Why SLAs Fail and How to Make Yours Succeed

Transcription

1 Why SLAs Fail and Yours Succeed Naomi Karten Author: * Managing Expectations * * How to Establish Service Level Agreements * * Communication Gaps and How to Close Them * * Presentation Skills for Technical Professionals* * How to Survive, Excel and Advance as an Introvert * * Changing How You Manage and Communicate Change * A Possibly Provocative Statement SLAs help you do the things you really ought to be doing anyway. ITMPI SLAs Provide a Context For Maintaining regular contact between parties Communicating service offerings Formulating service standards Systematically assessing service effectiveness Resolving service problems quickly and amicably 3

2 Some SLAs Fail An SLA has failed if Failed and Flawed It was never completed, or It was put into operation, but in some serious way, didn t function as the parties to it had hoped. An SLA is flawed if or are flawed It contains weaknesses, ambiguities, or gaps that could lead to serious problems or disputes. 5 6 an SLA Fail Special for You 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. Articles on establishing SLAs 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. List of SLA benefits 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success. 7 Related articles on topics such as Improving customer satisfaction Strengthening client relations Gathering customer feedback Improving communication.... And much more.... Discounts on my books and ebooks, including How to Establish Service Level Agreements 8

3 an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success. A Service Level Agreement is NOT x A get strategy x A way to force a change in behavior x A complaint-stifling mechanism x A unilateral decision-making process x A quick fix to a troubled relationship 9 10 A Service Level Agreement is A communication tool An expectations-managing mechanism Create SLAs for the Right Reasons Create SLAs to foster a collaborative rather than a clobber-ative relationship. A conflict-reduction tool A living document An objective process for gauging service effectiveness 11 12

4 an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success. Do NOT confuse the SLA document with the SLA process! Common Misconceptions 1. Creating SLAs is a simple matter of plugging names and numbers into a template. 2. You can rush SLA development without negative consequences. May 13 SLA due date The reality: Creating an effective SLA takes time. Typical Time Frames For a first SLA that s relatively simple For a first SLA that s complex For subsequent SLAs For a contractual SLA 2-6 months 6-12 months Less time than the first SLA (usually) A month to a year (or more) 15 16

5 Tasks Involved 1. Educating pertinent parties 2. Gathering customer feedback 3. Assessing service history 4. Creating service descriptions 5. Developing a service glossary 6. Setting service targets 7. Establishing tracking and reporting mechanisms Tasks Involved And such occasionally challenging tasks as: Getting people together for meetings! Also Affecting the Duration 1. The proximity of the parties 2. The service environment 3. Service effectiveness to date 4. Prior SLA experience 5. Personnel availability 19

6 Suggestion to Vendors Create a prototype SLA before you need one. We have a pressing need to establish a quick SLA for a new customer. an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success Two Types of SLA Elements Service Elements (the What) Description of Services Service Standards The Service Elements This information describes: 1. The services covered by the SLA (and perhaps also the services not covered by the SLA) 2 Management Elements (the How) Service Tracking Service Reporting Periodic Review Change Process 2. Service standards: the timeframes and conditions under which services will (or will not) be provided

7 Service Standards Service standards typically focus on such things as: 1. Availability When? 2. Responsiveness How long? 3. Timeliness How soon? 4. Rate/Frequency How many? 5. Quality How good? 1 2 Two Types of SLA Elements Service Elements (the What) Description of Services Service Standards Management Elements (the How) Service Tracking Service Reporting Periodic Review Change Process Service Tracking True or False? Measuring anything is better than measuring nothing. Service Tracking Track as few things as possible! 27 28

8 Service Tracking Objective, quantitative measures reflect actual service delivery. Service Reporting Done monthly and provided to both provider and customer personnel Subje meas perce delive Subjective, quantitative measures reflect customer perceptions of service delivery Service Reporting Focus on patterns of service delivery How has response time varied in the last year? Is this month s spike in downtime an aberration or part of a pattern? Does on-time delivery show seasonal variations? What kinds of problems have taken the greatest amount of time to resolve in the last 3 months? Periodic Review Monthly Quarterly Annually Any other time as warranted 31 32

