Managing issues

Issues enable users to ask for assistance, to request evolutions or to submit bugs. Issues can be created directly by customers or internally.

All the necessary information is gathered in the issue to understand its context and work towards its resolution. Issues have a simplified interface: the sections and fields displayed are restricted to only have what is required and make reading and resolving issues easier.

Creating an issue

Issues can be created:

From an empty issue ;
From a template, to automatically retrieve values from the template and only edit the required fields;
By duplicating an existing issue.

Users can only create issues for the company they are connected with.

From an empty issue

From the top menu, click Help Desk > New issue (simplified mode).

The New issue screen opens.

In the New issue screen, fill in the following fields:

Field	Description
Customer	Select the desired item from the help list. The selection screens automatically follow on from each other to fill in the Customer, Site, Contact, Contract, Service, Product and Environment fields: If a customer only has one associated site, this site is automatically filled in and the following help list automatically displays the contacts associated with the site, and so on. If a customer has multiple sites, the help list displaying these sites opens automatically, and so on. If an alert memo is specified for the contract or service, the icon is displayed at the right of the field. Click on the icon to learn more about the alert.
Site
Contact
Contract
Service
Product
Environment
Severity	Select the issue severity from the help list. The severity enables customers to assess issues according to importance. The different levels of severity can be set up. A default value can be set up for each service.
Group	Select the group to associate with the issue from the help list. The selected group's members own the new issue. The different groups and members can be set up. A default value can be set up for each service.
Received on	Fill in the date and time when the issue was received. By default, this field displays the date and time when the issue's creation screen was opened.
I want to monitor the issue	Check this box to automatically add the connected user in the Monitored by field of the new issue.
Revision to be corrected = Last product revision	Check this box to automatically add the last revision that is linked with the product's version in the Revision to correct field of the new issue. Example Product version: 2.0.1 Last revision: 2.0.15

When the fields are filled in, click Validate.

The Issue screen opens. This screen is in modification mode and some fields must be filled in to be able to save the new issue and finish the creation process.

Enter a Title and a Description, then select the issue's Type from the help list. An issue type can be linked to the selected service and enables to categorize the issue. The different types can be set up.

Save the new issue.

The issue is created. The new issue is automatically assigned a number and can be found from the search.

From a template

From the top menu, click Help Desk > New issue from template.

The New issue screen opens.

In the Groupings section, make sure the grouping containing the desired template is checked. If the desired template belongs to an unchecked grouping, it will not be displayed in the Templates section.

In the Templates section, click on the desired template to create a new issue.

The New issue window opens.

In the New issue window, enter the new issue's title and description. If the template contains a description, this description is reused automatically for the new issue.

Other fields can be displayed in addition to the title and description if some of the fields required to create an issue are not specified in the template.

There are two options available to confirm the creation from a template:

Click New.
The issue is created and is automatically assigned a number. A pop-up window displays the assigned number and the issue can be found from the search. The values entered in the template are reused, so the issue can be used directly.
Click on Create and fill in.
The issue is created and is assigned a number. The new issue opens automatically in modification mode. The values entered in the template are reused, so the issue can be used directly.

Description of the issue screen

The issue screen contains four standard tabs:

The Issue tab that displays all information related to the issue and its tasks.
The Tasks tab that displays a detailed list of all the tasks linked to the issue.
The Messages tab that contains a messaging service to communicate with the customer about the issue.
The Linked sprints tab to manage the sprints linked to the issue.

Issue tab

Header section

Field	Description
Title	The title and number of the issue.
Status	The status and state of the issue. These two values give information about the issue's life cycle to the customer, since they are displayed in the Customer Portal. The guaranteed response time (GRT) and guaranteed fault repair time (GFRT) counters are also displayed at the top right of the screen. These counters are only displayed when active. An issue's status indicates the progress in resolving the issue. A status can go through different states to get more details about the resolution. The actions available for an issue can depend on the issue's status, for example an issue can only be closed if its status is resolved. The different statuses and states can be updated automatically when tasks change (by setting up task types), but Changing statuses can also be done manually.
Type	The type is linked to the selected service. It allows to categorize the issue from the customer side. The different types can be set up. A default value can be set up for each service.
Severity	The severity enables customers to assess issues according to importance. The different levels of severity can be set up. A default value can be set up for each service. Depending on the setup of the maintained product linked to the issue, the icon is displayed on the right if an alert reason is specified. To show the reason, hover over the icon or click on the label of the Severity field.
Priority	The priority enables to organize issues by priority order, meaning it indicates if an issue must be processed immediately. It is assigned internally and cannot be viewed by customers. The different levels of priority can be set up.
Criticality	The criticality offers a second level to categorize issues according to importance, and depending on the customer's business needs. It is assigned internally and cannot be viewed by customers. The different levels of criticality can be set up.
Visible externally	If the box is checked, the issue is displayed in the Customer Portal. If the box is not checked, the issue cannot be viewed in the Customer Portal.

