The Complete Guide to Preparing and Implementing Service Level Agreements (2nd edition)

Citation

Morgan, S. (2002), "The Complete Guide to Preparing and Implementing Service Level Agreements (2nd edition)", Library Review, Vol. 51 No. 1, pp. 45-59. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2002.51.1.45.2

Essentially a practical handbook, Pantry and Griffiths’ second edition is a comprehensive step‐by‐step guide for anyone landed with the task of establishing a service level agreement (SLA). The changes that have taken place in the library and information world since the first edition (1977) have made many services unrecognisable. During this period the use of SLAs has also increased many times over, although the numbers probably peaked in the mid to late 1990s.

The first chapter sets the scene in an oddly negative way – “SLAs are not of themselves a bad thing” (p. 1) – but goes on to give a summary of their uses in LIS and other public service organisations, as well as some examples of situations in which they are encountered. This is followed by the nitty‐gritty of what a SLA – this proxy contract – actually is, what it is meant to achieve and the importance of including tight definitions. Building on this, chapter three provides a fairly daunting list of the kind of content and clauses agreed between the parties. There are many helpful examples of appropriate wording to be applied to particular areas, such as resolution of disputes, hours of work, facilities provided, duration of agreement, monitoring and liaison meetings, costs. I can understand why some people suggest that a good deal of stamina is required in the initial stages! Even more detail is at hand in the following chapter, which explores what the document will look like, specifically relating it to the LIS world. It is at this point that you realise that with SLAs, if they are to have any hope of working effectively, it is crucial that agreement on every element of the service is spelled out clearly. As the authors rightly remind us: “Only by adhering to the agreement levels will you be able to keep your services cost‐effective and efficient” (p. 65).

Service monitoring and charging are covered in the next two chapters. The former helpfully includes a section on service failure. Some commentators have been critical of SLAs because of the problems that arise when parties fall short of achieving targets. Relationships with customers throughout the lifetime of the agreement are explored in chapter seven – from the initial negotiation, through persuading the customer to accept certain responsibilities, to monitoring and problem‐solving. The importance of continuous liaison, seeking feedback and review, are rightly highlighted. The next three chapters focus on the suppliers – outsourcing services, managing your suppliers and managing your e‐suppliers – and how SLAs can be used successfully in such circumstances. The legal aspects of managing suppliers are touched upon and some welcome advice is offered. These three chapters also make good use of case studies to illustrate points. The final chapters cover staff management and communication strategies. Moving to the adoption of an SLA approach can be quite traumatic for some organisations – a veritable culture shock. It therefore may require all the change management skills that those driving the change can muster. There may be resentment, resistance, criticism and possibly a degree of cynicism. There is also a danger that critical staff may collude with critical customers in criticising the library management for implementing such an inflexible (as they might perceive it) arrangement. Dealing with staff’s legitimate concerns and ensuring ownership are big challenges. One of the four appendices consists of 12 pages of references and further reading for those wishing to delve deeper.

I can thoroughly recommend this excellent guide for any library/information manager, regardless of size or type of service, embarking on the SLA journey. Although personally not a fan of SLAs because of their inherent inflexibility, this would be my first port of call if I were persuaded otherwise in the future.