How to Define an SLA
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This page contains step-by-step instructions on how to define an SLA on Time to SLA for Jira.
Log in to your Jira account.
In the header menu, click Time to SLA > SLAs.
Click Add New SLA Definition and the SLA configuration screen will appear.
In our example, we’ll set up an SLA for First response time. Follow the example through the screenshots below, and jump between different steps with one click thanks to the help of the handy list below:
In our example, we’ll set up an SLA for First Response Time. Follow the example through the screenshots below:
1. icon – Here, create a name for your SLA.
2. Enable SLA – Enable or disable your SLA. When this toggle is disabled, all SLA calculations will be stopped. The SLA will not appear in fields, reports, and other configurations. Enabling it will do the opposite.
Why would you disable an SLA?
When you disable an SLA, it is taken off your list of issues without deleting its settings, which could be useful in many situations.
For example: You could want to hide some SLAs that are irrelevant to your workflow but might be needed in the future. As a result, you wouldn’t want to lose the configurations. In this case, disabling those SLAs could do the trick.
3. SLA Scope – This section allows you to define the Projects, Issues (JQL), and Workflows that an SLA will be applied to. Use these to limit your issues.
We recommend you fill out at least 1 of these fields. It is not necessary to fill out all of them.
4. Conditions – Set your SLA conditions here. There are 4 conditions: START, END, RESET, and PAUSE ON. START and END are mandatory, while RESET and PAUSE ON are not. Which of these to use depends on your use case.
See below for what a First Response Time SLA’s conditions may look like:
You can add more than one condition. Keep in mind that there is an OR function between conditions, which means when any of the conditions are met, the SLA will start.
5. Goals – Set your SLA goals. Goal selection is a two-step process: first the goal type and then the goal itself. There is always one goal by default, but this can be disabled.
You can add an unlimited number of goals by using the Add new SLA goal button. All goals, except for the default goal, have to include a JQL or a priority.
6. Calculation Method – This is the calculation method for the elapsed duration. Your options are All Cycles, First Cycle, Largest Span, and Last Cycle.
For example, if the SLA starts with an Open status and ends with a Resolved status, the All Cycles method will add up all the cycles between Open and Resolved statuses.
7. The Critical Zone – This is a parameter that you can set to signal when an SLA has reached what you would describe as a critical status. When an SLA enters this zone, the SLA panel’s color will change from blue to orange. Learn more about the SLA Panel here.
9. Asynchronous Update – If you prefer, enable this to execute SLA updates asynchronously after issue events. Keep in mind that your SLA will be processed with a small delay.
11. Click Save. You've just created your first SLA!
Next Steps
On this page, we learned how you can set up an SLA. In the following steps, we will discuss how conditions and goals work in detail. Before we continue, we recommend you try creating two SLAs for your own use:
Time to resolution
First response time
If you ever encounter any problems while creating them, check out FAQ: SLAs – we may have already listed the answers to some of your questions!
Now, let's take a look at how SLA Conditions work.