Service Level Management concepts

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Service Level Management concepts

    The ServiceNow® Service Level Management (SLM) application enables organizations to oversee and control service delivery through defined Service Level Agreements (SLAs). SLM helps Service Level Managers establish clear expectations regarding service scope, quality, and timing, while providing tools to monitor SLA compliance and identify breaches.

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    Key Features

    • Service Level Agreement (SLA) Definitions: Create SLA definitions that specify the task table, duration, schedule (working and non-working days), and conditions for SLA start, pause, stop, or reset. These definitions drive SLA generation and tracking.
    • Task SLAs: When an SLA definition applies to a task (e.g., a P1 incident), a corresponding task SLA record is created to capture SLA tracking data. Multiple SLAs can apply to a single task. Task SLAs allow you to specify targets such as Response, Resolution, or None.
    • Role-Based Access Control: Manage SLA permissions with defined roles:
      • slaadmin: Full administrative rights for SLM configuration, SLA overview, and repair; can associate workflows/schedules but cannot create them without additional roles.
      • slamanager: Can define SLA definitions and view SLA-related dashboards and logs but cannot modify SLM properties or condition types.
    • Integration with Other Plugins: SLM functionality extends through integration with plugins like SLA Contract Add-on and Service Portfolio Management - SLA Commitments, enhancing contract and portfolio alignment.
    • App Engine Studio Template Support: SLM tables (including SLA Definition, Service Offering SLA, SLA Timer Configuration, and SLA Timer Configuration Mapping) can be included in application templates, facilitating standardized deployment.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging SLM, customers can:

    • Set and enforce clear service expectations tied to specific tasks and workflows.
    • Monitor SLA adherence effectively with real-time tracking and dashboards.
    • Assign proper roles to ensure appropriate control and visibility over SLA management.
    • Integrate SLA management seamlessly with other ServiceNow processes and applications for holistic service delivery oversight.
    • Utilize application templates to standardize and accelerate SLM implementation across environments.

    The ServiceNow® Service Level Management (SLM) application facilitates you to oversee and control the services within the organization.

    Service Level Managers are responsible for a set of agreements between a service provider and customer that define the scope, quality, and speed of the services being provided. The intention of SLM is to provide the customer with an expectation of service within a known timescale and the ability to monitor when service levels are not being met.

    The SLM offers the following features:
    • Service Level Agreement (SLA) definitions
    • Task SLAs
    • Integration with other ServiceNow plugins

    Service Level Agreement (SLA) roles

    Ensure that users can perform all necessary actions by assigning SLA roles.
    Role Definition
    sla_admin Provides full administrative rights to SLM. Users that possess the sla_admin role can configure SLM properties, run SLA repair, view the SLA Overview dashboard, and manage SLA definitions. They may associate existing workflows or schedules to SLA definitions, but are unable to create workflows. The additional roles required to create workflows or schedules must be granted explicitly. See Base system roles for more information.
    sla_manager Lets users define SLA definitions, view SLA repair logs, and view the SLA Overview dashboard. Does not let users change SLM property values or define SLA condition types.

    Service Level Agreement (SLA) definitions

    Use the SLA Definition record to define a specific set of criteria that would result in an SLA being generated. Define some of the following parameters:
    • Table: The task table that the SLA is defined for.
    • Duration: The time duration in which the service must be provided to the customer.
    • Schedule: The schedule, which indicates valid working and non-working days that the service provider follows to deliver the service. The selected schedule is used to determine when the SLA breaches.
    • Conditions: The conditions under which the SLA starts, pauses, stops, or resets.

    Task SLA definitions

    When an SLA definition is triggered against a particular task, the task SLA record is generated and contains all the tracking data for the specific SLA on that record. For example, if an SLA definition exists for P1 incidents a task SLA record attaches to the P1 incident record and captures all the data associated with it. Often there are multiple task SLA records against a single task because many definitions apply.

    Note:
    This feature is available only in new instances starting with Jakarta or a later release. The Problem Management Best Practice – Jakarta plugin (com.snc.best_practice.problem.jakarta) plugin must be activate.
    On the Task SLA form, you can also select the target for the SLA: Response, Resolution, or None.

    Integration with other ServiceNow plugins

    The following plugins introduce extra functionality within SLM:
    • SLA Contract Add-on
    • Service Portfolio Management - SLA Commitments

    SLM Template support in App Engine Studio

    Application Templates support Service Level Management tables to be included when creating templates from applications in the App Engine Studio. The SLM tables that can be included in templates are:
    • SLA Definition [contract_sla]
    • Service Offering SLA [service_offering_sla]
    • SLA Timer Configuration[sla_timer_config]
    • SLA timer configuration mapping[sla_timer_config_mapping]