KCS - Knowledge Management - Linking Incident Resolution

[stevenmeads]

• Large University
• 500+ calls daily
• Currently on Dublin, upgrading to Fuji end or year
• Using the knowledge module
• Looking to implement Knowledge Centered Support

Currently we are able to link Incident Resolution to Knowledge Articles, but only if the article is attached to the incident graphically. Meaning, we can attach the article in it's entirety and send that back to the customer. We want to tie incident resolution to articles, but don't always want to send the customer the article as it appears. Some of our articles contain multiple solutions, or have information intended just for the ServiceDesk.   In the implementation of KCS, one requirement is the tie between resolution and knowledge. Eventually we would like to require a tie to a KB for all resolution, even if we need to create a catch-all article for those unique situations in which there isn't a good fit (eventually using the lack of an article as a reason to draft, implementing the demand-driven model). I would like to produce metric reports around resolution and knowledge use.

Here's my question:

How can we increment or tie our knowledge base articles to incidents without having to wholly insert them into the incident notes?  

Thanks in advance, I'm hoping I'm overlooking a very simple thing and the answer is "duh, just do 'this'"

Steven Meads

University of Minnesota

[cwilkerbb]

Steven,

Unfortunately, you're not missing a "duh" moment here.   The only way to achieve what you're talking about is to alter the Attach to Incident UI Macro.   You would have to get down into the bowels of Jelly to alter this, but I have done it in the past.   I actually have used a combination of what Ben describes with the Reference field on the Incident and altering the UI Macro. The issue with the Reference field is that it only allows a single KB article whereas you could use the Attached Knowledge table to attach multiple KB articles and provide more value to your KCS venture.   That being said, 1 KB article is better than none so it could be a good starting point and might suffice quite well long term.

-Chris

[stevenmeads]

Thanks Ben and Chris,

So, really there isn't an easy way to know how many times an Article has been used to resolve an Incident.   That's unfortunate, as a key part of KCS implementation is tracking the demand for knowledge.

I really appreciate the time you both took to weigh in on my questions! I'll mark this as answered, unless either of you has any further suggestions?   I do have access to some very talented developers and will query them for ideas as well.

-Steven

[cwilkerbb]

You could get that relationship using the OOB Attach Incident Macro and reporting off of the Knowledge Applied to Tasks (m2m_kb_task) table.   When you click on the Attach Incident, it WILL add it to the Comments which would then go out to the end user, but it will also add a record to the m2m table.   You could then report off that table and see how many times that KB article was used.   The part that would have to be altered is if you didn't want it to be added to the Comments field, but ONLY for the m2m table or possibly another field on the Incident saying that THIS KB article was the winner, but the 3 or 4 others in the m2m were helpful.   Does that make sense?   You could also try to look at a process where you tag one of the m2m records as the winner and do all the reporting from there.   Just some things to noodle on.

-Chris

[stevenmeads]

That does make sense! That might be a viable answer. After our Fall startup calms down and we get to Fuji (hopefully by end of year) I'll sit down with our developers and this information will be extremely helpful.

Thanks again!

[dylanyoung]

Hi Steve,

How'd you go in the end?   I'm especially interested around your reporting outcomes.

Also where you able to remove (un-link) attached articles from Incidents if they didn't prove useful?   That too is a crucial requirement of a tool to deliver KCS.