Incidents
Definition
An incident refers to a disruption or degradation in the performance of a service for an item of equipment, a configuration item (CI), an application, etc.. To avoid blocking user activity, the IT Department will try to restore the service within the deadline specified in the SLA/OLA.
EndDefinition
Each incident:
- Is created as a ticket as follows:
- Manually by a Front Office user (e.g. the requestor) via a portal or by a Back Office technician via a Quick Call on behalf of a recipient.
- Automatically via the technical support agent, or via a third-party application using Service Manager REST API.
- Is associated with a catalog entry, through its category.
- Is managed by the workflow of the category.
- Can depend on a parent incident and be linked to a problem or known error as a several incident.
- Can be associated with a news article and identified as a major incident.
Process for handling an incident. 
See the life cycle
- The workflow starts once the questionnaire defined in the initial step, if any, is completed. This can be a standard or multi-section questionnaire.
- It generates actions which can be manual actions or automatic actions. See Action types.
- Each time an action is performed, the status of the incident is updated and shows the progress of the process.
- A history enables you to store a trace of each action performed.
- The incident processing can be place on hold in the case of events for which the IT team is not responsible.
Examples
- Types of incidents:
- Email server incident processed within 4 hours based on its SLA
- Printer incident processed within 3 working days based on its SLA
- Types of Hold actions:
- User is absent
- Repair not completed by the supplier
- Create an incident in a ticket: Unexpected reboot of the workstation probably due to a virus
The steps in the processing are as follows:1. Incident transferred to the Technical Support group. Confirmation of the presence of a virus.
2. Escalation to the Expert Support group. Download and installation of the latest anti-virus version.
3. Incident closed by the Technical Support group.
4. Approval by user.
5. Reopening of the closed incident: Unstable behavior of an application.
6. Processing by the Technical Support group. Fix installed.
7. Approval by user.
Notes
- You can create a new incident manually in different ways:
- Ticket. See the procedure.
- Quick access command that will run the wizard for creating the incident. See the procedure. Note: You must first define the quick access command.
- Run the New Request/Incident wizard in the Equipment form (only in List mode).
- Ticket.
- The requestor and the recipient may be the same person.
- Application rules of SLAs:
SLA_ApplicationRule
- The SLA applicable is always the most restrictive one, i.e. the one with the shortest resolution time, of the two SLAs defined respectively for the catalog category and for the SLA by priority. Note: The SLA by priority is automatically readjusted when the levels of urgency and impact are modified when creating the ticket. It also takes into consideration the VIP level of the recipient.
See the examples.
- You can use the Change SLA wizard to override the SLA. If this is the case, the new SLA will be applicable.
- The SLA applicable is always the most restrictive one, i.e. the one with the shortest resolution time, of the two SLAs defined respectively for the catalog category and for the SLA by priority. Note: The SLA by priority is automatically readjusted when the levels of urgency and impact are modified when creating the ticket. It also takes into consideration the VIP level of the recipient.
- Related Incidents:
- Incidents linked to a parent incident will automatically be processed by the parent incident. Actions for the parent incident will apply to the child incidents.
- Incidents linked to a known error can be updated by the known error when it is closed using the Update wizard. The associated workflow will automatically proceed to the next step.
- To authorize the search function in the problem knowledge base and known error knowledge base for the ticket, the option in Other Parameters {SM} Back Office quick call: Enable full text search must be enabled.
Best Practice
- When the status of the parent incident is Closed, linked incidents will proceed to the next step in the workflow. As actions will no longer be possible for these incidents, you should always define a closing workflow for the category of the parent incident in order to manage linked incidents.
Characteristics specific to versions 2016 and earlier
The Incident form in versions 2016 and earlier is different:
- Menu access
- Graphic interface:
- General overview of the form. See the Fundamentals.
- Screens in the Incident form
- Some wizards of the Activity tab are available under action buttons on the Action form.
- General overview of the form.
