Overview

The Support template supports a typical Support environment in which issues or requests are reported by customers or end users and the Support team resolves the issues or processes requests. This template incorporates 2 levels of Support:

1st Line Support attempts to process all incoming tickets

2nd Line Support processes any escalated tickets that could not be processed by 1st Line Support

Support Manager processes any escalated tickets that could not be processed by 1st or 2nd Line Support

Quick Links

• Projects - describes the projects available in this template
• Forms - explains the forms available in this template.
• Fields - provides details about the fields configured by default.
• Support Queues - explains how to use reports to set up a queue to assign tickets to a group of users.
• Workflows - description of the workflow process.
• Charts - sample charts available in this template.
• Email - information about the default email notification rules.
• Security - a summary about the security model in effect.

Projects

A default project called "Support" is available in this template and is visible to all user groups. This project can be customized and additional projects can be added via the Projects section.

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Forms

A default form called "Ticket" is available in this template, is associated with the "Support" Project and is visible to all user groups. This form can be customized and additional forms can be added via the Forms section.

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Fields

The Ticket form contains the following fields. Note that you can customize the database by adding to or removing fields, or changing any pulldown menu values via the Fields section. Field names with an asterisk are required by the system and cannot be removed from any form(s).

PRN*	Numeric record identifier. Assigned at the time the ticket is created.
Title	A one line text summary of the problem or request. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Product*	Identifies the product for which the ticket has been reported. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Last Updated Date*	The date and time the ticket was last modified. Set automatically as the ticket is processed through the workflow.
Platform	Describes the hardware or software platform where the problem occurs. An example is the operating system (e.g. Windows XP). Set at the time the ticket is created.
Request Type	Classifies the ticket. Possible values are: Bug, Contract Requirement, Customer Feedback, Customer Problem, Enhancement. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Severity	Describes how serious the problem is. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Description	Full description of the problem. Ideally describes the nature of the problem and how to reproduce the behavior. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Reported By*	Name of the user that reported the ticket. Initially set to the name of the current user logged in. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Date Reported	The date the ticket was created. Automatically initialized, and set at the time the ticket is created.
Workaround	Describes how to work around the reported problem. Set at the time the ticket is created.
Pending Issues	Describes what information or tasks are needed before a ticket can continue to be processed. Set by the Support Engineer if issues arise that keep the ticket from being processed.
Status*	Current state of the ticket. Changes as the ticket is processed through the workflow.
Assigned To*	User the ticket is currently assigned to for processing. Set either manually or automatically during processing of the workflow.
Browser	The browser installed on the machine of the user who reported the issue. Set automatically when the ticket is created using the AutoFill feature.
Operating System	The operating system installed on the machine of the user who reported the issue. Set automatically when the ticket is created using the AutoFill feature.
Est. Close Date	Date when the issue or request is expected to be resolved. Set by the Support Engineer when deciding how to process the ticket.
Priority	Describes the relative importance of handling this ticket compared to other tickets entered in the system.
Close Date	Date when the ticket was closed. Set by Support when issue or request has been resolved. Automatically initialized to the current date/time.
Close Detail	Describes the details about how the issue or request was resolved. Set by the Support when the issue or request has been resolved.
Deleted*	Denotes whether the ticket has been deleted.

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Support Queues

The Home Page reports can be set up as a queue for Support Engineers to use in prioritizing and processing incoming tickets. TBD will be the user to which incoming tickets are assigned while they are in a queue. To represent a queue for the 1st Line Support team on the Home Page, the saved query 1st Line Support Queue [Support] was created to display all tickets assigned to TBD in the Reported state. To represent the queue for 2nd Line Support on the Home Page, the saved query 2nd Line Support Queue [Support] was created to display all tickets assigned to TBD in the Escalated state.

Information on how tickets are processed within and outside of the queue are discussed in the Workflow section below.

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Workflows

It is assumed that tickets will be processed and moved through the workflow process by using the Task operation. A default workflow called "Support Ticket Process" is available in this template and is associated with the "Ticket" Form and is in use in the "Support" Project. You can customize the Support Ticket Process workflow or add additional workflows via the Workflows section.

