A service level agreement (SLA) specifies the service a client expects, ensuring service delivery and performance. An SLA breach chips away at the credibility of internal IT teams and prevents MSP contract renewals. That said, technicians must learn scalable solutions to spot non-compliant systems quickly.
Core components and processes for SLA breach monitoring
Many MSPs and internal IT teams leverage automation, like PSA or ITSM platforms, to detect SLA breaches. Although automation platforms are great for minimizing manual intervention, not everyone has the resources to access them.
This guide offers manual SLA monitoring strategies, providing technicians with low-overhead solutions that ensure reliability, visibility, and accountability.
📌 Use Case: Combine detailed parameter logging, spreadsheet-based tracking, regular checks, clear task ownership, and scripting to create a manual SLA monitoring strategy.
📌 Best practices summary table:
| Strategy | Purpose |
| Strategy #1: Define SLA parameters for each client | Establishes clear client-specific SLA parameters that technicians can reference |
| Strategy #2: Manually logging SLA monitoring results using spreadsheets | Provides better visibility regarding SLA status, spotlighting at-risk and non-compliant tickets |
| Strategy #3: Daily monitoring practices to prevent an SLA breach | Daily monitoring of tickets ensures SLA compliance and service delivery |
| Strategy #4: Manual SLA breach escalation workflow | Ensures proper ticket escalation to assigned technicians when tickets exceed allowable thresholds |
| Strategy #5: Collect spreadsheet data to create data-driven SLA reports | Fosters transparent communication with clients through regular reporting |
Strategy #1: Define SLA parameters for each client.
Without access to PSAs, well-defined SLA parameters are key to calculating mean-time-to-resolution (MTTR) and flagging non-compliant devices.
Establishing clear SLA metrics
Clear SLA metrics align client expectations with actual service delivery. Failure to define metrics can cause manual SLA monitoring to drift, resulting in blurred definitions that confuse clients.
For starters, here are some SLA metrics definitions to establish:
- First response time. Create labels that signify the elapsed time between ticket creation and response. (e.g., P1 = 1 business hour, P2 = 4 business hours, P3 = 1 business day).
- Resolution time. Shows the maximum acceptable amount of time technicians should spend when remediating a problem.
- Operating hours. This metric helps with accurate timekeeping by defining when timers start and stop using specific conditions, such as business hours and holidays.
- Escalation. Specifies the target personnel notified during an escalation. Set this to escalate when a certain percentage of resolution time elapses (e.g., at 50% of 8 hours).
Sample SLA matrix that serves as a single source of truth
Centralizing SLA rules in a centralized, well-defined matrix lays the groundwork for accurate time tracking across clients. Additionally, it powers manual SLA monitoring by turning targets into simple cues, allowing teams to spot and prevent breaches.
| Client | Priority | First response time | Resolution target time | Operating hours | Escalation |
| Client #1 | P1 | 1 business hour | 8 hours | Weekdays (8:00-17:00) | Manager at 50% |
| Client #2 | P2 | 4 business hours | 24 hours | Weekdays (8:00-17:00) | Manager at 50% |
| Client #3 | P3 | 1 business day | 48 hours | Daily (0:00-24:00) | Director at 50% |
⚠️ Important: Explicitly indicate the matrix version and its implementation date to clearly state its timeliness. (See ⚠️ Things to look out for.)
Strategy #2: Manually logging SLA monitoring results using spreadsheets
Spreadsheets possess logic that can turn simple ticket notes into clear deadlines and gentle warnings before you miss them. Keep one sheet with each client’s SLA parameters and another where technicians input tickets, then configure the spreadsheet to highlight SLA breaches and at-risk devices.
📌 Prerequisites:
- Access to spreadsheet software
- Well-defined SLA metrics per client
Input SLA parameters clearly across columns
Create a spreadsheet to represent SLA parameters clearly. You can expand on the sample SLA matrix provided above.
Create a secondary sheet tab to quickly spot SLA breaches
Use fields, such as target hours, SLA deadline, and elapsed percentage, to clearly track tickets and determine whether they are still SLA compliant.
Conditional formatting paired with formulas makes spreadsheets behave like lightweight SLA systems. It can highlight potential SLA breaches, allowing technicians to quickly spot at-risk tickets before they break compliance.
⚠️ Important: The sample spreadsheet above uses a 24/7 deadline for simplicity. Adding a working slots tab helps compute deadlines more accurately. (See ⚠️ Things to look out for.)
Strategy #3: Daily monitoring practices to prevent an SLA breach
Assign a technician to monitor open tickets within SLA spreadsheets daily. Their job is to identify at-risk tickets, ensure service delivery, and prevent potential SLA breaches from occurring.
Mark tickets that need attention and escalate them to the proper technicians if they exceed the specified SLA thresholds. Document all steps executed to create an audit trail you can convert into a report during client meetings and QBRs.
Strategy #4: Manual SLA breach escalation workflow
Set clear ownership of escalations per SLA stage to foster accountability and prevent the diffusion of responsibility among technicians. Use Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Excel to automatically email escalation owners after breach detection.
Add a one-liner for each SLA threshold (e.g., 80% = notify lead, 100% = escalate to manager and update client). Easily understandable one-liners provide technicians with clear actions, ensuring SOPs are followed for seamless task handoffs.
Strategy #5: Collect spreadsheet data to create data-driven SLA reports
Keep tabs on weekly SLA reporting summaries and average response to resolution times, then present them in a one-page summary. Add charts plotting SLA breaches over time to spotlight trends and outliers. Optionally, you can collate the charts for a client-by-client comparison to assess and optimize service delivery.
Present your reports periodically to keep clients in the loop, highlighting wins and future plans for newly identified risks. Consistent communication turns tracking and monitoring efforts into verifiable proof of compliance while fostering trust that drives further collaborations and strategy improvements.
⚠️ Things to look out for
| Risks | Potential Consequences | Reversals |
| Incomplete SLA rules in spreadsheets | The spreadsheet produces inconsistent results that result in inaccurate breach counts. | Finalize the SLA matrix by defining operating hours, finding pauses, and fleshing out targets to match client tier priority. |
| Not versioning the SLA matrix | Without proper versioning, technicians don’t know if they’re following an updated and verified spreadsheet. | Add a spreadsheet’s matrix version, including its effective date, for better visibility and clarity when incorporating it in reports. |
| Incorrectly assigning client operating hours | Not matching spreadsheets with client operating hours leads to confusing SLA deadlines. | Consider adding a schedule and holidays by using a Working Slots sheet for more accurate timekeeping. |
| Missing audit trail of escalations | Lack of transparent auditing makes detecting steps taken during a breach hard. | Incorporate notes in tickets to leave an audit trail for task handoff visibility. (e.g., Escalated to Lead 09/06/25 at 12:00 P.M.) |
Track SLA breaches without overspending on a full automation stack
Effectively tracking SLA compliance can be done without PSAs or full automation stacks. An alternate way to accomplish this is by inputting SLA parameters in spreadsheets paired with lightweight scripting.
By faithfully employing these manual strategies, MSPs and internal IT can proactively spot SLA breaches and escalate tickets in time. Preventing breaches paired with clear client communication is the key to maintaining strong client trust and consistent service delivery.
Related topics:
