Collaboration for Fault Resolution

The IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaboration for Fault Resolution manages the resolution of resource and service problems, and notification of the customers when problems have been resolved.

Collaboration templates used in this collaboration provide the following integrations:

The IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaboration for Fault Resolution does not have dependencies on other WebSphere Business Integration for Telecommunications collaborations.

Position in telecommunications operations map

The IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaboration for Fault Resolution extends across multiple process groups in the enhanced Telecom Operation Map (eTOM) as defined by the TeleManagement Forum (TM Forum). These process groups are Problem Handling, Service Problem Management, and Resource Problem Management. The diagram below shows the position of the collaboration in the eTOM.

Position in enhanced Telecommunications Operations Map

System assumptions

Like the other WebSphere Business Integration for Telecommunications collaborations, the Fault Resolution collaboration uses WebSphere MQ Workflow Server and IBM WebSphere InterChange Server. IBM WebSphere Business Integration Adapters are used to connect between these two applications, and to other applications that participate in the collaboration.

It is assumed that the following applications also participate in the Fault Resolution collaboration:

This collaboration uses the following collaboration templates:

Use case

This process covers an integration scenario of managing resource and service problems, and proactively notifying customers of problem resolution. It involves detection, analysis, correlation with the customer reported problem, and proactive notification of the resource failure. When a resource failure is detected, a trouble ticket is generated (detection), and after the problem is analyzed, the trouble ticket is updated with the information on the estimated time to repair (analysis). When a customer reports a problem experienced during the use of a service, the problem report is correlated with the trouble ticket of the failure that is causing the problem (correlation), and the customer is notified of the estimated time to repair (proactive notification). When the failure is resolved, the customer is notified of the resolution (proactive notification).

Actors

The following table shows the actors for this use case:

Use case actors
Actor Description
End User A person who is a client of the telecommunications provider who accesses services by internet connection or by telephone.
Subscriber A person who is acting on his or her own behalf to perform a set of authorized business functions through an intermediary device (Phone-data, Internet).

The subscriber uses guided interactions to perform specific tasks. If support is required, the subscriber may contact the call center.
Technician A person who is an agent of the telecommunications provider who performs a set of technical functions on systems and networks.

Course

The following tables describe the main course that may be followed in the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaboration for Fault Resolution use case. There is no alternate course for this use case.

Use case description (main course)
# Activity by the actor System activity Reference
M1   Log a trouble ticket (INPUT TroubleTicket)  
    Initiate a technician workflow  
M2 Analyze the Failure    
M3 Enter the estimated time to repair in the trouble ticket Update the trouble ticket with the estimated time to repair information (INPUT: TroubleTicket)  
M4 Fix the Failure    
M5 Report a problem Log a problem report (INPUT: ProblemRecord)  
    Correlate related trouble tickets with the problem report. (INPUT: ProblemRecord, TroubleTicket)  
    Notify the estimated time to repair information to the customer (INPUT: ProblemRecord)  
  Acknowledge the estimated time to repair    
M6   Detect a system fault resolution  
    Close the relevant trouble ticket (INPUT: TroubleTicket)  
    Close the correlated problem report (INPUT: ProblemRecord)  
    Notify the fault resolution (INPUT: ProblemRecord)  
  Acknowledge the fault resolution    

The following activity diagram illustrates the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaboration for Fault Resolution use case:

IBM CrossWorlds Collaboration for Fault Resolution activity diagram

Note: In the activity diagrams, these shapes are used to identify process activities:

Legend of activities

Business examples

The following business example shows a situation where the IBM WebSphere Business Integration Collaboration for Fault Resolution use case is realized.

Resolve network failure

This example consists of the following steps:

  1. A system management application detects a network failure in the system.
  2. A trouble ticket management system logs the trouble and the system initiates a technician workflow.
  3. A technician analyzes the failure, and updates the trouble ticket with an estimated time to repair.
  4. A while later, an end user experiences a problem, and reports the problem.
  5. A CRM application logs the problem, and  the system sends the problem to a trouble ticket management system for correlation with the trouble ticket.
  6. The system correlates a trouble ticket for the failure that is causing the problem with the problem report.
  7. The system obtains the estimated time for the problem resolution from the information in TroubleTicket, and notifies the customer of that information.
  8. A while later, a technician resolves the failure
  9. The system management application detects the fix for the failure.
  10. The system closes the trouble ticket, as well as all problem reports that are correlated with the trouble ticket.
  11. The system notifies customers who reported the problem of the problem resolution. 

Copyright IBM Corp. 2002, 2003