Why you should attend

Forward-thinking organisations are implementing Service Level Agreements as a tool for corporate mission achievement as well as to define services, align customer-supplier expectations, improve customer satisfaction. There are hard ways to achieve this - and easier ways. Learn how to implement effective and strategic SLAs.

Who should attend

CIOs, IT Directors, IT Managers, Computing Centre Managers, Communications Managers, User Support Managers, Operations Managers, MIS Managers, Information Centre Managers, Business Consultants, User Support Staff, Technical Support Staff Help Desk and Service Desk Managers and personnel and all Users and Customers of IT and telecommunications services wishing to optimise the value of the services they receive from their service provider

How you and your organisation will benefit

SLAs are a tool for organisational efficiency and effectiveness. They help to justify resource and keep customers happy and loyal. Increasingly they are being used to create competitive advantage. This seminar will show you how.

Programme

SLAs: the key to business performance; the hub of IT management strategy

Shows why SLAs are so critical. Demonstrates how SLA support achievement of corporate goals. The vital tool for managing vendors, new applications, development, integrating all parts of IT – infrastructure, WAN, LAN, mainframe, midrange, client/server, workstations, desktops, help desks and support – into a seamless service that meet s business needs. Essential tool for managing outsourcing and contracts.

What SLAs can and cannot do
Squaring the circle
SLAs – strategic business vision, and mission achievement
SLAs – a crucial IT management tool
How SLAs measure, benchmark and monitor service
Strategic SLAs: Balanced Scorecard, ITIL and CobIT

• SLAs: Principles versus Practice

  Many organisations’ SLAs simply fail to do the job. Recent surveys show most SLAs are ineffective – but that is because they have not been implemented properly. This session contrasts ‘best practice’ with ‘common practice’ and lays the foundations for robust, usable and d-able service management. It sets out rigorous methods to produce quality SLAs that deliver against business objectives.

  Politics of service
  Why poor service can be inevitable - and how to change it.
  Building to SLAs – the vital steps
  Dynamic technology: how to tame it
  Avoiding the pitfalls
  Dissecting the service: exposing service products
  The universal quality metrics – and what they mean
  Lies, damn lies and statistics – how to create effective performance measures and metrics

• Simplification – the Way to Manageable SLAs

  Often organisations are not geared to deliver – or to receive – service. How to move forward? SLAs can be cumbersome and difficult to maintain. Modular SLAs can make life easier – while retaining control. How building customer-supplier relationships throughout the supply chain can help to create effective SLAs – and meet demanding business needs.

  SLA scope – eating the elephant a bite at a time
  Organisation for Service Level Management
  Delivering service against organisation and process complexity
  Supplier or Customer Driven?
  Types of SLA: Model, Standard, Template and Modular SLAs – what should go into a SLA?
  Negotiating with the User
  Infinite Capacity? Managing demand
  Realistic Limits to Service

• SLAs for Effective Control of Infrastructure Services

  IT services are becoming increasingly complex. The customer demands seamless delivery of services which may include WAN, LAN, intranet, Manframes, Client / Servers, Desktops and all application software. A nightmare for service management! But SLAs can be the key to knife through diffusion and focus on the hub of service provision.

  Key Measurements and Activity Based SLAs
  Controlling Mainframe, Mid-Range, Unix and Client / Server Services
  Balancing customer needs and service capability for Desktop Services
  SLAs for Telecommunications Services
  SLAs for Call Centre, Service Desk, Help Desk and Support
  Creating Key Performance and Service Level Indicators

• SLA Strategy for Accountable, Business Oriented System Development

  Almost half of new developments fail to deliver the business benefits they promised. Business is dynamic – and development has to match it Developers are moving out of the tower and into the business: old methods, structures, certainties and roles are shifting. SLAs need to harmonise and harness these uncertainties to deliver robust applications that meet customer and business need.

  All change in systems development: changing roles, responsibiliteis and relationships
  Why new systems fail to deliver
  Using SLAs in the development life cycle
  How SLAs can deliver operationally robust and durable developments
  SLAs for Development: no more over budget, over time!

• SLAs – Springboard for Outsourcing Partnerships

  Outsourcing some or all of the IT service is an explosive trend. Expl;osive because it is a fast growing areas – and because it all to often backfires. Around half of all outsourcing contracts falter into dispute. Experience and research prove that the cause usually lies in poor service definition and weak SLAs. Yet too rigid SLAs can strangle the creativity, innovation and competitive edge sought in strategic outsourcing partnerships. How to get the right balance of flexibility and control.

