Product overview
Service request management
In Service Request Management, a request is the service offering that is generated from a service request definition (SRD).
Service Request Management provides an online service catalog, from which the users can view and request services that are available to them. You can also use automated tools to submit requests from the request catalog. A service request is the parent object that manages and tracks the implementation of a selected SRD.The IT department and other business departments within a company can define offered services, publish those services in the service catalog, and automate the fulfillment of those services for their users. With Service Request Management, users can help themselves, which reduces the number of requests coming into the service desk, and enables IT professionals to focus on more critical activities.
Service Request Management also provides the ability to automate workflows for each service, enforcing consistency of process and faster fulfillment of the request. Watch the following video to learn how to order products in a request:
Work order management
When a user creates a service request, depending on the type of the service request, work orders are created either automatically or by a work order manager to complete the backend fulfilment work that is needed to complete the service request.
For example, to fulfil a service request, a work order manager can create a work order as a related record for an incident, the modification of a configuration item, or for correcting a known error.
User roles
The following table describes the types of users (roles) who work with BMC Service Request Management, their goals, and the features that help each user achieve those goals. The responsibilities of these user roles can vary from organization to organization. In some organizations, one person might fulfill several roles. For information about the access permissions needed to fulfill these roles, see BMC-Service-Request-Management-permissions.
Work order management includes two user roles—work order manager and work order assignee. Additionally, you can assign work order Functional Roles to provide additional capability to the users, not based on permission group, but in the context of the support group to which the work order is related.
In large companies, the work order manager's main responsibilities usually involve planning and oversight. However, in small companies the work order manager might also function as the work order assignee who performs the tasks for the work order. In the work order management application, users with either the Work Order Manager or Work Order Assignee functional role can be assigned to individual work orders, so you can choose how to apply these roles in your organization.
When a work order is created, it is automatically assigned to the appropriate work order assignee according to the specified criteria. The supervisor, group, or individual can be notified of assigned work orders by email. Using the assignment engine, related tasks are automatically assigned to the appropriate work order assignee.
User role | Description | Tasks |
|---|---|---|
User | Submit service requests through the Request Entry console. Use Knowledge Base articles to resolve problems without submitting a service request, and provide feedback on the usefulness of articles. Respond to request surveys. | |
Business manager | Approve requests as the requester's manager, which is specified in Manager's Name field on the More Details tab of the People form. Review the consolidated or individual status of service requests in the organization. | |
Application administrator | Configure the application. Perform system-level troubleshooting. Grant permissions to users. | |
Service catalog manager | Create requestable services, including service level agreements (SLAs), cost and price, common and organization-specific offerings, and mappings to the fulfillment process. Manage the SRD life cycle, from draft to approval, and then to deployment. | |
Business analyst | Use the Service Request Designer to create requestable services. | |
Service request coordinator | Monitor requests, create requests on behalf of others, review request approval cycles, and troubleshoot requests. | |
Fulfillment provider | Complete assignments required to fulfill a request. | |
Work order manager | The work order manager is responsible for the quality and integrity of the work order management process. The work order manager's activities and responsibilities can include the following:
The work order manager can have the following permissions and functional roles:
To work with tasks, the user needs Task User permissions. For information about other levels of task permissions required, for example, to create task templates, see Task Management permissions. Using the Task Management System (TMS) functionality is optional with work orders. You can create work orders that do not use TMS tasks. | |
Work order assignee | Work order assignees are responsible for planning and implementing assigned work orders. They are usually people with specialized abilities in the support department of larger organizations. The work order assignee might be working actively on the work order, or coordinating the efforts of other groups or individuals working on tasks, if necessary. Assignee activities and responsibilities include the following:
| |
Developer | Customize the application. Integrate third-party applications. |
Product features
Service Request Managementprovides the following capabilities:
- Create and maintain a catalog of requestable services by using SRDs. The requestable services include service level agreements (SLAs), cost and price, common and organization-specific offerings, and mappings to the fulfillment process.
- Submit service requests for self or on behalf of other users.
- Monitor and manage service requests.
- Track work orders, monitor support staff activities in implementing the work order, and handle work assignments.
- Create tasks to fulfill work orders and schedule people and resources to implement tasks.
- Customize the application and integrate with custom applications.
To learn more about the features, see Quick-tour.
In the following list, click the link related to your role to learn more about how to proceed with this product:
- End users: Managing-service-requests, Managing-work-orders
- Administrators: Planning, Setting-up-and-going-live, Building-the-service-catalog, and Administering
- Architects: BMC-Service-Request-Management-architecture
- Developers: Developing
You can also use BMC Digital Workplace as an alternative to BMC Service Request Management. See BMC Digital Workplace.