The frequency with which SLAs should be monitored is a topic which comes up again and again in our conversations with clients. How often should I actually monitor the SLAs and the SLA metrics? I can be very specific at one level – you certainly shouldn’t be monitoring SLAs daily. In our experience most SLAs are monitored monthly or quarterly. Two of the key factors which seem to impact on the frequency with which the SLA is monitored are highlighted below:
- The nature of the service being monitored by the SLA - is it business critical, does it impact delivery to customers?
- The value of the contract – both high and low value contracts should be managed using SLAs - naturally however more time and effort is likely to be invested in the management of high value contracts. In turn people are more likely to monitor the metrics on high value contracts more frequently.
A third factor is perhaps less frequently mentioned – with good reason :>) Many SLAs are not monitored as frequently or regularly as businesses would like because the process of collecting data on SLAs can be extremely painful and labourious. Anyone who has tried to implement a Service Level Management process in a Shared Services, Outsourcing or Global business services organisations using spreadsheets knows what I am talking about. Getting people to report on SLAs is simply a very difficult exercise. Why? Because it is a very administrative task which requires good people to do it properly. These good people are clever and they get bored by it and think of better things to do. And…I dont blame them – but SLA Performance Reports are important so you need to find a way to ensure they are produced.
Some people take the view that integration to online SLA dashboards is the best solution. This avoids the need for individuals to report on SLAs and all reports are delivered automatically. It is certainly an option – trouble is that it is an expensive option and can take time to deploy. Not something you necessarily want to take on board when you are already in the middle of pretty serious IT or process changes anyway? My view is that it is easier to use a simpler and lower cost SLA Management tool which makes the process reactive rather than proactive. Use a solution which alerts your people when they need to input data and takes them straight to simple online input screens. Give the integration option but dont force it. Promote an intuitive approach to reporting on SLAs that is easy to implement and low cost.
So how often should I be monitoring my SLA performance? I feel like I have given you a consultant’s answer (and I am not a consultant) The truth is you should be in a position to monitor quality of service as often as you need to (I always say minumum should be weekly becuase I feel anythying less than that is operational) – however don’t be constrained by the tools you use or the concerns about the degree to which you can drive the process. Seek out a new intuitive and rapid method of SLA performance reporting.
