Navigating the ticket console

Incident Management consoles overview

The following consoles provide access to all or a part of Incident Management:

• Requester console
• Overview console
• Incident Management console

The following illustration shows how these consoles integrate with Incident Management and other BMC Helix ITSM applications.

Requester console

From the Requester console, IT users can submit incident requests directly to Incident Management. The integration with the Requester console: 

• Uses the Requester console to define incident requests.
• Updates incident request information using the Work Info record.
• Includes an interface from the incident request to the request that is stored in the Requester console.
• Updates the status of the request to the appropriate status, and makes Work Info entries visible.

Overview console

Using the Overview console, service desk workers who fulfill many different roles can view incident requests that are assigned to them through Incident Management, and additional work assignments that come to them through other BMC Helix ITSM applications with which Incident Management integrates:

• BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk: Problem Management
• BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management
• BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management

Incident Management console

The Incident Management console is the main console for Incident Management. It provides service desk workers with a single point from which they can generate incident requests, monitor the progress of incident requests as they move through their lifecycle, and record work that was performed while solving the incident request.

Incident Management integrates with BMC Service Request Management  (see Home) . (For information about this integration, see Creating requests from fulfillment applications .) When BMC Service Request Management is installed, the Request Entry console replaces the Requester Console. See Configuring incident rules for information about configuring Incident Management to generate a service request every time that an incident request is created.

Users can view service request details from the Request Entry console in BMC Service Request Management. You can also view service request details from the Incident Management Console by choosing Functions > View REQ<number>. For more information, see Viewing details of a service request associated with a work order .

Incident Management uses the Cost module to track costs associated with incidents. The integration uses the common cost creation dialog box that the Cost module provides. Fields on the Incident Request form integrate with Cost module forms to show cost data related to an incident.

Functional areas of the Incident Management console

Problem Management consoles overview

The following consoles provide access to all or a part of Problem Management:

• Problem Management console
• Overview console

The Problem Management console is the main console for the application. It provides problem coordinators and specialists with a single point from which they can create known error entries. It also provides a place from which they can monitor the progress of problem investigations as the investigation moves through its lifecycle, and record work that was performed during the investigation.

Using the Overview console, specialists can view problem investigations that were assigned to them through the Problem Management application. The specialist role is fulfilled by all IT employees and long-term contractors, except Service Desk Analysts and IT Operators. Specialists can also view work that was assigned to them through the other BMC Helix ITSM applications with which Problem Management integrates:

• BMC Helix ITSM: Service Desk: Incident Management
• BMC Helix ITSM: Asset Management
• BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management

The following table describes the functional areas of the Problem Management console.

Problem Management console functional areas

To manage work information entries

By using work information entries, you can keep notes about the work that you perform on the related record or pass information to colleagues also working on the record. For example, you might want to add a note that a particular CI was deployed, and include the date. You can add work information records directly from the console table, or by opening the record form.

You can view multiple Work Info entries at the same time by clicking the History icon. When you click this icon, the system displays a pop-up window with the Notes field entries arranged with the most recent entry at the top (a date and timestamp is also visible with each entry).

If you have Incident Viewer or Problem Viewer permissions, you can add and modify Work Info entries; however, you cannot create or modify incident requests, problem investigations, or known errors.

To add work information in a record

1. From the console table, open the incident request, problem investigation, or known error.
2. To add new work information, under the Add Work Info details section on the Work Detail tab, enter the following information:
   • Notes—Enter the details of your work information record.
   • Attachment—Click  to add attachments related to the work information. You can add up to three files.
3. Click More Details to select the work information type and add more attachments as needed.

   • From the Work Info Type list, select the type of work information to add.

     Click here to see a description of the Work Info types ...

     The table below lists the work info types available for asset, incident, problem, task, and known error records.