- A VIP user (recipient or requestor) is indicated by one or more
depending on the level. This means that the incident must be given top priority in processing. - History of actions
- Back Office:
- Enter a new incident via a quick call in the
field or click the 
Incident quick creation button
- Enter a new incident via a quick call in the
- Self Service portal (Front Office):
- Create an incident in the quick data entry screen
- Monitor the progress of incidents in the Quick Dashboard
Menu access
Service Operation > My Incidents or Incidents for my Groups or All Incidents
Description of tabs
TabUpdateRules_After2016Versions
Click to see the general principles for updating tabs.
| Create a new item | Delete an item or association with a related item |
|---|---|
|
Run the New wizard at the top of the tab
|
Move the cursor over the corresponding item and click
|
Alphabetical order
QuickAccess
|
|
|
|
|
|
Activity
Incident Description
DescriptionTab
Information on the current object, e.g. title and description, urgency and impact, equipment and service associated with the object.
- Update: In this tab.
Timeline
ActivityTab
List of successive actions performed to process the current object displayed in a timeline. They can be actions linked to a step in the workflow (e.g. incident processing), to a task (e.g. reminder for user), to a problem that enabled the solution of the object, actions modifying the target resolution date, e.g. modification of the SLA.
| Representation | Description | |
|---|---|---|
 |
History of actions
|
|
 |
Different options allow to adjust the size of the timeline.
|
|
 |
History of actions in Timeline mode
|
|
 |
History of actions in Table mode
|
|
 |
Wizards
|
|
and 
.
: Used to expand the timeline and display each action fully.
: Used to reduce the timeline.
: Used to open the 
icon to quick view of the contents in the Comment / Description / Solution field.
: Used to display the table of the history over the full width of the page. Click 
: Used to display the table of the history over the full height of the tab. Click 
list. The three most recently used wizards will appear as buttons, enabling you to access them quickly.
Details
ObjectNumber
Number: Automatically generated number of the object when it was created.
- To format the number, select Administration > Parameters > Auto-Inc Fields in the menu.
CreationDate
Creation Date: Date on which the current object was created.
- This is used as the start date and time for calculating SLA maximum time.
- The date is displayed in the time zone of the recipient.
Status
Status: Current status of the current object, automatically updated via the steps of the workflow.
- To display the workflow associated with the object, click ? next to the Status field. Next, click
Display Related Information. The current step will be highlighted in red.
Priority
Priority: Level used to prioritize the processing of objects with identical SLA target dates/times.
MaxResolution
SLA Target: Date by which the current object should be resolved.
- This is calculated using the start time of the current object and by applying the SLA of the object.
- The date is displayed in the time zone of the recipient.
See Notes
Manager
Manager: Name of the main contact person for the current object. In general, it is the first person to handle the object and decide on the outcome.
- The manager is not specified when the incident is created via the Technical Support Agent and when it has not yet been processed. The Support person performing the first action will automatically be specified as the manager.
IsTemplate
Is a Template: Used to indicate if the current object can be used as a template (box is checked) or not (box is not checked). If it is used as a template, certain information in the template will automatically be preloaded when a new object is created.
- You can use a template in a ticket by selecting the Use an Incident Template wizard. You can also click the Copy From Template action button. See the procedure.
- The preloaded information is specific to the template. New objects will also inherit the other information from the catalog.
- You can define the list of fields that should not be duplicated using the Other Parameters {SM} Exclude SD_REQUEST fields when duplicating incidents option.
Recipient
Recipient: User associated with the current object. It can be different from the requesting person.
- When you create a ticket for a recipient user associated with a VIP level (indicated by in forms), the urgency level will automatically be decremented by one. This means that the urgency and the priority level increase by one.
RequestingPerson
Requesting Person: User who reported the current object to the IT Support team.
Phone
Phone: Phone number of the recipient.
Category
Category: Catalog entry associated with the current object, used to run the relevant workflow.
CIName
CI Name: Configuration item (CI) related to the current object.
- Click
to display the CMDB graph. - When you create a ticket for a CI associated with a critical level (indicated by in forms), the urgency level will automatically be decremented by one. This means that the urgency and the priority level increase by one.
Description
Description: Description of the current object.
- It will be specified by the user in the Self Service portal or by the technician in the ticket.
Equipment
Equipment: Asset tag of the equipment concerned by the current object.
- When you create a ticket for a CI associated with a critical level (indicated by in forms), the urgency level will automatically be decremented by one. This means that the urgency and the priority level increase by one.
