2.5 Service Desk - Service Level Management

The goal of Service Level Management is to maintain and improve the alignment between business activities and IT service quality. This is achieved through the cycle of:

  • Agree on service level expectations and record them in Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

  • Monitor the service provided

  • Report actual service delivery results

  • Review IT service delivery results in relation to the SLA, and adjust accordingly

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a formal, negotiated contract that outlines service level expectations and clarifies responsibilities between the Service Desk and its Customers. When unacceptable levels of service are noted throughout the service cycle, action can be taken to re-align expectations with actual service delivery results.