Logging Incidents for Users

The Incident Management is a process to restore normal service operations and minimize the adverse impact of the interruption on business operation, thus, ensuring that the best possible service quality and availability are maintained. An Incident is an unplanned interruption to an IT Service or a reduction in the quality of an IT service.

The Analysts may need to log Incidents for the End Users if they do not have access to the SUMMIT application or if the End Users are calling in to report their issues.

To log Incidents for End Users:

  1. Select Incident > User > Manage Incidents > New Incident for User.
  2. On the New Incident For User page, provide the required details as described in the following table:

Field

Description

Caller Type in the name of the caller logging the Incident.

Icons

For information about the icons, see Viewing/Updating Incident Details.

Tenant

Select the Tenant for the Incident.

LocationType in and select the required location.

Medium

Select the medium for an incident from the Medium drop-down. Available options are:

  • Web - Select it if an incident is logged through web browser.
  • Mail - Select it if an incident is logged through e-mail.
  • Application - Select it if an incident is logged through APIs or CINDE or Mobile or Mobile App.
  • Phone - Analyst select it to log an incident for an end user when the incident raise request is received through phone.
  • Other - Analyst select it to log an incident for an end user when the incident raise request is received through any other medium apart from phone such as instant message or e-mail.

Note:

You can configure the drop-down list options of medium using Configuring Common Masters.

Source

Select the source from where Incident is created.
Example: User and Event.

CC

Select the name of the users to whom details about the Incident should be sent. Upon clicking the CC Search icon, an ADDRESS BOOK pop-up page is displayed where you can search users and save them under the Global Address Book section. To select users for the CC field, select the desired user under the Global Address Book, and click SUBMIT

Location

This field is displayed only when it is configured by the Administrator (see: For Analysts section of the Configuring Incident Management Module page). Using this field the location of the End User for whom the Incident is logged is selected. Based on the selected location, the SLA Matrix is calculated. This is useful if the End User is a frequent traveler and the correct location of the user is not updated in SummitAI application.

Symptom

Type in the symptom for the Incident.

Description

Type in the description about the Incident.

Attachments

Upload attachments related to the Incident, for example, error messages, screen shots, logs, and so on.

Note: You cannot upload attachments more than 4 MB. You can upload only those file types configured the APPLICATION SETTINGS page by the Administrator. For more information, see Application Settings in SummitAI Platform.

New Incident For User page
Figure: New Incident For User page

Note:

The fields that are displayed on this page depend upon the configuration done by your Administrator (see: Configuring Incident Management Module). You may find some additional or different fields.

You can assign a Secondary Analyst to the Incident if configured on the Tenant page. For more information about configuring the Incident Management module, see Configuring Incident Management Module.

You can log an Incident by using the IVR functionality. The Administrators must pass a query string in the URL to log the Incident using the IVR functionality. For example, “=1234567890". doing so, the user details are listed and you can log the Incident for that user.

  • If the user is not added to the User list, you can add the user details from the NEW INCIDENT page. Click icon to add the user details. For more information, see SUMMITAI General

Figure: NEW INCIDENT page: add

  • The IVR functionality is enabled when the check box, Enable IVR Mode to Log Incident is selected on the APPLICATION SETTINGS page. For more information, see SUMMITAI General.

3. Type in the other required fields under the GENERAL, COMMUNICATION, CHECKLIST, RELATIONSHIP, TROUBLESHOOTING, VENDOR INFORMATION, ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION, and ORCHESTRATION  tabs. For information about the fields under these tabs on the LOG INCIDENT page, see Field Description. 

4. Click SUBMIT. A new Incident is created for the End User.

Note:

The details that you receive in the confirmation message depend upon the confirmation message configured by the Administrator.

.

Figure: Example of confirmation Message of logging Incident for Users

The following table describes the fields and tabs on the NEW INCIDENTS FOR USER page:

 GENERAL

You can provide the general information about the Incident, such as assigned Workgroups, assigned Analyst, Response time, Solution, and so on under the GENERAL tab.

