If you would like to become a service delivery manager, you may wish to obtain education, experience and training in managing information services and teams of people. In addition, strong leadership skills and the ability to handle stressful situations can be extremely helpful. Communication skills, both written and verbal, will also help you succeed in this role.
An undergraduate degree is usually desirable for those who are pursuing service delivery manager careers. Some employers may prefer these managers to have coursework in business administration or information systems or project management. Along with education, experience in a managed service role, such as incident or problem management, can be helpful. For example, an incident manager may have an opportunity to learn some of the skills that may be helpful as a service delivery manager.
You may also wish to consider additional service delivery manager training, such as obtaining certification in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework, as this is commonly used in service delivery management. Companies may also use particular software applications to manage this process, and learning to use these applications may also help you become a service delivery manager. You may also find it helpful to become knowledgeable about industry trends by reading service delivery management related websites and publications.
Personal traits that may help you to be successful in this role include strong leadership skills. As a service delivery manager, you may need to negotiate with other managers to allocate subordinates to problem solving, and you may need to motivate staff to work through complex issues under tight deadlines. This position may also be highly stressful, and learn stress reduction techniques can be helpful. In some organizations, you may also be required to work unexpected overtime, and so you may wish to consider backup arrangements for any non-work related obligations you may have.
Service delivery manager duties may include organizing the work of technical team members, and checking with them to ensure they are accomplishing their tasks. Duties may also include coordinating the activities of third party providers. The service delivery manager may be asked to review and approve these workers’ hours.
Other responsibilities you may undertake when you become a service delivery manager can include reducing the cost of providing Information Technology (IT) services while increasing or maintaining service quality and customer satisfaction. Writing and presenting service proposals and agreements may also be a part of your job description. Other duties assigned to your role may be to assist in change control, and to ensure your services delivery team is in compliance with standards.