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Key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level agreements (SLAs)

The data that IBM BPM tracks and stores for key performance indicators (KPIs) enables you to analyze process performance as well as create service level agreements (SLAs).

For information about IBM Business Monitor KPIs, see the IBM Business Monitor product information center.

KPIs

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are measurements that IBM BPM tracks at process run time, storing results that you can use to analyze process and task performance in the Optimizer. IBM BPM includes the following types of KPIs:

KPIs	Description
Standard KPIs	Reside in the System Data Toolkit. By default, most of the standard KPIs are associated with each activity that you add to a BPD diagram. Click the KPIs option in the properties for an activity to see the associated KPIs. Each of these KPIs has default settings that you can change.
Custom KPIs	You can define custom KPIs and associate them with one or more activities in your BPDs.

When you run instances of a BPD, IBM BPM tracks and stores data for configured KPIs in the Business Performance Data Warehouse. IBM BPM uses stored KPI data when you run certain types of historical analyses in the Optimizer. Not all historical analyses available in the Optimizer rely on data generated and stored due to KPIs.

The standard KPI, Total Time (Clock), is associated with each BPD by default. To view the settings for this KPI, click the Process KPIs tab in the Designer. You cannot alter the settings for this KPI.

SLAs

You can create service level agreements (SLAs) based on standard and custom KPIs. SLAs enable you to establish a condition for one or more activities that triggers a consequence.

For example, you can create an SLA that causes IBM BPM to send an email notification when a particular activity takes longer than expected to run.

When you run instances of your processes, SLA consequences do not trigger until the associated activity starts or completes.

For example, if you configure an SLA to send an email notification when a particular activity takes longer than two days to run, IBM BPM does not send the notification at the time that the violation occurs. IBM BPM sends the notification at the time that the activity is complete. So, if the activity takes three days to complete, IBM BPM sends the notification at that time, informing users of the violation. SLAs enable you to easily report on violations and, for example, understand the trend in violations over time.

To enable end users to immediately react to time-based conditions for a single activity, use a timer event to capture the violation. If an SLA is based on something other than time, consider using exposed process values (EPVs) to model the SLA. To provide immediate notification of violations, develop the appropriate implementation for your needs (such as a timer event for an escalation), and then also create an SLA so that you can track and report on historical trends.

SLAs enable in-depth performance analysis over time as described in the following table:

Analysis	Description
My SLA Overview Dashboard	View this report in Process Portal to see the name, description, and current status of each configured SLA, as well as a trend chart of violations for all SLAs or a chosen SLA.
Custom SLA reports (deprecated)	Use SLA data stored in the Business Performance Data Warehouse to create custom reports using IBM BPM or a third-party tool. You can use the SLASTATUS and the SLATHRESHOLDTRAVERSALS database views to query the data..
Historical analysis in Optimizer view	When running scenarios, choose the SLA visualization mode to display results based on SLA violations.

Autotracking IBM BPM performance data

Related information:
KPIs for IBM Business Monitor