case status, case sub status, milestone webcast slides

1 Nortel Confidential Information

Authors: Ann-Marie DawsonRobin McCabeTS744 Global Case Management Process

Date: November 8, 2006Version: 1.6

Case Status, Sub-Status and Milestone Training



Introduction

> On November 10, Clarify Release 19 will be released with updated Cases Statuses, Sub-Statuses, Milestones, and Definitions.

> By completing this course, you will be able to:• Apply the case statuses with reliability and repeatability• Apply sub-statuses, in real-time, with reliability and repeatability• Apply milestone responsiveness codes with reliability and

repeatability


Overview> In order to improve case responsiveness and case closure

times, a series of measures have been taken across Nortel. One of the main hurdles is ensuring the accurate data that is required to analyze our processes and determine what areas are in most need of improvement.

> To ensure accurate case updates and facilitate data analysis, the following changes have been made in Clarify Release 19:• Case Statuses and definitions have been updated• Case Sub-Statuses have been added• Case Milestones have been added

> Technical Support teams who use Sub-Statuses are expected to update them in real-time.

> Technical Support teams who use Milestone codes are expected to indicate why each major case milestone was missed and, therefore, why the case remains open.


Case Statuses



Case Status Overview

> The Clarify Case Statuses have recently been changed to improve reporting and to better understand where most time is spent throughout the life of the Clarify Case.

> The Status Definitions have been updated to facilitate Case updates and ensure consistency of use.


Case Statuses and DefinitionsNewly Open

Owner Definition

Call Center / eService / ER / NTS / GNPS

This is the default status when a case is created. It signifies no work has been done on the case. Work should commence immediately, and status will be updated to the appropriate working status (Example WIP 1 or WIP 2). Cases will never be allowed to remain in this status when work has started.

Owner Definition

ER or NTS This status is used when Tier 1 is actively investigating the case.

Work In Progress Level 1

Work In Progress Level 2Owner Definition

GNPS This status is used when Tier 2 is actively investigating the case.


Case Status DefinitionsWith A Customer

Owner Definition

GNPS The problem has been escalated to design.

Owner Definition

ER / NTS / GNPS • Additional information or activity is needed from the Customer. • Assigned when waiting on a Customer response in order to continue investigation and fulfillment of deliverables is not expected within 24 hours.• Once information or service is provided, the status is changed to an appropriate value.• The following information will be logged in the case notes:

• Customer contact name• Concise description of what Nortel is waiting on• Concise description of any expected actions• When expected actions have been committed to• Concise description of who the action is being given to

• Not used while waiting for additional problems to occur in the customer network or lab with diagnostic or debug tools/patches applied.

Escalated to Design


Case Status DefinitionsPending 3rd Party (UPDATED)

Owner Definition

The case will be owned by GNPS while waiting for a permanent software fix and NTS otherwise

If a temporary or interim fix or workaround is provided that restores functionality until a permanent fix can be delivered, the Case Status may be changed to IS with the customer’s agreement that the temporary fix meets their needs and the customer's agreement on a date as to when the permanent fix will be delivered (Solution Delivered).

Owner Definition

ER / NTS / GNPS The case has been handed over to a 3rd Party Vendor for resolution; this includes OEM Vendors.

Interim Solution

Owner Definition

GNPS A corrective content solution is being developed. Corrective Content is a software fix in a post FCS (VO) / FVS (ChR / GA) environment delivered through a software fix (I.e., Patch) or a maintenance release. Time spent in this status is attributed to inspecting, administration, estimating, designing, coding, building, and testing. The case will be linked to a CR.

Developing Corrective Content (NEW)


Case Status DefinitionsFuture Deliverable

Owner Definition

ER / NTS / GNPS The customer has agreed to wait for a fix to be provided in a generally available, future product (software release, maintenance release MNCL / MR [dot release], Service Updates [SU] & Service Update Supplementary [SUS], documentation release or hardware revision). A committed FixID and software load must be provided to the customer prior to changing the status. Note that FD should not be used for patching.

