The Myth of a Pro-active PMR

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Every now and then in support, a PMR is opened by a customer as a "for your information" (FYI) to IBM. This used to be called a "pro-active" PMR. There seems to be a misconception that opening a PMR "just in case" your company needs help - say over the weekend - that this expedites matters. This is a myth: opening a PMR for a problem that hasn't yet happened does not serve any purpose.

If your company is preparing to implement a change that results in an issue - that is the time to open a PMR and

• Gather the logs and have them uploaded to the PMR
• A crisp problem statement and details on the troubleshooting that has taken place
• Identify changes made
• Have the required resources from your company ready (DBA if there is a database issue, network team if there are protocol or connection issues, etc.)
• Include the web/voice conference information especially if your company has restrictions on the software that can be used

If it's a system down situation be sure to open the PMR as a Severity 1 and note the "system down" - that's a "heads up" to support regarding the urgency of the situation. If this is the weekend, the Severity 1 triggers a text alert to the on-call appropriate team. Your PMR will be handled with the same urgency it would receive on a regular business day. Save you and IBM time and open the PMR when an issue actually requires assistance.

There's also another option - become an Accelerate Value Program  (AVP) member. With AVP your Accelerated Value Leader (AVL) can trigger a world-wide alert with detailed information about the endeavor your company is undertaking. That alert is accessible from within any PMR you subsequently open. 

In conclusion, save yourself and IBM time and open the PMR when the problem occurs and gather the data necessary for IBM to shorten the time to resolution. For further information on the support process refer to the software support handbook.