1. Reported

   It is assumed that 1st Line Support Engineers check a queue to pick up incoming tickets. When a ticket is created, it is set to the state Reported, and assigned to TBD (a placeholder user to represent tickets that are in the queue and have not yet been assigned). The user who reported the ticket can make changes to the ticket while it is in the Reported state (before a 1st Line Engineer has started working on it) using the Update Request transition. This transition allows the Reporter to add more information that may help the Support Engineer resolve the issue. The same fields that are available to the Reporter on the Add or Submit pages are available in this transition. The Reporter must explain what was changed in the History Comment field.

   A 1st Line Support Engineer (sup_one) selects incoming tickets from the queue and decides how to process each using a list of possible workflow paths. sup_one can choose one of the following:

   • Begin processing a ticket by selecting the transition called Start Processing Request. The Description field is presented for reference. sup_one must enter an Estimated Close Date and can optionally set the Priority of the request. This transition will assign the ticket to sup_one and place the ticket in the In Process state.
   • Close the ticket by selecting the transition called Close. The Description field is presented for reference. This transition will place the ticket in the Closed state and assign it to TBD ("no one" since this ticket will not be processed any further). sup_one will be required to enter a reason the ticket was closed in the Close Detail field. The Close Date will be updated automatically.
   • Delay processing of the request by selecting the Hold Request transition. The Description field is presented for reference. sup_one is required to enter a reason for the delay in the Pending Issues field and an Estimated Close Date. It is optional to set the Priority for the ticket. This transition will place the ticket in the On Hold state and will assign it to sup_one.

   This is implemented by:

   Workflow Properties

   • Defining Reported as the Default Add State when a ticket is added
   • Assigning TBD as the manager for the Reported state

   Transitions

   • Defining a transition with New State set to Reported and New Assignee set to "<Same Assignee>"
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the In Process and On Hold states where the assignee is <LoginUser> (the user performing the task operation).
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the Closed state where the assignee is TBD.

   Task Fields

   • Configuring the History Comment (required) and the following optional fields to be presented during the Update Request transition: Title, Product, Platform, Request Type, Severity, Description, Workaround
   • Configuring Description (read only), Est. Close Date (required) and Priority (optional) to be presented during the task operation for the transition to the In Process state.
   • Configuring Description (read only), Close Detail (required) and Close Date (read only and initialized) to be presented during the task operation for the transition to the Closed state.
   • Configuring Description (read only), Pending Issues (required), Est. Close Date (required) and Priority (optional) to be presented during the task operation for the transition to the On Hold state.

2. In Process

   The Support Engineer (sup_one) assigned to the ticket attempts to resolve the issue or request, then chooses one of the following transitions:

   • If the issue is resolved, sup_one can close the issue by selecting the transition Close. The Description field is presented for reference. This transition will place the ticket in the Closed state and assign it to TBD ("no one" since this ticket will not be processed any further). sup_one will be required to enter a reason the ticket was closed in the Close Detail field. The Close Date will be updated automatically.

   • If the issue has not been resolved and sup_one needs to escalate the issue to 2nd Line Support for troubleshooting assistance, the Escalate to 2nd Line transition will be selected. The Description field is presented for reference. sup_one is required to enter the reason for the escalation in the Pending Comments field. This will place the ticket in the Escalated state, will assign it to TBD, and place the ticket in the 2nd Line Support queue.

   • If the issue has not been resolved and sup_one needs to escalate the issue to a manager for troubleshooting assistance, the Escalate to Manager transition will be selected. The Description field is presented for reference. sup_one is required to enter the reason for the escalation in the Pending Comments field. This will place the ticket in the Escalated state, will assign it to the Support Manager (sup_mgr).

   • If the issue cannot be processed until a later (e.g. because more information is needed or there is some delay before a task can be performed), sup_one can select the Hold Request transition. The Description field is presented for reference. sup_one is required to enter a reason for the delay in the Pending Issues field and an Estimated Close Date. It is optional to set the Priority for the ticket. This transition will place the ticket in the On Hold state, but will still be assigned to the sup_one.

