Service-Level Agreements: Aligning Performance and Expectations

The US Senate's Telecommunications Modernization Project (TMP) will offer voice, data, and video services over a converged network that will provide Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service to more than 16,600 lines. A major challenge is how to maintain service quality and continuity during and after the transition from the current Centrex system to the converged network. Service-level agreements (SLAs) have proven to be effective in ensuring that performance meets the customer's stringent requirements. The Sergeant at Arms, who manages the TMP project for the Senate, and the contractor use SLAs to maintain very high levels of customer satisfaction. They meet periodically to review the SLAs and identify areas of improvement, making it possible to head off problems before they become major issues.