2. Incident Classification and Initial Support

Incident classification includes setting priority, performing incident matching, and linking incidents to configuration items. Initial support includes finding an existing workaround or matching other existing errors.

In the Classification state, the Service Desk staff reviews the issue and determines how the incident should be handled. The following actions may be available to you for updating and routing the incident, depending on your role:

The following options are available under the More Actions menu. They allow you to delete an incident, move the incident to another project, merge the incident with other incidents, or create duplicate incidents.

In the Classification state, users such as service desk staff can choose from the following:

When service desk staff updates or transitions the incident, they can modify data in the incident. The following describes the information to add in the fields, and how the information is used:

Merging or Linking Incidents

Merging or linking incidents creates a parent/child relationship between the incidents that you are merging. The parent becomes the main item, which continues to move through the workflow as updates are performed. The children move to the Linked to Parent state, indicating that they are no longer the main item. When users view the item, they see a note across the top that says "This incident has been MERGED...." The parent issue is then displayed beneath the message.

When the parent is resolved, the children are automatically resolved as well. The resolution notes from the parent are added to the children.

To merge incidents, select the Merge Incident action. On the Merge Details tab, choose whether the incident should become the child or parent:
  • If you chose the incident to become the Parent:
    1. Select the incidents to add as children and click OK.
    2. The children will be moved to the Linked to Parent state.
    3. The parent continues to move along the workflow.
    4. When the parent is resolved, all children are automatically moved to the Resolved state and the parent's resolution notes are added to each child.
  • If you chose the incident to become the Child:
    1. Select the parent to merge into and click OK.
    2. The current incident will be moved to the Linked to Parent state while the parent moves along the workflow normally.
      Note: When you view the child, you will see a note about the item being merged and the parent item. Details about the parent item are displayed on the Parent Incident tab of the child; details about the child item are displayed on the Details and System tabs of the child.
    3. When the parent is resolved, the incident is automatically moved to the Resolved state and the parent's resolution notes are added to the incident.
    Note: To unlink a child from a parent, click Unlink from Parent at the top of the child item.