a) Produce an outline Job Description for a Service Level Manager.
(11 marks)
b) Describe and explain the purpose of the regular contacts the Service Level Manager must have to perform the function effectively.
(9 marks)
Marking Guidelines
a) Main Duties - Job Description Service Level Manager
- Creates and Maintains a catalogue of all existing services offered
- Formulates, negotiates and maintains a User/Service Level Agreement structure
- Negotiates and agrees the initial contents, and service levels, for each SLA
- Analyses and reviews all achieved service levels and conducts comparisons with SLAs
- Produces regular reports of service achievements to users and Senior Management
- Chairs monthly meetings with user branch representatives to jointly consider the service levels
- Initiates any actions necessary to improve or maintain levels of service
- Prepares for and conducts regular reviews of the SLAs with the users, and negotiates and agrees any amendments necessary.
8 marks if ALL the above areas are covered, suggest further 3 marks for stating the following:
SL Manager must have sufficient authority within the organisation to negotiate/relate to Senior Users and IT Managers
Depending on size of organisation job may be justified as full-time, if not possibly combined with another role(s) - IT Service Manager
Ensure candidates stress the role is the process of managing the quality of IT delivered service according to written agreement and that some SLAs may be external to the organisation with outside vendors
b) Contact with and purpose, the SLM Manager will liaise with all the other ITIL functions, the answer here should be geared towards an overall management perspective of the role and how the other ITIL areas can contribute to the quality and level of service provided - 9 Marks for a concise view of the contacts and their purpose:
- HELP DESK - have direct day to day contact with Users and IT Services and will be first call for any detriment in quality of service. Help desk procedures and efficiency level must be incorporated in the SLAs. HD smoothes the transition to SLM and have a significant impact on User perception of Service Level quality
- CAPACITY MANAGEMENT - must supply performance statistics to the SLM. SLM must agree specification of monitoring tools and frequency with CM.
- AVAILABILITY MANAGEMENT - must provide availability statistics to the SLM
- SERVICE SUPPLIERS - the SLM must underpin and liaise regularly with suppliers of underpinning services
- CHANGE MANAGEMENT - must liaise with the SLM for any changes that will impact SLA or quality of Service
- NETWORK MANAGEMENT - as above
- CONTINGENCY PLANNING - as above
- PROBLEM MANAGEMENT - as above
- CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT - as above
- SECURITY MANAGEMENT - if specified in SLA
Marks should be awarded for a ‘management’ understanding of how SLM interfaces with ALL of the other ITIL functions to manage the quality and quantity of delivered IT service according to an agreed contract (SLA)
The relationships are very similar to customer - retailer - wholesaler, in that the service offered by a retailer to his customers is dependent to a great extent on the service supplied from the wholesaler. The Service Level Manager must accept responsibility for any problems the user encounters by interfacing with the other ITIL processes and underpinning overall service quality.
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