Problem Overview

Video Tutorial

Overview

In line with ITIL standards, Problems have been included in versaSRS as an individual component separate from Cases or RFC's though they share many attributes.
A Problem is defined as "the unknown cause of one or more incidents".

Problem records can be created by selecting the New item icon on the Navigation Header and Problem from the listed choices.

A Problem has a required set of fields and a number of possible actions that can be performed. To create a new Problem, only the mandatory fields (denoted by a * in the below tables) must be completed before the Problem can be created. Problems can be edited at any time.
For Users to be able to create new or edit existing Problems they need to be assigned a Security Profile with the correct level of access.

NOTE: It is possible to change the default labels for the visible fields and the drop-down list values that are available within the Problem Tabs. Due to this those in your system may differ from those shown below.

Details

This tab is where the primary information about the Problem is contained and the categorisations set.
The fields/controls available in the Details tab are as follows:

Field	Description
Subject *	The issue reported by Business personnel
Details	A more detailed description of the issue raised
Logged By	This field is automatically populated by the application with the details of the User who originally logged the Problem
Problem Type	The Type of Problem, selected from the drop-down options
Received By	The method by which the Problem was received, populated from the drop-down options
Team *	The Team the Problem is to be assigned to, selected from available Teams in the drop-down list
Skill Group	The Skill Group that the Problem is to be assigned to, selected from available Skill Groups in the drop-down
User	The User the Problem is to be assigned to, selected from available Users in the drop-down list
Urgency	The Urgency of the Problem, selected from the drop-down list
Risk	The Risk of the Problem, selected from the drop-down list
Priority *	The Priority to be given to this Problem (sets the required response/resolution time), selected from the available drop-down list options
Key 1	The primary sorting qualifier for the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Key 2	The secondary sorting qualifier for the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Key 3	The tertiary sorting qualifier for the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Due Date *	The date the Problem is due to be completed
Estimated Solution Date	An estimated solution date may be earlier or later than above
Product Type	The Product Type related to the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Product	The Product related to the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Impact	Specifies the severity of the impact of the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Service Area	The Service Area to which the Problem relates, selected from the available drop-down list options
Symptom Code	Specifies the type of symptom related to the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options
Cause Code	Specifies the cause related to the Problem, selected from the available drop-down list options

The icon functionality available is as follows:

Icon	Description
Queue Work Load	Shows the current work load (amount of Problems assigned) for each User in the Team
Watchers	Shows the current Watchers assigned to the Problem
Access Rights	Deny/Grant access to the Record for specific Users that are in the Team
Knowledgebase Search	Automatically searches the Knowledgebase for articles that match the selected Key Set
Calendar	Allows you to set/change the Due Date and Est. Soln Date

For information about the icons available on the Problem Toolbar please click here.

There are also custom fields which are hidden and can be displayed via the "Expand for more options" arrow next to the Logged By field.
These fields can be used to store additional data, making them easy to report on using the Reporting Dashboard.

Client Details

This tab contains the Client Details of the Primary and Secondary Requestors for the Problem. These details can be selected from the versaCRM and all available fields auto-filled.
The fields in the Client Details tab are as follows:

Field	Description
Company	The Company that the Requestor is from
Job Title	The job title of the Requestor
First Name *	The Requestor's first name
Last Name *	The Requestor's surname
Email *	The Requestor's email address
Phone	The Requestor's phone number
Division	The Requestor's division within the Company
Department	The Requestor's department within the Company
Location	The Requestor's location
Computer	The name of the Requestor's computer
Username	This field relates to the VIPTag and VIPColor Application Property fields in the Global Settings. When the VIPTag and VIPColor fields are defined in the Global Settings, and the VIPTag text is entered into the Username field of the Problem, the Requestor's name will appear bold and coloured in the Problem listing.

The icon functionality available is as follows:

Icon	Description
Add Contact	If the Primary Requestor is not a known versaCRM Contact this icon will be displayed allowing you to quickly create a versaCRM Contact record for them
Browse Contacts	Brings up the Address Book allowing you to search for and select the Requestor automatically inputting all relevant fields
Copy Requestor	Copies the Primary Requestor details to the Secondary Requestor details or vice versa
Clear Information	Removes all information from the Requestor fields
Go to Organisation	If the Company field contains an existing versaCRM Organisation clicking this icon will take you directly to the record
Billable Times	Displays calculated overview of the current Billable totals for all Problems belonging to the Organisation for the current Year/Month/Week
Go to Contact	Takes you directly to the Requestors versaCRM Contact record

Assessment

This tab is for Assessment purposes and allows the recording of key factors related to the Case.
The fields in the Assessment tab are as follows:

Field	Description
Business Impact Analysis	This field allows entry of the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) related to the Problem
Product Loss	This field allows entry of the Product Loss related to the Problem
Technical Resources	This field allows entry for the Technical Resources relevant to the Problem

Root Cause

This tab is where the Root Cause of the Problem is recorded.
The fields in the Root Cause tab are as follows:

Field	Description
Date Determined	The date when the Root Cause of the Problem is determined
Time Spent	Time spent determining the Root Cause of the Problem
Determined By	The User that determined the Root Cause of the Problem
Root Cause Code	The category of the Root Cause of the Problem
Known Error	If checked, indicates that the Root Cause is a Known Error
Root Cause	Text field allowing entry of the Root Cause details

Workaround

This tab is where the Workaround for the Problem is recorded. A Workaround is defined as reducing or eliminating the impact of a Problem for which a full resolution is not available.
The fields in the Workaround tab are as follows:

