A service level agreement is a document which defines the relationship between two parties: the provider and the recipient.
This is clearly an extremely important item of documentation for both parties. If used properly it should:
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Identify and define the customer’s needs
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Provide a framework for understanding
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Simplify complex issues
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Reduce areas of conflict
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Encourage dialog in the event of disputes
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Eliminate unrealistic expectations
Specifically it should embrace a wide range of issues. Amongst these are usually the following:
Services to be delivered
Performance, Tracking and Reporting
Problem Management
Legal Compliance and Resolution of Disputes
Customer Duties and Responsibilities
Security
IPR and Confidential Information
Termination
INFORMATION ON CONTENTS
The options on the left hand side of this page provide links to pages explaining some of these.
PRODUCING AN SLA
This is not, of course, a trivial undertaking. The complexities and terminology alone can make it a daunting task. However, there are methods of making it far more manageable.
The most common is to use a template. The most well known of these is The SLA Toolkit. This includes a template, but there is far more to it. For example, there is a guide to take you through the template itself, a checklist/questionnaire to review existing agreements, as well as a training presentation to explain concepts and background.
Such is the comprehensive nature of the product, that it is documented on its own web site:
The Service Level Agreement Toolkit
Further Information
For more information on SLAs and how to tackle them, please do not hesitate to contact us.