The ultimate guide to configuring SLA complexity

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Have you ever encountered a situation in which high-priority tasks take longer than the SLA allows while low-priority ones are completed in minutes? How can you effectively allocate time for tasks of varying complexity without overloading your team and still meet deadlines?

SLAs based on complexity account for the actual workload, ensuring fair task distribution and higher team productivity.

This article shows how to set up SLA by complexity in Jira, from defining levels to configuration and examples.

Ready to make your task management more transparent and efficient? Let’s dive in!

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What is Complexity?

Complexity measures a task's difficulty based on work, resources, and time. It can range from simple to complex or use a scale of 1 (simplest) to 7 (most complex).

In SLA Time and Report, complexity can be expressed using a custom field that allows you to classify tasks by their complexity level. However, I'll explain how to configure this a bit later.

What does SLA division by complexity provide?

SLA division by complexity ensures fair workload distribution and prevents delays in complex tasks by assigning time proportionate to difficulty.

For example:

• Level 1-2 (Low Complexity): Data updates or minor fixes (1-2 hours).

• Level 3-4 (Medium Complexity): Integration setup or reports (several hours to days).

• Level 5-6 (High Complexity): Complex analysis or testing (1-2 days).

• Level 7 (Highest Complexity): Critical bugs or new features (several days or more).

Benefits of Considering Complexity in SLA

First, dividing the SLA by complexity ensures that tasks are managed according to their difficulty and resource requirements. This leads to a more efficient workflow and better outcomes for the team and stakeholders.

Tailoring SLAs to complexity improves customer satisfaction with realistic timelines and boosts team transparency.

By optimizing resource allocation and prioritizing effectively, teams can ensure that high-complexity tasks are completed with the necessary attention and care. In contrast, more straightforward tasks don’t consume disproportionate amounts of time. This balance ultimately contributes to smoother workflows and better overall performance.

💡 So, what do you gain from considering complexity in SLA?

• Fair time allocation for tasks based on their actual difficulty.

• Improved team productivity and reduced stress.

• Higher customer satisfaction with realistic timelines.

• Transparent processes for better management insights.

• Optimized resource usage for efficient task completion.

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Which departments benefit from SLA by complexity?

The SLA by complexity approach is versatile and can be applied to various departments across different industries. Here’s how it fits into specific team workflows:

1. IT and development teams

Complexity plays a crucial role in IT tasks, where issues can range from simple bug fixes to implementing major system upgrades.

By adopting SLA by complexity, IT teams can prioritize and allocate resources efficiently, ensuring deadlines are met without overwhelming developers.

For example:

• Low Complexity: fixing minor bugs. These straightforward tasks can typically be resolved within a couple of hours.

• Medium Complexity: investigating and resolving bugs that require in-depth troubleshooting or debugging mid-level technical issues, such as addressing API malfunctions or fixing performance bottlenecks. 

• High Complexity: fixing critical system failures, addressing security vulnerabilities, or resolving bugs that cause major disruptions in production. These tasks demand significant effort and collaboration and often span several days.

2. Support Teams

Customer service teams are often overwhelmed with tickets that vary in urgency and difficulty. Complexity-based SLAs can help organize and prioritize these tickets effectively.

For example:

• Low Complexity Issues: password resets, unlocking accounts, or providing basic product information. These are quick to resolve and require minimal technical expertise.

• Medium-complexity issues include resolving subscription or billing disputes, troubleshooting mid-level technical problems, and other tasks that typically involve more steps and require detailed follow-ups.

• High-complexity issues include addressing software bugs, handling escalated customer cases, and investigating data discrepancies. These issues require collaboration with other teams and may take several days to resolve.

3. Marketing 

Marketing tasks can range from routine administrative work to large-scale strategic initiatives. Complexity-based SLAs also help marketing teams manage their workload and prioritize effectively:

• Low Complexity Tasks: creating single social media posts or updating website text. These tasks are repetitive and take minimal time.

• Medium Complexity Tasks: running targeted ad campaigns, producing promotional videos, or planning event marketing. These require more creativity and coordination among team members.

• High-complexity tasks include crafting comprehensive marketing strategies, launching rebranding efforts, and executing multi-channel campaigns. These initiatives often require months of planning.

4. Operations and Project Management

Operations and project management teams handle a wide range of responsibilities that differ in complexity. Complexity-based SLAs can ensure smooth operations and on-time project delivery. 

For example:

• Low Complexity Tasks: Approving workflows, managing daily reporting, or scheduling meetings. 

• Medium Complexity Tasks: Coordinating across multiple teams, managing resources, or overseeing medium-scale projects. These require detailed coordination and planning.

• High Complexity Tasks: Leading large-scale projects, implementing new organizational systems, or resolving critical process inefficiencies. 

