Has your team ever complained about the confusing issue submission form?

Have you had to alter how you’d like to handle certain issues due to the constraints of your software?

Do you have an issue tracking solution for facilities, software development, IT, HR, product management, and your help desks?

There are many issue tracking solutions available, but most are designed specifically to work within a certain department or group. For example, software development has a host of industry-specific solutions. These solutions can be tweaked or modified to marginally work for other teams, but inherent limitations persist due to the software’s designs.

IssueNet was developed with an object-oriented architecture that allows teams to completely customize all facets of the software to meet their specific needs. The options are endless and quite exciting when you consider the opportunities. For example, each issue type can have its own form, workflow, users, and notifications. Additionally, a single database can be used between all the solutions to allow better communication between teams, making implementation quicker and easier. Take a look at what an object oriented issue tracking can do for you! http://www.elsitech.com

As a non-programmer but with years spent working with teams designing and developing software products across several industries it always amazes me at how people look at the outward appearance of software differently.  The graphical user interface (GUI) is always a point of interesting conflict and would probably rival most United Nations meetings on how much people disagree about the look, feel, and functionality.

We are working on a new integration into Microsoft Outlook and had a design meeting today where we sat around and discussed how the solution should look and feel.  When we came to the part on user interface, more specifically, the outward facing portion there was quite a few points of debate.  The two primary points were that software integrations should be completely embedded and only really visible at the point they are required.  The other is that there are certain levels of customer expectations to have the availability to features like toolbars in Windows products after the installation.

So, should software integration for a Microsoft office product, be completely embedded and basically hidden until the point the user requires that functionality?  Or should the software be a bit more obtrusive and sort of hang around in the toolbar all the time so that you know where to go and get it when you’re ready? 

Explanations from both groups:

Software hidden – If software is designed properly then there is no need for an obtrusive toolbar.  Especially when integrating into another product it should just work when required and only be visible when necessary.  A toolbar should only be necessary if that is the best way for the user to access the functionality.

Software visible – When people install a new piece of software there are expectations that the software is out and visible upon installation.  Yes over time as people become more comfortable with the application they may choose to hide or remove certain functionality like a toolbar.  But for marketing and customer expectations software should be as visible as possible during the initial installation.

What do you think?

What is ScreenConnect?

ScreenConnect is the upcoming remote assistance/screen sharing product from Elsinore Technologies.  The product is a slim and effective remote assistance product that is easily self-hosted and will be priced to disrupt the current marketplace.  The product is targeted at both customer support operations, as well as internal employee desktop support. 

ScreenConnect Applications

1. Remote Technical Assistance
2. Help Desk 1 to 1 Support
3. Screen-sharing Presentations
4. Product Technical Support
5. Ad-hoc Screensharing

How does ScreenConnect work?

ScreenConnect is hosted in your own environment.  All operations are browser-based.  Individuals needing support are provided a link by a technician in order to initiate a session.  Once accepted a straightforward screen sharing session where the technician is granted remote control is initiated. 

Is ScreenConnect part of IssueNet?

ScreenConnect is not a part of IssueNet.  It is a separate product with a completely separate code base.  However, Elsinore Technologies will be providing ScreenConnect free of charge to all IssueNet customers on active support and maintenance!  We appreciate our loyal customers and want to put this valuable tool in their hands as soon as possible.  This should allow many of our customers to discontinue monthly subscriptions to services like GoToAssist and Webex, saving several thousand dollars a year for their departments.

ScreenConnect is an extremely complimentary product to IssueNet.  IssueNet is widely used by customer support departments and help desks for computer software - the same place that remote support/screen sharing tools are typically found.

When can I start using ScreenConnect?

ScreenConnect is NOW available as a Technical Preview release.  This is a fully functioning release that we are actively using internally at Elsinore.  It is not a final commerical release, so there are still bugs to be resolved and features to polish, but we are very excited about the current state of the product.  To receive a copy of the technical preview release please contact sean.white@elsitech.com . 

The official commerical release will go live in Q1 2009.  An exact date has not yet been set. 

ScreenConnect Mentions/Articles

ScreenConnect Remote Assistance - Tech Preview Available - 11/18/2008

ScreenConnect Remote Assistance Product Announced - 10/17/2008

One of the key strengths of IssueNet is the capability of multiple distinct and even custom issue types to exist in the same database.  Allowing that level of diversity requires several housekeeping functions to keep things organized and easy to find. 

A new feature introduced in IssueNet 5.1, "Sequence Number Inheritance", allows different issue types to pull their unique ID numbers from a common pool.  The default behavior prior to this addition was to assign the ID number based on the issue class, so you could have DEFECT 1, SUPPORT TICKET 1, and OPERATIONS ISSUE 1.  With the new setting these would not share an identical numeral.  For more on this feature and how to best apply it to an existing database, please see our Tech Tip on the subject. 

Sequence Number Inheritance Tech Tip

This announcement has been covered in several other mediums over on elsitech.com and through the official press release, but I did want to cover it at least briefly over here on blogs.elsitech.com.

Relevant Links:

• Elsinore Technologies Release Version 5.0 of IssueNet Enterprise Issue Management Software - Elsitech.com
• Official Press Release on PRWEB
• IssueNet 5.0 Release Notes
• Download IssueNet 5.0 from support.elsitech.com
• IssueNet 5.0 Online Demo Environment
• Live Webinar Sign-Up Form

We're certainly excited to have this release completed and available to the users. As a reminder, both major and minor releases are freely available for download to IssueNet customers on active support and maintenance. (Does not apply to VI to IssueNet upgrades.) The 5.0 release can be downloaded from support.elsitech.com.