The software, hardware, and documentation requirements for using this status are given below and require a delivery commitment date and customer agreement to live with the problem until the fix is provided in a future product.

For software fixes, one of the following must apply:

>The fix has been committed (in the POR and has an ActID / UpdateID) and has been communicated to the customer; or

>The fix has been submitted to a load AND the FixID and the software load in which it is incorporated have been communicated to the customer.

For documentation fixes, the customer has been advised of the NTP number and revision level in which the update will be provided and the software release to which it will be tracked.

For hardware fixes, the customer has been advised of the appropriate tracking number and the calendar year and quarter in which the product will be generally available. (NOTE: The information can be obtained from Nortel Change Management).

If the fix is delivered as agreed and the customer agrees to closure, the case status is to be changed to “Closed”.

If the fix is delivered as agreed and the customer wants to test it, the case status is to be changed to “Solution Delivered”. If during this testing it is discovered that the fix does not resolve the issue, the case is to be returned to an appropriate open status.


Case Status DefinitionsSolution Delivered

Owner Definition

ER / NTS / GNPS A situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible on case closure. The name of the COL / Account Manager or Nortel Management is required to be documented in the case notes.

If, upon escalation, the management of Nortel and the customer organization reach an impasse, management may decide that the case is to be closed or set to impasse since without customer consent no further resolution is possible.

Owner Definition

ER / NTS / GNPS a) A solution that is corrective in nature and that resolves the Customer's original problem, has been implemented for the Customer or provided for the Customer to implement or hardware must be delivered to site.

b) A patch is available for delivery to the Customer site to address the issue in the “found in release”. Must be available via the eService Technical Support Portal or delivered to the Customer or the GA S/W load is accessible.

Impasse


Case Status DefinitionsClosed

Owner Definition

ER / NTS / GNPS a) The Customer agrees to and/or has implemented the solution provided and no further action - immediate or preventative - is required from Nortel. If the customer requests assistance with another issue, a new case will be opened.

b) The engineer has identified that the Customer’s problem is not with the Nortel supported equipment. The product is performing as specified in Nortel supported documentation. The problem may be with another vendor’s equipment, Customer premise equipment, or facilities. Customer may be trying to assume some functionality or put some requirement on the product that is not supported in published Nortel documentation. Customer agrees that there is no Nortel supported product problem and agrees to close the case.

c) After multiple documented attempts have been made to contact the Customer to continue working the case with no response from the Customer, the engineer will then review the case with his manager and decide whether the case is to be closed or escalated. If, upon escalation, the management of Nortel and the customer organization reach an impasse, management may decide that the case is to be closed or set to impasse since without customer consent no further resolution is possible. If the customer has an Account Manager for the account, as defined by the NTS Call Routing Tool or Clarify Routing Information, then he/she is to be engaged to assist. If GNPS owns the case, it may also be dispatched back to the regional NTS team or Account Manager, that have an ongoing relationship and case management review protocol with the customer to secure customer agreement to close or to obtain the required information or support.


Changing The Case Status

Click on Actions, followed by Change Status.



A window pops up on the screen. Using the drop-down list, change the Case Status to the New Status Code.



Enter a note in the External Notes field indicating the reason for the status change. Click Change.

NOTE: Some Case Statuses require that additional fields be filled out to complete the status change – these are

highlighted on the next slides.


Case Status – Special Instructions

> When changing the Case Status, additional steps are sometimes required. The five following Case Statuses require additional steps. • Interim Solution• With A Customer• Solution Delivered• Escalated to Design• Future Deliverable


Case Status – Special InstructionsInterim Solution> There are two additional requirements when changing

the Case Status to “Interim Solution”. They are:• The “Trigger Area”, previously, the PAL, must be set• The “TL9000 case target resolution date” must be set

The Trigger Area field is found under the Prob. Summary tab. Using the drop-down list, select the appropriate Trigger Area.


Case Status – Special InstructionsInterim Solution

> If you fail to enter the Trigger Area prior to changing the Case Status to Interim Solution, the error to the right will appear. To continue with the status change, click “OK” and enter the TriggerArea on the Prob. Summary tab as shown on the previous slide.

