Planning and Performance: Managing Service Level Agreements

Overview

In today's competitive business environment of downsizing, tight budgets and reduced resources, contract insourcing and outsourcing have become increasingly effective business tools in helping to achieve productivity gains and increase profitability.

As a manager, the responsibility rests with you to ensure your organisation effectively negotiates, manages, and monitors SLAs in key areas of the business. This hands-on workshop sets out to provide a sound, practical guide to establishing and managing the on-going SLA, allowing the participant to work step by step through the processes.

This course consists of an intensive 2 days of pragmatic methods that includes numerous interactive exercises and a case study designed to assist you in determining the best and most effective SLA techniques for your organisation. You will discover how to build a comprehensive and solid business framework for establishing an SLA.

Who this course is forBack to top

This workshop is designed for both novice and experienced managers involved in ensuring effective service delivery, whether provided by external suppliers or in internal support functions.

In particular we highly recommend this workshop to:

• Strategy, planning and resource managers, enterprise risk managers, product managers, contract administrators, vendor managers, project and program managers, service delivery managers, contracts personnel, operations and divisional managers, procurement and purchasing managers, logistics and supply chain managers.

or CALL US 1300_ 70_ 13 14

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Industry Certified RecognitionBack to top

14 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT UNITS (PDUS) AWARDED

Participants who have been awarded the Project Management Professional Certification (PMP®) by the Project Management Institute are eligible to earn 14 PDUs for their participation in this workshop

Outcomes & Certification EligibilityBack to top

Successful completion of this workshop will enable participants to:

• Understand the difference between a contract and an SLA, and how to optimise their relationship.
• Effect robust resource allocation, timeline and workflow planning
• Build a solid, comprehensive, business framework for establishing an SLA
• Identify key stakeholders in the agreement and specify accountabilities
• Overcome challenges in defining and monitoring service quality
• Ensure all interdependent parties interpret the SLA the same way
• Determine simple, attainable, affordable and measurable key performance indicator
• Establish rewards/recourse to ensure outsource partners and managed service providers will deliver expected service quality
• Detail clear and structured reporting requirements to ensure timely stakeholder communication

Facilitators of this workshop are highly qualified and experienced practitioners in project management, education and consultancy and hold all relevant certifications with leading bodies.

How this course is deliveredBack to top

All workshops may be conducted onsite or at our premises, with experienced facilitators providing group and/or individual instruction. Training is provided through hands-on learning, relevant exercises and the provision of a participant handbook. Our participants receive email support throughout the study process and are also entitled to complementary telephone consultation/advice within 60 days of workshop completion.

ASSESSMENT/ASSIGNMENTS

Assessment of competence is established by observation of contribution and participation during case study exercises and group discussion. Follow-up assignments are not part of this workshop offering, but may be designed and conducted upon request.

Workshop Content Summary

• THE STRATEGIC ELEMENTS OF THE SLA

Overview of the key components of an SLA, how an SLA differs from a Contract, and how to optimise the differences, the SLAs role in governance – where it fits in the scheme of things, key objectives of SLAs, scenario and situation analysis, establish the advantages and disadvantages of SLAs – when you should and shouldn't use SLAs, strategic considerations for SLAs – things to consider before you kick-off the SLA, approaches to rolling out and determining which is best for you, understanding SLAs from a Project Management perspective, the importance of relationship management

• WRITING AND PERFORMANCE MANAGING AN SLA

Context:
Identifying the stakeholders – specifying who they are, and what service quality is important to them, relationship management, not contract management

Scope Overview:
Distinguishing who is responsible for what – how to develop a responsibility matrix.

Scope Definitions:
Defining the scope of work, identifying the objectives of each service – highlighting what's really important.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI's):
Introducing the Service Scoreboard – design the service, financial, relationship and strategic outcomes sought, design the critical service metrics for an SLA, investigating KPI stratifications and options, ongoing performance management.

Incentives:
Understanding financial and non-financial incentives, understanding positive and negative incentives - using carrots and sticks, exploring different techniques for applying incentives – getting the most out of incentives.

Reporting:
Assessing the different types of information for reporting, exploring the various reports desired at different periods, designing a KPI report.

Terminology:
Avoiding common misinterpretations – ensuring all parties have the same understanding.

or CALL US 1300_ 70_ 13 14

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