Like "The Negotiator", the Service Level Management (SLM) manager responsible for managing the process must have technical skills, an understanding of the organization and the Service Delivery structure. But more than any of the other ITIL process area managers, the SLM manager will need to apply people and diplomatic skills.

This article will provide a perspective into using these skills to support the process of Service Level Management, and how diplomacy skills can be exercised, focusing on the negotiation phase.

SLM is defined as the process that documents, negotiates and monitors the quality of the IT services. At first glance, it may appear that this process is more of a “nice to have” than a “need to have”. This is a common mistake many organizations make. SLM is vital, because it is the process that is responsible for customer perception, resulting in customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Effective SLM results in healthy working relationships between IT and the business. ITIL describes a successful SLM manager as someone who gains the trust of both IT and the business. It is impossible to complete this task without the right skills, including diplomacy and sensitivity. These personality traits will come into play mostly in the negotiation phase, which will be addressed later in this article.

The three stages of the SLM process: documentation, negotiation and monitoring, represent the three stages of a relationship―a lot like the relationship between human beings. During the documentation phase, the SLM manager introduces himself and the services that IT provides, and the customer verbalizes their needs. This is the time to get to know each other.

The second phase, negotiation, is the time when each side is coming out of their shell. There are no uncomfortable silences anymore, no awkward moments, and the relationship is moving into second gear. Successful negotiations mean a stable and healthy environment.

The third phase, reporting and monitoring, is where this healthy environment and relationship is being maintained. The relationship, like a marriage, will experience ups and downs, but a well designed monitoring system will allow communication between all sides. We all know communication is the key for any relationship (Google “marriage counseling” for further information).

Once the process charter is completed and approved by stakeholders, the documentation phase can be initiated. The documentation phase will finalize service level requests and spec sheets. The work is done separately, first with IT and then with the business. This phase is essential for the SLM manager to establish good relationships with both sides. Gaining their trust at this point will be beneficial during the negotiation phase.

I would recommend any SLM manager not to complete the spec sheets and not to continue with negotiations until both the provider (IT organization) and the receiver (customer/business) are satisfied with the list of services and their descriptions.

The negotiation phase of SLM process will strive to achieve an agreement between the provider and the receiver. The objective of the SLM manager is to obtain a win-win situation. If the he or she have done a good job, the business should not assume that he or she is just protecting the interests of the IT organization and vice versa. In the movie “The Negotiator”, Kevin Spacey portrays a Chicago police negotiator. In a moment of domestic frustration he says, “I talked a man out of blowing up the Sears Tower but I can't talk my wife out of a bedroom or my kid off a phone.” Negotiation between sides is not an easy task. Ask Hillary Clinton every time she returns from the Middle-East.

Like "The Negotiator", the Service Level Management (SLM) manager responsible for managing the process must have technical skills, an understanding of the organization and the Service Delivery structure. But more than any of the other ITIL process area managers, the SLM manager will need to apply people and diplomatic skills.

This article will provide a perspective into using these skills to support the process of Service Level Management, and how diplomacy skills can be exercised, focusing on the negotiation phase.

SLM is defined as the process that documents, negotiates and monitors the quality of the IT services. At first glance, it may appear that this process is more of a “nice to have” than a “need to have”. This is a common mistake many organizations make. SLM is vital, because it is the process that is responsible for customer perception, resulting in customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Effective SLM results in healthy working relationships between IT and the business. ITIL describes a successful SLM manager as someone who gains the trust of both IT and the business. It is impossible to complete this task without the right skills, including diplomacy and sensitivity. These personality traits will come into play mostly in the negotiation phase, which will be addressed later in this article.

The three stages of the SLM process: documentation, negotiation and monitoring, represent the three stages of a relationship―a lot like the relationship between human beings. During the documentation phase, the SLM manager introduces himself and the services that IT provides, and the customer verbalizes their needs. This is the time to get to know each other.

The second phase, negotiation, is the time when each side is coming out of their shell. There are no uncomfortable silences anymore, no awkward moments, and the relationship is moving into second gear. Successful negotiations mean a stable and healthy environment.

The third phase, reporting and monitoring, is where this healthy environment and relationship is being maintained. The relationship, like a marriage, will experience ups and downs, but a well designed monitoring system will allow communication between all sides. We all know communication is the key for any relationship (Google “marriage counseling” for further information).

Once the process charter is completed and approved by stakeholders, the documentation phase can be initiated. The documentation phase will finalize service level requests and spec sheets. The work is done separately, first with IT and then with the business. This phase is essential for the SLM manager to establish good relationships with both sides. Gaining their trust at this point will be beneficial during the negotiation phase.

