The issues you're describing with SLA (Service Level Agreement) items in Dynamics 365 Case Management are unusual and may indeed be related to configuration or platform behaviors. Let’s address each issue individually and explore possible causes and solutions.
Understanding SLA Behavior in Dynamics 365
In Dynamics 365, SLAs are defined as agreements with certain conditions and success/failure criteria that are applied to cases. SLA items should ideally function independently unless specific dependencies are configured. However, if there is misconfiguration or if there are unexpected platform behaviors, SLA items can exhibit the symptoms you’re experiencing.
Analysis of Issues
Scenario 1: Marking "Resolution Update" as successful also marks "Initial Response" as successful.
Possible Cause:
- This behavior could be due to shared success criteria or overlapping triggers between the "Initial Response" and "Resolution Update" SLA items. If both SLA items are monitoring similar conditions, they could be inadvertently triggering together when one is marked as successful.
- Another possibility is that the SLA KPI field for these SLA items is the same. Dynamics 365 uses SLA KPI fields to track the status of SLA items, and if the same KPI field is used across multiple SLA items, they might impact each other.
Suggested Solution:
- Check the Success Criteria for both "Initial Response" and "Resolution Update" to ensure they are distinct and do not overlap.
- Verify that each SLA item has a unique KPI field. This can be configured in the SLA item setup. Ensure that "Initial Response" and "Resolution Update" are using separate KPI fields (e.g.,
Initial Response KPI and Resolution Update KPI).
- Review any custom workflows or plugins that may be updating multiple SLA items based on certain actions, as these could be triggering the unexpected updates.
Scenario 2: Deleting "Initial Response" and then marking "Resolution Update" as successful causes "Initial Response" to reappear as successful.
Possible Cause:
- Dynamics 365 automatically recreates SLA items under certain circumstances, particularly if the SLA conditions are still valid. When you delete an SLA item but the case conditions still satisfy the criteria for that SLA item, the system may automatically re-trigger and recreate it.
- Another reason could be workflow or plugin configurations that are set up to automatically reapply SLA items when certain conditions are met.
Suggested Solution:
- Ensure that no automated workflows are re-triggering the SLA item based on changes to other SLA statuses.
- In some cases, cascading rules might be influencing SLA items. Go to Settings > Service Management > SLAs, open the specific SLA, and check if there are any conditions or dependencies that would cause a cascade.
- To prevent re-creation, try deactivating the SLA on the case instead of deleting the SLA item. This will stop Dynamics 365 from re-evaluating SLA conditions for that particular case.
Scenario 3: Deleting both "Initial Response" and "Resolution Update" and marking "Workaround Provided" as successful causes all three SLA items to be marked as successful.
Possible Cause:
- Similar to Scenario 2, this could happen if there are conditions that automatically re-trigger SLA items when certain other SLA items are marked as successful.
- If your SLA items are configured with dependencies (e.g., "Resolution Update" is only marked after "Initial Response" is successful), this could cause unintended cascading where one SLA item triggers others.
- This could also be an unintended behavior due to incorrect SLA evaluation order. If SLA items don’t have clearly defined criteria, Dynamics 365 might evaluate them out of sequence.
Suggested Solution:
- Review the evaluation order for SLA items. If certain SLAs are intended to be independent, ensure they do not rely on the status of other SLA items.
- Check the dependencies between SLA items. Remove any dependencies that cause other SLA items to automatically mark as successful.
- Verify that each SLA item has a clear, unique set of conditions that are independent of each other. Adjust success/failure criteria to reduce the likelihood of unwanted interactions.
Recommended Configuration for Independent SLA Items
To ensure SLA items function independently and do not interfere with each other, follow these guidelines:
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Use Unique KPI Fields: Ensure that each SLA item has its own distinct KPI field. This prevents one SLA item’s status from affecting another.
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Define Separate Success Criteria: Each SLA item should have success criteria that are specific to its purpose. Avoid overlapping conditions, as this can cause multiple SLAs to trigger simultaneously.
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Avoid Dependencies Between SLA Items: Avoid setting up dependencies between SLA items unless absolutely necessary. For example, if "Resolution Update" relies on "Initial Response" to be marked as successful first, Dynamics 365 may inadvertently trigger both together or re-trigger them after deletion.
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Deactivate Instead of Delete: If you want to remove an SLA item from a case temporarily, consider deactivating it rather than deleting it. Deleting an SLA item can cause Dynamics 365 to re-evaluate the SLA criteria, which may lead to automatic re-creation if conditions still match.
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Check Workflows and Plugins: If you have custom workflows, business rules, or plugins that interact with SLAs, review them carefully. They may be causing the SLA items to trigger unexpectedly. Make sure they are set up to handle each SLA item independently without causing cascading effects.
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Evaluate SLA Evaluation Order and Hierarchies: Review the evaluation order of SLA items, especially if you have multiple SLAs applying to the same case type. Ensure that each SLA item is processed independently to avoid unintended triggers.
Potential Bug or Platform Issue
If, after implementing the recommended configurations, you still experience issues, this may be due to a platform bug or an unintended behavior in Dynamics 365. In this case, you can:
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Check for Updates or Known Issues: Microsoft regularly updates Dynamics 365, and there might be a bug fix available. Check the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Release Notes and Support Documentation for known issues related to SLA behavior.
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Contact Microsoft Support: If you suspect this is a bug, report it to Microsoft Support. Provide detailed examples of the scenarios and any configuration screenshots or logs. They may be able to confirm if this is a known issue and provide a workaround.
Summary
The unexpected SLA behaviors you're encountering are likely due to overlapping criteria, shared KPI fields, or possible platform quirks. By separating KPI fields, ensuring distinct success criteria, avoiding dependencies, and deactivating instead of deleting, you can minimize these issues. If the problem persists, it may be beneficial to escalate it to Microsoft Support to rule out any potential bugs.
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