Solution
SolutionTab
Set of information specified at the end of processing for the current object.
- Update: When an action related to the current object is completed. You can also use the Close wizard.
List of fields
Solution: Contents of the Comment field specified in the final or closing action for the current object.
Elapsed Time: Actual time spent by different Support persons working on the current object, calculated using information entered in the intervention summary of actions.
- Unlike elapsed time, this information does not take into account the OLA/UC for each action.
- Duration expressed in HH:MM.
SLA: SLA applied to the current object.
SLA_ApplicationRule
- The SLA applicable is always the most restrictive one, i.e. the one with the shortest resolution time, of the two SLAs defined respectively for the catalog category and for the SLA by priority. Note: The SLA by priority is automatically readjusted when the levels of urgency and impact are modified when creating the ticket. It also takes into consideration the VIP level of the recipient.
See the examples.
- You can use the Change SLA wizard to override the SLA. If this is the case, the new SLA will be applicable.
Immediate Solution: Used to indicate if the current object was solved during the creation of the ticket (box is checked) or if it led to one or more actions (box is not checked) involving a transfer or escalation.
MaxResolution
SLA Target: Date by which the current object should be resolved.
- This is calculated using the start time of the current object and by applying the SLA of the object.
- The date is displayed in the time zone of the recipient.
Solution Date: Date on which the processing of the current object ended and its meta-status became Completed.
- The date is displayed in the time zone of the recipient.
Late: Number of minutes exceeding the maximum processing date/time of the current object, calculated using information entered in the intervention summary of actions.
- Field calculated for each action: Processing time of the action - OLA/UC target.
- Duration expressed in HH:MM.
Elapsed Time: Actual processing duration of the current object, taking into account the service hours of the Technical Support team and public holidays (OLA/UC defined for the workflow).
- Duration expressed in HH:MM.
Total Costs: Total processing cost of the current object, calculated using information entered in the intervention summary of actions.
- Field calculated for each action: Fixed costs + (Hourly costs * Elapsed Time)
RootCause
Root Cause: Actual cause of the current object, specified when closed.
- It may be different from the one specified when the current object was created.
Solved by (Group): Name of the group that specified the final or closing action for the current object.
Discussions
DiscussionTab
List of discussions which users can access based on their domain and the visibility of the discussion.
- Enter the keywords you want in the Search field and press Enter.
- To cancel the search criteria and return to the complete list of discussions, provided you have the relevant rights, click within the box and then click
.
User Information
UserInformationTab
Information on the recipient of the current object, e.g. name, function, phone number, email address, location and department.
- Update: Only the recipient and location can be modified in this tab.
Attachments
AttachmentTab
List of documents attached to the current object. See uploading and downloading documents.
- You can also attach documents in the ticket.
Contextual News Articles
ContextualNewsTab
List of news articles associated with the current object.
- Update: In the ticket.
Related Incidents
List of incidents related to the current incident via a parent-child relationship.
- Update: Use the Link to a Parent Incident wizard.
- To cancel the parent-child relationship, use the Cancel Relation with Parent Record wizard.
Impact of the parent-child relationship:
- When an incident is linked to a parent incident:
- All ongoing actions will disappear from the list of actions to be performed.
- All new actions will be performed for the parent incident.
- The child incident will disappear from the list of open incidents.
- All linked incidents will be managed by the workflow of the parent incident.
- When the status of the parent incident changes, all linked incidents will automatically have the same status.
- When the parent incident is closed, all linked incidents will automatically be closed.
To display child incidents related to a parent incident, display the Incident screen in List mode, select the None filter and sort using the Status column.
Related Problems
RelatedProblemTab
List of problems related to the current object.
- Update: Use the Link to a Problem wizard and the New Problem wizard. In a problem, use the Link to an Incident wizard.
- To cancel an existing link, run the wizard and click
. - For several incidents, the current incident can be managed by the workflow of a problem. See the procedure.
Related Services
RelatedServiceTab
List of service requests linked to the current object.
- Update: Use the Link to a Service Request wizard.
- The current incident and linked requests will each be managed by their own workflow. The status of the current object will not have any impact on linked objects.
