A newer version of this handbook is now available, please visit GB917, SLA Management Handbook, Release 3.0.

The objective of the SLA Management Handbook series is to assist two parties in developing a Service Level Agreement (SLA) by providing a practical view of the fundamental issues. The parties may be an “end” Customer, i.e., an Enterprise, and a Service Provider (SP) or two Service Providers. In the latter case one Service Provider acts as a Customer buying services from the other Service Provider. For example, one provider may supply network operations services to the provider that supplies leased line services to its customers. These relationships are described as the Customer-SP interface and the SP-SP interface.

The perspective of the SLA Management Handbook series is that the end Customer, i.e., an Enterprise, develops its telecommunication service requirements based on its Business Applications. These requirements are presented to a Service Provider and the two parties begin negotiating the specific set of SLA parameters and parameter values that best serves both parties. For the SP, the agreed-upon SLA requirements flow down through its organization and become the basis for its internal management and control of its Quality of Service (QoS) processes. For the Enterprise Customers, the SLA requirements serve as a foundation or a component of its internal network services or business services.

This Document is broken into 3 Volumes:

• Volume One is the Executive Overview
• Volume Two is Concepts and Principles: This volume of the Handbook contains two tools that provide the foundation for clarifying management roles, processes, responsibilities and expectations. These are the Life Cycle of the Service and the SLA Parameter Framework.
• Volume Three shows Service and Technology Examples of GB917 in use.