Oh dear! I shall be too late!

[#1]

Disclaimer:

- I work for Appfire and this is about one of our cool apps for JSM and JSW/JWM

The white rabbit may be one of the most low-key powerful entities in the universe. Seriously. Think about it: In 1865, Lewis Carroll had the white rabbit lead Alice down the Wonderland rabbit hole. Then in 1999’s The Matrix, Neo sees a white rabbit tattoo on a girl that leads him to Trinity. Coincidence?

The common theme (and, admittedly, I’m reaching here) is they were both late. Alice’s rabbit was late for a tea party and Neo woke up late to his alarm after encountering his white rabbit. You know what would have helped them both? A handy service level agreement (SLA) to keep them on time.

What is an SLA?

A service level agreement (SLA) is an agreement between a service provider and a customer, ensuring clarity and accountability for the quality of service delivered. Example: You — the customer — have submitted a request for support on an application error with a high priority. The service provider may have an SLA to reply to high-priority requests within 2 hours of receipt.

SLAs can be a big differentiator for your organization whether they’re applied to your internal processes or external customers.

Why use SLAs?

1. Clearly defined expectations: SLAs outline the specific services that will be provided, as well as the level of service that can be expected. This can apply to an organization's internal ITSM processes or a customer's external service request.

2. Improved performance: SLAs often include performance metrics and targets that the service provider must meet. Consistent performance is a win for everyone.

3. Increased accountability: SLAs hold the service provider accountable for meeting the agreed-upon service levels. Accountability helps to ensure that the service provider is motivated to provide high-quality service.

4. Increased customer satisfaction: When SLAs are met, customers are more likely to be satisfied with the service provided. That means existing customers stay around and word of mouth brings in new customers.

What built-in options does Atlassian provide for SLAs?

Atlassian’s Jira Service Management (JSM) comes with built-in SLA functionality. And that’s cool. But you can only get that functionality with JSM, meaning you have to be on a premium or enterprise cloud deployment. Atlassian also enforces a limit of 30 SLA rules per JSM project.

What if:

• You are only on a standard cloud deployment and don’t have JSM?

• You want to have SLA management at the Jira Software or Jira Work Management level?

• You need the ability to recalculate or rest SLAs based on conditions?

• You want to display SLAs across linked issues?

• You need unlimited SLAs?

You know where this is going… Yep, I gotchu!

Appfire’s Time to SLA application

Welcome to SLA awesomeness.

Appfire’s Time to SLA (or TTSLA) is the leading SLA management app in the Atlassian marketplace — for good reason!

TTSLA brings more functionality and expands SLA capabilities beyond just JSM.

TTSLA works with JSM AND Jira Software/Jira Work Management. Meaning if you don’t have — or have yet to implement — JSM, you can still bring SLA management into your Jira Software processes.

Unlimited resource calendars can be created and applied to SLAs. TTSLA can handle split working hours and recurring holidays.

You can set up notifications to be sent via email, Slack, or a Jira event if an SLA is in danger of being breached (i.e. “Hey, Mr. Rabbit, the tea party is in two hours. You might want to get going!”)

Other functional benefits of Appfire’s Time to SLA app:

• Manage an unlimited number of SLAs

• Watch your SLAs with custom fields

• See a real-time countdown timer on issues

• Get specific search results with JQL functions

• Monitor SLAs with reports and gadgets

• Use REST services to integrate

• Integrates seamlessly with Enhancer Plugin for Jira for more KPI metrics

You should totally try the app and let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions!

Recap:

• SLAs are good for business.

• SLAs are good for customer satisfaction.

• Appfire has an app that can take your SLA management to the next level.

• Don’t underestimate the white rabbit!