Think about where service begins. How can an operator at the Service Desk support a User or Customer without knowing who does what, when and under what circumstances? You could treat every call as an emergency, and some do! But we all agree this is neither efficient nor effective.
A better approach is to consider the services you provide today. Even if you have no SLAs you are still delivering services. The best starting point is to create a service catalog. Following I describe a service catalog and how to create one in just 5 easy steps.
Implementing SLM optimizes IT operations and delivers higher quality of service to Customers at the same time – the very definition doing more for more with less!
Briefly, the Service Catalog underpins the SLM process. A Service Level Agreement refers to an IT Service. The Service Level Manager documents the services IT provides in the Service Catalog. (If you do not have formal SLM in place, and do not have someone assigned to the role of Service Level Manager, then pick an IT manager or supervisor who knows all the services you provide and have them follow this process.) The Service Desk uses the Service Catalog to advertise IT services, and to assist in day-to-day operations.
Without documenting the services IT provides, you cannot negotiate SLAs with Customers and it is very difficult to establish Operating Level Agreements (OLA's) and drive Underpinning Contracts (UCs). So the logical starting point is indeed the initial Service Catalog.
It is almost impossible to develop a service catalog that lists everything that IT does for every customer. However, by focusing on the things IT does for most customers an initial catalog can come together very quickly. Of course, over time, the goal is to expand and improve upon the initial catalog, but you have to start somewhere!
Following are the 5 basic steps required to develop an initial service catalog.
There you have it, your initial IT Service Catalog! An initial Service Catalog does not have to be complex or very large. As time goes on you will refine it, expand it, and change it meet the new needs of the Business.
Right away you will find the service catalog improves communications with Users, Customers and within IT. This is the starting point to think about IT services, versus technology, an important step toward improving maturity.
You will also be able to use your Service Catalog as the starting point for internal OLA's, as well as SLAs with Customers. As your SLM implementation matures, you can also use your SLAs to drive vendor agreements and UCs.
Implementing a Service Catalog has many benefits including:
Today’s mandates for IT to “do-more for-more with-less” can put IT in a tough spot. The Service Catalog helps balance these requirements and sets the stage for more improvements by underpinning formal Service Level Management.