Service Level Agreements (SLAs) - Preparation Guidelines for Effective SLAs

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) have become an important aspect of every company today. This is so primarily from the fact that most companies use some form of the service provider in the course of their day-to-day operations. In order for this to happen, an agreement typically an SLA is created that describes the type of service that will be provided by the provider to the client/customer. More specifically, an SLA is a contract that formally defines the service being performed by the provider in addition to detailing various aspects like roles, responsibilities, quality, scope, payment terms, and processes.

Companies today use service providers for a multitude of services ranging from communications (telephone and Internet connections), outsourcing software applications, and outsourcing data storage to processing business transactions. With so many viable options available to streamline operations by utilizing a service provider, we will assess the importance of the SLA and the specifics of establishing a sound and executable SLA.

The objective of this webinar is to understand the principles and guidelines for developing and preparing effective Service Level Agreements (SLAs). With an effective SLA, accountability will be established for the achievement of the service level objective with a comprehensive roadmap for implementing the SLA process.

• Define the purpose of the service to be delivered.
• Discuss the types of SLAs.
• Develop a sound foundation for the SLA process.
• Assess the essential components of an SLA such as Governance and Risk Management.
• Discuss the importance of the legal (general council) role in the SLA process.
• Identify performance metrics for monitoring purposes.
• Establish success factors within the SLA.
• Build an action plan to assist in developing effective SLAs

• Executive Management
• IT Managers
• Purchasing and Procurement Managers
• Supply Chain Managers
• Accounting Managers
• Business Unit Managers
• Line senior executives responsible for company operations performance
• IT and quality assurance professionals
• Legal counsel officers that help develop agreements and service contracts
• Purchasing and Procurement Executives
• Legal Counsel Functions (Internal or External)
• Corporate and Internal Audit Executives, Internal and Information System Auditors
• Executives Dependent on Key Support Infrastructure Services, Such as IT and other business services
• Contingency Planning and Emergency Preparedness Professionals that must specify SLAs
• CIOs, CFOs, and any C-level Executive that is Vitally Dependent on or who oversees Business Services
• External Auditors and Consultants in Risk Management and Contingency Planning
• Chief Risk Managers, Chief Security Officers (CSOs), and Professionals
• Individual Responsible for Negotiating Outsourced Services
• Compliance and Regulatory Mandate Officers/Professionals
• Managers of Outsourcing Service Companies that Must Specify or Negotiate Levels of Service With Clients
• Any manager of the service professional that needs to measure service performance and needs to develop their service SLAs