[Zope] Couple PerfectTracker and Zope?

Loren Stafford lstafford@morphics.com
Fri, 16 Mar 2001 18:00:42 -0800


On our Intranet we use Avensoft Perfect Tracker (http://www.avensoft.com/)
for incident tracking, such as IT HelpDesk requests, new-hire set-up
requests, purchase requisition tracking, etc.

I'm starting to develop a Zope class that makes it easy for other Zope
applications to initiate and track incidents thru Perfect Tracker (PT),
using email and possibly RPC as the interface. The class would, of course,
hide the email-, RPC-, and PT-specific stuff from the application. I guess
you could think of it as an async tracker adaptor.

Not wanting to reinvent the wheel, I just have to ask: Is anyone doing
anything similar?

Is anyone interested in seeing this developed into a Zope product?

Here's how the product might be used:

Let's say, an applicant accepts an employment offer. The HR department sets
up a new employee record, including start date, using a Zope-based form
application. Zope then sends an email to the facility manager asking for an
office assignment. When the facility manager assigns an office, Zope sends
an email to the new-hire's manager, telling him to visit the Intranet and
fill in the new-hire's computer and office requirements. When the manager
has done so, Zope initiates two incidents in PT, one for the IT department
and one for the facilies department, sending the manager's inputs as
attachments. When these incidents are resolved and the resolution message is
sent back to Zope, Zope sends an email to the manager saying all is ready
for the new employee. If any incident hasn't been resolved before the
new-hire's start date, Zope send emails to the appropiate parties (and to
PT) escalating the incidents.

Why not ZTracker? PerfectTracker is already entrenched.

-- Loren