The Service Level Agreement#

A Service Level Agreement, or SLA, is fundamental to service provision, from the perspective of both the supplier and the recipient. It essentially documents and defines the parameters of the relationship itself.

The quality of the service level agreement is therefore a critical matter. It is not an area that can be left to chance, and must command careful attention.

The SLA itself must be of sufficiant detail and scope for the service covered. Typical SLA sections include:

• Introduction
• Scope of Work
• Performance
• Tracking and Reporting
• Problem Management
• Compensation
• Customer Duties and Responsibilities
• Warranties and Remedies
• Security
• Intellectual Property Rights and Confidential Information
• Legal Compliance and Resolution of Disputes
• Termination and Signatures
• Other sections of course may be applicable.

Each of these sections must be caefully crafted to ensure that the agreement properly defines the service to be delivered. This is certainly not a trivial task.