> Once you have changed the Trigger Area and Case Status, the message to the right will appear indicating that the TL9000 target resolution date is required and asks if you want to stop. To continue with the status change, click “No”.


Case Status – Special InstructionsInterim Solution

> The following message will appear indicating that you have to enter the TL9000 target date. Click “OK”.

> The “Date/Time Entry” Window, to the right, will appear, allowing the user to input the TL9000 target date; this field is required and must be filled out with the negotiated commitment date. When done, click “OK”.


Case Status – Special InstructionsWith A Customer

> When changing the Case Status to With A Customer, the message to the right will appear, indicating that the “’With a Customer’ target date” must be entered. Click “OK”.

> The “Date/Time Entry” Window, to the right, will appear allowing the user to input the With a Customer target date; this field is required and must be filled out with the negotiated commitment date. When done, click “OK”.

> There are two additional requirements when changing the Case Status to “With A Customer”. They are:• The “’With a Customer’ target date” must be set• The “Mandatory Commitment Text” must be entered


Case Status – Special InstructionsWith A Customer> After completing the With A Customer target date, the

mandatory commitment text must be entered in the box below by deleting and replacing the text within the <> brackets. When done, click “OK”.


Case Status – Special InstructionsSolution Delivered

> When changing the Case Status to Solution Delivered, the message to the right will appear, indicating that the “Solution Delivered’ target date” must be entered. Click “OK”.

> The “Date/Time Entry” Window, to the right, will appear allowing the user to input the Solution Delivered target date; this field is required and must be filled out with the negotiated commitment date. When done, click “OK”.

> There are two additional requirements when changing the Case Status to “Solution Delivered”. They are:• The “’Solution Delivered’ target date” must be set• The “Mandatory Commitment Text” must be entered


Case Status – Special InstructionsSolution Delivered> After completing the Solution Delivered target date, the

mandatory commitment text must be entered in the box below by deleting and replacing the text within the <> brackets. When done, click “OK”.


Case Status – Special InstructionsEscalated to Design> Prior to setting the Case Status to “Escalated to Design”, a

Change Request (CR) must be opened. Basic instructions can be found in the training package backup charts which will be provided to you.

> If you fail to open a CR prior to changing the Case Status to Escalated to Design, the error to the right appear. To continue with the status change, click “OK” and open a CR.


Case Status – Special InstructionsFuture Deliverable> Prior to setting the Case Status to “Future Deliverable”, a Fix ID,

Fix Release, and Forecast Date (if known) must be entered in the “Fix Info” box found under the “Prob. Summary” tab.

The Fix Info field is found under the Prob. Summary tab. Enter the Fix ID, Forecast Release and Forecast Date (if known) in the appropriate fields.

NOTE: If the Forecast Date is unknown, leave

the field as default (I.e., ?/?/?) and

management will process the date.


Case Status – Special InstructionsFuture Deliverable

> If you fail to set the Fix ID, and Forecast Release prior to changing the Case Status to Future Deliverable, the error to the right will occur. To continue with the status change, click “OK” and set the fields as indicated on the previous slide.


Case Sub-Statuses



Case Sub-Status Overview

> Case Sub-Statuses have been added to Clarify to better understand where most time is spent throughout the life of the Clarify Case.

> The Sub-Statuses will allow for more accurate data and will assist with the analysis required to determine what process changes and / or tools are necessary to achieve the 48 hour Case closure objective.

> Technical Support teams who use Sub-Statuses are expected to update them in real-time.


Case Sub-Statuses and DefinitionsNewly Open

Status Sub-Status DefinitionNewly Open Pre-Support This Status and Sub-Status are automatically appointed by

the Clarify System when a new case is opened.


Case Sub-Statuses and DefinitionsWIP Level 1 Support / WIP Level 2 Support

Status Sub-Status Definition>WIP Level 1 Support

>WIP Level 2 Support

Acceptance This Sub-Status is automatically appointed by the Clarify System when the case is accepted by WIP 1 or WIP 2 Engineer.

