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OPS4713 Mastering Managed Services Operations

$199.00
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The Executive Diagnostic and Governance Toolkit

Mastering Managed Services Operations

Score your own function red, amber or green, find out which part is weakest, and walk into the next budget round able to defend what you want to fix. Built for leaders reviewing Managed services and MSP operations.

$199 one-time
30-day money-back guarantee Verified against latest insights, updated access provided within 24h

Each order is checked and updated against the latest insights before delivery. That is why access takes up to 24 hours rather than being instant.

What you walk out with
A scored, ranked picture of your own function, and a defensible answer to what to fix first.
1 You stop guessing where you stand.
You finish with a score, not an opinion: every part of your function rated red, amber or green, with the weakest ranked first. Evidence: a Quick Scan for the shape of it, then seven domain assessments of 30 scored questions each, 210 in all, rolled into one scorecard, plus a maturity radar and a current-versus-target gap analysis.
2 You can defend the decision.
You walk into the budget round with the gap named, the owner named and done defined, instead of a case built on instinct. Evidence: project charter, scope statement, RACI, requirements traceability and work breakdown structure, pre-filled in your domain's language.
3 The work actually moves.
The month after the decision is already built, so nothing stalls waiting for someone to design a form. Evidence: more than 60 project templates across all five PMBOK process groups, plus runbooks, SOPs, a KPI framework, audit checklists and a risk matrix. 55 to 65 files in total.
4 You use it the day it lands.
No blank templates to interpret. Every workbook opens with what it is, who uses it, when, how, a 1 to 5 scoring guide, what good looks like, and a worked example you delete and type over.
The Quick Scan is one sitting. You will know your weakest area before the day is out.
Nothing in it is generic project management: the build rejects any file that could belong to another course. Updated after you enrol, so it reflects where the work stands now. The 144-chapter course is included behind it, for the parts you want to go deeper on.
Your team delivers critical services — but inconsistent execution is eroding trust and margin.

The situation this is built for

You’re accountable for service reliability, team productivity, and client retention. Yet recurring incidents, unpredictable resolution times, and misaligned SLAs make it hard to scale. The pressure to demonstrate operational control grows, but the levers to pull aren’t clear. Without a rigorous way to assess your current state, improvement becomes reactive, not strategic.

Who this is for

Head of Managed Services overseeing delivery, operations, and client success in an MSP or internal service organization

Who this is not for

Individual technicians, sales leaders, or consultants selling tools — this is for operators who own end-to-end service delivery

What you walk away with

  • Map current state maturity across 12 core operational domains
  • Diagnose root causes of SLA breaches and escalation overload
  • Align team structure and process rigor to service complexity
  • Prioritize initiatives that reduce toil and increase predictability
  • Build a defensible operational improvement roadmap

How this maps to your situation

  • Assessing current state maturity
  • Diagnosing root causes of operational friction
  • Aligning team structure and process rigor
  • Building a defensible improvement roadmap

Before vs. after

Before
Operating reactively, firefighting recurring issues, struggling to prove operational value to clients and leadership
After
Confidently leading a predictable, scalable service operation with clear improvement levers and documented outcomes

What's included with your purchase

  • 12 modules with 12 chapters each (144 chapters)
  • Downloadable templates and worked examples for every module
  • Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Delivery and format

  • Course and learning environment access provisioned within 24 hours of purchase
  • Hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access

Format: Text-based modules and chapters in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every chapter, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.

Time investment: Approximately 3 to 5 hours per module, designed to be completed at your pace over 8 to 12 weeks.

If nothing changes
Without a structured way to assess and improve, your operation will remain vulnerable to margin erosion, client churn, and escalation overload — especially as expectations for reliability and automation increase.

How this compares to the alternatives

Unlike generic ITIL training or tool-specific certifications, this course focuses on the real-world decisions, meetings, and artifacts that define managed services leadership — with no vendor bias or theoretical frameworks.

Also included: the full course, for when you want the reasoning behind a finding (12 modules, 144 chapters)

Depth reference. The diagnostic and the templates stand on their own; this is what to read when you want the reasoning behind a finding.

