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Chapter 7 ■ Service Operations
In cases of autologged incidents, event management tools are designed to select
a predetermined category that does not falter. User-raised incidents are automatically
categorized based on the keywords mentioned in the incident summary and description.
It is quite possible that the incident could be categorized incorrectly in this scenario, but
in the interests of automation, this is the price we have to pay.
7.5.2.6.4 Step 4: Incident Prioritization
Earlier I discussed extensively incident prioritization. This is the step where the process of
incident prioritization gets acted upon.
The service desk measures the urgency and impact and sets the incident priority.
Event management tools have the ability to set the right priority based on an algorithm.
User-created incidents are normally assigned a default priority, and the resolver group
changes the priority once it begins resolving the incident.
Incident priorities are not set in stone. They can be changed throughout the lifecycle
of an incident. It is possible that the end user has hyped the impact of the incident and
could have gotten a higher priority incident raised. During the resolution process, the
resolver group validates the impact and urgency and alters the priority as needed. Some
critical incidents are monitored after resolution. The observation period could see the
priority pushed down until closure.
7.5.2.6.5 Step 5: Diagnosis and Investigation
The service desk performs the initial diagnosis of an incident by understanding the
symptoms of the incident. The service desk tries to understand exactly what is not
working and then tries to take the user through some basic troubleshooting steps to
resolve the incident. This is a key substep, as it provides the necessary data points for
further investigation on the incident. It is analogous to a doctor asking you about the
symptoms you have: Do you have throat pain? Do you have a cough? Do you have a cold?
Do you have a headache? You get the drift. Likewise, the service desk is expected to ask a
series of questions to provide the necessary information to resolve the incident quickly,
which is the objective of the incident management process.
Not all incidents can be resolved by the service desk. They get functionally escalated
to the next level of support, generally referred to as level 2, or L2. The L2 group is normally
a part of an expert group, such as the server group, network group, storage group, or
software group.
The resolver group diagnoses the incident with the available information, and if
needed, calls the user to obtain more information. It is possible that the service desk’s
line of questioning could be on the wrong path, and perhaps the resolver group must start
all over again by asking the right set of questions.
Investigation of the incident digs deeper into the incident by understanding one or
more of the following thought processes:
• What is the user expecting to obtain through the incident?
• What has gone wrong?
• What are the sequence of steps that led to the incident?
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