Please Specify Default value when manual Case status changes are made.

Talking With Customer Actively managing customer or talking with the customer about the case.

Researching & Analyzing Internally

Time spent identifying and isolating the problem, planning investigation, troubleshooting, researching knowledge databases, and analyzing data.

Accessing Site Establishing access to customer network or system.

Collecting Data from Site Information gathering, such as log collection from the customer network.

Reproducing Problem in Customer Site

Actively reproducing the problem, remotely, in the customer network.

Reproducing Problem in Lab

Actively reproducing the problem in the lab.

Consulting/Collaborating Internally

Working with internal team members, collaborating with SME or using buddy system.

Developing Service Solution

Time spent developing and testing service solution. (I.e., a Non-Nortel-Attributable or External Trigger with Case Type of Service or Question.)

No Bandwidth Interrupted: Not active due to Engineer working higher priority cases.

Stopping Work Interrupted: Not active as Engineer is not available due to: escalations, lunch / break, staff meeting, shift over, leaving for the day / weekend / holiday, or other interruptions out of the Engineer’s control.

Awaiting Internal Resources

Interrupted: Not active due to unavailability of debug tools or lab or other resources.

Awaiting RMA/GCIP

(Was “Awaiting Spares”)

Interrupted: Not active due to waiting for Nortel Hardware Services to deliver the part to the customer, waiting on GCIP hardware to arrive, or Engineer is waiting on GCIP results.

Escalating to Next Level Case Escalation to next level support but Engineer retains Case ownership (I.e., Used when Engineer is asking a question of next level support team).


Case Sub-Statuses and DefinitionsWith A Customer

Status Sub-Status DefinitionWith A Customer Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Waiting on Customer Availability

Not active because customer is not available to work with the Engineer and expected availability is, at minimum, the next business day.

Waiting on Site Access

Not active due to delay in remote site access where expected access is, at minimum, the next business day.

Awaiting Customer Response

Not active because Engineer is waiting to hear back from customer and expected response is, at minimum, the next business day.

Customer Requesting Delay

Not active because the customer requested work stoppage, or delayed site / network access, and expected access is, at minimum, the next business day.

Status Sub-Status DefinitionEscalated to Design

Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Escalated To Design


Case Sub-Statuses and DefinitionsPending 3rd Party

Status Sub-Status DefinitionPending 3rd Party Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Developing Corrective ContentStatus Sub-Status Definition

Developing Corrective Content

Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Inspecting Corrective Content: Code inspection activities.

Admin / Estimating Corrective Content: Administration and estimate activities.

Designing / Coding / Building Corrective Content: Code, build, and load build activities.

Testing Corrective Content: All functional and sanity testing activities.

Status Sub-Status DefinitionInterim Solution Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Interim Solution


Case Sub-Statuses and DefinitionsFuture Deliverable

Status Sub-Status DefinitionImpasse Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Status Sub-Status DefinitionSolution Delivered Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Nortel Implementing Solution

Nortel time spent implementing the solution for the customer.

Customer Implementing Solution

Customer solution implementation time.

Customer Verifying / Assessing Solution

Nortel Engineer has provided a solution to the customer and is waiting on customer to assess solution, or verify that the solution corrected the problem.

System Monitoring Nortel performing Customer-requested system or network monitoring.

Impasse

Status Sub-Status DefinitionFuture Deliverable Please Specify Default value when Case status change is made.

Solution Delivered


Changing The Case Sub-Status

The Sub-Status field is found under the More Info tab. Using the drop-down list, select the appropriate Sub-Status.

NOTE: Sub-statuses must be updated in real-

time.



The selected Sub-Status; In this example, “Waiting on Customer Availability”



This is an example of an activity log indicating the change made to the Case Sub-Status.


Viewing All Case Sub-Statuses Simultaneously

To view all Sub-Statuses simultaneously, double-click your default WIP-bin and a new screen will appear.



When the new screen appears, select Case Aging which will bring up another new screen.