   This is implemented by:

   Workflow Properties

   • Defining Support Manager (sup_mgr) as the manager for the Escalated state

   Transitions

   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the Closed state where the assignee is TBD.
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the Escalated state where the assignee is the manager of that state
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the Escalated state where the assignee is TBD (placeholder for the 2nd Line Support queue)
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the On Hold state where the assignee is <Same Assignee>.

   Task Fields

   • Configuring Description (read only), Close Detail (required) and Close Date (read only and initialized) to be presented during the task operation for the transition to the Closed state.
   • Configuring Description (read only) and Pending Issues (required) to be presented during the task operation for the transitions to the Escalated state.
   • Configuring Description (read only), Pending Issues (required), Est. Close Date (required) and Priority (optional) to be presented during the task operation for the transition to the On Hold state.

3. On Hold

   Processing was stopped for the tickets in this state. sup_one can resume processing of a ticket using the Resume Processing transition. The Description field will be provided for reference and sup_one will have the option to update the Estimated Close Date and Priority fields. This will place the ticket in the In Process state and will remain assigned to sup_one. sup_one can close the issue by using the Close transition. The Description field is presented for reference purposes. This transition will place the ticket in the Closed state and assign it to TBD ("no one" since this ticket will not be processed any further). sup_one will be required to enter a reason the ticket was closed in the Close Detail field. The Close Date will be updated automatically.

   This is implemented by:

   Transitions

   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the In Process state with New Assignee set to <Same Assignee>
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the Closed state and assigned to TBD

   Task Fields

   • Configuring the Description (read only), Est. Close Date (optional), Priority (optional) to be presented during the Task operation for the transition to the In Process state.
   • Configuring the Description (read only), Close Date (read only, initialized), and Close Detail (required) fields to be presented for the transition to the Closed state.

4. Escalated

   2nd Line Support or the Support Manager decides how to proceed with the issues that have been placed in the Escalated state:

   • The issue can be sent back to the sup_one by using the De-escalate transition. The Description field will be provided for reference. Comments to aid sup_one to resolve the issue must be entered into the Pending Issues field. Optionally, the Priority of the ticket can be updated. This will place the ticket back into the In Process state and assign it to sup_one, who worked on the ticket when it was previously in that state.
   • The issue can be closed by using the Close transition. The Description field is presented for reference. This transition will place the ticket in the Closed state and assign it to TBD ("no one" since this ticket will not be processed any further). The user (2nd Line Support or the Support Manager) will be required to enter a reason the ticket was closed in the Close Detail field. The Close Date will be updated automatically.

   This is implemented by:

   Transitions

   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the In Process state where the assignee is <Last Assignee for New State>
   • Defining a transition to move a ticket to the Closed state where the assignee is TBD

   Task Fields

   • Configuring the Description (read only), Pending Issues (required), Priority (optional) to be presented during the Task operation for the transition to the In Process state.
   • Configuring the Description (read only), Close Date (read only, initialized), and Close Detail (required) fields to be presented for the transition to the Closed state.

5. Closed

   Processing on these tickets has been completed.

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Sample Saved Charts

A set of sample saved charts are included in this template. The default Project and Form will be selected as part of the criteria. If your workgroup contains multiple projects and forms, these charts can be edited to include additional projects or choose a different form, if desired:

Project Status (default) [Users]

This metric will generate a pie chart, which displays the relative number of records in each possible state. It is designed to give you a quick breakdown of the overall status of a project. To limit the chart to a particular project or release, select a Saved Query that only displays (matches) the records for the project or release as the value for Input Records and click Show Chart.

Add Rate [Users]

This metric will generate two dimensional line chart with the number of records added during each week for the previous 26 weeks broken down by product (one line per product that has at least one record added in the last 26 weeks). It is designed to give you display trend information about the number of new reports (records added) for each product over the last six months.

Average Close Time [Users]

This metric will generate a two dimensional bar chart with the average number number of days it takes to close an issue, with one bar for each Severity. The time is calculated by using the difference between the Date Reported field and the Close Date field of each input record. It is designed to easily see differences in how fast particular issues are closed based on their Severity.

