Last Updated on November 19, 2022 by maximosecrets

A Ticket Template can be manually applied to a Service Request, Incident or Problem through the actions Apply Service Request Template, Apply Incident Template or Apply Problem Template respectively. A dialog opens allowing you to choose the appropriate template for the class of ticket, SR, INCIDENT, PROBLEM. It would, of course, be nice if the tickets you received on the service desk already had an applied Ticket Template. This can be achieved through the Start Center – Quick Insert Portlet.

In the Start Center application, assuming you have privilege to do so, then you can modify both one of your own Start Center Templates or another Start Center Template, using the pencil button, the 4^th button from the left. The “Modify A Template” dialog opens and you search for the template you wish to change, in this case Template-4, the one called Self-Service. 

For those new to Maximo, a Start Center is the operational dashboard of a user. A Start Center Template is one of the pages (tabs) in the Start Center. Each Start Center is made up of one or more portlets positioned to the left or the right. There are several portlet types.

After selecting the template to modify it is loaded to your session and then you use the Change Content/Layout button (the 1^st button). The template you are modifying is the first tab.

The Change Content/Layout button opens the Layout and Configuration application showing the portlets which exist in the left and right columns. On the Left Column we used the Select Content button and selected the Quick Insert portlet from the Available Portlets dialog. There are 8 portlet types, and you may have multiple of the same portlet type in the same Start Center Template.

The new Quick Insert portlet is added to the Left Column when you use the OK button, it is loaded to the next available sequence in the Order field. You can modify the Display Name for the portlet or reorder the portlets using this application. You can also modify the Start Center Template name using the Description field at the top of the application.

The Layout style is either Narrow-Wide, Wide-Narrow, or Equal Width. The portlets that lend themselves to the Narrow side are Favorite Applications, Quick Insert, Report List, KPI List and KPI Graph. The Result Set portlet can also be used on the Narrow side when it opens with a Pie or Bar chart. The Bulletin Board and Inbox/Assignments will nearly always be on the Wide side.

When you have Finished making your layout changes the portlet will now be shown. Each portlet has a set of buttons including the pencil (2^nd from left) used to edit the portlet.

Notice, there are two Self-Service tabs, it is the left one you are modifying. The one next to it is the one used by Mike Wilson when he is not modifying Start Center Templates.

On using the Edit Portlet button, the Quick Insert Setup application opens with a list of actions available in Maximo. You will need to filter, I happen to know that the application name for the Self Service Service Request is called CREATESR, hence why I filtered on this rather than its Description. You will need to select the check box before using the OK button.

Once selected a description can be entered – “New/Upgrade Software – Other” and the ticket template that you wish to apply selected in the Template ID field. This process could now be repeated to provide several lines in the Quick Insert portlet all associated with the different types of “Software Requests”. The Display Name for the portlet at the top of the screen is where I changed the name.

Using the Finished button returns you to the Start Center Template being modified. You can now use the Save Template button (2^nd from left).

Once saved if you have access to the Start Center Template, which is a good idea as you should test it, then you use the Update Start Center button (right-hand button) on the appropriate tab.

You will receive the warning message “BMXAA3730W – Are you sure you want to update your start center?”, and to test you will need to use the Yes button.

The Start Center tab for Self-Service now has the additional portlet Software Requests with the one action “New/Upgrade Software – Other”. So, lets test this.

The Create Service Request application opens and to the Self-Service user the only apparent difference is that the Classification has already been found. I entered “Please order new software Camtasia 2021 for Ed Adams” added the Reported Priority of 3, and changed the Affected User to ED.

At the bottom of the screen the Classification has added one Attribute, for SOFTWARE – Software Name, I have entered Camtasia. You could easily add an ALN domain to this field so that users had a drop down to select from, probably with the option of Other. The attribute could also be made mandatory.

I’ve now used the Submit button and Maximo has told me that the Service Request created was 1286. We’ll return to the Start Center and open the Service Requests application and filter for 1286.

The first thing that you should notice is that the status is at QUEUED, a good indication that a ticket template has been applied, and that there is an Owner Group of OFFICE (another indicator).

In the Service Request Details section we see the fields that originated from the Ticket Template, an Internal Priority (3), a Service Group (IT) and a Service (SUPPLYCH).

In the Ticket Template application, we can check the values that were copied across to service request 1286, they are the same field values. The Ticket Template was successfully applied automatically from the Quick Insert Portlet on the Start Center Template. 

By using the Quick Insert Portlet with a template, you will create consistency and cut response time for the most frequent requests. The Template ID in the Quick Insert Portlet can be used for any type of ticket. There is no equivalent Quick Insert Portlet for a Work Order that will automatically apply a Job Plan. 

Note. There is no ability to see which Ticket Template was applied to the Service Request and to navigate to it assuming you have access rights. I normally add the TEMPLATEID field to the Service Request details section, perhaps making it conditionally displayed for selected Security Groups.