4.2 Operations

4.2.1 Request Fulfillment

Request Fulfillment Overview

Service Requests

Service Requests are customer requests logged against Items that use the Service Category. Manager access provides a read only view of Service Requests logged with the application.

The Request Filter displayed by default in the Request tab is the All Service Requests, which lists all Service Requests logged in the system regardless of their status or assignment. The available List Filters include:

Filter	Description
All Service Requests	Displays all Service Requests logged in the system regardless of their Status or Assignment.
Pending Approvals	Provides the User with quick access to a list of Service Requests that require Manager approval. (This is only available if the User has Manager access.)

The default display is ten Requests per batch. The list can be re-sorted by clicking on a column header and the number of Requests displayed per batch can be altered using the Display pop-up option.

Service Request Search Tips:

The Request search option has a default status to search only Active Requests. To ensure search success, select the relevant Incident status, if unsure, select All
To search for multiple Requests numbers at once, insert a comma separator between ID numbers
To search based on a Request status, select the Service Request Workflow option from the Workflow drop-down list. Once selected, a list of States is displayed
To search by Classification, select an Item Category from the Category drop-down list. After the Category is chosen, a list of Classifications is displayed
To search based on the content of a Service Request Description, select the Full Text option within the Search and enter a relevant term (See:Full text searches.)
To search using an Item's Custom field information, select the Item Category to display any Custom Fields enabled for that Item.

Viewing Service Request Information

To view Request details, select the relevant Request Reference # hyperlink and the screen will default to the Summary Tab. The Summary tab provides comprehensive details related to the Service Request.

The summary information includes the following:

Summary Tab	Description
Contact	Displays the Customer assigned to the Request and their contact information. Click on the Customer Name or Org.Unit link for more details relating to Customer and Org Unit. To update the Customer details assigned to the request, click on the Customer tab and ensure the Request is in edit mode.
Item	Displays the Item assigned to the Request. Scroll over to view Item information recorded on the Details tab. Select the Type hyperlink for more information about the Item. Click to view the Item Relationship map. Any Item displayed in the map can be set as the Item associated with the Request, by making it the central node of the Relationship map and clicking on the centralized map icon to confirm the Item assignment change. To update the Item assigned to the request, click on the Customer tab and ensure the Request is in edit mode, or use the Update Item facility in the Relationships filter view of the impact tab.
Details
Classification	Displays the Request Classification that was selected when the Request was created. This can be updated, if required.
Priority	Shows the priority of the Request, which determines the Service Level triggers applied to the Request. If the Derived option is enabled in the applications Setup, then the Urgency and Impact drop-down lists are displayed. The User is required to select the corresponding Urgency and Impact for the Request to alter the Priority assigned.
Escalation	This is visible if the Escalation Control option is enabled in the application Setup. This is only available to the Supervisor, and allows them to disable the escalation timers.
Escalation Layer	Shows the name of the current Group of Users assigned to the Request. When the Workflow State is updated, this could also result in an update of the assigned Group of Users.
Technician	The name of the Technician assigned to the Request. When a Service Request is assigned to the Queue, the name applied in the Technician field is System User.
Notification
Customer	Shows how updates regarding the Request are sent to the Customer who logged the Request, or to all Owners of the Item associated with the Request. Customer CCs is a free text field for any additional notification recipients, these can be divided into Customer and Technician CC lists.
Technician	Allows the User to adjust the default Technician notification between None, Email or SMS for updating the assigned Technician, all Technicians in the Team or Layer of Escalation assigned to the Request. Technician CCs is a free text field for any additional notification recipients, these can be divided into Customer and Technician CC lists.
Alternate Team	Is visible if the "Notify Alternate Team" option is enabled in the Admin>Email>Setup tab and another Team within the same Process is included in the system. This allows the User to define another Team to be notified about updates regarding the Request.
Service Request
Team	Displays the default support Team assigned to the Request. This can be changed by selecting another option within the drop-down list. The Team list is derived from the Workflow and Workflow State.
Workflow	Displays the default Workflow assigned to the Request. This can be changed by selecting another option within the drop-down list. The Workflow list is derived from the SLA assigned to the Request. Select to view the Workflow in its entirety.
Status	Shows the current Workflow State of the Request.
Next Action	Lists all the States available after the current Request State. This is based on the Workflow assigned to the Request. To move the Service Request through the Workflow, select a Status included in the list displayed. By assigning a different Workflow State, the Work or Manager Group assigned to the Request may also be automatically updated, based on the Workflow and Team Configuration. Refer to the Escalation Layer and Technician Fields to view if an assignment change is made as part of the Status update.
Status Due	Details the expiry time for the current Workflow State if the State has an OLA assigned.
Service Terms
Agreement	Displays the Service Level Agreement assigned to the Request. The service level is derived from either the Customer, Organizational Unit or Item.
Service Manager	Displays the name of the Service Level Manager responsible for overseeing Requests related to the assigned service agreement.
Progress	Visually displays how the Request is tracking against the assigned SLA and displays the percentage of SLA used when greater than 10%. The grey progress bar is gradually filled in based on the status: - Workflow is in an SLA paused State. Triggers will not fire. - Workflow is in an SLA timers on State. Triggers will fire. - Workflow is in an Exit State and the SLA has been successfully maintained. - Assigned SLA has been breached and Workflow is in an Exit State.
Dates	Summarizes the important date details for the Request. The Due Date is automatically calculated based on the Service Level assigned to the Request.
Time Recorded	Displays the amount of time the Service Request has been open and worked on.
Affects	Displays the number of Users assigned to the Item.

