This article provides a high-level, general implementation plan for Issuetrak, including installation and configuration. Every installation varies and may not directly follow this guideline.
1. Communications
Time Frame: 1 - 2 days
After purchasing Issuetrak, you’ll receive a series of emails. The information varies depending on your chosen deployment option.
Issuetrak Instructions for Cloud Customers – This message contains your next steps, including what to expect and basic contact information.
Issuetrak Download Instructions for On-Premises Customers – This message contains links to the documentation, Issuetrak installation zip file, and your Issuetrak Site ID. It also contains additional information explaining the next steps and basic contact information.
Scheduling your Professional Services Training – You will receive an email with a link to schedule your Implementation training. Simply select a date and time that works best for you! You will want to have access to your cloud site or have installed Issuetrak on your servers before scheduling. If you purchased onsite training along with or in place of your Implementation, you should determine a tentative date for the Issuetrak trainers to be at your location.
Please save the information from these emails to a safe location for future reference.
2. Install Software
Time Frame: 1 hour - 1 day
On-Premises Customers
Customers installing Issuetrak on their servers will need to:
- Identify the hosting IIS server and SQL server. Please verify any prerequisites or system requirements. We provide an optional utility to assist you with this.
- Access your download instructions email, which contains installation files and the Site ID needed during your installation process. Please save this to a secure location for future reference.
- Install the software using the installation files. The installation utility walks through creating a User ID and password to access your newly created site.
Cloud Customers
There is no installation required for customers hosting Issuetrak on our cloud servers. A link to access your site and login credentials will be emailed to you.
Contact Support
If you are unable to connect or open the Issuetrak site, or you would like assistance performing the installation, please contact the Support Team by email at support@issuetrak.com or call 757-213-1351. The Support Team can also assist with the setup of incoming email, outgoing email, or linking the Active Directory module. They will assist in getting basic information in place and ready for configuration.
3. Gather data / Get Started
Time Frame: 1 - 3 days
Initial Site Review
Log into Issuetrak the first time, click through the menus, and take a look around. Become familiar with the layout and the way the site works. If you have any problems or concerns, contact Support immediately.
Before meeting with Professional Services, you can start going through the Settings Lightbox, focusing on the System submenu. Reference the product documentation on any specific page by using the help icon in the top bar.
Prepare for Your Professional Services Training
Use the Scheduling email to reserve your spot for your Implementation session. If you purchased onsite training, you can set up a time to discuss your goals and timeline with your Issuetrak trainer during your Implementation session. Before meeting with Professional Services, think about the following:
- Who will your administrators be? These are the users that should attend the training to learn how to set up and configure the software. They will also decide what options and features are enabled.
- What types of Issues will you be logging? Think about what your Issue Categories need to be.
- How do you want Issuetrak to represent your users or customers in the site so that you can control their access and then report properly once issues are logged?
- Be prepared to discuss your business use case with the Issuetrak trainer. Provide them with any documentation, process maps, or specifics that you feel will help prepare for your sessions or set up your Issuetrak site.
4. Configuration with Professional Services
If you purchased onsite training in place of or with an Implementation session, then a general training itinerary is used. Before your on-site training, you will be contacted by your assigned trainer. They will confer with you to discuss your specific needs. A training outline and list of deliverables will be provided to you. If your onsite training is in conjunction with an Implementation session, you can schedule the Implementation training using a web session first. You can then use your onsite time to get into more details of the configuration, including in-depth consultation to map your business practices or train your users.
Implementation Training – these training sessions are scheduled as needed to assist you in configuring your site and training your Administrator User or Users.
Implementation Session One – Begins with a discussion on how you want Issuetrak to work for you. The Professional Service trainers will use this information to develop instructions for the setup and configuration of your site. This session covers:
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Entities – Includes Organizations, Users, and Groups. It may include optional Departments and Locations. Your Trainer will help you decide how to use each entity to organize and report on your issues. Getting this right gives you a strong foundation moving forward.
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Issue Types – Provides the categorization needed to organize your Issue records.
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System Settings – Reviews each page, making sure one-time settings are accurate and all necessary features and optional fields are enabled to make Issuetrak more powerful. Highlights System Colors, Site ID, and Hours of Operation.
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Issue Notification – Reviews outbound system notifications and emails sent by role and event.
At the end of this session, you may be assigned homework by your Trainer to gather and enter information into areas of the site. This information will allow you to test the system as you become more familiar with Issuetrak.
Additional Sessions - Your trainer will schedule additional sessions as required to complete your site setup and training. They normally begin with questions and follow-up from the previous session. Once your Trainer responds to any concerns or questions, he or she will discuss the advanced features of Issuetrak. Once configured, these features are used to provide automation and better control of your processes. The trainer will discuss the following items if needed in your site:
- Auto-Assignments
- Workflows
- Issue Templates
- Scheduled Issues
- Purchased Modules (such as Active Directory, Asset Management, Incoming Email)
- Calendar
- Knowledge Base
- Reporting
5. Testing and Documentation
Time Frame: 1 - 2 weeks
After the setup and configuration are completed, a normal testing period usually begins. This allows for testing your configuration, email, and user permissions. As testing progresses, begin to develop the training materials needed to introduce Issuetrak to your user base.
Formal end-user training is normally conducted by your staff and focuses on your specifics of Issuetrak. If you prefer to have the Professional Services Team involved in end-user training, discuss the options with your salesperson.
It’s recommended to roll out only to a small group of users after the initial training phase is completed. This allows you to implement Issuetrak in a controlled environment, sharpen procedures, and manipulate configuration data to best achieve your goals. If needed, contact the Support Team for assistance.
6. Final Release
Total Implementation Time: 11 - 26 days
After testing and training are completed, the software can be released to all users. Some customers find it useful to set up a test site to conduct training and to provide a testbed for future upgrades to your Issuetrak software. This is allowed under your license agreement with Issuetrak. If you are a Cloud customer, you will need to request this from the Support Team. They can provide additional information about test sites.
After you have rolled out your Issuetrak site to your staff, our teams remain ready to provide any assistance you require. The Support Team handles any technical issues that come up, and the Professional Services Team can assist with any usage questions you need to address.
Support Resources
If you have any questions or would like the assistance of our product experts, please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions.