On this screen you will see all of your cases, their Statuses, Sub-Statuses, and Ages. This screen will be useful to quickly view all Cases and ensure that each Case is in the appropriate Sub-Status.


Case Milestones



Case Milestone Overview

> Milestones have been added to Clarify to better understand why each major Milestone is missed throughout the life of the Case.

> The Milestones will allow for more accurate data and will assist with the analysis required to determine what process changes and / or tools are necessary to achieve the 48 hour Case closure objective.

> Technical Support teams who use Milestone codes are expected to indicate why each major case milestone was missed and, therefore, why the case remains open. The Milestone should be updated by the owner of the Case when each Milestone is missed.

> The following are the Milestones being measured and tracked based on the Absolute Age of the Case:• 48 Hours• 96 Hours• 10 Days• 20 Days• 30 Days


Case Milestone Responsiveness CodesCode Description

Customer–Additional Info Required Obtaining more information

Customer–Delay Scheduling Awaiting customer maintenance window or customer-driven hardware replacement

Customer–Implementation Delay Awaiting implementation of solution by customer

Customer- Knowledge Customer not capable of performing documented Tier1 work

Customer-Request Investigation delayed by request of customer

Customer-Site Access Cannot access customer network

Customer-Unavailable Customer is busy, on vacation, gone for the day, or unresponsive

Customer-Validation Delay Solution applied (SD); customer soaking or watching

GNPS-1st Solution Did Not Work Initial solution provided to customer either via a workaround or a patch did not solve the issue

GNPS-Bandwidth An engineer was not able to work on this particular case due to time being recorded and tracked on a higher priority issue

GNPS-Case Incorrectly Documented Problem definition unclear, or all of the required information in the data collection templates was not collected (I.e., Hand-Off Issue)

GNPS-Complexity The issue required several GNPS and/or Design resources over a dedicated period of time to determine root cause

GNPS-Design Responsiveness The problem was understood and reproduced in adequate time but design was unable to provide a solution in time to meet the milestone

GNPS-Skill Set Appropriate skill set was not available at the time the case was accepted



GNPS-Inactivity, Weekends, Holidays, Sick

Case did not meet milestone due to holidays, sick leave, or a period when assigned Engineer is not in the office

GNPS-NTS Availability Delays in obtaining required information, in addition to the data collection templates, and NTS is unavailable to help

GNPS-Patch Delays The problem was identified and solution sourced in adequate time but patch was not created in time to meet the milestone

GNPS-Screening Delay Case could not be assigned to a support engineer quickly enough to meet the milestone

GNPS-Solution Delivery Delays Patch, MR, or workaround were available but could not be provided to the customer in time to meet the milestone

NTS-Bandwidth An engineer was not able to work on this particular case due to time being recorded and tracked on a higher priority issue

NTS-Case Incorrectly Documented Problem definition unclear, or all of the required information in the data collection templates was not collected (I.e., Hand-off Issue)

NTS-Complexity The issue required several NTS resources over a dedicated period of time to determine root cause

NTS-Misrouted Case Case dispatched to wrong queue when escalating to next level

NTS-GNPS Not Available Next level guidance not available

NTS-Inactivity, Weekends, Holidays, Sick

Case did not meet milestone due to holidays, sick leave, or a period when assigned engineer is not in the office

NTS-Poor Documentation Case is not sufficiently documented to begin investigation

Other-3rd Party Supported/OEM Case Mgmt

Refers to delays in Nortel supported 3rd Party equipment where the delay is with 3rd Party Support Organizations; this includes OEM



Other-3rd Party Unsupported Case could not be resolved quickly due to troubleshooting 3rd party unsupported equipment to prove Nortel supported product is not at fault

Other-Awaiting Part (RMA) The engineer is waiting for Hardware Services (a Nortel team) to deliver the part to the customer

Other-Complex Issue Not sure if Nortel issue

Other-Could Not Reproduce The problem could not be reproduced in the lab environment to either diagnose the problem or test the solution

