Table of Contents
OBS RT Tickets Guidelines
Ticket Interactions
Reviewing RT Queues
Each RT Queue should be reviewed every 2-3 business days to identify new and open tickets.
Ticket Ownership
Tickets should be assigned/taken within 2-3 business day of their submission.
- Taking a ticket. Any member of the Observatory is that’s able to act on tickets should claim “ownership” of a ticket if and only if they are able to work substantively on that ticket.
- Assigning a ticket. Coordinators can also assign tickets directly to specific members of the Observatory
- Stealing a ticket. Perhaps if the original owner is not available or otherwise unable to answer the ticket in the timeframe described in this document, it is appropriate for a member of the observatory to “steal” ownership of a ticket.
Stalling Tickets
Tickets can be “stalled” if:
- The ticket “depends on” another ticket
- Additional information has been requested
Resolving Tickets
Tickets can be “resolved” if:
- “open” or “new” ticket. The original issue has been fully addressed, and the requester has been notified. Ensure there is a record of both in the ticket.
- “stalled” ticket. Additional information was requested, but there has been no response for at least four business days. Explain this and ask the questions again when resolving the ticket.
Responses and Timing
- Initial Contact (New/Transferred Tickets): Within 2 business days, notify the requestor. Confirm that it’s in the right RT queue, clarify the request, ask necessary questions, and assign/take the ticket.
- Resolution: While there is no timeline on a ticket resolution, be mindful of ticket correspondence becoming circular or not being constructive. Discuss with your Coordinator on the best way to proceed in these cases, maybe a synchronous meeting or another type of communication is warranted.
- Updates: The Observatory should act on a ticket at least every two business days, unless discussed with a supervisor. This can be substantive work or a simple “We’re still working on this” message, so long as such messages are accompanied by an estimated resolution time or next steps.
Ticket Information and Messages
- Any substantial time or effort spent on tickets should be documented in the ticket
- Strive for concise, clear communication. Remember that many faculty/staff/students are not native English speakers. Avoid idiomatic phrases and complicated sentences when possible. The clearer we communicate, the faster we can work to a meaningful resolution.
RT Queue
The RT Queue is how all issues within the observatory are tracked. If something is ever not working or is having issues a ticket for it should be created in RT Queue
How to Use RT Queue
- Go to https://rt.umbc.edu/
- Log into your UMBC account
- Click the “Create new ticket” button in the top right
- Under “Basics” select “Queue” and set it to “CSST-Observatory”
- Under “Create a new ticket in CSST-Observatory” in “Subject” write a short quick description of problem, then under it in thelarge text box write a full description of the problem
- The description should include as much information as possible including what happened before the problem occurred and screenshots or pictures if applicable