Request Approval Process

As part of the Request Fulfillment approval process, Users that have a Manager Role and are assigned to a Service Request Team can approve or reject Service Requests. To allow a Manager to approve a Request they must be assigned to the Service Request Workflow Approval State. (See: Service Request Teams.) Then, when a Request is moved into an Approval State, the Manager is assigned the Request allowing them to view and reject or accept the Request.

The security of the approval process can be enhanced by forcing the assigned Manager to re-enter their User Name and Password when processing a request. This is achieved by enabling the Strong Authentication option for the Team. (See: Service Request Teams.)

The service management system allows Managers to approve a Request either via the application's interface or email.

Accept or Reject a Service Request via the application

Select the Request tab
Select the filter option Pending Approvals

From the list provided select a Request ID hyperlink.
Click Edit

The Accept and Reject will be available to process the Request.
Select the Next Action option

Click (Accept) or (Reject) button to move the Service Request into the relevant pre-defined state and re-assign the Request to a Technician allocated to the status.
Enter Authentication details, if prompted

When the Strong Authentication option is enabled for the Change Team associated with the request, an Approve Change Request window is displayed prompting the User to enter their Password details. Enter your Password and select the Authenticate button and click to close the pop-up window.
Enter additional details in the Notes Tab, if relevant

A Notes window is displayed to allow the Manager to add detailed information regarding the approval option selected.
Click Add Note.

Note that the Manager User will no longer be able to edit the Request after the selection is made, and the Request will continue through the Service Request Workflow Lifecycle.

NOTE:If the Approval State is configured to be an Item Details Editable state, the Manager can amend the Item details when in this State.

Accept or Reject a Request via email

To use the Manager Request approval process via email, the following configuration must be in place:

The Administrator must configure the system Setup>Email screens to include:

Email Polling functionality
Create via Email option
Customise the ApproveServiceRequest email content, as required.

The Supervisor must also include an incoming email address for the Service Request Team.

When a Service Request is escalated to an Approval State, an email is sent to the assigned Manager User informing them that a Request is pending approval. The Manager can approve or reject the Service Request by simply replying to the escalation email using the words Accept /Yes or Reject/No.

When the system polls for incoming email, the Manager's response is automatically applied to the relevant Request and based on the Manager's response, the Request is routed to a Technician allocated to the next Workflow State. The Manager is also sent a confirmation email informing them that their selected action has been applied to the Request.

Example of email sent to Manager:

4.2.2 Incident Management

Incident Overview

Incident Tab

Incidents are requests raised for Customers, or raised by a Customer through the Customer Portal for a support service. An Incident is raised against a Configuration Item (Item) within the system. Incidents are assigned to Technicians and are escalated according to the Service Level Agreement (SLA) used.