9 Change Process 1. Conditions warranting change 2. Change frequency 3. Change procedures 4. Change log an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success Potentially Ambiguous Terminology Example #1 Complaint Respond Day Acknowledge Resolve Urgent Priority Immediately Deliver Respond ISO will resolve at least 95% of Level 2 problems within 4 days. (as measured over what period of time?) 35 36

10 Example #2 Example #3 (In defining urgency levels) Emergency: Response within 2 hours upon receipt of call 99.8% availability of the core IT infrastructure components Example #4 Examples #5 and #6 At least 95% YES answers on the Closed Ticket Survey 75% of projects will not deviate by more than 25% from budget per quarter 95% of projects will not deviate by more than 10% from projected benefits by quarter 39 40

11 Avoid But I Thought Situations Clarify wording that may be subject to misinterpretations and conflicting interpretations. an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success How Long Should an SLA Be? Keep It Simple SLA Page 1 of 21, or the agreement will create problems rather than solving them! 44

12 Sample SLA If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are a whole lot better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are way better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are so much better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are way better than mine. I can t possibly read this without industrial strength glass. If you can easily read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without a pair of industrial strength glasses. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you truly can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without a really strong magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes area lot better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength magnifying 45 glass. If you can read this, your eyes are better than mine. I can t possibly read this without an industrial strength Make It Readable! Short sentences and paragraphs Wide margins lots of white space Sections with section headers Readable type size Visual elements (charts, tables) Bullet points rather than narrative Use of links 46 an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success. That which is measured is managed. True or False? 47 48

13 True or False? What Often Happens That which is measured and also reviewed, interpreted, documented, distributed AND acted on is more likely to be managed. Create the SLA. Implement it. Ignore it Manage Your SLAs An SLA that is not managed dies upon implementation. Service Report

14 Manage Your SLAs 1. Oversee service tracking and reporting. 2. Conduct regular service reviews. 3. Negotiate adjustments as appropriate. 4. Maintain an ongoing dialogue. 5. Assist in resolving service-related problems. 6. Educate personnel about SLAs. 7. Publicize successes. Don t forget the power of the naked eye!! Manage Your SLAs an SLA Fail 1. Establish it for the wrong reasons. 2. Arbitrarily rush the effort. 3. Omit critical elements. 4. Incorporate ambiguity. 5. Make the document unreadable. 6. Ignore the implemented agreement. 7. Don t set the stage for success. Provide SLA Education Who needs to be educated? How can they best be educated? What kinds of information will be useful to them? 55 56

15 Seek Buy-In for the SLA Effort Seek input from customers, SLA team members, and other stakeholders. Listen to them, and take their concerns seriously. Request feedback on draft versions of the SLA. Assess Service History In what ways has service delivery been on target -- or fallen short? What service improvements are needed? What data are available for creating a baseline? Based on this history, what service levels would be neither too low nor too high? Facilitate Consistency Use a template and other resources to ensure Consistency within SLAs Consistency between SLAs Inclusion of all pertinent details Effective SLA management Sell the Benefits SLAs help to: 1. Improve communications 2. Manage expectations 3. Improve service delivery 4. Strengthen relationships 5. Create a business orientation Five categories of benefits 59 60

16 SLAs: SLAs Help to Manage Expectations 1. Clarify the scope of services (a double benefit) 2. Help you set realistic and reasonable expectations 3. Create a shared language 4. Establish priorities and service levels 5. Clarify a division of responsibilities 62 SLAs: SLAs Help to Improve Service Delivery 1. Provide an objective basis for assessing service effectiveness 2. Facilitate the setting of performance thresholds 3. Provide a context for service changes 4. Provide a basis for continuous improvement 63

17 SLAs Help to Create a Business Orientation SLAs: 1. Provide a link between services and business objectives 2. Facilitate the integration of new service offerings 3. Create awareness of cost/benefit tradeoffs 4. Help to justify acquisitions, staffing changes and service adjustments Be Realistic Don t expect to achieve all these benefits immediately Understand the Costs of Creating These Benefits Your SLAs Succeed CHANGE A possible need for more staff A change from previous roles Greater visibility when things go wrong Increased demand for services Shifting expectations 1. Establish them for the right reasons. 2. Take the time the effort requires. 3. Include all critical elements. 4. Create unambiguous terms and conditions. 5. Make the documents readable. 6. Manage the implemented SLAs. 7. Set the stage for success