Description section

The Description section displays the issue's description, entered during the creation process. This section provides information and context about the issue.

Click on to show the details of the description in a new window.

Linked documents section

The Linked documents section regroups the documents linked to the issue, for example a screen shot or a log file. There are two types of documents: external documents that are linked to the issue and that can be viewed by customers, and internal documents that are hidden from the Customer Portal and that can only be used internally.

To link an external document, drag the document and drop it in the issue screen. You can also click on to open the file explorer and select the desired document.

To link an internal document, click on to open the file explorer and select the desired document. Internal documents can be easily identified:

From the Linked documents section in the main tab, internal documents are identified with the icon.
From the Linked documents tab, internal documents display INTERNAL in the Filed under field.

Tags section

The Tags section is used to manage the tags linked to the issue. Tags make it possible to search for and filter issues with multiple criteria that can be customized to your needs. Tags are set up from the menu General setup > Cross-cutting > Tags.

Click on then double-click on the desired tag in the list to add it to the issue. It is possible to add as many tags as needed.

To remove a tag, click on .

Response section

The Response section enables users to describe the solution found for the issue and to provide resolution details to the contact:

The Customer response can be viewed by customers from the Customer Portal, and users can write it and add to it at any time.
The Internal responses are used internally to provide information that cannot be viewed by customers. This tab gathers all the content written in the Internal information field of each task.
The Messages display all messages exchanged with the issue's customer and can also be viewed from the Messages tab.

Click on to show the details of the responses in a new window.

In modification mode, click on to add table texts.

Context section

The Context section regroups all the information about the issue's context. Click on a field's name to open the relevant record sheet.

Field	Description
Customer / Site / Manager	The customer associated with the issue, the site related to the issue and the employee managing the issue. Click on the values displayed in blue to open the associated record sheet (customer, site and employee).
Contract / Service	The customer contract and the service linked to the issue. If an alert memo is specified for the contract, the icon is displayed at the right of the field. Click on the icon to learn more about the alert. Click on the values displayed in blue to open the associated record sheet (contract and service).
Assignment	The issue's assignment. Click on the values displayed in blue to open the associated record sheet (project, phase, sub-phase and project task).
Requester	The contact who requested the issue. The email address and phone number of the selected user are displayed. Click on to create a new contact and add it as the requester.
User	The user linked to the issue. The email address and phone number of the selected user are displayed. Click on to create a new contact and add it as the user.
Appt / Est. resolut..	In the first date field, fill in the date and time to set up an appointment with the issue's customer. The date and time of the appointment are for informational purposes only but can be viewed by the customer on the Customer Portal. In the second date field, fill in the estimated resolution date of the issue.
Monitored by	The person in charge of monitoring the issue. In modification mode, click on at the right of the field to assign the issue to yourself: the connected user's name (aka you) is filled in automatically. This option is not available if the connected user is already assigned to the issue. The list of employees available from the help list includes: the employees that belong to the company associated with the issue; the employees that are multi-company managers. Employees become multi-company managers if the Multi-company manager box is checked in their employee record sheet. This way, the employee can be associated with issues from multiple companies. Note An employee with the Multi-company manager option can be assigned issues of other companies by these companies' employees, but cannot view all the issues of the other companies.
Product / Environment	The product and the environment related to the issue.
Revision to correct	The product's revision number where the problem described in the issue occurred or the evolution was needed.
Corrective revision	The product revision number that contains the fixes or evolutions.
Filed under	The Domain / Module / Function of the issue.
Catalog 1 / 2	The customer references (free-form).

Regression section

The Regression section is only displayed if the Extranet: activate regression tracking box is checked for the service associated with the issue.

If the Regression box is checked, the problem described in the issue is considered a regression.

There are three types of regression:

Requested if the customer checks the regression option when creating the issue from the Customer Portal;
Validated if the regression is confirmed by the support team;
Refused if the regression is not confirmed by the support team.

Custom data section

The Custom data section is only displayed if custom data are associated with issues and tasks.

