Standardization and complete automation of SLAs with the new implementation of ITSM in a large basic sanitation company in Brazil
What was delivered
- Setting up accessible and reliable supplier SLA indicators
- Standardization of incident and request catalogs using the CSDM model.
- Migrating data from spreadsheets to automated contract management with ServiceNow.
The company is a leader in the private sector of basic sanitation in Brazil, with more than 20,000 employees and an extensive network of suppliers responsible for supporting its services in dozens of municipalities.
“We regained control over the tool and, with that, over the contracts that underpin our operation.”
The challenge
The company already used ServiceNow, but years of customizations had compromised the tool's integrity. The biggest impact was felt in contract monitoring: with a large portfolio of suppliers, SLA management was done manually, in isolated spreadsheets, without any integration with the platform. It was a laborious task, prone to errors, and ultimately did not generate the indicator that the area needed. The tool existed, but it didn't work as it should.
The solution
4MATT reimplemented the ITSM module with catalogs restructured by the CSDM model, eliminating unnecessary customizations and leveraging the native functionalities of ServiceNow. Support requests became automated, SLA rules were configured directly on the platform and linked to contracts, creating a reliable measurement mechanism for the first time.
What previously depended on manual effort and parallel spreadsheets is now generated automatically by ServiceNow. The IT department regained control over its operations and the contracts that support it.
Is your ITSM tool generating the indicators your operation needs? Speak with a 4MATT specialist and regain control over the platform.
ITSM, Automated SLAs, and CSDM: From Manual Deadlines to Controlled Service
ITSM (IT Service Management) It is the discipline that organizes how IT delivers, supports, and improves services, with processes such as incident, request, and change management. SLA (Service Level Agreement) It is the time commitment made for these services. CSDM (Common Service Data Model) It is the model that organizes services, offers, and configuration items, and it is what allows measuring the SLA by business service, and not just by priority.
Common pain points for those operating ITSM without automated SLAs.
| Common pain | How it appears in everyday life | How does ServiceNow ITSM handle it? |
|---|---|---|
| SLA measured by hand | Deadlines are tracked using spreadsheets or memory, with different criteria for each team. | Start, pause, resume, and end conditions are configured in the SLA definition. |
| Supplier SLAs in separate spreadsheets. | Contracts monitored outside the platform, without integration and without a reliable indicator. | SLA rules configured on the platform and linked to the contracts. |
| Excessive customization | Years of adjustments compromise the integrity of the tool and hinder its evolution. | Native features instead of unnecessary customizations. |
| Call without service context | The analyst doesn't know which business service is affected or what the actual priority is. | Service, offer, and configuration items in the form, aligned with CSDM. |
| Explosion discovered late | The team only realizes the delay when the deadline has already passed. | Automatic notifications at 50%, 75%, and when the limit is reached. |
| Inconsistent routing | The call goes through several groups before reaching the person who can resolve the issue. | Service-based assignment and configuration item |
| Indicators that nobody trusts. | Conflicting reports between departments and difficulty in proving compliance. | SLA history within the ticket itself and reports per service. |
How SLAs are automated in ServiceNow
Each SLA definition brings together the times, conditions, and flows that create and track the task's SLA. The definition can have up to six conditions, evaluated whenever the record is created or updated.ServiceNow Docs).
| SLA Condition | What defines | Example of use |
|---|---|---|
| Start | When the SLA is attached to the task | Priority 1 incident opened. |
| Pause and resume | When does the elapsed time stop increasing and when does it start running again? | Call awaiting user response. |
| Stop | When the SLA is completed, even if it has been violated | Incident resolved. |
| Reset | When the current SLA is terminated and a new one is attached. | Call priority change |
| Cancel | When the SLA expires | Ticket opened in error. |
SLAs can be defined for any table that extends the task table, such as incidents, changes, and service catalog tasks (ServiceNow DocsBy default, notifications are sent at 50% of the deadline, at 75%, and when the deadline expires (ServiceNow Docs).
Why CSDM is part of the solution
Without service context, the SLA measures the call, but not the business. The incident form references the service, the service offering, and the configuration items, and the offering can carry commitments such as resolution time (ServiceNow DocsWith this, the team sees the impact and the routing improves. The quality of this data depends on a CMDB governed.
How to evolve to an ITSM with automated SLAs
- Standardize the process: Define incident and request states, priorities, and roles.
- Modeling services in CSDM: Organize services, offers, and configuration items to provide context to the request.ServiceNow Docs).
- Define the SLAs: Create the definitions by priority and by service, with the start, pause, resume, and end conditions (ServiceNow Docs).
- Automate alerts: Configure notifications for 50%, 75%, and overflow for the person in charge and the manager (ServiceNow Docs).
- Measure and evolve: Monitor compliance by service and adjust rules based on data.
