Request Tracker 4 (RT4) Implementation Project Lisa Tomalty, [email protected] Information Systems and Technology
Mar 31, 2015
Request Tracker 4 (RT4) Implementation
Project
Lisa Tomalty, [email protected]
Information Systems and Technology
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
• 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. :-)
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
Questions?
• Inquiries and requests for RT access/queues can be directed to: – Lisa Tomalty [email protected]
• RT4 Project documentation Web site:https://uwaterloo.ca/it-service-asset-management/request-tracker-4-rt4-implementation-project