     Type	Available for the application	Description
     Customer Communication	Incident Management Problem Management	This can be any type of communication from the customer to the incident support staff (for example, email or phone).
     Customer Follow-up	Incident Management Problem Management	The customer acted on the suggestion from the support staff and is reporting on the outcome of those actions (for example, testing a hotfix).
     Customer Status Update	Incident Management Problem Management	The customer acted on the suggestion from the support staff and is updating the progress of the actions or is reporting that there was a delay.
     Closure Follow Up	Incident Management Problem Management	The support engineer contacted the customer to verify that the problem is solved and the incident can be closed.
     Closure Details	Problem Management	Detailed information provided on the closure of the problem.
     Change	Task Management	Information about a change.
     Decommission	Task Management	Information about decommissioning.
     Delete	Task Management	Information about the deletion of a task.
     Detail Clarification	Incident Management	The support engineer asked the customer for more information to clarify what the problem is, or the support staff needed clarification of information that the customer supplied.
     Extension	Task Management	Information about the extension of a task.
     General Information	Incident Management Known Error Task Management Asset Management	The support engineer asked the customer for general information such as platforms, versions and patch levels, or a contact telephone number.
     Known Error Task	Known Error	The support engineer created a task for another person who is helping with the known error.
     Provision	Task Management	Information on provisioning.
     Resolution Communications	Incident Management	The support engineer sent a resolution email to the customer or called the customer with the resolution.
     RMA - Return to Distributor	Asset Management	Info about an item that must be returned to a distributor because it is damaged or unwanted.
     RMA - Return to Vendor	Asset Management	Info about an item that must be returned to a vendor because it is damaged or unwanted.
     Satisfaction Survey	Incident Management	A satisfaction survey was sent to the customer.
     Status Update	Incident Management	The support engineer updated the customer with investigation or testing status.
     Incident Task / Action	Incident Management Problem Management	The support engineer created a task for another person who is helping with the incident.
     Investigation Task	Problem Management	The support engineer created a task for another person who is helping with the problem.
     Investigation Findings	Problem Management	The support engineer included information about the investigation findings.
     Problem Script	Incident Management Problem Management	A predefined set of questions was used to help solve problems.
     Working Log	Incident Management Problem Management	A log file was attached to the ticket for debugging purposes.
     Email System	Incident Management Problem Management Known Error	The email system automatically updated the work info.
     Paging System	Incident Management Problem Management Known Error	A paging system automatically updated the work info.
     BMC Impact Manager Update	Incident Management	BMC Impact Manager automatically updated the work info.
     Chat	Incident Management Problem Management Known Error Task Management	The Chat feature in BMC Helix ITSM automatically updated the work info.
     Vendor Communication	Incident Management Problem Management Known Error	Communication between a support engineer and a vendor.
     Assignment change	Asset Management Change Management Incident Management Problem Management Problem Investigation Known Error	When you select a value for the Assignee or the Assigned Group field and save the information, the system automatically adds a new entry under the Work Detail tab.
     Priority change	Asset Management Change Management Incident Management Problem Management Problem Investigation Known Error	When you select a value for the Impact or Urgency fields and it results in a change in the value of the Priority field, when you save the information, the system automatically adds a new entry under the Work Detail tab.
     Status change	Asset Management Change Management Incident Management Problem Management Problem Investigation Known Error	When you change the value of the Status field and save the information, the system automatically adds a new entry under the Work Detail tab.

   • In the Attachment fields, add any additional attachments required for the work information. You can add up to three files.

   • Select whether to lock the work log.

     If you select Yes, you cannot modify the work log after you save it.

   • From the View Access list, specify the level of access to the work entry:
     • Select Internal if you want only users with application permissions for Incident Management or Incident Management to see the entry. 

     • Select Public if you want everyone with access to the system to see the entry, including requesters.

       The information in this note applies to environments that also run BMC Service Request Management.
       When a work note is created in an incident that originated from the BMC Service Request Management console and is marked as Public, the work note also appears in the request's activity log in the Request Entry console of BMC Service Request Management. If the work note is updated, the original work note remains in the request's activity log, but the updated information is placed in a new entry in the request's activity log.

       The View Access setting is a shared component in BMC Helix ITSM. You can change the view access level for Problem Investigation and Known Error records to Public. However, this does not have any effect.

       If the work note in the incident request is updated and the Assignee marks it as Internal, the original work note remains in the request's activity log, but the updated information is not displayed.

