Assignment Configuration¶
Every triage configuration ends with an Assignment phase — the step that decides who a ticket goes to. Assignment Configuration is where you tune the scoring equation behind that decision: which factors matter, how much they're worth, and how to test the result before it runs on real tickets.
Part of a triage configuration
Assignment scoring isn't a standalone screen — it lives on the Assignment phase of a specific triage configuration, so different boards or clients can score candidates differently.
Overview¶
Each triage configuration can have its own assignment scoring equation. The equation starts everyone at a base score, then adds or subtracts points using variables — ticket fields, client details, employee attributes, current workload, suitability ratings, and any custom fields your triage steps set earlier in the configuration. Whichever available employee ends up with the highest score gets the ticket.
You can build that equation two ways:
- Advanced mode — a formula canvas where you compose the full expression yourself, with drag-in functions, operators, variables, and named "bands" for mapping a value through a range table.
- Simple mode — a guided, plain-English editor that builds the same kind of scoring using factor cards (no formula syntax required).
Both modes read and write the same underlying formula, so you can switch between them — a plain, factor-card-shaped equation can be edited in either; a formula that uses advanced-only features (nested logic that doesn't map back to a card) can only be edited in Advanced mode until it's simplified.
Verify before you rely on it
Once your assignment scoring is saved, use the Ticket Assignment Calculator to run it against a real, live PSA ticket and see the ranked candidate list it produces.
Getting started¶
Prerequisites¶
- You need an Admin, Service Desk Manager, Pod Manager, or Workflow Create/Modify role to view and edit assignment scoring.
- The triage configuration must already exist with an Assignment phase.
Opening the editor¶
- Go to Configuration → Triage Configurations.
- Open the triage configuration you want to change.
- Open its Assignment phase.
- Use the Simple / Advanced toggle near the top to pick your editing mode.
System (Marketplace) configurations are read-only
A triage configuration deployed from the Marketplace can't be edited directly. Clone it first — the phase page offers a Clone to customise button — then edit the copy.
Key concepts¶
The variable palette¶
The Variables panel lists every value you can use in a factor or formula, grouped by category:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Ticket | Priority, Type, Sub-type, Status, Board |
| Client | Client Id, Client Name |
| Employee | Job role name, technical level score, whether they're in a pod assigned to the ticket's client |
| Workload | Total/actionable/stale ticket counts, percent of the day already booked, minutes since their last assignment |
| Suitability | The employee-client suitability rating |
| Triage Fields | Any custom field your own triage steps set earlier in this configuration, before assignment runs |
The Triage Fields group is specific to the triage configuration you're editing — it's built from that configuration's own earlier steps, so it only shows fields this configuration actually sets.
Advanced mode: the formula canvas¶
Advanced mode gives you a formula editor plus a toolbar of draggable building blocks:
- Conditional —
if, comparisons (==,<, etc.),AND,OR,NOT - Math —
min,max,clamp,coalesce - Text — starts with / ends with / contains
- Band — maps a variable's value through a named range table (define ranges once, reference the band by name anywhere in the formula)
- Ops —
+ − × ÷ ( )
Drag a function, operator, or variable into the formula, or click a Band reference to jump straight to that band's range editor. The formula is validated as you go — invalid syntax or a band with no ranges (or a range where the minimum is greater than the maximum) is flagged before you can save.
Simple mode: guided factor cards¶
New in 0.7.0
The Assignment Simple Editor is a newer alternative to writing a formula by hand.
Simple mode represents the same scoring logic as a base score plus a stack of factor cards, each in a plain-English sentence:
| Factor type | Shape |
|---|---|
| Points per value (linear) | Add/Subtract N point(s) per [variable] |
| Score by range (banded) | Score [variable] by range: from X to Y → N points, otherwise N points |
| Bonus / penalty if… (conditional) | If [variable], add N points (else N points) |
| Multiply score if… (multiplier) | If [variable], multiply the score by ×N (else ×N) |
Add a factor from the Add factor dropdown, fill in its sentence, and save. A note under the factor list reminds you that a score at or below zero means that employee won't be considered for the ticket.
AI assist
In Simple mode you can describe a change in plain English — for example "make pod membership matter less" or "add a penalty for stale tickets" — and apply the AI's proposed revision as a reviewable diff before it's saved.
Falling back to Advanced mode
If the stored formula doesn't match a shape Simple mode can represent, the Simple toggle is disabled with a tooltip explaining the formula uses advanced features — edit it in Advanced mode instead. Making an advanced edit that no longer matches what Simple mode last showed will also invalidate the Simple-mode view (you'll be asked to confirm).
Testing your equation¶
Both modes share the same Test Formula on Ticket panel, with two tabs:
- Mock Ticket — build a synthetic ticket by hand (title, priority, type, status, board, client, and any triage fields your configuration sets), or click Randomise to fill it automatically. Candidate employees and their live workload/suitability data are still real — only the ticket-side values are mocked.
- Remote Ticket — enter a real ticket number from your connected PSA and evaluate the formula against it directly.
Click Evaluate on either tab to see the ranked candidate list and the score breakdown behind it, without actually assigning the ticket.
Default job role on board configurations¶
New in 0.7.0 — Autotask boards
A board (queue pod) configuration can specify a default job role, which the Assignment phase's owner-allocation step tries to use where possible when assigning a ticket.
On a board pod configuration's Assignment Module card (Autotask boards only, since Autotask requires a resource-and-role pair when assigning an owner), you can set a Primary method and a Fallback method for choosing that role:
| Method | Behaviour |
|---|---|
| Employee's default job role | Use the role the employee holds by default |
| A specific job role | Always try a named role you pick from the list |
| First active job role on employee | Use whichever active role comes first on the employee |
| Throw an error (fallback only) | Fail rather than guess |
The primary method is tried first; if it doesn't resolve to a role the employee actually holds, the fallback method is used. This only decides the role used for the Autotask assignment — it doesn't change which employee wins the scoring equation above.
Troubleshooting¶
The Simple toggle is greyed out. The saved formula uses a shape Simple mode can't represent (e.g. non-standard nested logic). Edit it in Advanced mode, or rebuild it from scratch in Simple mode if you want it fully guided.
Save is blocked with a validation error. Check the error shown above the formula — it's usually an invalid expression, or a Band reference to a band with no ranges (or a range where the minimum is greater than the maximum).
A triage field doesn't show up in the variable palette. Triage Fields are pulled from this configuration's own earlier steps. If the field is set by a different triage configuration, it won't appear here — only fields this configuration sets are available to its own assignment scoring.
Mock Ticket results don't match what I expect. Only the ticket-side fields are mocked; candidate employees, workload, and suitability always come from live data. If you need to see a fully live evaluation, use the Remote Ticket tab or the Ticket Assignment Calculator instead.