Module 1. Service Delivery Maturity Assessment
Establish a baseline for operational maturity across support tiers, response times, and resolution quality
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining service delivery maturity for managed services
  2. Mapping support tiers to incident resolution pathways
  3. Evaluating SLA compliance across service categories
  4. Measuring first contact resolution effectiveness
  5. Assessing escalation frequency and root causes
  6. Benchmarking resolution times by ticket type
  7. Identifying recurring incident patterns and triggers
  8. Analyzing technician workload distribution
  9. Reviewing client satisfaction linked to service delivery
  10. Documenting knowledge base usage and gaps
  11. Auditing after-hours support coverage and response
  12. Scoring operational consistency across accounts
Module 2. Incident Management Workflow Optimization
Diagnose and refine how incidents are logged, triaged, and resolved across teams
12 chapters in this module
  1. Mapping the end-to-end incident lifecycle
  2. Evaluating ticket classification and routing rules
  3. Assessing triage accuracy and handoff delays
  4. Measuring mean time to acknowledge and resolve
  5. Identifying bottlenecks in tier 2 and tier 3 support
  6. Reviewing incident prioritization criteria
  7. Analyzing repeat incidents and known errors
  8. Optimizing alert fatigue thresholds and filtering
  9. Integrating monitoring tools with ticketing systems
  10. Improving incident documentation standards
  11. Evaluating cross-team coordination during outages
  12. Reducing reliance on tribal knowledge in resolution
Module 3. Problem Management Rigor and Follow-Through
Strengthen the discipline of identifying, tracking, and resolving underlying causes of recurring issues
12 chapters in this module
  1. Differentiating incidents from problems in practice
  2. Establishing formal problem identification criteria
  3. Tracking known error database completeness
  4. Measuring time to root cause analysis completion
  5. Evaluating problem ticket ownership and follow-up
  6. Assessing recurrence rates after problem closure
  7. Integrating problem records with change management
  8. Reviewing problem review meeting effectiveness
  9. Measuring reduction in related incidents post-fix
  10. Auditing permanent fix implementation success
  11. Improving problem escalation to engineering teams
  12. Aligning problem management with client SLAs
Module 4. Change Control and CAB Effectiveness
Evaluate the structure, rigor, and impact of change advisory board processes
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining standard, normal, and emergency changes
  2. Measuring change request volume by type
  3. Assessing CAB meeting frequency and attendance
  4. Evaluating pre-approval change review quality
  5. Tracking change success and rollback rates
  6. Identifying unauthorized or undocumented changes
  7. Measuring change lead time and scheduling delays
  8. Analyzing change-related incident correlation
  9. Reviewing CAB decision documentation
  10. Optimizing change window utilization
  11. Improving post-change verification practices
  12. Strengthening change communication to clients
Module 5. Service Desk Structure and Performance
Assess the design, staffing, and output of service desk operations
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining service desk roles and responsibilities
  2. Measuring ticket volume by source and category
  3. Evaluating service desk shift coverage models
  4. Assessing average speed of answer and abandonment
  5. Analyzing self-service portal adoption rates
  6. Measuring service desk resolution without escalation
  7. Reviewing technician certification and training
  8. Tracking adherence to script and process guides
  9. Evaluating client satisfaction with service desk
  10. Optimizing service desk tooling and integrations
  11. Reducing ticket reassignment and ownership drift
  12. Benchmarking service desk productivity metrics
Module 6. Client Reporting and Operational Transparency
Improve the quality and actionability of operational reporting to clients
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining standard client reporting templates
  2. Measuring SLA and OLK compliance by account
  3. Reviewing monthly operational review attendance
  4. Assessing incident trend reporting depth
  5. Evaluating change summary clarity and completeness
  6. Tracking problem resolution reporting accuracy
  7. Improving uptime and availability reporting
  8. Integrating client feedback into reports
  9. Standardizing risk and health score presentation
  10. Aligning report metrics with client contracts
  11. Reducing report preparation time and effort
  12. Automating data extraction for client dashboards
Module 7. Vendor and Partner Integration Oversight
Assess how third-party vendors and partners are managed within service delivery
12 chapters in this module
  1. Mapping vendor responsibilities in service maps
  2. Evaluating vendor SLA adherence and penalties
  3. Assessing ticket ownership across vendor boundaries
  4. Measuring vendor response and resolution times
  5. Reviewing escalation paths to external partners
  6. Tracking joint incident resolution effectiveness
  7. Auditing vendor change coordination processes
  8. Improving vendor performance review meetings
  9. Standardizing contract language for accountability
  10. Managing multi-vendor blame assignment issues
  11. Integrating vendor data into client reporting
  12. Reducing client exposure to vendor failures
Module 8. Operational Resilience and Disaster Readiness
Evaluate the preparedness and response capability for critical service disruptions
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining critical services and dependencies
  2. Reviewing disaster recovery runbook completeness
  3. Assessing failover testing frequency and results
  4. Measuring recovery time and point objectives
  5. Evaluating incident command structure clarity
  6. Tracking communication plan execution during outages
  7. Reviewing backup verification and retention
  8. Analyzing past outage root causes and fixes
  9. Improving cross-team coordination in crises
  10. Standardizing post-mortem documentation
  11. Reducing mean time to restore after failures
  12. Aligning resilience planning with client contracts
Module 9. Knowledge Management and Reuse
Strengthen the creation, maintenance, and use of operational knowledge
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining knowledge article ownership and review
  2. Measuring knowledge base article completeness
  3. Assessing technician search and usage patterns
  4. Evaluating article accuracy and update frequency
  5. Tracking resolution success using knowledge base
  6. Improving article discoverability and tagging
  7. Integrating knowledge with ticketing workflows
  8. Reducing duplicate ticket creation through reuse
  9. Reviewing client access to self-help content
  10. Standardizing article creation templates
  11. Measuring time saved via knowledge reuse
  12. Auditing knowledge base governance process
Module 10. Team Structure and Role Clarity
Diagnose alignment between organizational design and service delivery requirements
12 chapters in this module
  1. Mapping roles to service delivery responsibilities
  2. Evaluating RACI clarity across teams
  3. Assessing on-call rotation fairness and coverage
  4. Measuring role overlap and duplication
  5. Reviewing escalation path documentation
  6. Improving cross-functional collaboration
  7. Standardizing shift handover procedures
  8. Clarifying decision rights for urgent changes
  9. Reducing role ambiguity in crisis response
  10. Aligning headcount to service complexity
  11. Evaluating training and certification alignment
  12. Tracking role-specific performance metrics
Module 11. Client Onboarding and Transition Execution
Assess the effectiveness of onboarding processes for new managed service clients
12 chapters in this module
  1. Defining onboarding success criteria
  2. Measuring onboarding timeline adherence
  3. Evaluating handoff from sales to operations
  4. Assessing initial environment documentation
  5. Reviewing initial monitoring and alerting setup
  6. Tracking first incident resolution experience
  7. Improving client kickoff meeting quality
  8. Standardizing configuration baseline checks
  9. Reducing post-onboarding fire drills
  10. Measuring early SLA compliance rates
  11. Aligning client expectations with service scope
  12. Auditing transition closure and sign-off
Module 12. Operational Improvement Roadmapping
Synthesize findings into a prioritized, executable plan for service evolution
12 chapters in this module
  1. Compiling maturity assessment results
  2. Prioritizing gaps by impact and effort
  3. Defining operational improvement initiatives
  4. Estimating resource and timeline requirements
  5. Aligning initiatives with leadership goals
  6. Securing stakeholder buy-in for changes
  7. Building phased implementation milestones
  8. Assigning owners to improvement actions
  9. Tracking progress with operational KPIs
  10. Communicating roadmap to client teams
  11. Integrating feedback into plan refinement
  12. Establishing ongoing operational reviews

