IT Service Management and Service Level Management are ITIL processes to ensure the service is managed according to the contract and that the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are well-defined and maintained.

The Supplier’s Service Level Management should be based on the ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) process model for managing the service levels related to Services provided to the Client.

This process does not sit in isolation; it is an integral part of the overall ITIL process framework and has interrelationships with the following:

Incident Management
Problem Management
Change & Release Management
Service Request
Availability Management
Capacity Management
It is through this process that service level management is handled for the Client in order to meet the business, technical and quality requirements as per the Master Services Agreement (MSA) or Contract.

The user(s) of this document are Service Management staff, Service Level Managers & Service Desk staff .  Personnel are involved in either the implementation of the service levels or their ongoing support throughout the lifetime of the contract.

Objectives

The objectives of SLM are as follows:

• Maintain and improve IT service quality.  This is achieved by a constant cycle of agreeing, monitoring and reporting upon IT Service achievements.  Poor service performance will generate the instigation of actions to eradicate a less than satisfactory service.  These actions will be carried out in line with the nature of the business and cost justification.  These methods help to manage the relationship between the Client and Supplier;
• Documenting the services and Service Levels as well as working together to develop a Service Catalogue and Service Level Agreements as outlined in the MSA;
• Governance of the quality of services for continuous service improvement;
• Manage 3rd party vendors by defining, monitoring and maintaining underpinning Contracts (UC’s);
• Manage the internal Supplier support providers by defining and monitoring Operational Level Agreements (OLA’s).

The SLM Documents should contain at least;

Process Flow, including Context, Inputs, Outputs and Activities.

Rules on how the SLM Documentation is Established and Maintained

Information on how the Credit Calculations are Established and what the Weighting Criteria’s are

Information on how the SLAs, UCs & OLAs are Finalized and Maintained

Description of how the Service Levels are being Monitored, Reported and Reviewed

Criteria’s for how Service Improvement Plan’s (SIP) are triggered and governed

Description of which System’s & Tools are involved in the process

&

An Service Level Management RASCI Matrix to show the accountability and responsibility of every action within the SLM process.