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Why choose Complexity over other metrics?

Traditional metrics like priorities or deadlines often fail to capture the full scope of a task’s requirements. Complexity considers the effort, time, and resources needed, making it more practical for realistic SLAs.

For example, a high-priority task like sending an urgent email takes minutes, while a low-priority task like creating a detailed report might take days. Complexity bridges this gap, ensuring fair workload distribution and realistic expectations.

With SLA complexity, teams can balance priorities with actual workloads, reduce stress, and deliver consistent results.

Real-World Case

Scenario: A support team handles various customer requests. Using priority as the sole metric for SLAs can create imbalance:

• High Priority: A customer forgets their password. This urgent task takes only a few minutes (low complexity).

• Low Priority: A customer requests API integration guidance. It's not urgent but requires hours or days of effort (high complexity).

If SLAs rely only on priority, the team risks focusing on quick, simple tasks while delaying more complex ones, which can lead to inefficiencies and dissatisfaction.

Solution:

• Password reset (low complexity): SLA is set to 15 minutes.

• API integration (high complexity): SLA allows 48 hours, reflecting the effort required.

Outcome: 

Tasks are handled fairly, with enough time for simple and complex cases, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction.

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How do we set up SLA by Complexity in Jira?

Now that we’ve covered the basics of the complexity metric let’s move on to its practical application. So, how can you set up SLA by Complexity in Jira? Let’s break it down step by step:

Step #1: Create a custom field for "Complexity"

1. Go to Settings → Issues → Custom Fields.

1. Click Create Custom Field and choose a type, such as Select List (Single choice).

2. Add options for complexity levels: for example, 1 to 7.

3. Link this field to the appropriate screen schemes (screens).

Step #2: Configure SLA in "SLA Time and Report for Jira"

1. Open the SLA Time and Report add-on.

2. In the SLA Configuration section, create a new SLA condition.

3. Select the type of SLA Goal you want to use for a new SLA config. The goal can be based on a time limit or a negotiated date.

4. Configure other parameters for the new SLA configuration.

5. Set up Start/Stop/Pause conditions. You can choose standard and custom issue fields, which your team uses for each project.

6. Add SLA Goals conditions :

• Complexity 1-2 = Low → Time to resolve: 1 hour.

• Complexity 3-4 = Medium → Time to resolve: 4 hours.

• Complexity 5-6 = High → Time to resolve: 12 hours.

• Complexity 7 = Highest → Time to resolve: 48 hours.
  

      7. Save your configuration and activate the SLA.

Step #3: Use Reports for Analysis

Assign your tasks the relevant Complexity levels: Use the Complexity custom field to set the appropriate level (e.g., "1" for simple tasks, "7" for critical tasks).

   2. Save your SLA configuration, activate it and go to the report.

   3. Filter tasks by complexity to see:

• Whether SLAs are being met on time.

• Which complexity levels take up the most time.

   4. Use these insights to optimize your SLA and workflows:

You can track the remaining time on this panel until the SLA goal is exceeded. Tickets that have exceeded their SLA goals are highlighted in red, while those still within the set time or those that have successfully met the goal are marked in green.

You can easily switch to graph views, including pie charts, to visualize your SLA results. Pie charts offer a quick breakdown of SLA performance, showing tasks completed on time, exceeded, or in progress. These visualizations provide a clear representation of metrics, helping you analyze trends and identify areas for improvement.

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What Else Should You Consider?

When setting up SLA by Complexity in Jira, there are several important aspects to keep in mind to enhance your team's efficiency:

1. Clarity of Complexity Criteria:
   Ensure all team members understand how to determine a task's complexity. 

2. Regular SLA analysis:
   After implementing SLA, regularly review reports to ensure tasks are completed on time. If certain complexity levels frequently exceed their SLA, it's a sign to adjust the settings.

3. Process automation:
   Automate the assignment of Complexity levels based on predefined criteria. This minimizes human error and streamlines workflows.

4. Team Communication:
   Set up automatic notifications for SLA breaches via comments or integrations (e.g., Slack). This ensures transparency and enables quick reactions to issues.

5. Integration with other metrics:
   Complexity works well in combination with other metrics like priority, deadlines, or severity. For instance, tasks with high priority and complexity can receive additional focus.

6. SLA flexibility:
   Be prepared to adjust SLA goals or actions for different Complexity levels as tasks or workflows evolve.

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This method allows teams to allocate time and resources fairly, based on the actual workload required for each task. It prevents team overload, reduces stress, and boosts productivity.

Get started today with a free trial of SLA Time and Report for Jira! Test out all the features, set up your own complexity-based SLAs, and see how they improve your team’s efficiency and task management.