[rt-users] We love RT but we're looking for more...

Sylvie Platre splatre at virtc.com
Mon Aug 19 14:24:06 EDT 2002


We are a software engineering company and we have multiple software
products for modeling and simulation developers. Our IS department is
using RT to track all internal requests for setup, equipment,
troubleshooting, etc.. and it is working very well for us and has been
for a couple of years now.

However, we now need to implement a helpdesk to support our products,
and RT is lacking a few features that we really need for supporting our
clients, specifically, a searchable knowledge base and a configurable
system of escalations. Here is a short description of the system, in the
hopes that one of you may have come across a product that could help us
implement it.

This web-based helpdesk is a system to track all requests for product
support while developing a knowledge base of the solutions that are
developed. We have implemented similar systems previously for various
clients but using commercial software that is cost prohibitive for our
own use. So we are looking for open source solutions that could help us
implement such a system.

We have 3 main tables: CASES, SOLUTIONS, and CHANGE REQUESTS.
A CASE can be associated with only one SOLUTION. A SOLUTION can be
associated with many CASES. A SOLUTION can be associated with zero or
one CHANGE REQUEST.

A user (Requester) submits a CASE. A member of the Dispatch Group
(Dispatcher) assigns the CASE to a member of the Support Group
(Assignee). The Assignee works with the Requester (through emails that
are logged in that CASE’s record) to define a SOLUTION. The SOLUTION may
be an existing SOLUTION that the Assignee first proposes for and then
associates with that CASE or it may be a new SOLUTION that the Assignee
creates. Any new SOLUTION must be approved by a member of the Management
Group (Manager) before it becomes public. A public SOLUTION is included
in the knowledge base that can be searched by a user in an attempt to
resolve his problem without submitting a CASE.

A SOLUTION that requires a fix/change in the software is associated with
a CHANGE REQUEST. The CHANGE REQUEST is submitted by the Assignee and
the Manager assigns the CHANGE REQUEST to a member of the Development
Group (Developer). The Developer makes the necessary changes. Upon
release, the SOLUTION is updated and all Requesters for CASES associated
with that SOLUTION are notified of the new release.

If you know of any open source software that could help us implement
this system, please let me know. Any help and/or suggestions is
appreciated.

Thank you,
Sylvie Platre
Systems Engineer
Virtual Technology Corporation





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