Defining Agreement Thresholds
Thresholds define the points at which an agreement should start escalation events, and the point at which an agreement is breached.
Thresholds are based upon matrices, which are defined by your administrator. You can define IPK and Workflow Thresholds for SLAs, OLAs, and UCs.
A matrix is a table containing threshold times. The actual times in the matrix are (usually) based upon Priority, and either Config Item or Problem Type.
For example: A matrix may set the breach time at 30 minutes for all high priority calls and 60 minutes for lower priority calls, but calls with a CMDB Type of Server have half those times.
Matrices and Factors
Thresholds are defined for agreements by applying matrices to escalation and breach times. Escalation times should always be lower than breach times. Remember, escalations are warnings that occur within a system to prevent agreements from being breached. If your escalation times are the same as your breach times, calls will not escalate until it is too late, that is, when an agreement breach has occurred.
Rather than setting up many complicated matrices based on different types and levels of escalation and breaches, ASM Core lets you apply factors to a matrix. Factors are numbers that multiply all the existing times in a matrix by a certain amount.
For example: You might have an agreement breach matrix for SLAs defined by your administrator. You want to set up breach and escalation times based on that matrix for your current agreement. You are using Three Level Resolve Escalation. Let us assume for the purpose of this example that the matrix you are applying has one time, 100 minutes, for all combinations of Problem and Config Item Types.
You want to set first level escalation to occur at 40 minutes, second level to occur at 60 minutes and third level escalation to occur at 80 minutes. The agreement is breached at the 100 minute mark (that is, if the call has not been resolved by 100 minutes).
To do this, you don’t need multiple matrices for each of these escalation levels. You would just apply the same matrix at 1st, 2nd and 3rd escalation levels with a factor of 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 respectively. The table below shows how this works.
If you set a factor for a particular escalation or breach time, that factor is used as a multiple against the base time for that matrix.
Factors can be any positive number. If you are using an escalation matrix for a breach time, you should apply a larger number as a factor (say two or three).
If you are doing it the other way around and using a breach matrix for escalation times (such as in the above example), you should definitely use a small number (between zero and one) to ensure your escalation times are below your agreement breach times.
By default, all factors are set at one (i.e., exactly the same as the original matrix time). You don’t have to use factors; your administrator may create specific matrices for different escalation types and escalation levels instead.
Thresholds for SLAs, OLAs, and UCs
If a threshold setting does not apply to the current agreement type, it is disabled (for example if you create an OLA or UC, the threshold settings for Response, First Call Back are disabled).
If you create an SLA, you can set the Resolve, Response, and First Call Back thresholds.
If you create an OLA, you can set the Resolve and Action thresholds.
If you create a UC, you can set the Resolve and Action thresholds.
Action events start when the call/task to which the OLA or UC is applied is forwarded internally or externally.
Configuring Breaches
Familiarize yourself with the concepts behind matrices and factors.
In the Explorer pane, expand Agreement, then select IPK Thresholds or Workflow Thresholds.
Select the Edit icon in the toolbar to activate the fields if necessary.
The Thresholds window is divided into two parts:
4. Select a breach threshold checkbox to activate it. This activates the selected breach threshold for the agreement and enables the other options in the row.
5. Complete the details.
6. After you have finished configuring the agreement breach events, select the Save icon.
Configuring Escalations
Familiarize yourself with the concepts behind matrices and factors.
In the Explorer pane, expand Agreement, then select IPK Thresholds or Workflow Thresholds.
Select the Edit icon in the toolbar to activate the fields if necessary.
The Thresholds window is divided into two parts:
4. Select a breach threshold checkbox to activate it. This activates the selected escalation threshold for the agreement.
You can enable one, two or three levels of resolve escalation (if they are enabled for your system).
5. Complete the details.
6. After you have finished configuring the escalation events, select the Save icon.