Introduction
This knowledge base article is designed to guide Purdue IT workers on the best practices for using ticket tasks effectively. The aim is to ensure clear communication, efficient task management, and accurate documentation throughout the ticket lifecycle.
Details
Adding a Task vs. Reassigning a Ticket
Tickets should be assigned to the group that owns responsibility for the request/incident. Tasks are used to engage other people or groups as needed.
Reassigning a ticket gets it to the correct owner. For example, a ticket comes into group A for fixing the widget. Group B, however, is the group that fixes the widget. This ticket gets reassigned to group B. The ticket is transferred to the right team that owns the overall issue.
Assigning a task brings in people or groups who need to work on some aspect or component of the overall request, even though these people or groups do not own the overall request. For example, a ticket comes in for fixing the entire widget factory. This ticket gets assigned to whoever owns the overall widget factory. In this case, it belongs to group C. One of the necessary parts of fixing the widget factory is to fix the widget machine. A ticket task is therefore created for group B to fix the widget machine.
Creating and Assigning Tasks
When adding a task, assign it to the relevant group and clearly describe the question or action required in the task description.
Do not leave the Responsible field of task blank; this will assign the task to Service Desk, who are unable to route tasks to the correct group.
If you do not know who the task should be assigned to: create a new ticket, send it to the Service Desk, and ask which group is responsible for those tasks.
Communication
Direct communication related to a task should be conducted by updating the task and adding comments. This ensures all communication is centralized and traceable.
Task Completion and Documentation
The group assigned to a task is responsible for documenting the work completed or providing answers within the task. Once completed, update the task's completion percentage to 100% and notify the responsible party of the parent ticket.
Verification and Re-Opening Tasks
The responsible party of the parent ticket should verify the task completion. If the task needs to be re-opened, update the completion percentage to less than 100%, add a comment detailing the reason, and notify the assigned individual.
If a task is not completed, the best practice is to communicate directly with the group assigned to the task by updating the task and adding a comment. If the task remains incomplete, the responsible party of the parent ticket can verify the completion status and has the authority to reopen the task if necessary. It may be beneficial to review the process with the team to identify any underlying problems and implement solutions to improve task management.