Related readings on ITSM, SLAs, and CSDM
| Theme | Read when | Article |
|---|---|---|
| ITSM Guide | Do you want to understand what ITSM is and how the platform supports it? | ITSM ServiceNow: The Complete Guide to IT Service Management |
| Implementation | It will structure Service Management on the platform. | ITSM ServiceNow in practice: how to structure Service Management on the platform |
| Market | Are you comparing ITSM tools? | ITSM Tools in 2026: The IT Service Management Ecosystem Roadmap |
| Service model | You need to distinguish between application, service, and configuration items. | CMDB and Service Mapping: Business Application, Application Service and Application |
| Data governance | Do you want to support CSDM with quality data? | How to ensure data quality and governance in CMDB following CSDM |
| Migration to CSDM | It has a legacy lifecycle model. | Legacy Lifecycle Migration to the CSDM Standard |
| Learning from incidents | Want to avoid repeating mistakes? | Post-mortem incident reporting: what it is, how to do it, and best practices. |
| Support | Are you considering outsourcing the operation of the platform? | ServiceNow platform governance in 2026: when to outsource support |
| Return on investment | You need to justify the investment to the board of directors. | How to Measure ServiceNow ROI in Practice |
Regarding 4MATT's ITSM practice
4MATT is a ServiceNow Elite Partner in Brazil and received the Technology Excellence Partner Award 2024-2025, granted by ServiceNow. Its ITSM practice integrates processes, CSDM, CMDB and... ServiceNow managed services, with service modeling as the starting point for each implementation.
Frequently asked questions about ITSM, automated SLAs, and CSDM.
What is an SLA in ServiceNow ITSM?
It is a time commitment for a task, such as an incident or a request, to meet a defined condition, for example, being responded to or resolved. In ServiceNow, the SLA definition records the times, conditions, and flows required to create and track each task's SLA.ServiceNow Docs).
What does automating SLAs mean?
This means letting the platform decide on its own when the clock starts, stops, resumes, and ends, without the analyst needing to manually track deadlines. Each SLA definition has up to six conditions (start, cancel, pause, resume, stop, and reset), evaluated every time the task is created or updated.ServiceNow Docs).
Why do SLAs controlled in spreadsheets or manually fail?
Because they depend on someone remembering to record the start, pause, and end of each call, this generates different criteria between teams and numbers that no one can audit. With the rule configured on the platform, the same criteria apply to all calls, and the history is recorded within the call itself.
What is the role of CSDM in a new ITSM?
The CSDM (Common Service Data Model) provides service context to the call. The incident form references the service, the service offering, and the affected configuration items, which allows you to understand the business impact and better route the issue.ServiceNow DocsFor the data model, see CMDB and Service Mapping: Business Application, Application Service and Application.
How does the SLA connect to the business service?
The incident safeguards the affected service and service offering, and ServiceNow documentation outlines service commitments in the offering, such as incident resolution time (ServiceNow DocsTherefore, the deadline ceases to be a generic rule based on priority and begins to reflect what was agreed upon for each service.
Who gets notified when an SLA is about to expire?
By default, ServiceNow sends notifications at three points: at 50% of the deadline, at 75%, and when the deadline is overdue. At 50%, the person responsible for the ticket is notified; at 75% and when the deadline is overdue, both the person responsible and their manager are notified.ServiceNow DocsThese flows can be adjusted to the company's policy.
Is it possible to pause the SLA while the call is waiting for the user?
Yes. The pause condition defines when the elapsed time stops increasing, and the resume condition defines when it starts running again.ServiceNow DocsThis is a way to avoid penalizing the team for a period of time that depends on the requester.
Does reassigning a call reset the SLA?
Generally, no. Reassigning the call to another team does not reset the already attached SLAs, unless the SLA specifically covers the reassignment. Therefore, carefully designing the routing and group criteria prevents the deadline from almost expiring for the second team.
Where do I start with a new ITSM implementation using automated SLAs?
Starting with: standardized incident and request processes, services and offers modeled in CSDM, and only then the definition of SLAs by priority and by service, with notifications and reports. See the step-by-step guide at [link to guide]. ITSM ServiceNow in practice: how to structure Service Management on the platform.
What did this case study deliver?
4MATT reimplemented the ITSM module for a leading private sanitation company in Brazil, restructuring incident and request catalogs using the CSDM model without unnecessary customizations. SLA rules were configured on the platform and linked to supplier contracts, and data previously stored in spreadsheets was migrated to automated contract management in ServiceNow. To learn more about 4MATT's ITSM practices, see [link to 4MATT's ITSM practices]. ITSM ServiceNow in Brazil.
Do you want to standardize and automate the SLAs of your IT operation? Speak with a 4MATT specialist.