Maintaining Severity Levels


Overview

Tasks

Included with

Tivoli Problem Management

Overview

What severity levels do

Severity levels describe the relative importance of a call or problem and are used for reporting and calculating escalation. For more information on escalation, see Configuring TPM Escalation.

Severity level assignment

Help desk analysts assign a severity level during call registration. Each severity level has a unique number as its name. Security level descriptions explain the numeric rankings of security levels.

Default severity levels

Tivoli Problem Management is shipped with a default set of severity levels. You can modify these default levels or create your own.

Add Severity Level dialog box

Use the Add Severity Level dialog box to add your own severity levels to the set included with Tivoli Problem Management. Severity levels describe the relative importance of a call or problem and are used for reporting and calculating escalation. See Adding a severity level.

To access the Add Severity Level dialog box:

  1. In the Call/Problem Settings dialog box, choose the Severity tab.
  2. Choose Add.
    Result: The Add Severity Level dialog box appears.

Edit Severity Level dialog box

Use the Edit Severity Level dialog box to modify severity levels and better describe the importance of a call or problem. Or, you can modify severity levels to refine the escalation process. See Editing a severity level.

To access the Edit Severity Level dialog box:

  1. In the Call/Problem Settings dialog box, choose the Severity tab.
  2. From the Severity List, select the severity level you want to edit, then choose Edit.
    Result: The Edit Severity Level dialog box appears.

Tasks

Adding a severity level

You can add new severity levels to the standard set included in Tivoli Problem Management.

To add a severity level:

  1. In the Add Severity Level dialog box, in the Severity box, type a unique number for this severity level.
    Note: Severity level numbers should represent the relative importance of a call or problem. This enables help desk analysts to assign priorities when they have several calls or problems waiting for attention.
  2. In the Description box, type a description of the severity level. This is optional.
    Note: The severity level number and the first 13-16 characters of the description appear in the Severity list in the Call Registration and Call Registration Dispatch dialog boxes. Appropriate security level descriptions enable your help desk analysts to assign the correct severity level quickly.
  3. Choose OK.

Editing a severity level

You can modify both the severity levels included in Tivoli Problem Management and the severity levels you create.

To edit a severity level:

  1. In the Edit Severity Level dialog box, make any necessary changes to the selected severity level. For further instructions, see Adding a severity level.
  2. Choose OK.

Deleting a severity level

You can delete the severity levels included in Tivoli Problem Management and the severity levels you create.

Caution: Do not delete a severity level that is used to define an escalation rule.

To delete a severity level:

  1. In the Call/Problem Settings dialog box, choose the Severity tab.
  2. From the Severity List, select a severity level.
  3. Choose Delete.
  4. At the Warning message that asks if you are sure you want to delete this type, choose Yes.