Related Changes
RelatedChangeTab
List of change requests related to the current object.
- Update: Use the Link to a Change Request wizard or the New Change Request wizard.
- If a new change request is associated with the incident, it will automatically replace the previous request.
- The status of the current incident will be Related Incident and will be managed by the standard workflow of the change request. It will automatically end when the request is closed.
Related Events
RelatedEventTab
List of events related to the current object.
- Update: Use the Link Event to an Incident/ wizard. In an event, use the New Incident from the Event wizard. Updates can also be performed automatically via the Technical Support Agent when an alert concerning the equipment is received.
Equipment
List of equipment, other than the main equipment, associated with the current incident.
- The Equipment form is not updated.
- Equipment linked to the new equipment will not be associated with the incident.
- When new equipment is added, this does not generate a notification or action in the Incident form.
example Creation of the Defective power supply unit incident for the X100 overhead projector.
==> In this tab, specify the other overhead projector equipment with the same malfunctioning.
If incidents with the same malfunctioning have already been declared for this equipment, use the Link to a Parent Incident wizard to manage several incidents.
Licenses
LicenseTab
List of licenses in the current object.
- When a new license is added, this does not generate a notification or action in the form of the current object.
Contracts
ContractTab
List of contracts in the current object.
CI
CITab
List of configuration items (CI) associated with the current object.
- When you create a quick call, if the field Equipment is not entered, it will automatically be updated with the CI Name value of the selected service.
- The Incidents tab in the CI form is automatically updated.
- When a new CI is added, this does not generate a notification or action in the Incident form.
- Impacting and impacted CIs linked to the new CI will not be associated with the incident.
example Creation of the Oracle DB limited access incident for the Expense Account Application CI.
==> In this tab, specify the other CIs with the same malfunctioning.
If incidents with the same malfunctioning have already been declared for the CIs, use the Link to a Parent Incident wizard to manage several incidents.
Consumables
ConsumableTab
List of consumables in the current object.
- Update:
- Automatically via destocking actions in the Logistics step of the workflow for the current object.
example Request to replace a HP LaserJet 4L printer ==> planned destocking action: delivery of a toner cartridge
- Use this tab to perform destocking actions outside the Logistics step of the workflow.
- Automatically via destocking actions in the Logistics step of the workflow for the current object.
- When a consumable is deleted, the quantity is automatically reintegrated into the storage location stock.
History of Changes
HistoryOfChangeTab
List of all modifications made to the form of the current object.
- The fields taken into account are defined using rules in the history of changes.
Questions/Responses
QuestionResponseTab
History of all answers to questions in standard or multi-section questionnaires associated with the current object.
- Update: Via the workflow steps associated with the current object.
Related Projects
RelatedProjectTab
List of projects related to the current object.
- Update: Via the Link to a Project wizard.
Procedures and Wizards
How to create an incident
Via a ticket (Back Office)
CreateTicket_StepSelectUser_Procedure
Step 1: Create the quick call
Via the Quick Creation Button
1. Click + Create a ticket in the top banner.
The quick call screen is opened. Recipient information will be preloaded with data on the logged-in user.
Via the recipient user search
1. Click in the search field in the top banner.
2. Enter the first characters for one of the following search criteria: name, login, employee number, email address or phone number.
3. Press <ENTER> to run the search.
4. Move the cursor over the user you want, then click + Ticket.
5. Specify the title of the new ticket (short description of the ticket) and click Create.
The quick call screen is opened. Recipient information will be preloaded withdata on the selected user.
Step 2: Specify the ticket.
CreateTicket_StepEntryIncident_Procedure
1. (optional) Click Copy From Template to initialize the incident using a template.
2. Select the category of the incident.
3. (optional) Generate a new news article automatically by clicking Declare Major Incident.
4. (optional) You can use the help resources available.
- Known errors: By default, the list is filtered using the category and CI/equipment.
- Problem knowledge base: By default, the list is filtered using the location, department, category and CI/equipment.
- Problem knowledge base and known error knowledge base: The most relevant articles based on the contents of the Description field.
5. (optional) Click the title of a news article if you want to use it to solve the incident.
If the selected news article is related to a major incident 
:
- The ticket will be saved.