Close Rate [Users]

This metric will generate a line chart, which shows the number of records that were closed during each of the last 12 months. There is one line for each Request Type. And, the most recent month is a partial month (unless today is the last day of the month). A record is considered closed if it moved into the Closed state during the month. It can be used to view the number of records closed each month for the previous year. It allows you to distinguish by Request Type (e.g. Bug, Enhancement).

Close Totals [Users]

This metric will generate a stacked line chart, which shows the cumulative number of records that have been closed as of the end of each month for the last twelve months. As with Close Rate, there is one (filled) line for each Request Type and the most recent month is a partial month (unless today is the last day of the month). A record is considered Closed if it has moved into the Closed state at some point prior to the end of the month. It can be used to see running totals of issues that were closed in the previous year, broken down by Request Type (e.g. Bug, Enhancement).

Company A Service [Users]

This metric will generate a bar chart, which shows the status of each record reported by the Company A user group broken down by request type. It can be used to see an overall picture of the type and status of the issues in process reported by Company A. This can be changed to show the status for records reported by other user groups (other companies, customers, vendors, partners, etc.)

Deadline Performance [Users]

This metric will generate a bar chart, which shows the average difference in days between the Est. Close Date and the actual Close Date of a record broken down for each product. It can be used to detect how effective the Est. Close Date is at predicting the actual Close Date of an issue. A negative value for any product indicates that the average issue is resolved before the Est. Close Date.

High Severity Issue Status [Users]

A line chart which displays the relative number of records with a Severity rating of 1, 2, or 3 in each state with a line for each Product. This metric provides an overall status of the most severe issues reported for each Product.

Project Summary [Users]

This metric will generate a table, which displays the numbers of records added for each product in each row of the table. Each column breaks down how many records are currently in each state. It is designed to give you a quick breakdown of the overall status of each project. To limit the chart to a particular project or release, select a Saved Query that only displays (matches) the records for the project or release as the value for Input Records and click Show Chart.

Requests On Hold [Users]

A bar chart which displays the number of current records in the On Hold state for every component. This metric is designed to provide a snapshot of the current records where the processing has been delayed. The data is broken down by component to allow you to easily identify problem components.

Severity Trend [Users]

This metric will generate a three dimensional bar chart that displays the number of records added during each of the last twelve weeks, broken down by Severity. It can be used to see if the severity of records being added is changing over time.

Support Workload [Users]

A bar chart which displays the number of records assigned to each member of the Support user group. This can give you a rough idea of the current workload. If you have a field which represents the actual work required for a particular item (e.g. a float type field which notes the estimated number of hours required to process an issue), you can create your own chart to total the value(s) of that field for each user and display it in a similar fashion.

Workload [Users]

This metric will generate bar chart, which displays the number of articles assigned to each user. This can give you a rough idea of the current workload. If you have a field which represents the actual work required for a particular item (e.g. a float type field which notes the estimated number of hours required to process an article), you can create your own chart to total the value(s) of that field for each user and display it in a similar fashion.

Workload by Project [Users]

This metric will generate a table, which displays in each row the number of records currently assigned to a user. Each column breaks down how many records were reported against each product. This can give you a rough idea of the current workload by project.

Workload Status [Users]

This metric will generate a table, which displays in each row the number of records currently assigned to a user. Each column breaks down how many records are currently in each state. This can give you a rough idea of the current workload by status.

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Email Notification

The Support template is set up to notify users as follows:

On Add or Delete of a Record: The current assignee, the manager for the current state, and the reporter of the ticket are notified

On Change of State to Inactive: The user who reported the ticket is notified when a ticket is moved to a state where processing has stopped (any state included in the Inactive state group: Closed or On Hold)

On Change of Assignment: Both the current assignee and the manager of the current state of the ticket are notified

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Security

The Support template assumes a very simple security model reflecting a workgroup situation where all users are able to see any ticket. This is implemented by setting Enable Record Visibility option under General Preferences in the Administration Task page to No.

In addition, the privileges related to editing the field of the tickets have been removed from users that are not managers or Admin. With this configuration, users can rely on the Task operation to move tickets through the workflow. This can be changed within the User Accounts section of the Admin page.

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