Field	Description
Date Created	The date when the Work Around of the Problem is determined
Time Spent	Time spent determining the Work Around of the Problem
Created By	The User that determined the Work Around of the Problem
Category	The category of the Work Around of the Problem
Title	The title of the Work Around
Workaround	Text field allowing entry of the Work Around details

Solution

This tab contains the Solution of the Problem. This allows a Solution to be entered and viewed easily by Users.
The fields/controls in the Solution tab are as follows:

Field/Control	Description
Solution	Allows the solution of the Problem to be entered
Initial Solution Type	Depending on what is selected it will enable or disable the Send Open/Closed confirmation checkboxes to suit the circumstance. Only applies when creating New Problems. There are three selections available which are Not Resolved, Workaround and Resolved.
Send open confirmation checkbox	Checking this will cause the Open Confirmation email (set in the Team Settings) to be sent when the Problem is logged. Only applies when creating New Problems only and the Initial Solution Type is set to either Not Resolved or Workaround.
Send closed confirmation checkbox	Checking this will cause the Closed Confirmation email (set in the Team Settings) to be sent when the Problem is logged/closed. Only applies when creating New Problems and the Initial Solution Type is set to Resolved.

Children

This tab contains the list of Problems which have been made a Child or Parent of the Problem.
Double clicking the record will take you to the Parent/Child Problem. A Parent/Child link can be created by right-clicking on the Parent Record listing and selecting Tools >> Link to Child from the menu.

Links

This tab allows the creation of a link between Problems, Cases, and RFC's as well as showing the current links already established.
Unlike a Child/Parent relationship a Link does not have to be of the same record type (i.e. Case, Problem, RFC) and is just a connection between two or more entities with no implied hierarchy.

The fields/controls in the Links tab are as follows:

Field/Control	Description
Page left and right arrows	Changes page if the number of links on the Problem require multiple pages to display
Record Type drop-down	The type of Record that is to be added (i.e. Case, Problem, RFC)
Record ID field	Text field to input the numeric ID of the Record that is to be linked to the Problem
Add button	Adds the Record that has been specified in the previous two fields
Remove button	Removes the selected linked Record from the Problem

Forms

This tab maintains a record of all Forms that have been associated with the Problem.
The controls in the Forms tab are as follows:

Control	Description
Refresh button	Refreshes the page showing the most up to date display of the Forms within the Problem
Select button	Allows selection of a Form to add to the Problem
Delete button	Removes the Form from the Problem

Assets

This tab allows the linking of an Asset to a Problem as well as showing the current Assets that are already linked.
The fields/controls in the Assets tab are as follows:

Field/Control	Description
Page left and right arrows	Changes page if the number of Assets on the Problem requires multiple pages to display
Asset ID drop-down	This drop-down list allows the selection of the Asset reference type that will be used to link the Asset
Asset ID field	Text field to input the numeric ID of the Asset that is to be linked to the Problem
Add button	When the ID has been entered the User can click Add to link the Asset to the Problem
Search button	This can be used to search for Assets that have been created in the system
Remove button	Removes the Asset from the Problem

Tasks

This tab allows the creation of Tasks as well as listing all of the Tasks that have already been created for a Problem.
The options in the Tasks tab are as follows:

Option	Description
Timeline	Clicking this will display a timeline of the Tasks against the Problem
Workflow	Allows Tasks to be added as Workflow Tasks, meaning that they are sequential Tasks that need to be completed in order
New button	Allows creation of a new Task to add to the Problem
Refresh button	Refreshes the page showing the most up to date display of the Tasks in the Problem

Billing

This tab allows Billing information to be entered. Billing information can only be edited by performing a Problem Update.
The fields/controls in the Billing tab are as follows:

Field/Control	Description
Company	This drop-down allows the selection of the Primary or Secondary Requestor to be used as the Company to which the billing applies
No Charge	Specifies if work done on the Problem is not to be charged for the Company
No of Transactions	Allows the User to enter the number of transactions that occur on the Problem
Estimate	Allows the User to enter an estimated time for resolution
Time Billed	Allows the User to enter the actual time that will be billed for a single transaction
Set as Cumulative checkbox	If checked, will set the Time Billed row as the Cumulative amount
Cumulative	Sums up the total amount of time worked on the Problem
Audit Log Cumulative	Aggregates the Log Time for Updates to a Problem
$ Charge	Specifies the amount charged for the Problem
$ Quote	Specifies the amount quoted for the Problem
Set As Charge	Sets the $ Quote amount to be the $ Charge amount
Ref. Num	The billing reference number related to the Problem
Notes	Allows the User to enter plain text notes

Summary

This tab shows the Printer Friendly view and is a summary of the main details and correspondence for the Problem.
The controls in the Summary tab are as follows:

Control	Description
Show comments checkbox	If checked, will display Comments made within the Problem in the Summary view
Show confidential comments checkbox	If checked, will display Confidential Comments made within the Problem in the Summary view
Show correspondence history checkbox	If checked, will display the Correspondence History (email correspondence) within the Problem in the Summary view
Show Telephone Calls And Meetings	If checked, will display the Telephone Calls and Meetings within the Problem in the Summary view
Refresh button	Refreshes the page to display the most up to date representation of the Summary view. If checking or unchecking the display options you need to click Refresh to see the change
Print button	Prints the Summary view
Show All button	Checks all of the display option fields and refreshes the page

History

This tab contains the Audit history of the Problem.
There are five tabs within the History tab which are as follows:

Tab	Description
History	This tab shows all of the available audit log history for the Problem
Comments History	This tab shows the audit log history for Comments only
Correspondence History	This tab shows the audit log history for Correspondence only
Alert History	This tab shows the audit log history for Alerts (i.e. Due Date Alert) only
Attachments	This tab shows all of the attachments on the Problem