Given the numerous benefits of new technologies, companies have been driven to hire the services of IT professionals with the aim of optimizing their results and reduce costs. In contrast, it is important for IT professionals to project credibility and present results within high quality standards. The effective management of SLA (Service Level Agreement) indicators ensures that the IT team achieves this goal.
But what are these indicators and what impact can they have on the work of an IT team? That is what we will discuss in today’s post. Stay tuned!
What are SLA indicators?
Every company wants to offer its clients services with the best possible quality and maintain a good relationship with them. The SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a mandatory contract between the client and the service provider, which defines which services will be performed, the tools used, the responsibilities of each party involved, deadlines, values, and any other detail.
As the ABNT NBR ISO-IEC 20000-1 standard specifies, it is through this document that the IT team will be able to plan and critically analyze the results of their work, in order to improve their service management system.
The SLA defines performance indicators that will help the manager achieve the necessary quality standard. These indicators are built from metrics (or information) received during the process, presenting a clear overview of the results that will serve as a basis for practical and efficient intervention.
Which SLA indicators are important?
To avoid working blindly, the indicators must present solid information that will serve as the foundation for evaluations throughout the process, in order to ensure compliance with goals. They vary according to the type of service provided, but some are essential. Take a look:
Meeting deadlines
Deadlines for performing services need to be well-defined, realistically, and in accordance with business needs. Thus, each IT task must be executed punctually, within this limit.
Quality transit through the system
Some IT services can be performed by various sectors within the same company. Often these are services performed by outsourced companies. It is necessary to evaluate this flow, from the beginning of the work until it reaches the client, ensuring that there is a quality standard at all stages, without losing homogeneity and agility.
Costs
The contract must clearly state the cost of the service, what is covered and what is not, procedures in case of equipment maintenance, a plan for price adjustments, investment, among others.
Quality of service and support
It is necessary to evaluate the feedback of the service that has already been performed, with customer service, redirection of the request to the responsible sector, and satisfaction level surveys.
Other indicators can be developed aiming at a more efficient evaluation of the services provided.
What is the impact of indicators on the work of IT professionals?
The indicator management system helps ensure that the services provided by IT are continuously improved, enhancing their quality standard. The focus is continuous improvement.
The manager must collect numerical data (measurements), create information from them (metrics), and develop indicators to understand the progress of service delivery and know how to coordinate management interventions, aiming to comply with what was established in the SLA.
The information presented by performance indicators is very broad, and the manager also needs to deal with various other tasks that are part of the company’s day-to-day operations and also demand time.
The provision of outsourcing services (service outsourcing) has been a solution for many companies, especially when they have a reduced team. Such services may include project management, ongoing tasks, among others.
There is no doubt how good management of SLA indicators is vital to ensuring a service provided with increasing quality, reducing costs, and gaining greater credibility in the market.
Did you have any questions or want to share your experience in indicator management? Share it with us in the comments!
