Request Tracker 4 (RT4) Implementation Project Lisa Tomalty, [email protected] Information Systems and Technology
Mar 18, 2016
Request Tracker 4 (RT4) Implementation
Project
Lisa Tomalty, [email protected] Systems and Technology
What is request tracking?• Ticket/request-tracking systems are used
to coordinate tasks and manage user requests
• Users receive email updates on work being done
• Staff working on a ticket see all of the activity, communications, history, etc.
Background: RT Investigation Project (2012-13)
• Recommended RT4– Open source; support available from Best
Practical Solutions LLC – Existing expertise for RT exists on campus– Well liked, stable solution– Many new features, customizable and expandable– Active user community – Many issues identified can be addressed via
• Process changes/leveraging existing RT functionality
RT Investigation Project• Recommended RT4
– Meets critical requirements identified– Works with browsers/operating systems used on campus– Ability to integrate with asset management and other
systems– Request Tracking Investigation Project Recommendation
Campus Wide Involvement• Members from each IT area on campus to
provide input/participation– In implementation – In on-going use and development
• Consistent user experience • Key success factor:
– adoption of common request tracking system
RT4 Team members IST: Lisa Tomalty Lead
IST: Jeff Voskamp Technical lead
CECA: Joe Radman Configuration, Development, Testing
CEL: Anuja Bajaj Testing/Requirements
ENG: Mike Hurst Configuration, Development, Testing
ENV: Mary Burden Testing/Requirements
Housing/IST: Mike (Hoang) Huynh Configuration, Development, Testing
Management Sciences: Vu Huynh Development, testing
IST-IS: Vivienne Ballantyne Testing/Requirements
Library: Adam Savage Configuration, Development, Testing
St. Jerome’s: Tait Kelly Configuration, Testing
(IST: Daspina Fefekos) Testing
MFCF: Lori Suess Testing
Additional participants
• CSCF: Lawrence E Folland • IST-IS: Mike Gaspic• IST-Security: Mike Patterson
Mail list only:
• IST-ITMS: Daspina Fefekos
Testing/Mail list
• IST-Security: Terry Labach or Patrick Matlock
Security review:
• Continue to provide an ongoing, reliable RT system
• Meet the most important request tracking needs of the IT areas on campus
• Implement a knowledge base• Integrate with the service catalogue • Enable processes to improve IT support
RT4 Implementation Project
Benefits of Campus Wide System• Efficiency
– Shared tool, one installation– Share administration and development
• Improved IT service support through– Collaboration between and within IT units– Improved communications, support– Increased functionality– Enable/automate improved IT service processes – Shared knowledge base– Common tracking and metrics
Program of Projects• Program of related projects will include:
– RT4 Implementation Project – IT Best Practices Project– Asset Management Project– SLA Project– Possibly other projects
• Dependencies between projects will be defined
Objectives/Goals-1• Work together with IT areas on campus to leverage
the many benefits of RT4• Enable IT units to share and collaborate on requests• Upgrade to the most recent version of RT4• Update user request forms • Import existing data • Provide training, documentation and communication• Expand the use of RT4 to other IT units on campus
Objectives/Goals-2• Implement new functionality and configure the new
system based on:– Requirement information gathered in the RT Investigation
Project – Requirements that will come out of the IT Best Practices
project (TBA)– Other requirements that are deemed necessary for IT
support on campus • Non-IT areas use of the system:
– Non-IT areas may continue to use the system– Focus will be on meeting IT needs of campus for request
tracking
New functionality/features-1• Reporting/metrics• Knowledge base (“Articles”)• New user request forms (linked from
service catalogue)• Shared queue administration• Customizable workflows - per queue• Customizable email templates – per queue
New functionality/features-2• Recurring tickets• Escalation• Better tools for synchronizing
accounts/groups with Nexus/LDAP• Improved user interface (including ability
to hide quoted text)• Improved searching/canned searches• Supposedly significantly faster. :-)
Approach• Phased approach• Incremental changes• Keep RT system operational and functional
throughout the project
Timeline• Phase 1A (late Dec 2013)
– Planning, clean up user accounts in RT3– Install and configure newest release of RT 4.2 and necessary plug-ins
• Phase 1B (Jan-Apr 2014)– Configuration/development– Testing– Permissions– Documentation, Training, Communication– Some new features
• Phase 2 (May-Aug+ 2014) – More new features– Migrations and continual improvement– Make recommendation for maintaining and keeping RT current– Training/documentation of changes
IT Strategic Objective mapping• “IP9: Exchange high quality data and information when,
where, and how it's needed" and "...ensure that the University community is fully enabled any time, anywhere, on their preferred platform or device, ..."
– Web browsers: RT4 works across all/most common browsers
– Mobile: RT4 works well on most mobile devices
– Client computer: RT4 requires no special configuration to use in web browser
Related Strategic Objectives• RM1 "Make the necessary technology infrastructure and resource
investments"– Investing in helpdesk and staff support technology
• OC2 "Take a University-wide perspective to IT"• OC3 "Build a cohesive knowledgeable IT community across the
campus"– Enable communication, collaboration – Knowledge sharing through requests and knowledge base
• IP5 "Continuously improve and optimize IT processes, workflow, and platforms"– Collaborative, structured approach to improving processes and workflow
• U1 "Empower the user and optimize the user's experience"– Improve responding to requests, allow users to check progress– Knowledge base: help "build our users' knowledge and capabilities"
Related IT Direction• Work together to improve the usability, delivery and
support of IT– Related potential opportunity:
• Create integrated, service-oriented helpdesks that uphold excellent standards and stay connected to share information to best serve users.
» One installation of the request system used by all and shared knowledge base would help achieve this.
Questions?• Inquiries and requests for RT
access/queues can be directed to: – Lisa Tomalty [email protected]
• Project Web site:https://uwaterloo.ca/it-service-asset-management/request-tracker-4-rt4-implementation-project