Escalation ladder L1 to L2 to L3 based on elapsed unresolved time

Outcome. An unresolved ticket climbs through three escalation levels on a fixed schedule, so an issue nobody has touched for hours gets progressively more senior attention instead of staying invisible.

Workflow map Enrollment, branches and actions at a glance tickets-sla-015

flowchart TD
    A[SLA overdue, priority High/Urgent, still open] --> B[Escalation level = 1]
    B --> C[Wait 2 hours]
    C --> D{Still open?}
    D -->|no| E[End - stopped at L1]
    D -->|yes| F[Escalation level = 2 - notify manager, create task]
    F --> G[Wait 4 more hours]
    G --> H{Still open?}
    H -->|no| I[End - stopped at L2]
    H -->|yes| J[Escalation level = 3 - notify director, create task]
    J --> K[Add to L3 escalations - active list]

When to use it, when not to

• UseUse it for tickets where a single breach alert (tickets-sla-003, tickets-sla-005) is not enough because the issue can stay unresolved for a long stretch and needs increasing visibility over time.
• UseUse it for High/Urgent priority only; the escalation cost of repeatedly interrupting managers and directors needs to be worth it.
• SkipDo not use it for every ticket; a full three-level ladder on routine tickets trains people to ignore it.
• SkipDo not use it as a substitute for fixing the root staffing or process issue if the ladder fires constantly; rising escalation volume is a signal to review the queue, not just the individual tickets.