RFC Overview

Video Tutorial

Overview

Inline with ITIL standards, RFC's have now been included in versaSRS as an individual component separate from Cases or Problems. An RFC is defined as "a formal request for the implementation of a Change".
RFC records can be created by selecting the New Item icon on the Navigation Header and RFC from the listed choices.

An RFC has a required set of fields and a number of possible actions that can be performed. When creating a new RFC, the mandatory fields (denoted by a *) must be entered before the RFC can be logged. RFC's can be edited at any time.
For Users to be able to create new or edit existing RFC's 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 RFC Tabs. Due to this those in your system may differ from those shown below.

Details

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

Field Description
Issue * The issue reported by the customer
Details A 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 RFC
RFC Type The Type of RFC, selected from the drop-down list options
Received By The method by which the RFC was received (e.g. internally reported), populated from the drop-down list options
Team * The Team the RFC is to be assigned to, selected from available Teams in the drop-down list
Skill Group The Skill Group the RFC is to be assigned to, selected from available Skill Groups in the drop-down list
Owner The User the RFC is to be assigned to, selected from available Users in the drop-down list
Urgency The Urgency of the RFC, selected from the drop-down list
Risk The Risk of the RFC, selected from the drop-down list
Priority * The Priority to be given to this RFC (sets the required response/resolution time), selected from the available drop-down list options
Key 1 The primary sorting Key for the RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Key 2 The secondary sorting Key for the RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Key 3 The tertiary sorting Key for the RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Due Date * The date the RFC 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 RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Product The Product related to the RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Impact Specifies the severity of the impact of the RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Service Area The Service Area to which the RFC relates, selected from the available drop-down list options
Symptom Code Specifies the type of symptom related to the RFC, selected from the available drop-down list options
Cause Code Specified the cause related to the RFC, 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 RFC's assigned) for each User in the Team
Watchers Shows the current Watchers assigned to the RFC
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 RFC 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 RFC. 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 Requestors first name
Last Name * The Requestors surname
Email * The Requestors email address
Phone The Requestors phone number
Division The Requestors division within the Company
Department The Requestors department within the Company
Location The Requestors location
Computer The name of the Requestors 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 RFC, the Requestors name will appear bold and coloured in the RFC 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 RFC's 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 RFC.
The fields in the Assessment tab are as follows:

Field Description
Plan Start This field records the planned start date and time related to the RFC
Plan End This field records the planned end date and time related to the RFC
Estimated Time The estimated time for the RFC
Estimated Cost The estimated cost for the RFC
Actual Start This field records the actual start date and time related to the RFC
Actual End This field allows entry of the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) related to the RFC
Actual Time The actual time spent on the RFC
Actual Cost The actual cost for the RFC
Business Impact Analysis This field allows entry of the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) related to the RFC
Productivity Loss This field allows entry of the Productivity Loss related to the RFC
Technical Resources This field allows entry for the Technical Resources relevant to the RFC

Justification

This tab is where the Justification for the RFC is recorded.
The fields in the Justification tab are as follows:

Field Description
Justification Code The category of the Justification for the RFC
Justification Text field allowing entry of the details for the Justification of the RFC

PIR

This tab contains the PIR (Post Implementation Review) of the RFC. This allows a PIR to be entered and viewed easily by Users.
The fields in the PIR tab are as follows:

Fields Description
Post Implementation Review Text field that allows the PIR (Post Implementation Review) of the RFC to be entered

Children

This tab contains the list of RFC's which have been made a Child or Parent of the RFC.
Double clicking the record will take you to the Parent/Child RFC. 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 RFC's, Cases, and Problems 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 RFC 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 RFC
Add button Adds the Record that has been specified in the previous two fields
Remove button Removes the selected linked Record from the RFC

Forms

This tab maintains a record of all Forms that have been associated with the RFC.
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 RFC
Select button Allows selection of a Form to add to the RFC
Delete button Removes the Form from the RFC

Assets

This tab allows the linking of an Asset to an RFC 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 RFC 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 RFC
Add button When the ID has been entered the User can click Add to link the Asset to the RFC
Search button This can be used to search for Assets that have been created in the system
Remove button Removes the Asset from the RFC

Tasks

This tab allows the creation of Tasks as well as listing all of the Tasks that have already been created for an RFC.
The controls in the Tasks tab are as follows:

Control Description
Timeline Clicking this will display a timeline of the Tasks against the RFC
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 RFC
Refresh button Refreshes the page showing the most up to date display of the Tasks in the RFC

Billing

This tab allows Billing information to be entered. Billing information can only be edited when performing an RFC 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 checkbox Specified if work done on the RFC is not to be charged to the Company
No of Transactions Allows the User to enter the number of transactions that occur on the RFC
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 RFC
Audit Log Cumulative Aggregates the Log Time for Updates to the RFC
$ Charge Specifies the amount charged for the RFC
$ Quote Specifies the quote given for the RFC
Set As Charge Sets the $ Quote amount to be the $ Charge amount
Ref. Num The billing reference number related to the RFC
Notes Allows the User to enter plain text notes

Approvals

This tab is where a Policy can be applied to an RFC. Policies require approval and are used to direct decisions and to ensure consistent and appropriate development and implementation. See Manage RFC Policy for details on creating Policies.

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

Field/Control Description
Start Approval button Starts the approval process after the policy has been applied
Apply Policy button Applies a Policy to an RFC based on the fields selected in RFC Details and the corresponding RFC Policy specified in the Manage RFC Policy section
Refresh button Refreshes the Approval details showing the most up to date information
Policy Name The name of the Policy that has been applied to the RFC
Decision Due Date Specifies the Due Date for the Approval decision based on the Policy
Policy Type The type of policy that has been applied
Decision Completed Specifies the date when the when the Approval Decision is completed
Approval Status The status of the Approval
Min No. Approvers Specifies the minimum number of Approvers before the RFC can go ahead
Approver Log Shows the Approver Log which includes the fields; LogID, Approver, Status, Mandatory, Last Updated, Actions
Approver History Shows the Approver History which includes the fields; Date/Time, Action By, Type of Action, Subject, From, To, CC, BCC, Details

Summary

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

Control Description
Show comments checkbox If checked, will display Comments made within the RFC in the Summary view
Show confidential comments checkbox If checked, will display Confidential Comments made within the RFC in the Summary view
Show correspondence history checkbox If checked, will display the Correspondence History (email correspondence) within the RFC in the Summary view
Show Telephone Calls And Meetings If checked, will display the Telephone Calls and Meetings within the RFC 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 RFC.
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 RFC
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 RFC