⏱️ Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in ServiceNow

🌐 Introduction

A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a commitment between a service provider and a customer that defines response and resolution targets for tasks like incidents, problems, requests, or changes.

In ServiceNow, SLAs are automatically tracked against records, ensuring transparency and accountability.

💡 Key Benefit: SLAs help organizations measure service delivery, ensure compliance with commitments, and improve customer satisfaction.

📑 Types of SLAs in ServiceNow

🔹 Service Level Agreement (SLA)

• Agreement between provider and customer.

• Example: “Resolve P1 incidents within 4 hours.”

🔹 Operational Level Agreement (OLA)

• Agreement between internal support teams.

• Example: “Network team provides root cause analysis to Service Desk within 24 hours.”

🔹 Underpinning Contract (UC)

• Agreement with an external vendor supporting the SLA.

• Example: “ISP resolves connectivity issues within 2 hours.”

⚡ SLA Components

• SLA Definition → Rules specifying when to start, pause, stop, and reset SLAs.

• SLA Workflow → Defines actions when SLAs are breached (notifications, escalations).

• Task SLA Table (task_sla) → Stores all active, paused, or completed SLAs.

• SLA Conditions → Control applicability based on priority, category, or assignment group.

🛠️ How SLAs Work in ServiceNow

1. A task record (e.g., Incident) is created.

2. SLA definitions are checked → if conditions match, SLA starts.

3. The SLA runs until met, breached, or canceled.

4. SLA progress is tracked in Related List: SLA of the task.

5. Reports and dashboards measure SLA performance.

📊 SLA Metrics

• Response Time → Time taken to acknowledge a task.

• Resolution Time → Time taken to resolve the task.

• Elapsed Time → Duration SLA was active.

• SLA Breach % → % of SLAs breached vs. total.

🛠️ Real-World Examples

1. Incident SLA

   • P1 Incident: Resolution within 4 hours.

   • SLA starts when Incident is logged.

   • Pauses if ticket is “On Hold.”

2. Service Request SLA

   • “Provision new laptop within 3 business days.”

   • SLA tied to request item (RITM).

3. Change Management SLA

   • “Emergency changes must be implemented within 2 hours of approval.”

4. Vendor SLA (UC)

   • Cloud vendor guarantees 99.9% uptime.

   • Linked to ServiceNow SLA reporting for compliance.

🔍 Advanced SLA Features

• SLA Escalations: Notifications sent before or after breach.

• SLA Pause Conditions: Example: Paused when waiting for user input.

• SLA Retroactive Start: SLA start time backdated to an earlier state change.

• SLA Schedule Integration: SLAs respect working hours and holidays.

• SLA Automation: Use Flow Designer to trigger escalation actions.

• Performance Analytics Integration: SLA trends over weeks/months.

💡 Best Practices

• ✅ Use priority-based SLAs for incidents and requests.

• ✅ Define pause conditions to avoid false breaches.

• ✅ Regularly review SLA reports to improve service delivery.

• ✅ Align SLAs with business-critical services (not just technical tasks).

• ✅ Integrate OLAs and UCs for complete visibility.

• ❌ Don’t create too many SLAs—it complicates management.

• ❌ Avoid unrealistic SLA targets that cannot be achieved.

🎬 Conclusion

SLAs in ServiceNow provide organizations with a structured way to measure and manage service commitments.

• By combining SLAs, OLAs, and UCs, businesses get end-to-end accountability.

• With features like pause conditions, escalations, and dashboards, ServiceNow ensures SLAs are transparent and actionable.

✅ In short: SLAs = Commitments + Measurement + Accountability