Creating a problem investigation

After you identify an incident request that indicates a problem, create a problem investigation. Problem coordinators should create problem investigations from the Incident Management application to ensure the information is copied from the incident request record to the problem investigation. 

To create a problem investigation from an incident request

1. Open the incident request record.

2. Create the problem investigation.

   1. From the Quick Action area, click the arrow beside Create Related Request. 
      If you are working on a hub server in a Hub and Spoke environment, you are asked to identify the company you are creating the record for. Select the company from the list, and click Create. The Problem Investigation form opens on the spoke server of the company you chose (where it will also be saved).
   2. From the menu, select Problem Investigation.

   The details are copied from the incident request to the Problem form, and a relationship is created between the problem investigation and the incident request.

3. Complete the Problem form.
4. Click Save.

Mapping values from the Incident Request form to the Problem form

The following table lists the fields that are copied from the Incident Request form to the Problem form when you create a problem investigation directly from an incident request.

The Product Categorization fields on the problem investigation record (Product Categorization Tier 1, Product Categorization Tier 2, Product Categorization Tier 3, Product Name, Model/Version and Manufacturer) generally inherit their values from the Resolution Product Categorization fields on the Incident Request form. However, if these fields are not set on the Incident Request form, the Product Categorization fields on the Problem form inherit their values from the Product Categorization fields on the Incident Request form. While resolving an incident, it is not mandatory to complete the fields in the Resolution Product Categorization section.

Mapping values from the Incident Request form to the Problem form

When creating a related problem investigation from an existing incident, the problem carries over any information from Notes and Summary fields of the related incident. The new problem is related to the existing incident with one of the Relationship Types. 

In the Problem Location field, the location of the incident is shown by default. However, if you do not create a problem from an incident, Problem Location displays the location of the logged-in user.

To view problem investigations

1. On the Problem Management console, from the Company list, select the company for which you want to view problem investigations.
2. From the View By list, select one of the following filters:
   • Personal—Displays records assigned to you.
   • Selected Groups—Prompts you to select any support groups to which you belong. You can display all records assigned to your group, or records assigned to your group that are not yet assigned to an individual.
   • All My Groups—Displays records assigned to all your support groups. You can display all records, or records that are not yet assigned to an individual.
3. From the Defined Searches area, select Problem Investigation > All Open Problems.
4. To view additional details about an investigation, select the problem investigation record in the Problems table and then click View. 
   The Problem Investigation form appears. You can modify the form and perform other actions, as appropriate.

To record additional information

1. Open the relevant problem investigation as described in the procedure above.
2. Click the calendar icon beside the Target Date field.
   The Target Date field is a required field when the problem investigation's status is not Draft.
3. Select the target resolution date and time.
4. Click OK, and then click Save.