For Users with Manager access to the Incident Management Process the Incidents tab provides a read only view of Incidents logged with the application. The tab defaults to display All Incidents logged within the system. The default display is ten Incidents per batch. The list can be re-sorted by clicking on a column header, and the number of Incidents displayed per batch can be amended using the Display pop-up option.

Incident Search Tips

The Incident Search option has a default Status to search only Active Incidents. To ensure search success, select the relevant Incident Status. If unsure, select All. To search for multiple Incident numbers at once, insert a comma separator between Incident numbers
To search based on an Incident status, select the Incident Workflow option from the Workflow drop-down list. Once selected, a list of states will be displayed
To search by Classification, select an Item Category from the Category drop-down list. After the Category is chosen, a list of Classifications is displayed
To search based on the content of an Incident Description, select the Full Text option within the Search and enter a relevant term (See:Full text searches.)
To search using an Item's Custom field information, select the Item Category to display any Custom Fields enabled for that Item.

Viewing Incident Information:

To view Incident details, select the relevant Incident Reference # hyperlink and the screen will default to the Summary Tab. The Summary tab provides comprehensive details related to an Incident.

The summary information includes the following:

Summary Tab	Description
Contact	Displays the Customer assigned to the Incident and their contact information. Click on the Customer Name or Org.Unit link for more details relating to Customer and Org Unit. To update the Customer details assigned to the request, click on the Customer tab and ensure the Request is in edit mode.
Send Survey	This field is displayed when a Serviced Customer Survey is active in the system. The envelope icon allows the survey to be manually sent to the Customer.
Item	Displays the Item assigned to the Incident. Scroll over to view Item information recorded on the Details tab. Select the Type hyperlink for more information about the Item. Click to view the Item Relationship map. Any Item displayed in the map can be set as the Item associated with the Incident, by making it the central node of the Relationship map and clicking on the centralized map icon to confirm the Item assignment change. To update the Item details assigned to the request, click on the Customer tab and ensure the Request is in edit mode, or use the Update Item facility in the Relationships filter view of the impact tab.
Details
Classification	Displays the Incident Classification that was selected when the Incident was created. This can be updated, if required.
Priority	Shows the priority of the Incident, which determines the Service Level triggers applied to the Incident. If the Derived option is enabled in the applications Setup, then the Urgency and Impact drop-down lists are displayed. The User is required to select the corresponding Urgency and Impact for the Incident to alter the Priority assigned.
Escalation	This is visible if the Escalation Control option is enabled in the application Setup. This is only available to the Supervisor and allows them to disable the escalation timers.
Escalation Layer	Shows the number of levels of Escalation that exist in the Team assigned to the Incident, and at which level the Incident is currently assigned.
Technician	The name of the Technician assigned to the Incident. When an Incident is assigned to the Queue, the name applied in the Technician field is System User.
Notification
Customer	Shows how updates regarding the Incident are sent to the Customer who logged the Incident, or to all Owners of the Item associated with the Request. Customer CCs is a free text field for any additional notification recipients, these can be divided into Customer and Technician CC lists.
Technician	Allows the User to adjust the default Technician notification between None, Email or SMS for updating the assigned Technician, all Technicians in the Team or Layer of Escalation assigned to the Incident. Technician CCsis a free text field for any additional notification recipients, these can be divided into Customer and Technician CC lists.
Alternate Team	Is visible if the Notify Alternate Team option is enabled in the Admin>Email>Setup tab and another Team within the same Process is included in the system. This allows the User to define another Team to be notified about updates regarding the Incident.
Incident
Team	Displays the default support Team assigned to the Incident. This can be changed by selecting another option within the drop-down list. The Team list is derived from the Workflow and Workflow State.
Workflow	Displays the default Workflow assigned to the Incident. This can be changed by selecting another option within the drop-down list. The Workflow list is derived from the SLA assigned to the Incident. Select to view the Workflow in its entirety.
Status	Shows the current Workflow State of the Incident.
Next Action	Lists all the States available after the current Incident State. This is based on the Workflow assigned to the Incident. To move the Incident through the Workflow, select a Status included in the list displayed.
Status Due	Details the expiry time for the current Workflow State if the State has an OLA assigned.
Service Terms
Agreement	Displays the Service Level Agreement assigned to the Incident. The SLA is derived from either the Item, Customer or Organizational Unit.
Service Manager	Displays the name of the Service Level Manager responsible for overseeing Incidents related to the assigned service agreement.
Progress	Visually displays how the Incident is tracking against the assigned SLA and displays the percentage of SLA used when greater than 10%. The grey progress bar is gradually filled in based on the status of the SLA: - Workflow is in an SLA paused State. Triggers will not fire. - Workflow is in an SLA timers on State. Triggers will fire. - Workflow is in an Exit State and the SLA has been successfully maintained. - Assigned SLA has been breached and Workflow is in an Exit State.
Dates	Summarizes the important date details for the Incident. The due date is automatically calculated based on the Service Level assigned to the Incident.
Time Recorded	Displays the amount of time the Incident has been open and worked on.
Affects	Displays the number of Users assigned to the Item.

