 The Service Management Toolkit
4.10 Monitoring & Litigation
4.11 Balancing Detail with Practicality
4.12 The Balanced Scorecard
4.13 What to include in a SLA
4.14 Shell, Template, Model and Standard SLAs
4.15 The Service Handbook
4.16 Service Level Survey
4.17 Charging for Services
4.18 Infinite Capacity and 100% Availability?
4.19 Realistic Limits to Service
4.20 Penalty Clauses
4.21 Planning For Change
4.22 Organizational Issues
4.23 Preparing the Ground
4.24 Pilot Implementation
4.25 Negotiating with the Customer
4.26 Reporting Actual Performance Against SLA
4.27 Service Review Meetings
4.28 The Customer Review Meeting
4.29 Service Motivation
4.30 Extending SLAs
Annex One: Example Customer Satisfaction Survey
Annex Two: Example Service Level Survey
Annex Three: Terms of Reference for Marketing & Sales Manager and Accounts
Manager
Annex Four: Monitoring Tools - Web Addresses


5 THE DOWNSIDE RISK; ALTERNATIVES TO SERVICE LEVEL
AGREEMENTS; THE SLA PAYOFF
5.1 SLAs: Reasons for Failure
5.2 Alternatives to SLAs
5.3 Performance Indicators
5.4 Availability and Response Targets
5.5 Benchmark Checks
5.6 Business Satisfaction Analysis
5.7 The SLA Payoff: A Success Story
5.8 Where Next?
5.9 Conclusion


APPENDICES

APPENDIX A: SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENT CHECKLIST

APPENDIX B: Example Desktop Support Metrics

APPENDIX C: TRADITIONAL, IT-ORIENTED SLA

APPENDIX D: Example Simple Development SLA

APPENDIX E: Checklist for Outsourcing & Facilities Management

APPENDIX F: EXAMPLE DESKTOP SUPPORT SLA

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

OTHER SLA TOOLS AND RESOURCES BY ANDREW HILES

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1.2: SERVING THE BUSINESS
FIGURE 2.2: DEFINITIONS FOR TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICE LEVELS
FIGURE 3.1: DEVELOPMENT USING FPA
FIGURE 3.2: DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT
FIGURE 4.1: SERVICE MANAGEMENT TOOLKIT
FIGURE 4.2: EXAMPLE OF BALANCED SCORECARD
FIGURE 4.3: THE ONE PAGE SLA FORMAT
FIGURE 4.4: THE ONE PAGE SLA FORMAT
FIGURE 4.5: COMPONENTS OF SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT
FIGURE 4.6: CHARGING FOR COMPUTING SERVICES - SCHEMATIC
FIGURE 4.7: BACK-TO-BACK SLAS
FIGURE 4.8: COST OF REAL-TIME SERVICE OUTAGES
FIGURE 4.9: HIERARCHY FOR SLA IMPLEMENTATION
FIGURE 4.10: CUSTOMER ACCOUNT MANAGER: LIAISON POINTS
FIGURE 4.11A: MONTHLY REPORT
FIGURE 4.11B: THE SAME DATA, WEEKLY REPORT
FIGURE 4.11 : THE SAME DATA, DAILY REPORT
FIGURE 4.12: SLA REPORTING SCHEMATIC
FIGURE 4.13: GLOBAL SERVICE REPORT - SCHEMATIC
FIGURE 4.14A: SAMPLE SLA REPORT
FIGURE 4.14B: BATCH SERVICE LEVEL REPORT
FIGURE 4.15: COMPUTING CENTER - MAINFRAME AVAILABILITY 0800 TO
2000 HOURS
FIGURE 4.13: COMPONENTS OF SERVICE LEVEL MANAGEMENT
FIGURE 5.1: EXPLICIT SERVICE TARGETS
FIGURE 5.2A: A CAD BENCHMARK
FIGURE 5.2B: CAD RESPONSE - BENCHMARK DRAWING TIME
FIGURE 5.2C: CAD RESPONSE - BENCHMARK DRAWING TIME
FIGURE 5.2D: CAD RESPONSE - BENCHMARK DRAWING TIME