Custom data are additional fields set up by Akuiteo users to meet their specific business needs. It is possible to create as many custom data as necessary to manage issues. These data can be accessed from specific tabs of the issue screen, but some custom data can also be displayed directly in the issue's main tab.

Reference

To set up the custom data display on the issues, see Issues and tasks about the following preferences:

Number of custom data columns
Number of custom data
First custom data index

Task section

The Task section displays the details of the issue's latest task. This information was added when creating the task or during the task process.

Reference

For more information about managing tasks, refer to Managing tasks.

Editing issues

When an issue is edited, some fields can be edited directly from the issue screen as usual. However, editing issues has the following characteristics:

The Customer / Site / Manager, Contract / Service and Product / Environment fields cannot be edited directly from the issue's screen, but using a specific feature from the Edit menu. For more information, refer to Changing context.
The assignment cannot be edited directly from the issue's screen. For more information, refer to Changing assignment.
The status and state cannot be edited from the issue's screen, but using a specific feature from the Edit menu or the action bar. For more information, refer to Changing statuses.

Users can only edit issues that were created for the company they are connected with.

Changing context

The context of an issue gathers the following fields: Customer, Site, Contact, Contract, Service, Product, Environment, Severity and Type.

The context is changed from the issue screen, in read-only mode.

To modify the context:

Click on from the action bar.
From the issue screen, click on on the right of the Context section.
Go to Edit > Change the context.

Edit the desired fields in the edit window.

Click on Validate to update the context.

Changing assignment

The assignment can be modified from the issue screen in modification mode only.

Click on

on the right of the Assignment field.

Edit the desired fields in the edit window.

Click on Validate to update the assignment.

Changing statuses

During the life cycle of an issue, the status and state are updated to reflect the issue's progress to customers and internally.

An issue state is for informational purposes only and is used to detail the progress of the issue. However, an issue status can be associated with specific management rules. Task types can be set up so that, when a task is finished or created, the issue status or state are updated automatically.

If needed, the status and state can also be changed manually. For example, changing the statuses of an issue enables to change the state associated with the issue's status, without having to change task types.

The issue status and state are changed from the issue screen, in read-only mode.

Click on

from the action bar or go to Edit > Change issue statuses.

Edit the desired fields in the edit window.

Click Validate to update the statuses.

Note

Depending on the current status and state of the issue, the fields are not filled in the same way in the edit window and some fields are not displayed.

Field	Description
Task	Displays the date and time when the issue was created. This field corresponds to the legal delay of response and enables to stop the GRT counter. This field can only be edited if the issue's status is "in progress".
Resolution	Check the box to move the issue status to "resolved". The GFRT counter of the issue is stopped, and the issue is not displayed in the same tab on the Customer Portal. When the Resolution box is checked: The current date and time are filled in by default, but it is possible to enter a past or future date. The New status is filled in with an "in progress" type of status. The New state code is filled in with one of the states associated with the New status. If the issue is already resolved, uncheck the box to cancel the resolution. In this case, if there is no task in progress for the issue, then a window is displayed after the validation of the status modification in order to allow you to fill in the Type / Group and Respondent for the issue to create. This task must be created in order to cancel the enclosure of the issue. This field can only be edited when the issue's status is "in progress" or "resolved".
External closure	Check the box to move the issue status to "closed by customer". When the External closure box is checked: The current date and time are filled in by default, but it is possible to enter a past or future date. The New status is filled in with a "closed by customer" type of status. The New state code is filled in with one of the states associated with the New status. If the issue is already closed by the customer, uncheck the box to cancel the closure. In this case, if there is no task in progress for the issue, then a window is displayed after the validation of the status modification in order to allow you to fill in the Type / Group and Respondent for the issue to create. This task must be created in order to cancel the enclosure of the issue. This field can only be edited when the issue's status is "resolved" or "closed by customer". Note During an external closure, the issue status displayed in the Customer Portal is "closed" but it is still possible to add tasks to the issue.
Internal closure	Check the box to move the issue status to "closed internally". When the Internal closure box is checked: The current date and time are filled in by default, but it is possible to enter a past or future date. The New status is filled in with a "closed internally" type of status. The New state code is filled in with one of the states associated with the New status. If the issue is already closed internally, uncheck the box to cancel the internal closure and go back to a "closed by customer" status. In this case, if there is no task in progress for the issue, then a window is displayed after the validation of the status modification in order to allow you to fill in the Type / Group and Respondent for the issue to create. This task must be created in order to cancel the enclosure of the issue. This field can only be edited when the issue's status is "closed by customer" or "closed internally". Note During an internal closure, there is no more action available for the issue.
New status	Displays the list of available statuses depending on the current status of the issue or on the values specified in the different fields of the window.
New state	Displays the list of states associated with the New status.