Multi-Item Requests

Also displayed within the Incident Groups List View are any Groups that are created as Multi-Item Requests. These requests allow for multiple Items to be assigned during the Incident creation process, and result in separate Incidents being created for each Item assigned to the initial Incident, which are then displayed within the Related Requests window of the Incident Information screen.

The Incidents are managed as individual Incidents to cater for any special requirements relative to each Item. For example, consider a situation where a Team rolls-out an update in an organization. In this instance, during the Incident creation process multiple Items are assigned to a single Incident, which the system automatically allocates to separate Incidents that are then managed on an individual basis. This allows appropriate Teams/ Technicians to be assigned to the Incidents relative to their skill-set or departmental assignments. The implementation process more effectively differentiates between the tasks and Items being modified and ensures each Item has its own Audit Trail, Attachments and Notes for future reference.

Multi-Item Requests are also listed as separate Incidents within the Incidents List View.

Multi-Item Requests are created like a single Item Request, but have more than one Item assigned during the Incident creation process.

For more information about managing Multi-Item Requests, see Related Requests.

Multi-Item Request Item Assignment

After assigning a customer to an Incident move to the Find Item field to assign Items to the Incident:

Click the relevant Item link if listed below the Find Item search box

Or, Search for an Item or click to Create an Item.

NOTE:The option to create an Item is only available to Technicians if the system Administrator has enabled the Create Items option within the Setup>Privileges>User screen.
Click Next to move to the Details tab if only one Item is to be assigned to the Incident

Or, select Add to assign additional Items. If Add is selected, a Request Selections window will be displayed that lists all the current Items assigned to the Incident.
Continue to add all the relevant Items to the Incident and then select Next to move to the Details tab

Within the Details tab the Incident is profiled by assigning a Classification and Description.
Select the Classification, enter the Subject and Description
Click Done to enter all Requests simultaneously.

The Requests are created individually and automatically applied to a Group.

4.2.3 Problem Management

Problem Management Overview

Problem Management

Manager access provides a read only view of Problems logged with the application. The Problems tab defaults to display All Problems logged within the system. The default display is ten Problems per batch. The list can be re-sorted by clicking on a column header, and the number of Problems displayed per batch can be altered using the Display pop-up option.

Problems - Individual or Group

Problem Management is :

Used to manage an ongoing or immediate situation where there is significant impact to business services or IT infrastructure
Created when more than one Incident has been raised around the same issue
Used to find a solution to all the related Incidents
Differentiated from an Incident group, in that, a Problem is created to work on the cause of the Incidents within the Problem
An internal service management investigation process, which does not typically involve any Customer updates, except upon resolution.

Problem Management can also be used pro-actively to prevent Problems by identifying related or recurring issues.

When a Problem is created, a Problem Group is automatically generated. The Group is used as a container for all requests that relate to the same underlying problem. The name assigned to the Group is the Problem ID e.g. Problem #100067. The Problem Group can be edited under the Error tab or via the Problem itself.

