Example: Creating an Escalation Workflow using the Decision Quick Action (GAD)

9 min

Decision Actions enable you to create advanced workflows. For example, a subsection of actions can be executed based on the Escalation feature continually checking on the Status of an Incident record.

This is an example of an escalation workflow. The first Decision Quick Action conditionally checks the Status of an Incident record and determines which pathway to execute. The second Decision Quick Action (Decision - Waiting for Customer) Is used by the Escalation Schedule to check if the Incident response and resolution targets have been breached. If they have, it updates the record to the Closed state before jumping back to the first Decision Quick Action ready for processing another record.

This example uses the Graphical Action Designer (GAD). The Decision Quick Action is not available in the Classic Action Designer (CAD).

Complex workflow showing the escalation of an incident that can be achieved with the Decision Action.

Prerequisite

To use this Quick Action, set the global constant EnableActionService to True. If EnableActionService is not available in the global constants list (this may be the case for upgraded instances), Administrators can manually add the constant.

This example assumes you have administrator-level access to the Configuration console and are familiar with creating business objects and Quick Actions. If you do not have administrator-level access, see Notes on roles and permissions and Open the Graphical Action Designer

Creating the Escalation Composite Action

Go to the Configuration Console > Build >Business Objects > Incident > Quick Actions > Graphical Action Designer.

Under Advanced Actions, find the Decision Quick Action and drag it on to the Designer Board.

In the Common Settings tab, set a name for the whole Composite Action such as My Escalation Workflow.

In the BlockSettings tab for the Decision block, enter a block name in the Name field, for example, Decision - Status.

Drag all the other actions on to the Designer Board until your board resembles the image above. The action types used are as follows:

Action Type	Used For
Decision	Decision – Status Decision – Waiting For Customer
Send an Email	Response Threshold Breach Resolution Threshold Breach Closed Notification Send Reminder
Show a Popup	Delete Confirmation
Go to Action	Jump to Decision - Status
Update a Record	Update Status – Closed
Delete a Record	Delete Incident

The first Decision Quick Action continually checks the Status of an Incident record and determines which of three pathways to execute.

Select Decision - Status and then click Decision Editor. Enter the following expressions and select Response Threshold Breach as the default action.

Action	Expression	Default option
Response Threshold Breach	Deliberately left empty	True
Resolution Threshold Breach	$(Status in ("Active", "Logged", "Waiting for Resolution"))	False
Delete Confirmation	$(Status == “Closed”)	False
Decision - Waiting for Customer	$(Status == “Waiting for Customer”)	False

Values for three branches or paths that join on to Decision Status action.

The second Decision Quick Action, (Decision - Waiting for Customer), conditionally checks if the Escalation period has been breached. If so, it updates the record to the Closed state before jumping back to the first Decision Quick Action ready for processing another record.

Select Decision - Waiting for Customer and then click Decision Editor. Enter the following expressions and select Send Reminder as the default action.

Action	Expression	Default option
Closed Notification	$([Frs_data_escalation_watch#.IncidentAssocWaitingEscWatch]BreachPassed)	False
Send Reminder		True

Here are the field values for all the other actions used in this example:

Closed Notification

Field	Value
Log in Journal	All
From Address	Enter an ITSM email address that can send out emails to customers.
To Address	Email
Subject	$("Incident# " + IncidentNumber + " has been closed")
Compose Email

Update Status - Closed

Field	Value
Status	Closed

Jump to...

Field	Value
Target Action	Decision - Status
Max Number of Iterations (between 1 and 10)	1

Send Reminder

Field	Value
Log in Journal	All
From Address	Enter an ITSM email address that can send out emails to customers.
To Address	Email
Bcc	Email
Subject	$("Incident# " + IncidentNumber + " Reminder: Additional Information request")
Compose Email

Response Threshold Breach

Field	Value
Log in Journal	All
From Address	Enter an ITSM email address that can send out emails to customers.
To Address	Email
Subject	$("Incident# " + IncidentNumber + " - Response Threshold has been breached")
Compose Email

Resolution Threshold Breach

Field	Value
Log in Journal	All
From Address	Enter an ITSM email address that can send out emails to customers.
To Address	Email
Subject	$("Incident# " + IncidentNumber + " - Resolution Threshold has been breached")
Compose Email

Delete Confirmation

Field	Value
Title	$("Delete Incident# " + IncidentNumber + "?")
Contents	$("Are you sure you want to delete Incident# " + IncidentNumber + "?")
Buttons	Ok and Cancel

Delete Incident

No properties to be set for this action.

Setting up an Escalation

Using ITSM Escalations, create an escalation schedule that uses the Composite Action created in this example.

Here our Composite Action has been renamed to Auto Close Waiting for Customer and will be called when service targets are breached.

Escalation schedule showing example composite action being called when breaches are exceeded.

The same action can then be renamed again to Waiting for Customer Reminder and also used for Escalation Level 1 when a reminder needs to be sent out to the customer.

Escalation for Level 1 showing the example action being used again.

For more information: Working with Escalations.