IPA IP 2020 Question 39
A question IPA Japan published in 令和2年度 10月 ITパスポート試験 公開問題 問39, translated into English. ITPEC is based on the same exams.
Same question on ITPEC: Nov 2021 Q62
The IT department of Company A plans to extend inquiry hours to 24 hours in order to improve the availability of the help desk. Company A agrees to the proposal by Company B that offers 24-hour support through automatic response during overnight hours by a chatbot. Which of the following is an appropriate document to be used for this agreement?
Explanation
SLA (service level agreement) — the document in which a service provider and its customer agree on the level of service, here 24-hour support with chatbot replies overnight.
An SLA sets out the service to be delivered and measurable targets for it: service hours, how inquiries are answered, response and resolution times, availability, and what happens when a target is missed. Company A is contracting Company B for a help-desk service with defined hours (24 hours) and a defined method (automatic chatbot responses overnight), which is exactly what an SLA records.
Answer (d)
Why not others:
- •(a) BCP — a business continuity plan says how a company keeps or restores critical business after a disaster or major disruption; it is not an agreement on service levels
- •(b) NDA — a non-disclosure agreement binds the parties to keep shared information confidential; it says nothing about support hours
- •(c) RFP — a request for proposal is sent to vendors to ask for proposals before one is chosen; here Company B's proposal has already been accepted
Key rule: An RFP comes before selection and asks for proposals; an SLA comes after it and fixes the agreed service levels; an NDA covers confidentiality and a BCP business continuity.
Service Management · AI-written, may contain errors
This question comes from the past questions IPA Japan publishes, translated into English by ITPEC Practice. ITPEC Practice is an independent study tool and is not affiliated with IPA or ITPEC. See the original paper (PDF) or Report an issue.