Problem Search Tips

The Problem search option has a default Status to search only Active requests. To ensure search success, select the relevant Incident Status, if unsure, select All
To search for multiple Problem numbers at once, insert a comma separator between Problem numbers
To search based on a Problem status, select the Problem Workflow option from the Workflow drop-down list. Once selected, a list of States is displayed
To search by Classification, select an Item category from the Category drop-down list. After the category is chosen, a list of Problem Classifications is displayed
To search based on the content of a Problem Description, select the Full Text option within the Search and enter a relevant term (See: Full text searches.)
To search using an Item's Custom field information, select the Item Category to display any Custom Fields enabled for that Item.

Viewing Problem Information:

To view Problem details, select the relevant Problem Reference # hyperlink and the screen will default to the Summary Tab. The Summary tab provides comprehensive details related to a Problem.

The summary information includes the following:

Summary Tab	Description
Contact	Displays the Customer assigned to the Problem and their contact information. Click on the Customer Name or Org.Unit link for more details relating to Customer and Org Unit. To update the Customer details assigned to the request, click on the Customer tab and ensure the Request is in edit mode.
Item	Displays the Item assigned to the Problem. Scroll over to view Item information recorded on the Details tab. Select the Type hyperlink for more information about the Item. Click to view the Item Relationship map. Any Item displayed in the map can be set as the Item associated with the Problem, by making it the central node of the Relationship map and clicking on the centralized map icon to confirm the Item assignment change. To update the Item details assigned to the request, click on the Customer tab and ensure the Request is in edit mode, or use the Update Item facility in the Relationships filter view of the impact tab.
Details
Classification	Displays the Problem Classification that was selected when the Problem was created. This can be updated, if required.
Priority	Shows the priority of the Problem, which determines the Service Level triggers applied to the Problem. If the Derived option is enabled in the applications Setup, then the Urgency and Impact drop-down lists are displayed. The User is required to select the corresponding Urgency and Impact for the Problem to alter the Priority assigned.
Escalation	This is visible if the Escalation Control option is enabled in the application Setup. This option is only available to the Supervisor and allows them to disable the escalation timers.
Escalation Layer	Shows the number of levels of Escalation that exist in the Team assigned to the Incident, and at which level the Incident is currently assigned.
Technician	The name of the Technician assigned to the Problem. When a Problem is assigned to the Queue, the name applied in the Technician field is System User.
Notification
Technician	Allows the User to adjust the default Technician notification between None, Email or SMS for updating the assigned Technician, all Technicians in the Team or Layer of Escalation assigned to the Problem. Technician CCs is a free text field for any additional notification recipients, these can be divided into Customer and Technician CC lists. .
Alternate Team	Is visible if the Notify Alternate Team option is enabled in the Admin>Email>Setup tab and another Team within the same Process is included in the system. This allows the User to define another Team to be notified about updates regarding the Problem.
Problem
Team	Displays the default support Team assigned to the Problem. This can be changed by selecting another option within the drop-down list. The Team list is derived from the Workflow and Workflow State.
Workflow	Displays the default Workflow assigned to the Problem. This can be changed by selecting another option within the drop-down list. The Workflow list is derived from the SLA assigned to the Problem. Select to view the Workflow in its entirety.
Status	Shows the current Workflow State of the Problem.
Next Action	Lists all the States available after the current Problem State. This is based on the Workflow assigned to the Problem. To move the Problem through the Workflow, select a Status included in the list displayed.
Status Due	Details the expiry time for the current Workflow State if the State has an OLA assigned.
Service Terms
Agreement	Displays the Service Level Agreement assigned to the Problem. The service level is derived from either the Customer, Organizational Unit or Item.
Service Manager	Displays the name of the Service Level Manager responsible for overseeing Requests related to the assigned service agreement.
Progress	Visually displays how the Problem is tracking against the assigned SLA and displays the percentage of SLA used when greater than 10%. The grey progress bar is gradually filled in based on the status: - Workflow is in an SLA paused State. Triggers will not fire. - Workflow is in an SLA timers on State. Triggers will fire. - Workflow is in an Exit State and the SLA has been successfully maintained. - Assigned SLA has been breached and Workflow is in an Exit State.
Dates	Summarizes the important date details for the Problem. The due date is automatically calculated based on the Service Level and Priority assigned to the Problem.
Time Recorded	Displays the amount of time the Problem has been open and worked on.
Affects	Displays the number of Users assigned to the Item.