IT managers think IT services are different from other services.

"Not so. To deliver any type of service follows a few identical processes. Not understanding this is the reason for much of the pain and suffering born by IT providers and their users today. Consider: would the owner of a quick oil-change company measure his or her service quality in terms of oil viscosity, oil splashed (or not) on the floor, choosing the right oil filter, assembling the rubber O-ring correctly, dispensing the right amount of oil, and remembering to put the oil cap and plug back in? Of course not, yet this is precisely how the average IT service level agreement (SLA) reads."

Read this article by Hank Marquis at CIOUpdate.