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Stage tab

Service Desk > Desk Definition > Edit > Processing > Stage

Stages are designed to model the flow of work a business performs to process support issues. They are defined by desk definition. One stage is defined as a Begin stage and one stage is defined as an End stage. There are usually several Middle stages.

Stages are sequenced by selecting one or more "to" stages. The sequence of stages is user-defined. It depends on the policies defined by the service organization and the judgments of individual users using the system. A sequence of stages is graphically represented by the View tab within a desk definition.

An event procedure runs as soon as a ticket transitions from one stage to the next. A scheduled procedure, such as an escalation procedure, is triggered to run based on how long a ticket remains in a stage. Escalation procedures run when a system event does not occur within a specified time period.

When a desk definition is created, stage sequences are populated by the template used to create the desk definition. Once a desk definition is created based on a template, these default stages can be modified to suit your business requirements.

Adding / Editing a Stage

Click New to add a new stage or select a stage and click Edit to edit a stage. You can also double-click a stage to edit it.

There are two tabs to edit in a stage dialog.

Processing > Stage > General Info tab

Enter the following attributes:

  • Name - The name of the stage.
  • Description - A brief description of this stage.
  • Stage Type
    • Begin - The first stage in the life cycle of a response to an ticket. You can only have one Begin stage.
    • Middle - An interim stage.
    • End - The last stage. You can have multiple End stages.
  • Goal Procedure - This goal procedure runs once the Goal Time has been exceeded for this stage.
  • Goal Time - The number of Goal Time Units to wait before running the goal procedure, based on setting a ticket to this stage. This default value can be overridden by a Stage Entry procedure.
  • Goal Time Unit - The time period unit of measure.
  • To Stage - Select one or more stages that this stage can transition to.

Recommendation: If you're creating an entirely new sequence of stages, create Middle stages from an End stage back to the Begin stage. This enables you select the appropriate To Stages at the same time you create each stage.

Processing > Stage > Procedures tab

  • Stage Entry - This stage entry procedure runs whenever a ticket enters this stage.
  • Escalation Procedure - This escalation procedure runs once the Escalation Time has been exceeded.
  • Escalation Time - The number of Escalation Time Units to wait before running the Escalation procedure, based on setting a ticket to this stage. This default value can be overridden by a Stage Entry procedure.
  • Escalation Time Units - The time period unit of measure.
  • Stage Exit - This stage exit procedure runs whenever a ticket exits this stage.