Servicelevelstructuur

Servicelevelstructuur is a framework used by organizations to define, document, and manage the levels of service that customers can expect from a service provider. It combines the methods, targets, and responsibilities necessary to govern the delivery of services and to ensure alignment with business goals. The structure typically encompasses the relationships between external service levels and internal processes, and serves as the basis for monitoring, reporting, and continuous improvement.

Key components include the service catalog, which lists available services; service level agreements (SLA) with obligations on provider and customer; service level objectives (SLOs) that specify measurable targets; operational level agreements (OLAs) that define duties of internal teams; baselines and performance data; governance and escalation procedures; and reporting mechanisms. The structure also defines data sources and measurement methods, such as incident response times, availability, performance, and customer satisfaction.

The servicelevelstructuur is commonly part of IT service management frameworks such as ITIL or ISO 20000 and can apply to IT services as well as business services delivered internally or externally. The SLA represents the externally facing commitment, while OLAs translate these commitments into internal tasks, and SLOs provide more granular targets used for day-to-day management. The structure supports design, transition, operation, and continual improvement, with regular reviews and renegotiation as services or business needs change.

In practice, examples include cloud services offering 99.9% uptime, incident response within one hour for critical incidents, and service restoration targets within four hours, with quarterly reporting and annual renewal of agreements.