Actionable Skills for IT Professionals

Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are the cornerstone of vendor accountability, yet poorly defined SLAs can leave your organization exposed. This Power Lab dives into crafting clear, enforceable SLAs that set performance benchmarks, outline remedies, and ensure your vendors deliver.

Participants will learn to avoid ambiguity, address vendor accountability, and negotiate performance remedies that align with your organizational goals. By the end of the session, you’ll be equipped to create SLAs that drive measurable results and foster successful vendor relationships.

 By the end of this Power Lab, participants will:

1. Draft Precise SLAs: Learn to clearly define vendor obligations and performance metrics.
2. Build Accountability Mechanisms: Create remedies and incentives that ensure vendor compliance.
3. Negotiate for Better Results: Develop strategies to advocate for enforceable SLAs tailored to your organization’s needs.

• Contract Managers: Build clarity into SLAs to manage vendor performance effectively.
• Procurement Specialists: Ensure SLAs align with operational goals and deliverables.
• Legal Advisors: Learn to draft enforceable terms that safeguard your organization.

Topics and Activities

Introduction (10 minutes)

• Why SLAs are critical to vendor accountability.
• Common pitfalls of poorly defined SLAs.

Instruction (20 minutes)

• Key components of enforceable SLAs (performance metrics, remedies, and incentives).
• Balancing enforceability and practicality.
• Best practices for defining clear deliverables and expectations.

Interactive Lab (50 minutes)

• Scenario #1 – SLA Drafting: Analyze and refine a poorly written SLA.
• Scenario #2 – Negotiation Practice: Role-play negotiating an SLA with a vendor to achieve better performance terms.
• Group debrief: Share lessons learned and key takeaways.

Wrap-Up and Q&A (10 minutes)

• Recap of actionable tips for drafting and negotiating SLAs.
• Open forum for participant-specific questions and challenges.

What are ICN's Power Labs?

ICN’s Power Labs are a series of interactive, 90-minute workshops designed specifically for IT procurement professionals. Each Power Lab focuses on practical, real-world challenges faced in IT contract management, vendor negotiations, and risk mitigation. With expert-led instruction and hands-on exercises, these workshops deliver actionable skills that participants can immediately apply to enhance their roles and drive organizational success.