 GENERAL tab

Figure: GENERAL tab


The following table describes the fields under the GENERAL tab:

Field

Description

CLASSIFICATION

Urgency

Select the Urgency level from the list. The Incidents should be resolved according to the Urgency.

Example: Immediately, EOD, and After a Day

  • If Urgency level Immediately is selected, the Incident should be resolved immediately once it is logged.
  • If is selected the Incident can resolved by the end of the day.

Priority

Select the Priority from the list to indicate the precedence of the Incident.

Example: If the Resolution time for P1and P2 Priority are set 120 and 180 minutes respectively, the Incidents should be Resolved within the specified time. P1 should be resolved .

Impact

Select the Impact from the list to define the of the Incident on the users.

Example: High, Medium, Low  

Classification

Lists the various Classifications under which the Incident can be considered for resolution. To select the Classification, click the Search icon. The Classification list page is displayed. You can use the Expand icon to view the Sub-classifications in the Classification tree. Select a Classification that you want to associate with the Incident.

Category

Lists the various Categories under which the Incident can be considered for resolution. To select the Category, click the Search icon. The Category list page is displayed. You can use the Expand icon to view the in the Categories tree. Select a Category that you want to associate with the Incident.

ASSIGNMENTS

Workgroup

Select the Workgroup to which you want to associate the Incident.

Schedule Date

Click the Calendar icon to select the scheduled date and time for the Incident.

Assigned To

Select the Analyst to whom you want to assign the Incident. Click the Analyst icon to view the workload of the Analyst. It displays the number of Incidents and Work Orders assigned to the selected Analyst along with their status.

Service Window

Specify the Service Window details.

Response SLA

Displays the Response SLA date and time.

  • Deadline: Displays the response date and time that is calculated based on the Priority and SLA details of an Incident.
  • Actual: The time is updated automatically in this field, whenever an Incident is assigned to an Analyst.

Resolution SLA

Displays the Resolution SLA date and time.

  • Deadline: Displays the resolution deadline in terms of date and time, which is calculated based on the Priority and SLA details of an incident.

    Note: If you change the status to Pending, the time and date values are cleared. The SLA clock stops when the Incident status is changed to Pending.
  • Actual: Displays the resolution date and time of an Incident whenever the status of Incident is changed to Resolved.

Violation

Displays the SLA status for both response and resolution time as or not, Yes or No. If is Yes, you need to provide a reason.

Voilation

Figure: Violation pop-up

EXPECTED TIME TO RESOLVE (ETR)

ETR

Click the Calendar icon to select the expected time to resolve the Incident.

Remarks

Specify the Remarks.

 COMMUNICATION tab

You can share the user log with the End User as comments under the COMMUNICATION tab. These comments are sent to the End User and to the default and specified CC e-mail members automatically via an e-mail when you click the SUBMIT button. The Private Log information is shared with the other team members or the members of other Workgroups through an e-mail. You can also log your efforts under the Private Log section if is allowed by the Administrator (see: Configuring Incident Management Module).


COMMUNICATION tab

Figure:  COMMUNICATION tab

The following table describes the fields under the COMMUNICATION tab:

Field

Description

Select Template

You can select a template from the list for user communication.

User Communication

Type in the Incident information that you want to share with the End User through an e-mail.

Private Log

Type in the Incident information that you want to share with other members of your team or the members of other related Workgroups. Whenever you type in in this section, an e-mail is sent to all the team members of the Workgroup. These e-mails are not sent to End Users or Callers. When you reply to an escalation e-mail, the reply is updated here and an e-mail is sent to all the team members of the Workgroup and the Workgroup Owner.

Attachments

You can upload if available using this option.

 CHECKLIST Tab

There may be a list of actions you need to perform before changing the status of an Incident. Under the CHECKLIST tab, you can verify these actions (if configured by the Administrator, see Configuring Checklist IM) and complete them before changing the status of the Incident. Based on what action is taken the Task, update the Task Status, and provide your remarks in the Remarks text box. You can also drag and drop the Tasks to change the sequence of Tasks.