Frequently asked

Who is this course designed for?
Heads of Managed Services who own delivery, operations, and client outcomes in an MSP or internal service organization.
How is the course structured?
12 modules, each containing 12 chapters (144 chapters total).
Does this course require access to specific software tools?
No. The course focuses on process, decision-making, and operational design — not integration with any particular platform.
Will I receive templates or tools to apply this work?
Yes. Each module includes downloadable templates and worked examples, plus a hand-built implementation playbook delivered at enrollment.
Can this be used for team training?
While designed for individual assessment, the frameworks and templates are built to scale across teams and leadership discussions.
What formats do the templates come in?
The implementation playbook downloads as PDF and editable XLSX. The course reads in your learning environment and exports to PDF for offline use. The files are yours to keep.
Can I share this with my team?
The licence is per person. Team pricing opens from three seats: reply to the order confirmation with TEAM and we will set it up.
How quickly can I start?
The diagnostic is one sitting and the templates work straight out of the kit. Account access takes up to 24 hours rather than being instant, because every order is checked and updated against the latest sources before it is delivered.
$199 one-time. Approximately 3 to 5 hours per module, designed to be completed at your pace over 8 to 12 weeks..

Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.

30-day money-back guarantee·Know your weakest area today·210 scored questions·Course included· Account access within 24 hours
30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked.
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