I would recommend any SLM manager not to complete the spec sheets and not to continue with negotiations until both the provider (IT organization) and the receiver (customer/business) are satisfied with the list of services and their descriptions.

The negotiation phase of SLM process will strive to achieve an agreement between the provider and the receiver. The objective of the SLM manager is to obtain a win-win situation. If the he or she have done a good job, the business should not assume that he or she is just protecting the interests of the IT organization and vice versa.
In the movie “The Negotiator”, Kevin Spacey portrays a Chicago police negotiator. In a moment of domestic frustration he says, “I talked a man out of blowing up the Sears Tower but I can't talk my wife out of a bedroom or my kid off a phone.” Negotiation between sides is not an easy task. Ask Hillary Clinton every time she returns from the Middle-East.

Like "The Negotiator", the Service Level Management (SLM) manager responsible for managing the process must have technical skills, an understanding of the organization and the Service Delivery structure. But more than any of the other ITIL process area managers, the SLM manager will need to apply people and diplomatic skills.

This article will provide a perspective into using these skills to support the process of Service Level Management, and how diplomacy skills can be exercised, focusing on the negotiation phase.

SLM is defined as the process that documents, negotiates and monitors the quality of the IT services. At first glance, it may appear that this process is more of a “nice to have” than a “need to have”. This is a common mistake many organizations make. SLM is vital, because it is the process that is responsible for customer perception, resulting in customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

Effective SLM results in healthy working relationships between IT and the business. ITIL describes a successful SLM manager as someone who gains the trust of both IT and the business. It is impossible to complete this task without the right skills, including diplomacy and sensitivity. These personality traits will come into play mostly in the negotiation phase, which will be addressed later in this article.

The three stages of the SLM process: documentation, negotiation and monitoring, represent the three stages of a relationship―a lot like the relationship between human beings. During the documentation phase, the SLM manager introduces himself and the services that IT provides, and the customer verbalizes their needs. This is the time to get to know each other.

The second phase, negotiation, is the time when each side is coming out of their shell. There are no uncomfortable silences anymore, no awkward moments, and the relationship is moving into second gear. Successful negotiations mean a stable and healthy environment.

The third phase, reporting and monitoring, is where this healthy environment and relationship is being maintained. The relationship, like a marriage, will experience ups and downs, but a well designed monitoring system will allow communication between all sides. We all know communication is the key for any relationship (Google “marriage counseling” for further information).

Once the process charter is completed and approved by stakeholders, the documentation phase can be initiated. The documentation phase will finalize service level requests and spec sheets. The work is done separately, first with IT and then with the business. This phase is essential for the SLM manager to establish good relationships with both sides. Gaining their trust at this point will be beneficial during the negotiation phase.

I would recommend any SLM manager not to complete the spec sheets and not to continue with negotiations until both the provider (IT organization) and the receiver (customer/business) are satisfied with the list of services and their descriptions.

The negotiation phase of SLM process will strive to achieve an agreement between the provider and the receiver. The objective of the SLM manager is to obtain a win-win situation. If the he or she have done a good job, the business should not assume that he or she is just protecting the interests of the IT organization and vice versa.
There is a myth that Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle, used to provide hallucinogenic drugs to his managers in their yearly meeting to negotiate department budgets. The story tells that those meetings were very creative and friendly! I am not suggesting drugging opposing sides when discussing service levels, but providing a friendly environment is crucial.

The negotiation will be completed more smoothly and more quickly if the SLM manager comes prepared with details about the service provisions (spec sheet) on one hand and with the business needs (service level requirement document) on the other.

When presenting the service levels to the customer, the SLM manager will need to supply supporting evidence. Suppose the customer will be presented with a service desk service level metric stating that, “95% of calls must be answered within 5 minutes”. The first natural response will be, “Why only 95%? Why not 100%?” or, “Why can’t it be within 1 minute rather than five?”

The customer should be presented with the cost of the services and how it is being distributed, and the stated needs and requirements for the services as agreed upon in the documentations phase. Then the service levels will be a lot more acceptable for the customer, and the negotiation phase will go smoothly.

To summarize, SLM managers must exercise their diplomatic skills when managing the process. As one, you must prepare yourself with knowledge of the environment and the people in the documentation phase, make sure you protect both IT and the business in the negotiations phase, and maintain healthy relationships using a good monitoring system. The objective is to run IT services that make sense both from a cost perspective and from a business perspective.

Ami Nahari is an IT Service Management consultant with BT. As an expert leader in the field of ITSM, ITIL and SLM, Ami has assessed and implemented SLM processes for Fortune 100 companies such as Siemens, Washington Mutual, and Lenovo. Within his impressive 10 years of experience, he brings first-rate project management skills, creative approach, and proven leadership to every engagement.