A service level agreement promises a level of service, measured in a specific way, with consequences if the promise is missed. The document looks intimidating because it is long, but most of it is context. The working parts are few: the services covered, the targets, how they are measured, and what happens when a target is missed.
What to look for first
- Scope: which services and hours the agreement covers, since an out-of-hours outage may not count at all.
- Targets: response and resolution times for each priority level, stated as numbers, not intentions.
- Measurement: the tool and method used, because a target measured from ticket creation differs from one measured from first response.
- Remedy: service credits or other consequences, and the process for claiming them.
When an SLA dispute arises, both sides usually disagree about measurement, not about the target. Read the measurement clause twice.