Managing sprints linked to issues

Sprints can be linked from an issue. When an issue is linked to a sprint:

The issue's progress is managed in the sprint's context using issue stages;
the complexity can be used to assess the workload of an issue inside a specific sprint.

The sprints linked to an issue are managed in the Linked sprints tab of the issue screen.

Linking a sprint to an issue

Important

An issue cannot be linked to a completed sprint.

In the Linked sprints tab, click

on the right of the Issue/Sprint links section.

The Link a sprint window opens.

In the Link a sprint window, fill in the following fields:

Field	Description
Sprint	Select a sprint from the help list. This sprint will be linked to the issue.
Issue	Displays the issue's number. The sprint will be linked to this issue.
Card estimation	Enter a value to assess the workload of the card inside the sprint. This workload is determined by users depending on the team's needs: the workload's unit can be in days, in hours, in difficulty levels, and so on. The value entered is added to the Total capacity field available in the sprint's main tab. The Total capacity field is filled in automatically by adding all the complexity values of all the linked issues. This capacity is also displayed as a percentage on the right: "X% of the issue's Max. capacity is used".
Card stage	Select the stage from the help list. The card stage indicates the card progress inside the sprint. This value is not related to the issue's status and state.

When the fields are filled in, click Validate.

The selected sprint will be linked to the issue. The links are displayed in a table in the Linked sprints tab of the issue, as well as in the Linked issues tab of the sprint.

Sending direct messages

Important

Direct messages must be activated from the Desktop Application's setup, from Help Desk setup > Issues and tasks > Issue messages > Issue messages section > Activate messages for issues option to check.

The Help Desk Portal must be enabled from the Settings Portal.

Direct messages are free messages that are used to communicate with the customer about the processing of the issue.

In the Messages tab of the Response section, click on Answer.

The Issue message window opens.

Enter the desired message and click on Send.

The direct message is sent. It can be seen:

by the customer from the Customer Portal;
from the Messages tab of the simplified issue;
from the activity feed of the issue on the Help Desk Portal.

Putting issues on hold

An issue can be put on hold to let the customer know the issue is paused because it cannot be processed as it is. The GRT and GFRT counters are stopped until the issue is resumed.

Example

An issue is created at 2 AM, after office hours. The GRT and GFRT counters start at 9 am. You call your customer at 9:42 am to ask for more information but nobody answers. To avoid exceeding the delay of response, you must put the issue on hold until the customer answers. Once you get an answer, you can resume the task.

An issue is put on hold from the issue screen, in modification mode or not.

Click on

from the action bar or go to Edit > Put issue on hold.

In the window, fill in the required fields.

Click On hold to put the issue status "on hold" and stop the counters.

Note

An issue cannot be put on hold when it is resolved or closed.

Field	Description
Start date	Displays the date and time when the issue will be put on hold.
On hold reason	Select the reason why the issue is put on hold from the available values in the drop-down list. The different reasons can be set up and enables to explain why an issue is put on hold.
Details (customer visible)	Add any details to explain why the issue is put on hold. This comment can be viewed by the customer on the Customer Portal.
Appointment date	Fill in the date and time to set up an appointment with the customer about the on hold reasons. This appointment is for informational purposes only but can be viewed by the customer on the Customer Portal.
New status	Displays the list of statuses available to put an issue on hold.
New state	Displays the list of states associated with the New status.

Once the reasons for putting the issue on hold have been resolved, the issue must be resumed manually. An issue "on hold" can be resumed from the issue screen, in modification mode or not.

Go to Edit > Resume issue.

In the window, fill in the required fields.

Click Resume to cancel the issue's "on hold" status and restart the time counters.

Canceling issues

Important

Canceling an issue cannot be reversed.

An issue can be canceled at any time. Canceling an issue indicates it cannot be processed or resolved.

An issue is canceled from the issue screen, in modification mode or not.

Go to Edit > Cancel.

In the window, fill in the required fields.

Click Validate to cancel the issue.

Note

In the cancellation window, the Visible via the help desk extranet box enables to display (checked box) the issue on the Customer Portal or to hide it (unchecked box).