Service Level Management (SLM)
Defining, agreeing upon, monitoring, reporting on, and managing the levels of service provided by IT to the business, typically documented in Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Proficiency Level
Level 1 (Follow)
- Understands the basic Service Level Agreement (SLA) targets (e.g., response times, availability) relevant to their role or the services they use/support.
- Follows operational procedures designed to help meet those targets.
- Knows how to find information about agreed service levels.
Level 2 (Assist)
- Assists SLM managers by collecting and compiling performance data from monitoring tools or operational logs for service level reporting.
- Helps track service performance against specific SLA metrics under guidance.
- Supports the maintenance of SLA documentation or service catalogue entries.
Level 3 (Apply)
- Monitors operational performance against agreed SLAs for specific IT services they are involved in delivering or supporting.
- Identifies actual or potential SLA breaches based on monitoring data and established thresholds.
- Prepares routine service level reports for assigned services, highlighting performance against targets.
Level 4 (Ensure)
- Negotiates and agrees on achievable and meaningful SLAs and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs) with business stakeholders and internal IT teams/suppliers.
- Manages the end-to-end SLM process for key IT services, ensuring services are delivered according to agreed levels.
- Analyses service performance trends, investigates root causes of SLA failures, and drives Service Improvement Plans (SIPs).
Level 5 (Strategise)
- Develops the organisation's overall strategy, framework, policies, and processes for Service Level Management.
- Defines the structure and content of the enterprise Service Catalogue and standard SLA templates.
- Ensures alignment between agreed service levels, underlying IT capabilities, business needs, and cost considerations across the organisation.