Transferring tickets to Microsoft DevOps through a custom agent

This topic provides an end‑to‑end example of how administrators can create and configure a custom agent to transfer BMC Helix ITSM incidents to Microsoft DevOps when incidents require developer action.

When service desk agents identify that an incident is caused by a software defect, they often need to escalate the issue to a DevOps team. Previously, this escalation involved manually copying incident details, reformatting the information to meet DevOps requirements, and creating a corresponding work item in Microsoft DevOps. This process was time‑consuming, error‑prone, and often lacked a clear audit trail linking the ITSM incident to the DevOps defect.

The Transfer to Microsoft DevOps custom agent enables service desk agents to transfer ITSM tickets to Microsoft DevOps by issuing a single natural‑language command in the Service Collaborator chat. The custom agent triggers an automated IS Process in HelixGPT Agent Studio that prepares a structured defect report from the incident, creates a DevOps work item via API, updates the ITSM ticket worklog, and confirms completion while preserving traceability.

You can use this configuration pattern as a foundation for building other custom agents that handle other cross‑system escalation and handoff scenarios between ITSM and DevOps.

The IS process workflow, not the chat-level permissions, authorizes and validates the incident transfer to Microsoft DevOps. The IS process layer rejects unauthorized requests with an appropriate response.

Process for transferring ITSM incidents to Microsoft DevOps by using a custom agent

A service desk agent is working on an ITSM incident caused by a defect in an internal application. The issue requires investigation and resolution by a development team. Instead of manually creating a DevOps defect, the agent uses a custom agent to transfer the incident directly from the Service Collaborator chat via a single natural-language command.

To implement this process, refer to the following phases:

Phase	Process
Phase 1: Create the custom agent	Create a custom agent that: Interprets natural‑language commands to transfer incidents Identifies incidents that require developer action
Phase 2: Enable automated and authorized escalation	Configure the custom agent to: Trigger an IS Process workflow for incident transfer Validate whether the requesting service desk agent is authorized Reject unauthorized requests with an appropriate response
Phase 3: Achieve operational impact	After implementation: Incidents are transferred to Microsoft DevOps by using a single command Defects are created with complete, structured, and developer‑ready information End‑to‑end traceability is maintained between ITSM and DevOps systems

At the end of this process, service desk agents can efficiently escalate incidents without manual rework, and development teams receive actionable defect information.

In the HelixGPT Agent Studio, perform the following actions:

1. Go to the Agents tab and click Add Agent.
2. Enter the custom agent name and description. Select the appropriate agent type, AI provider, and model for transferring BMC Helix ITSM incidents to Microsoft DevOps based on the models and providers supported by HelixGPT in your environment. 
3. Go to the Instructions tab to define the custom agent's behavior. Click Generate with HelixGPT and Evaluate to generate and evaluate these instructions, respectively, to verify their security, alignment, and completeness.
   Sample agent instructions

   You are an ITSM triage assistant. When given a service desk command, perform the following actions:

   Interpret a natural‑language request to transfer an incident to Microsoft DevOps
   Identify incidents that require developer action
   Trigger an IS Process automation workflow to handle the transfer
   Provide confirmation once the transfer is complete

   Do not guess — if the request is unclear, unauthorized, or missing required information, clearly state what is needed and do not initiate the transfer.

4. Click Save and next.
5. Assign the tools and toolkits that the custom agent can use to perform tasks or specific actions. To learn more, see Creating and editing tools and toolkits.
6. (Optional) Assign Sub-agents to support and customize your agent.
7. Click Create Agent to complete the custom agent-creation process.