Congratulations IssueNet for reaching the big five-O!

Jake Morgan recently submitted an article to Codeproject.com detailing how to deploy zip files to a web application and serve uncompressed files directly out of the zip file. We use this technique on Elsitech.com for our Developer Labs section. The full Codeproject.com article contains implementation discussion and the sample code needed.

From the article:

The ZipEntryHandler enumerates and serves files out of static zip files deployed in your web space. The handler is implemented as a simple ASP.NET IHttpHandler deployed with a code file in the App_Code directory on your website and configured with a line in the web.config file. The handler is very useful for several purposes:

• Serving otherwise prohibited files - Code files with extensions that have special meaning to the web application ("cs", "vb", "aspx") can be served statically.
• Storage Space - Very compressible content often consumes large amounts of web space. This handler allows content to be stored compressed without special access to the file system on a web server.
• Maintainability - Often a zip file and the contents of the zip file should both be downloadable and browsable. This pattern allows solely the zip file to be deployed without having to synchronize other downloads.

As the developers of IssueNet, we are often asked how we use the product internally. There are two answers to that question, the operational answer and the practical day-to-day answer. Operationally we use IssueNet for many core functions: software defect tracking, external customer support, internal IT help desk, CRM, and miscellaneous issue tracking. But what people are usually asking is: in the practical course of our days, how do we interface with the system most? It varies some from department to department, but our favorite interface is the Microsoft Outlook integration.

Let's face it, these days, we all spend a great deal of time in our email, so working directly in that environment makes us more productive. How you might ask?

• IssueNet integration to Microsoft Outlook is achieved via an unobtrusive toolbar
• Quick access to creating all types of issues and viewing existing issues and tasks
• Special functionality to easily create issues from mail messages and append messages to existing issues.

The ability to quickly create issues from email messages is extremely important, because invariably, most issues are first reported through email. The quick ability to turn those random emails into trackable, actionable issues in the issue management system means less issues fall through the cracks.

We love the integration because it is easy to use on a daily basis, but that ease of use also serves a very important role in user acceptance during a new deployment. Making issue tracking available via the user's email application dramatically increases uptake for new deployments. Email clients are typically open all day so elminating the need to launch a separate application or browser tightly integrates IssueNet into the daily routine. All this adds up to an easy, low-overhead way to manage issues.

Additional Information on Outlook Integration

• Short Video Demonstration (Elsitech.com How-To Videos Section - Video titled: "Workspace Integration to Microsoft Outlook")
• Detailed Feature-by-Feature Documentation of Outlook Integration (help.elsitech.com)

Elsinore is pleased to announce that the Beta period for the upcoming 5.0 release of IssueNet is now open. The open Beta period runs until June 9, 2008, when IssueNet 5.0 will be officially released.

As detailed in last month's preview article for the upcoming release, the focus has been on improvements and simplifications over "checkbox" feature adding. The most visible changes in IssueNet 5.0 are to the toolbars and standard views - creating a familiar MS Outlook-style view. Simplifications to certain aspects of workflow and notifications have been implemented based on specific user feedback, while updates to the main solutions reflect our continued commitment to provide best practice configurations out-of-box. The full release notes are available here.

Eligibility and Sign-Up

The IssueNet 5.0 beta program is open to all IssueNet customers with current support and maintenance. If you are interested in participating in the beta program, please contact Elsinore support . If you need to confirm whether you have active support and maintenance, please contact sales@elsitech.com. Elsinore also runs a regular live webinar schedule, which allows a full look at the new release in an hour.

Elsinore is pleased to announce that the second quarter of 2008 will see the release of IssueNet 5.0! With the 5.0 release, we have placed a dedicated focus on improvements and simplifications, while resisting the temptation to simply tack on features.

Major IssueNet 5.0 Improvements

1. UI Overhaul - Toolbars and Preview Pane
2. Workflow and Notifications
3. Wiki-based Web Help System
4. Updates to the Intercept, Assist, and Oversight Solutions

The main emphasis has been on distilling and perfecting core parts of the user experience over “checkbox” feature adding.  IssueNet is an extremely powerful product and has only become more so over the 2 years since it replaced Visual Intercept as the flagship.  Simplifying the user experience to best facilitate the use of all that power represents the essense of the 5.0 release.  We certainly kept the dreaded "Featuritis" curve in mind with this one:

The most visible changes in IssueNet 5.0 are to the toolbars and standard views - creating a familar MS Outlook-style view. Simplifications to certain aspects of workflow and notifications have been implemented based on specific user feedback, while updates to the main solutions reflect our continued commitment to provide best practice configurations out-of-box. 

Stay tuned to this space and www.elsitech.com for the official beta schedule, release date, screenshots, and comprehensive release notes!

Version 4.8 of IssueNet is now available for download through support.elsitech.com by all customers with active support and maintenance. This is a relatively light release that focuses on bug fixes and improvements to drag and drop capabilities on forms. Full details can be found in the Release Notes on elsitech.com. As you may have noticed, we have picked up the pace on releases, with two in the last two months, and three over the past five months. This is a result of two factors:

1. A commitment to quickly addressing any pain points encountered by users
2. The shift to a more agile approach in our own development process

The Elsinore product team is committed to this more frequent release cycle, as we feel it ultimately raises the quality of the product and incorporates customer feedback at a more rapid rate.