Chapter 3: Helpdesk Overview
Work Items
Altiris Helpdesk Solution User Guide
25
Work Items
A work item defines a task to be performed. Work items are created by workers in the worker
console, by users via the self-help console or by events passed from Notification Server to Helpdesk.
Administrators can allow users to create work items themselves by providing an appropriate the
URL and access to a user console.
A work item is assigned to either a worker or a queue. Work item routing rules are applied to
determine which worker or queue will be assigned a given work item whenever a work item is
created or modified. Workers can use the
Retrieve
command to retrieve work items with the earliest
creation date from their assigned queue. Additionally, workers can find work items by generating
queries in the
Work item queries page
,
and the
Find work items page.
Note
The
Retrieve
command retrieves work items based on settings selected in the
workers
preferences
section in the
Admin console
.
A work item may be a current issue to be solved or a task planned to be done in the future. A planned
work item is given a start date and a due date. The date and time information is used to determine
Service Level Agreements, worker schedules, and the elapsed time to completion.
See Also
•
“New Work Item
” on page 50
Assets
Assets are real devices such as computers, printers, phones, or furniture that are identified as unique
objects in the database. Assets can be associated with work items and contacts.
For example, if an end user reports a problem printing to a network printer, a worker has the option
of associating that printer with the work item. Associating assets with work items is important when
running reports detailing machine/object history. This allows administrators to run reports based on
specific hardware devices and associated costs.
Asset information includes the following:
•
Name
•
Type
•
Computer
•
Printer
•
Phone
•
Modem
•
Network Port
•
Document
•
Application
•
Other
•
External ID
•
Location
•
Manufacturer
•
Model
•
Serial #
•
Asset Tag
•
OS (Operating System)
•
IP Address
•
Organization
•
Comment
•
Asset is either active or not active
