ITS Procedure - Standard Problem Procedure

1. Introduction

2. Responsible Officer

3. Definitions

Senior Problem Manager - will be a senior staff member of the ITS Client Services or Production Facilities section. This role must always be occupied and be designated to a staff member.

4. Scope

5. Procedures

All problems/requests shall be logged into the Service Desk software, and prioritised immediately. For allocation of priorities see Service Problem Priority Procedure

The resolution of service problems should be managed in priority order.

The ITS Service Desk normally receives service problems or requests for assistance and allocates priorities as requests/problems are received. Production Facilities staff will be responsible for monitoring system alerts and logging service problems directly into the Service Desk software. Where a Priority 1 or 2 problem is suspected, the Service Desk or other ITS staff member MUST notify the Senior Problem Manager immediately.

Higher Priority Requests

Requests that are considered higher in Priority and non-routine are those described as Priority 1 and 2. These requests need to be referred immediately to the Senior Problem Manager for analysis and management.

If the ITS Service Desk is unsure whether a problem is routine or higher in Priority, please check with the designated Senior Problem Manager to ensure that potentially high risk problems do not fall through without appropriate handling.

Problems that do not cause immediate hazardous effects, however, repeat over a long period of time must be monitored and escalated to ensure they are resolved. These problems can be difficult to identify and pin point as they produce effects that may be a nuisance but can be tolerated. However, if a problem keeps recurring, it should be brought to the attention of the Senior Problem Manger to initiate investigation.

Routine Requests

Those problems or requests which are commonly dealt with on a day to day basis that can be solved on the spot (eg: password changes, login problems) or where standard procedures are carried out (eg: data backup retrieval, new network point) are considered routine requests. Priority 3 and 4 problems (described in the Prioritising Service Problems Procedure) fall into this category.

All problems and requests should be logged into the Service Desk software for tracking and reporting purposes, including those that are resolved on the spot. The exceptions may be some routine across the counter transactions where logging is conducted through some other means, eg, printer deposits, password changes.

All requests should be allocated to a support group immediately for action.

All requests should be attended to and resolved as soon as possible by the duty support staff. Where Service Level Agreements exist, requests should be resolved within the SLA performance standards.

ITS staff are required to handle requests and problems as per the Call Logging and Actioning Procedures by the ITS Service Desk.

6. Approval for Procedures

Author - Margo Hellyer, Minh Sketchley, Patrick Lee, Steven White