CHECKLIST tab
Figure: CHECKLIST tab

 RELATIONSHIP Tab

You can link related Incidents, Problem Records (PRs), Assets, CIs, Events, and so on to the Incident using the Link list under the RELATIONSHIP tab. You can also create new Incidents, PRs, SRs, and so on to link to the Incident using the Create .

To link any module to an Incident:

Click the module name in the Link drop-down list. The RELATIONSHIP pop-up page is displayed.

Relationship pop-up page
Figure: Relationship pop-up page

Enter the required details and click SEARCH.

Select the appropriate entity and click LINK.

The linked entity is displayed under the RELATIONSHIP tab.

RELATIONSHIP tab

Figure: RELATIONSHIP tab


Note:

If you create a Change Record (CR) from the RELATIONSHIP tab of the Incident page, the Incident cannot be closed until the CR is in Implemented status. This is applicable, if the check box, Linked CR Implementation Prevents Incident Closure, is selected by the Administrator (see: Configuring Change Management Module). Notification e-mails to the Incident Caller for each update of the CR.

If the Do Not Update Child Priority check box is selected, while Incident linking the Priority of the Child Incident is not changed to the Priority of the Parent Incident. In such a case, the configured Priority Matrix for the Parent Incident is not applicable for the linked Child Incident.

When a Child Incident is linked to a Parent Incident, the Response Time of the Child Incident is equal to the linked time.

If you link a Configuration Item for which the SOP is configured, you can view the SOP details by clicking You can also view the SOP details in Incident Reports.

SOP Template
Figure: SOP Template

 If you link a Configuration which SLA is configured, the Priority and SLA of the Incident changes as per the Priority and SLA configured for the CI. However, the SLA and Priority configured for the CI cannot override the SLA and Priority configured for a User Matrix.

 TROUBLESHOOTING Tab

You can see other similar open Incidents, Knowledge Records (KR), Change Records (CRs) to better analyze and provide a quick solution to the Incident under the TROUBLESHOOTING tab. You can view the list of Incidents, which are similar to this Incident to take necessary steps to resolve it.

TROUBLESHOOTING tab
Figure:  TROUBLESHOOTING tab

The following table describes the fields under the TROUBLESHOOTING tab:

Field

Description

SIMILAR OPEN INCIDENTS

Displays the open Incidents, which have similar symptom as this Incident.

SIMILAR CLOSED/RESOLVED INCIDENTS

Displays the closed/resolved Incidents, which have similar symptom as this Incident.

RELATED KNOWLEDGE ARTICLES

Displays the Knowledge Records related to this Incident and which may be useful in resolving this Incident.

POSSIBLE REMEDIATIONS

Displays the possible remedies for this Incident (from the similar resolved Incidents).

POSSIBLE ROOT CAUSES

Displays the possible causes for this Incident.

RELATED CHANGE RECORDS

Displays the Change Records related to the Incident.

RELATED CONFIGURATION ITEMS

Displays the Configuration Items associated with the Incident.

CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Displays the current environmental issues related to the environment. This information helps to determine the possible causes of the Incident.

For example: If or network is down, it is displayed here and which may be the cause for an Incident logged for No Internet Connection issue.

 VENDOR INFORMATION Tab

You can provide details about any external Vendor who is related to the Incident under the VENDOR INFORMATION tab. You can add or view details of the external support where an external Vendor is involved. The external details are not shared with the End User, but is added here for your reference. This tab is available if enabled by the Administrator (see: Configuring Incident Management Module).

VENDOR INFORMATION tab
Figure:  VENDOR INFORMATION tab

The following table describes the fields under the VENDOR INFORMATION tab:

Field

Description

Vendor

Lists the configured Vendor. Select the Vendor name of the list.

Location

Type in the location of the Vendor.

Configuration Item

Lists the mapped CIs for the Partner Incident. Select a Configuration Item from the list.

Contact Person

Displays the name of the person who had helped to resolve or in providing the information over the customer Incident.

Incident ID

Type in a unique identification number of the Vendor Incident, which is logged by the Vendor in relation to an Incident. After you enter the Vendor Incident ID, it is mandatory to specify the Start Date and Status details.

Status

Select the status of the Vendor Incident.

