An operational level agreement (OLA) is an essential component of service level management that helps define the roles and responsibilities of different parties involved in service delivery. OLAs are usually established between different departments within an organization or between an organization and its vendors or service providers.
An OLA differs from a service level agreement (SLA) in that SLAs are customer-facing documents that outline the expectations and commitments of the service provider to the customer, whereas OLAs are internal documents that define the working relationship between different teams responsible for delivering a service.
Here is an example of an OLA that outlines the responsibilities of two teams involved in providing technical support for a software application.
Team A Responsibilities:
– Provide 1st level technical support for the software application.
– Respond to support requests within 30 minutes during business hours.
– Escalate complex support issues to Team B within 2 hours of receiving the request.
– Document all support requests and resolutions in the ticketing system.
– Ensure that all software issues are resolved within 24 hours.
Team B Responsibilities:
– Provide 2nd level technical support for the software application.
– Respond to escalated support requests within 2 hours of receiving the request.
– Resolve complex support issues within 8 hours of receiving the request.
– Escalate unresolved support issues to the software development team.
– Communicate with Team A on the status of escalated support issues.
– Ensure that all support requests and resolutions are documented in the ticketing system.
This OLA clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of Team A and Team B in providing technical support for the software application. It also sets measurable targets for response times and issue resolution, ensuring that the service is delivered efficiently and effectively.
By having a clear and concise OLA in place, different teams within an organization can work collaboratively to deliver high-quality services that meet the expectations of the customer. It also provides a framework for continuous improvement, as teams can evaluate their performance against the agreed-upon targets and make adjustments as necessary to improve service delivery.