Improve IT-Business Alignment through an Internal SLAUnderstand business requirements, clarify current capabilities, and enable strategies to close service-level gaps.The business is rarely satisfied with current service levels. Even if there is a SLA in place, it often doesn’t address IT-business friction because the SLA process failed to clearly communicate current capabilities and identify appropriate targets. Limited IT budgets make it even more critical to ensure IT investments align with service-level requirements.The key benefits come from the SLA process rather than the artifact - the clarity gained by both the business and IT regarding current capabilities, business needs, and steps that can be taken to close service-level gaps.Clarity and transparency is critical to a successful SLA. Identify the current lagging service levels and establish a roadmap of how you plan on improving it. Often the business just needs to know the possible and the impossible.Complications: Dissatisfaction with IT is often based on perception. Without tracking current service level, IT is not able to effectively address perception issues.The gap between current and desired service levels is not quantified, making it difficult to plan IT investments appropriately.

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