Urgency

Lists the configured Vendor Incident Urgency options. Select the Urgency option from the list.

Start Date

Specify the date and time on which the Vendor Incident is initiated. Click the Calendar icon to select the start date of the Vendor Incident.

Impact

Lists the configured Vendor Incident Impact options. Select the Impact option from the list.

Resolution Deadline

Specify the resolution deadline provided by the Vendor for an Incident. Click the Calendar icon to select the resolution deadline date of the Vendor Incident.

Priority

Lists the configured Vendor Incident Priority options. Select the Priority option from the list.

End Date

Specify the date at which the Incident has been closed. Click the Calendar icon to select the end date of the Vendor Incident.

Underpinning Contract

Lists the mapped Underpinning Contract options for the Vendor Incident. Select the Underpinning Contract from the list. The selected Underpinning Contract defines the SLA for the Incident.

SLA Violated

Displays the SLA status for both response and resolution time as violated or not.

  • SLA Violated = Yes
  • SLA not Violated = No

Solution

Specify the solution that is provided to resolve the Vendor Incident.

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Tab

You can document the additional information about the Incident under the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION tab. Based on the organization’s needs, the Administrator configures the information to be displayed under this tab (see: Configuring Incident Management Module). OLA details are also displayed under this tab calculating OLA and OLA violation whenever the Incident is transferred between the Workgroups (based on OLA configuration in the SLA). Both the Source Workgroup (The Workgroup from which the Incident is transferred) and Target Workgroup (The Workgroup to which the Incident is transferred) should be configured in the OLA contract to capture these details.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION tab
Figure: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION tab

 ORCHESTRATION Tab

You may need to perform some repetitive tasks in order to resolve an Incident. Under the ORCHESTRATION tab, specific actions can be executed automatically or with very less manual intervention. The Administrators need to configure the Orchestration Scripts and the Conditions when these Orchestration Scripts should be executed. Based on the configuration, the scripts are executed on the target machine. For more information about Orchestration, see Orchestration.

ORCHESTRATION tab
Figure: ORCHESTRATION tab

 TFS Tab

TEAM FOUNDATION SERVER (TFS) is a Microsoft product that manages the entire application life cycle and enables Development and Operations capabilities.

TFS is integrated with SUMMIT Suite to manage the development and support work simultaneously, required to fix a problem. When TFS is integrated with SUMMIT Suite, a bug is automatically logged in TFS for any Incident, logged. Any modification in the Incident is updated in the bug, and vice-versa. This facilitates a smooth resolution of the problem eliminating the hassle to update the Incident and Bug manually.

 You can configure the fields under the TFS tab to create a bug in TFS  for the logged Incidents. The  Bug in TFS is updated based on the configuration of the fields on the TFS tab of the Incident.



Figure: Log Incident: TFS


The following table explains the fields under the TFS tab:

Field

Description

Team Project Collection

Select the Team Project Collection name in the drop-down list. For more information about configuring the Team Project Collection, see Configuring TFS Project.

Team Project

The Team Projects created for the Team Project Collection is listed in the drop-down list.
Select the required option in the drop-down list. Select the required option in the drop-down list. For more information about configuring the Project, see Configuring TFS Project.

Work Item Type

Select the required Work Item Type.



Note:

The following tabs are displayed on the  NEW INCIDENT FOE USER and INCIDENT ID page based on the configuration on the TENANT page: Troubleshooting, Vendor Information, Orchestration , Checklist, Additional Information, and TFS.

ACTIONS

This section explains all the icons displayed on the ACTIONS panel of the NEW INCIDENT FOR USER page.

TEMPLATES

Click TEMPLATES to select a template from the TEMPLATES pop-up page. Select a Template from the list and click SUBMIT. Using the configured Templates you can quickly update the Incidents without the need to re-enter all the values. The Templates are configured based on the commonly logged issues and values are entered in the Templates. When the Analysts come across an Incident similar to the defined Template, they can select the Template and all the values defined in the Template are auto-populated. This saves time and also reduces the possibility of making mistakes.

 TEMPLATES pop-up

  Figure: TEMPLATES pop-up page