Request Tracker 4 (RT4) Implementation

Project

Lisa Tomalty, ltomalty@uwaterloo.caInformation 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 ltomalty@uwaterloo.ca

• Project Web site:https://uwaterloo.ca/it-service-asset-management/request-tracker-4-rt4-implementation-project