Add an Assignment rule

This rule enables you to automatically distribute records (such as tasks or records) to the groups and assignees who are most able to process them.

To add an Assignment rule, follow these steps:

1. In the System Navigator, click Tailoring > Process Designer > Rule Sets.

2. Click Search to open the Rule Set form, and then select the rule set to which you want to add the rule.

   Note You can edit user-defined rule sets only. Out-of-box rule sets are labeled as Micro Focus Proprietary and cannot be modified.

3. Click Add Rule to open the Select Rule Type page, and then click Assignment.
4. In the Rule Description field, type a description of the rule.

5. Click Edit to add conditions to the rule.

   Note If you do not specify a condition, the value defaults to Always.

6. In the Group Field Name, specify the field that stores the group name when a record is assigned according to the assignment rules.
7. In the Default Group field, specify the group to which the record is assigned if the remaining rules do not return a specific group.
8. In the Service Field Name field, specify the field that contains the related service of the record.
9. In the Contact Field Name field, specify the field that contains the contact information of the record.

10. From the Group Assignment tab, configure the group to whom the record is assigned when the rule is triggered (that is, the value that is inserted into the field which you specified in the Group Field Name field).

    To do this, follow these steps:

    1. Select one of the following assignment types:

       • Automatic - take first: Service Manager automatically assigns the record to the first group that is identified.
         
       • Manual - let the user choose: Service Manager presents a list of potential assignment groups to the user who has triggered the rule.

       Note The system uses Automatic - take first by default for the backend processes. The Manual - let the user choose option only takes effect for the UI processes.

    2. Select the Consider Workschedule of Group check box if you want to assign the record only to the groups that are available according to the calendar defined in the assignment groups.

       Note If the calendar is not specified in the assignment group definition, the system uses "24x7" by default.

       In addition, the system also uses the time zone defined in the assignment group definition. If the time zone is empty in the assignment group definition, the system time zone defined in system information record (System Information Record > Date Info) is used instead.

    3. In the Assignment Rule pane, select one of the following options to configure the assignment rule:

       • Predefined: Select the following options to define the assignment rule.

         • Service Based
         • Location Based
         • Department Based
         • Language Based
         • Company Based (Only available when the multi-company mode is enabled.)

         The system returns groups by matching the information in the record and the information in the definitions of assignment groups. If multiple options are selected, only the groups that match all the selected options are returned.

         In addition, you can click Edit Query to add additional query to further filter the assignment groups.

       • Fixed: Specify a specific group in the Group field. The system automatically inserts this group into the field that you specified in the Group Field Name field.

       • Set Using JavaScript: Determines the group to whom the record is assigned based on a JavaScript.

    Tip For more information about configuring assignment rules for groups, see Configure assignment rules.

11. From the Individual Assignment tab, configure the assignee to whom the record is assigned when the rule is triggered.

    Note Assigning tasks or records to specific assignees is optional. If you want to assign records to a group only, select the None option.

    To do this, follow these steps:

    1. In the Assignee Field Name drop-down list, select the field in which the name of the assignee to whom you want to assign the record is stored.
    2. Select one of the following options to configure the assignment rule:
    • None: Do not assign to any individual.

    • Fixed: Automatically inserts a fixed value into the field that you specified in the Assignee Field Name field.

    • Group Member: Automatically assigns the record to a member of the configured group. Records can be assigned on a round robin basis or to the assignee who is currently assigned the lowest number of records. To do this, select an option from the Member Type drop-down list.

      • If you select the Round robin option, enter the field in which the time used for the calculation is stored in the Assignment Time Field Name field. Then, select the number of days that are taken into consideration when the assignment is calculated. The default value is 60 days.
      • If you select the Number of Assigned Tickets option, click Edit Query to open the condition editor and create the filter that determines the assignee.

    • Coordinator: Assigns the record to a coordinator of your choice in the specified group.

    • JavaScript: Determines the assignee to whom the record is assigned based on a JavaScript.

    Tip For more information about configuring assignment rules for individuals, see Configure assignment rules.

12. Click OK to add the new rule to the rule set.

Prioritizing assignment rules

Service Manager supports prioritizing multiple assignment rules by introducing a new return variable "$isDefaultGroupAssigned". You need to define multiple assignment rules in the same rule set. Then, after the first assignment rule, use the $isDefaultGroupAssigned as the condition in the subsequent assignment rules for the system to decide whether or not it continues to execute the latter assignment rules:

• If the returned value of $isDefaultGroupAssigned is false, it means there are groups identified by the current assignment rule.
• If the returned value of $isDefaultGroupAssigned is true, it means there is no group identified by the current assignment rule.

The system executes the latter rule only if no assignment group is identified in the previous assignment rule.

Use the following instructions when you want to use the $isDefaultGroupAssigned variable to prioritize multiple assignment rules in a combined rule set:

• The first assignment rule in the rule set is the most specific one to identify the best fit.
• The subsequent rules in this rule set may contain assignment logic with less specific queries to ensure records are assigned.
• If the system identifies groups in the former rules (not default group), the latter rules will be ignored.