Impact and Urgency level definitions
When opening a new case with Customer Support, you are presented with the required fields Impact and Urgency as defined below. The combination of the values provided will be used to set the case Priority which is used to define the response and resolution timelines as per your service level agreement.
⚠️ Warning: The priority of each case is reviewed against this criteria upon receipt. If the issue identified does not meet the criteria to warrant the priority set, the case will be reprioritized appropriately and a communication will be sent to notify you.
Impact
A measure of the effect that the issue or problem is having on the business. Often equal to the extent to which agreed or expected levels of service may be distorted.
There are three levels of Impact:
1 – High: Critical tools needed for normal operation are not usable; critical data is not accessible, data is being lost due to a problem with the D2L application, or the security of the application is compromised. There is a critical software or infrastructure problem and the system is not accessible to any users.2 – Medium: Systems are up and running but users are unable to access entire components of the system, or the issue prevents a particular tool or function from working without any alternative being available. Use of the system is significantly impaired making it difficult to use it in the manner intended.3 – Low: Overall system has not failed, and major sections of the application are working, but unexpected results occur limited to a small number of users, courses, or resources. There may be several small issues that make the software difficult to use or that affect a small subset of users.
Urgency
The speed that is considered appropriate to resolve an issue or a problem, should be determined by how long it will be until an issue or problem has a significant impact on the business.
There are three levels of Urgency:
1 – High: Client cannot perform tasks or conduct business using the service. Immediate response required.2 – Medium: Portions of the client’s business or tasks are impacted. Short timelines in effect.3 – Low: Client has minor questions on usability or observed an unexpected behavior that has little to no effect on the client’s business. No immediate timelines.
📝 Note: A case submitted by email is automatically assigned a Priority value of 4 (Impact = Low, Urgency = Low). If a higher priority is required, please call the Service Desk or submit the case via the online portal.
Priority matrix
Impact/Urgency | High | Medium | Low |
|---|
High | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Medium | 2 | 3 | 4 |
Low | 3 | 4 | 4 |
Table 1: A matrix displaying how the Impact and Urgency values map to Priority.
Priority level definitions
Priority 1 – Critical
D2L application is down or unable to restart the system; critical software problem with a high impact on day-to-day use.
Scope
- System is not accessible to any users.
- Critical tools needed for normal operation are not usable.
- Critical data is not accessible.
- Data is being lost due to a problem with the D2L application.
- The security of the application is compromised.
- A data restore is required.
Priority 2 – High
Use of the system is significantly impaired, making it very difficult to use in the manner intended.
Scope
- Servers are up and running, but users are unable to access entire components of the System.
- Presence of the problem prevents a particular tool or function from working and there are no alternatives to achieve the desired end result.
- A problem that is causing significant impact to portions of the system. The client is exposed to an interruption of service. For example, a high priority may be assigned if a large number of users in a class are having difficulty posting information in a discussion area, or if users are unable to access a specific course.
- Custom Tools that are not working after an upgrade.
Priority 3 – Moderate
All major sections are working, and the installation is up and running. However, there seems to be several minor issues within some sections that make the software difficult to use, with minimal impact on the production server as a whole.
Scope
- Problem is not serious by nature.
- Overall system has not failed.
- Unexpected results within routine tool or function.
- An issue limited to a small number of users, courses, or resources.
- Issues specific to a user, course, or resource that do not significantly affect the overall use of the system.
Priority 4 – Low
End user needs instructions, minor issues with little to no impact on the production system as a whole. Informational requests about the system, feature requests and general inquiries are considered low in severity.
Scope
- No effect on the production system.
- Minor questions on usability, informational requests about the platform or feature requests.
- Isolated unexpected behavior that cannot be reproduced and has little to no impact on the system or the users at large.
Benefits of effective prioritization
Faster resolution
When issues are reported with a clear description of the scope, type of effect, or any potential repercussions on operations, the Impact and Urgency to the organization can be more precisely set resulting in an accurate Priority being assigned.
Teams are then able to focus on the most important items, the high or critical issues, in the correct priority order. This ultimately results in improved incident resolution times, minimizing any downtime experienced or negative effect on systems.
Efficient resource allocation
Although we may wish to have immediate and inexhaustible access to resources, we are all limited by the people at our disposal in any given moment.
As teams balance planned feature development against defects or issues reported by clients, accurate prioritization is key to allocating resources effectively for prompt resolution of critical issues and minimized impact on business operations.
Enhanced customer satisfaction
By reducing our resolution times and efficiently allocating resources to address the high-impact and most urgent issues affecting our clients, through effective prioritization we aim to cultivate a culture of trust and improved customer satisfaction.