- The status of the new incident will be Related Incident.
- It will be managed by the workflow of the major incident.
CreateTicket_StepFollowUp_Procedure
Step 3: Decide what you want to do with the ticket.
1. Follow one of the procedures below.
- Click the Resolve action button.
- Complete the intervention report.
- Click Finish.
- The time spent with the user is automatically taken into account.
- The workflow will proceed to the next step.
- The ticket will be saved with the status of this step.
Transfer the ticket to another group or Support person
- Click the Assign action button.
- Specify the group or Support person to whom you want to assign the ticket.
Select a group instead of a specific Support person. This way, even if the Support person is absent, the action can still be performed by another group member.
- Click Finish.
- The ticket will be saved.
- The counters in the notification bar will automatically be updated for the relevant Support persons.
- Click the Save as Draft action button.
- The ticket will be saved and associated with the Processing in Progress meta-status.
- You can reopen it at any time by selecting Service Operation > Incidents or Service Requests > Drafts.
- Click the Cancel action button.
Using a quick access command
Step 1: Run the command.
1. Select the quick access command for creating a new incident in the search field in the top banner.
2. Type the first characters for the relevant user and select the user from the list.
The wizard associated with the quick access command will be run.
Step 2: Specify the incident.
1. Enter the information for the incident.
Step 3: Decide what you want to do with the incident.
1. Follow one of the procedures below.
- Click the Resolve action button.
- Complete the intervention report.
- Click Finish.
- The time spent with the user is automatically taken into account.
- The workflow will proceed to the next step.
- The ticket will be saved with the status of this step.
Transfer the ticket to another group or Support person
- Click the Assign action button.
- Specify the group or Support person to whom you want to assign the ticket.
Select a group instead of a specific Support person. This way, even if the Support person is absent, the action can still be performed by another group member.
- Click Finish.
- The ticket will be saved.
- The counters in the notification bar will automatically be updated for the relevant Support persons.
- Click the Cancel action button.
Step 4: Process actions for the new incident.
1. Open the form of the incident.
2. Process the actions. See the procedure.
TemplateManagement_Procedure
How to manage templates
Step 1 (optional): Select fields which must not be copied
1. Go to the Administration > Other Parameters menu.
2. Select the {SM} Exclude SD_REQUEST fields when duplicating incidents other parameter.
3. Specify the fields whose content must not be duplicated when using a template.
- Separate each field using a semicolon.
example HOUR_PER_DAY;ESTIMATED_PERCENT_COMPLETE;BUDGET_PLANNED
Step 2: Create a template.
1. Open the form of the object to be used as a template.
2. Select the Is a Template box.
3. Save the form.
Delete a template
- Open the form of the object defined as a template.
- Unselect the Is a Template box.
Step 3: Use the template when creating a ticket.
1. Open a ticket.
2. Display the available templates by clicking Copy From Template.
The list of templates will appear.
3. Select the template you want.
- Use the search field to run a search in the description of objects.
- Click
to view the entire text of each description.
4. Click Apply.
The ticket will be preloaded with data from the template fields.
How to perform an impact analysis for a CI
1. Open the Incident form of the CI you want to analyze.
2. Run the Impact Analysis wizard.
3. Specify the elements to be included in the analysis.
- The impacting and impacted CIs and the depth of the relationship with the CI in the analysis.
- The type of interaction with the CI in the analysis, e.g. database.
- The type of relationship, i.e. blocking or non-blocking.
4. Click Generate the File of CIs.
The result of the analysis will be exported to a CSV file.
Wizards
Link to a Project
Link Event to an Incident
Link to a Parent Incident
Link to a Continuity Plan
Link to a Problem
Link to a Change Request
Link to a Service Request
Cancel Relation with Parent Record
Change Target Resolution Date
Change SLA
Close
Report Major Incident
Duplicate
Create Unavailability
Send Email to Requestor
Impact Analysis
End of Unavailability
Execute Script
Urgency Change
Notification for Action
Notification for Information
New Problem
New Knowledge
New Change Request
New Service Request
New Known Error
New Task
Notify Support Person
Reminder for Support Person
Reopen
Reopen and Requalify
Availability simulation
Place on Hold / Continue