In a previous blog, I had mentioned my intention to build a Work Order system for Housing & Dining. The idea was proposed to take this new system and combine it with two existing systems – the UCS Service Request Line Helpdesk application and the Landers Computer Lab Helpdesk application (which a student work of mine wrote a few years back…).
At first I was quite confused, as ‘fixing toilets’ seemed to have little to do with a student checking a computer in to the lab to have a virus removed, or a professor needing help with their computer. I was having a hard time seeing the inter-mingling, but after a few lessons in stepping back, and seeing the big picture, I finally began to understand why the 3 systems could be combined into 1 new large system.
Anyway, long dramatic story short, the compromise has been made to leave the Work Order System as a separate system – but continuing with the idea to combine both Helpdesks. After more thought I really think that combining the two helpdesks is smart – for many reasons that I won’t list here. And I got a lesson in taking a step back (or for me, 4 steps).
This is gonna work out well – especially since Alex has a new CSS (stylesheet) already for the new project, and he really knows the ins and outs of the current UCS helpdesk – so redesigning and rewriting one system to do the job of both should be easier than average – especially with the two of us working on it together.