  In-house vs outsourcing SLAs: crucial differences
  The Role of the SLA in Invitations to Tender, Proposals and Contracts
  SLAs in Market Testing, Outsourcing and Supply / Support Contracts
  Avoiding hidden costs – and identifying real needs
  Can SLAs work in strategic partnerships?

• SLA Strategies to Ease Supplier Management

  We are fast moving to a world of virtual organisations – billion dollar corporations consisting of a Board, a CEO and a handful of contract managers. But the dependence on external supply of goods and services brings with it new hazards - dependencies and challenges that both customers and suppliers are only just beginning to grasp. This session examines key management strategies and demonstrates how SLAs can help them to become reality.

  Should we buy the technology – or buy a service?
  Supplier competency and capability – closing the gaps
  Integrating services with SLAs
  Operational relationships….contractual relationships – differences between intent, contract and reality
  Effective contract management – overcoming pitfalls

• When the Act Comes Together – the Strategic SLA Vision

  The key elements are drawn together to show how strategic SLA vision delivers business goals and facilitates IT strategy and service delivery. A step-by-step approach can lead to vision fulfilment. SLAs can be encouraged to permeate the whole of the service supply chain, leading to customer satisfaction and loyalty – and a profitable relationship for both customer and supplier.

  The role of the Customer in making SLAs work – Account managers, Service Managers and Customer Representatives
  Opportunity gap analysis – when failure can lead to success
  SLAs and their key role in the balanced scorecard
  Reward and punishment - sticks and carrots
  Cost v Profit – you get what you pay for – creating win-win partnerships

• SLA Surgery

  Delegates may raise their own issues for discussion and advice.

Books by Kingswell Consultants

Books on Service Management

Hiles, A. N. The Complete Guide to IT Service Level Agreements, Matching Service Quality to Business Needs.. ISBN 0-9641648-2-5 published by Rothstein Associates Inc.  The standard work on IT Service Level Agreements.

Hiles, A. N. E-Business Service Level Agreements: Strategies for ISPs, ASPs, *SPs and CLECS.  Published by Rothstein Associates Inc.  The first book to deal specifically with e-commerce Service Level Agreements.

Hiles, A. N. Service Level Agreements, Winning a Competitive Edge for Supply and Support Services.  ISBN 0-9641648-4-1published by Rothstein Associates Inc. This book applies Service Level Agreements to services other than IT. Real case studies and example SLAs are provided ranging from Human Resources, Logistics, through Training, Livestock Handling, Logistics and Field Service Engineering.

Hiles A.N. and Gunn, Dr. Y. Creating a Customer-Focused Help Desk: How to Win and Keep Your Customers. Published by Rothstein Associates Inc. ISBN 0-9641648-6-8 This book has the support of the Help Desk Institute www.helpdeskinst.com

Books on Business Continuity

Hiles A.N. Business Continuity Management: Best Practice. Published by Rothstein Associates Inc. ISBN 0-9641648-3-3.  This book explicitly covers all the ten areas of business continuity competence required for membership of the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) and the Business Continuity Institute (BCI).

Hiles A.N. Enterprise Risk Assessment & Business Impact Analysis – Best Practices ISBN 1-931332-12-6 Published by Rothstein Associates Inc. Covers many techniques and methods of risk and impact assessment with detailed examples and checklists.

e-Publication. Kingswell books on Business Continuity, Service Level Agreements and  Help Desk Management will shortly be available by page download in conjunction with Rothstein Associates Inc and Books24x7.com.

New and updated books. Existing  books Business Continuity Management – Best Practice and IT Service Level Agreements have been extensively updated. See our products page or visit www.rothstein.com .

All the above books can be obtained from:

Rothstein Associates Inc.
4 Arapaho Road
Brookfield
Connecticut
0608-3104 USA

www.rothstein.com

e-mail pjr@rothstein.com

Telephone: USA: 1-888-ROTHSTEIN
Worldwide: +1 203 740 7400

Hiles A.N. Guide to Risk Management. Published by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales.

Hiles A.N. and Barnes, P. (Editor and main contributor) The Definitive Handbook of Business Continuity Management, John Wiley & Sons, 1999, ISBN 0 471 98622 4.

Hiles, A.N. (contributor), Croner’s Purchasing and Supply Guide to I.T., 1994, ISBN 1 85524 271 0

Hiles, A.N. (contributor), Guide to Business Continuity Management, 1999, for the Confederation of British Industry by Caspian Publishing

Hiles A.N. (contributor) Business Continuity Management, 2000, Institute of Directors / Department of Trade & Industry.