From those records selected, collect detailed information to gain a deeper understanding of each incident. Assess the impact and urgency of each. When taken into consideration together, impact and urgency will yield a priority for the incident. Impact describes the potential to which the business stands vulnerable. Urgency illustrates the time that is available to avert, or at least minimize, the impact. Incidents of equal priority should take into consideration the amount of effort required to address the incident. Those with a smaller effort should receive attention sooner. Of specific interest is the effect incidents are having on service level attainment and business impacts. Included in this exercise is reviewing and understanding the technical complexity of the incident.

The status of incidents that produced a change request should be monitored as it progresses through the Change Management process. To achieve this, change reports can be received as well as participating in Change Management meetings.

During this activity, it may be necessary to begin considering action plans. Assess the impact on support resources if an initiation does not occur.

Verify current status by contacting the support resources actively working on the incident. Additional status may be available from the user or users affected. Their feedback can influence the assessment. In turn, functional and hierarchical escalation and adjustment of activities of second, third, and fourth lines of support may be influenced. User and customer input may be received as a result of a solicitation or it may be unsolicited. Either case, the feedback should be weighed in determining appropriate actions. Collected information should be recorded in the associated record. With this information, a decision should be made whether or not to initiate an action.