4. Click Add.
   The Save operation adds your entry to the work history.

To modify work information record

1. Open the Incident Management console. 
2. Select an incident. 
3. From the Details and Task pane, select the work information record that you want to modify and click View.
4. In the Incident Work Info window:
   1. Update the required fields.
   2. To remove an attachment, click the delete icon () for that attachment.
   3. Click Save.
5. To view a report of selected activities that you performed against this record, select the records from the work info table and click report .
   
   • Adding or modifying the work information of a ticket or a work order does not update the last modified date of a ticket or a work order for the following applications:
     • BMC Helix ITSM: Change Management
     • Incident Management
     • BMC Service Request Management
   • When you select a value for the Impact or Urgency fields and it results in a change in the value of the Priority field, the system automatically adds a new entry under the Work Detail tab when you save the information.

To add work information entries from the console table

1. From the console, select the record to which you need to add a work information entry.
2. At the bottom of the console, open the Detail area by clicking Show Detail.
3. Click Create.
4. Enter the work information details in the Work Info dialog box.
5. To add an attachment to the record, right-click in the attachment table and select Add from the menu that appears.

6. Select whether to lock the work log.

   If you select Yes, you cannot modify the work log after you save it.

7. Choose the type of view access:
   • Internal—Select this access if you do not want the customer to see the work information entry on the Requester console or the BMC Service Request Management console.
   • Public—Select this access if you want the customer to see the work information entry.
     When a work note is created in a request that originated from the BMC Service Request Management console and is marked as Public, the work note also appears in the request's activity log in the Request Entry console of BMC Service Request Management. If the work note is updated, the original work note remains in the request's activity log, but the updated information is placed in a new entry in the request's activity log. If the work note is updated and the Assignee marks it as Internal, the original work note remains in the request's activity log, but the updated information is not displayed. 
8. Click Save.
9. To see a report of selected work information entries, select one or more entries, and click Report.

To modify a work information entry from the console

If the work information entry is not locked, you can modify any field on it.

1. From the Incident or Problem console, select the incident request or problem investigation record.
2. At the bottom of the console, click Show Detail to open the Detail area.
3. From the list of work information entries, select the work information record that you want to update.
4. Click View.

5. Make the required modification as described in the following table: 

   Modification	Action
   To update the note	Click inside the Notes field and type the changes.
   To add an attachment	Right-click in the attachment table and select Add from the menu that appears, and then follow the onscreen instructions. Attachments to work information entries created in BMC Service Request Management are not transferred with information sent to a backend application, such as an incident, a change request, or a work order. You can access the attachments only from the service request.
   To lock the entry	From the Locked list, select Yes. If you select Yes, the work information entry cannot be modified after you save it.
   To change the view access level	From the View Access list, select Internal or Public. Select Internal if you want only users with application permissions for Incident Management or Problem Management to see the entry. Select Public if you want everyone with access to the system to see the entry, including requesters. In environments that also run BMC Service Request Management, when a work note with the Public access level is created in an incident that originated with the BMC Service Request Management console, the work note also appears in the request's activity log in the Request Entry console of BMC Service Request Management. If the work note is updated, the original work note remains in the request's activity log, but the updated information is placed in a new entry in the request's activity log. The View Access setting is a shared component in BMC Helix ITSM. You can change the view access level for Problem Investigation and Known Error records to Public. However, this does not have any effect. If the work note is updated and the Assignee marks it as Internal, the original work note remains in the request's activity log, but the updated information is not displayed.

6. Click Save.
   If you save the incident or problem investigation record without making any changes to the work information record, the values in the Modified Date and Last Modified by fields of the work information record are updated.

To modify a work information entry from an open ticket

1. Open the incident request or problem investigation record.
2. On the Work Details tab, double-click the work information entry that you want to update. 
   The Notes field updates to contain the work info text and the More Details area expands to reveal the hidden fields.
3. Make the required changes.
   If you need to remove an attachment, click the Eraser icon beside the associated Attachment field.
4. Click Save.
   If you save the incident or problem investigation record without making any changes to the work information record, the values in Modified Date and Last Modified by fields of the work information record are updated.