Other-GCIP Case could not be resolved quickly due to GCIP process delays

Other-Intermittent Issue Problem could be reproduced but occurred so infrequently that delays were introduced in problem diagnosis or solution testing

Other-Other This status should be used very sparingly and an internal note should be placed in the case explaining why this code was used

Other-Request For Feature Issue initially reported as problem was actually a request for feature or new functionality

Tools-Debug Tool Availability The appropriate Nortel tools were not available to NTS or GNPS to diagnose the problem at the time the problem was reported

Tools-Ineffective Diagnostic Techniques

Diagnostic tools/techniques used by NTS or GNPS were ineffectual and appropriate techniques would have resolved the issue sooner

Tools-Lab Resources (H/W) Lab resources needed to reproduce or diagnose the customer problem were non-existent or not available for use in time to meet the milestone

Tools-Other Resources Resources other than lab and skill set were needed to progress this issue. An internal note should be placed in the case explaining why this code was used


Changing The Case Milestone Responsiveness Code

The Milestone field is found under the Tracking tab. Using the drop-down list, select the appropriate Milestone (I.e., the Milestone that was just missed). Then click Add which will bring up a new screen that has the possible failure reasons.



Select the appropriate Responsiveness Code from the adjacent list; this indicates why the Milestone was missed.

NOTE: For each subsequent missed Milestone, the Milestone must be

changed and the appropriate Responsiveness Code selected.



Once a Milestone has been entered and a

Responsiveness Code selected, it appears in the Milestone window.



Example of activity log indicating the changes made to the Milestone.


Case Sub-Status Workflow> Engineers must update each of their open Cases in real-time as

the Sub-Status changes.

> Some examples are as follows:1. NTS Engineer is collecting logs for customer case and is not actively

working any other Cases.• For Case that is having log collection done:

• Status = WIP Level 1 Support, Sub-Status = Collecting Data From Site• For all other Cases assigned to Engineer:

• Status = WIP Level 1 Support, Sub-Status = No Bandwidth

2. NTS Engineer goes for lunch or goes home for the day.• All Cases assigned to Engineer are set as follows:

• Status = WIP Level 1 Support, Sub-Status = Stopping Work

3. One of the NTS Engineer’s Cases is in “With A Customer” Status as the customer will not provide remote access to the network.

• Status = With a Customer, Sub-Status = Waiting on Site Access

4. The Case, above, subsequently hits 48 hours as the NTS Engineer has not been provided access to troubleshoot the issue. The NTS Engineer must now set the 48 hour Milestone as follows:

• Milestone = 48 Hours, Responsiveness Code = Customer-Site Access


Case Milestone Workflow> Engineers must ensure that the Milestones are accurately assigned

as each is met. Each Milestone is set by the case owner as the Milestone is missed.

> Some examples are as follows:1. The Engineer is working on a case which requires a maintenance

window. The Customer is unable to schedule the maintenance window right away forcing the case to exceed 48 hours in the GNPS Engineer’s work bin.

• Milestone = 48 Hours, Responsiveness Code = Customer-Delay Scheduling

2. The Engineer performs some testing during the maintenance window but is unable to resolve the problem. This issue has not been seen before and the Engineer spends another 2 days investigating logs and testing in the lab. Subsequently, the case hits the 96 Hour Milestone.

• Milestone = 96 Hours, Responsiveness Code = GNPS-Complex Issue

3. The Engineer escalates to design and it is determined that a software fix is required. Development of the fix takes time, and the 10 day Milestone is missed.

• Milestone = 10 Days, Responsiveness Code = Design Responsiveness



Summary

> You are now familiar with the new Cases Statuses, Sub-Statuses, and Milestones. Note that further details on Case Statuses can be found in TS744.2.

> You are now ready to apply them with reliability and repeatability to your daily case management activities!

> To complete this course, you must complete the quiz that follows and your training record will be linked to TEDs.

*** Thank you for completing the course! ***

case status, case sub status, milestone webcast slides

Technology

case statuses case status

case status overview

case milestones

case responsiveness

case notes

case substatuses

major case milestone

accurate case updates