Fluke Networks: unveil Service Quality Management (1)

Execution Summary
Service quality management (SLM) is a major measure to improve the quality of IT services-but IT is so large that many IT managers are discouraged. Even if everyone thinks SLM is extremely important, only a small number of people actually carry out SLM projects. This White Paper aims to eliminate some negative misunderstandings about SLM and provides brief implementation solutions for various stages of service management.
Many managers will think that SLM is a "one-win, one-loss" project. Therefore, all business services and all components must be fully considered.
If you have such an idea at the beginning, it will not only be intimidated by it, but also be nothing. To be successful, service management should first focus on some components, and then gradually develop measurement, monitoring and reporting procedures. A manager with a low budget will take price as an important consideration. In fact, SLM and high costs are not necessarily linked. The original tools of the IT department can continue to be used-they can be used to measure the service quality, just add other tools. On the other hand, improving services can save you time and money.
Other managers are afraid that, after reaching a service quality agreement (SLA) with their business departments, they will be vulnerable to attacks. They have heard from some of their peers about how the service commitment is difficult to fulfill and how painful the failure is. There are two solutions to this problem: first, obtaining support from the administrative decision-making layer, and second, establishing a practical SLA. Supporters from the administrative decision-making layer can help the IT department and the business department to work together to create an environment without mutual criticism and work hard for the overall business objectives. He can also ensure the will and financial support required to improve service quality. Determining the current capability baseline is the key to negotiating a practical SLA.
The Enterprise Management Alliance (EMA) advocates four stages of service quality management implementation solutions. Phase 1: the startup process. The main point is to understand the data record and improvement process. It is the basis for the use of many SLM functions. IT staff also usually need to experience a period of time to truly understand the rewards brought by the extra effort. Stage 2: monitoring, measurement, and Improvement. Discuss the metric data required by the business department to understand the situation, and improve tools to eliminate the frequent occurrence of mutual accusations after problems. Stage 3: service quality report. Clarify requirements for SLA negotiation and establishment, and formulate reporting methods applicable to IT and business departments. Stage 4: proactive and business-oriented service quality management. This article discusses how business objectives play a leading role in establishing service quality and IT capital investment priorities throughout the business system.
Fear, confusion, and doubt
Everyone in an enterprise organization seems to be praising the magical effect of SLM: the CEO hopes that IT department can promote the company's business objectives, managers of various business departments think that with IT, they can solve all the IT problems they encounter. In this way, the IT department is facing increasing pressure on SLM planning. On the other hand, CIOs and IT directors have doubts about SLM. The Enterprise Management Association (EMA) often encounters this situation: IT managers can list some of the benefits of SLM, but when asking them to provide SLA cases or service quality commitments, but cannot get any answer.
According to the EMA survey, 100% of IT managers think SLM is very important or critical to their organizations, but only 56% of them actually implement the SLM plan.
Why are enterprises still reluctant to implement SLM even though they know that SLM has so many benefits? The answer is out of fear, confusion, and doubt-these factors impede the outcome of many good initial steps. Some IT directors and managers have heard that some of their peers have been punished for failing to fulfill service quality agreements (SLAs. As a result, they worried that they would lose their jobs or damage the reputation of their departments. More managers do not know how to start. SLM has been described as an risky behavior that requires restructuring the IT department; in addition, IT also needs to add extremely expensive tools to carry out complex bureaucratic procedures. As a result, managers can't help wondering whether such an unknown plus the cost and chaos caused can actually improve IT services?