Overview

ProblemTracker will automatically send notification email when the following actions are performed on a problem record:

• Add
  
• Edit
  
• Delete
  
• Task
  
• Change of Status
  
• Change of Assignment

Additionally, you can assign a manager to each process state. This allows email notification to be sent to an individual that monitors or is responsible for a particular or set of process states.

Email configuration preferences are set on a per product basis, allowing custom behavior for each product under development by an organization. Such customization may be necessary to account for changes in the development process or project management personnel.

State Managers

You can assign a manager to each state. This user will be notified of events at they occur, independent of whether they are currently assigned to the problem record. For example, the manager in charge of QA will probably want notification as problem records are changed to a state named "To Be Tested", and also as it is assigned to individuals while it is in this state. By selecting the QA manager as the manager for this process state, he or she will receive the desired notification. State managers are assigned under the "Define Workflow" option of the ProblemTracker Administrator page.

Configuring Notification Rules

You can configure notification rules in the Set Default Email Preferences section. Alternatively, you can configure notification rules per-product by selecting a product from the pulldown menu in the section Set Email Preferences for Product, then clicking on the Set Email Preferences button.

In each of these sections, several default notification rules are provided. You can edit or delete these default rules. You can also create notification rules in addition to the defaults provided.

To edit an existing rule, click on the rule to highlight it, then click the Edit Notification button. The top row of pulldown menus will be updated with the values of the rule you selected to edit. Modify the values of the pulldown menus to choose the criteria you wish. You can select more than one choice for the user that receives the notification (the pulldown menu which follows "notify") by holding the CTRL button down on your keyboard as you click on the values you wish to select. Once you have modified the values, click on the Update Notification button. The rule will be added to the list.

To delete an existing rule, click on the rule to highlight it, then click on the Delete Notification button.

To add a new rule, click the Reset button so that the top row of pulldown menus return to their default values. Modify each pulldown menu such to select the values for your new notification rule. You can select more than one choice for the user that receives the notification (the pulldown menu which follows "notify") by holding the CTRL button down on your keyboard as you click on the values you wish to select. Once you have made your selections, click on the Add Notification button. On occasion, you may receive an error stating, "Rule already Exists. Please edit the existing rule to do the changes." This error indicates that there is a rule on the list which has the same action (value for the 1st pulldown on the left) as the rule you attempted to add.

Add Options

When an problem record is created, notification email can be sent to any of the following individuals and / or groups:

• Assignee
  The individual who is currently assigned to the record.
• Reporter
  The individual who reported the problem record.
• State Manager
  The manager assigned to the process state of the record when it is added.
• User Group
  The User Groups configured within your database will be listed. You can select any User Group(s) to receive notification when a record is added.

Edit Options

When a problem record is edited, notification email can be sent to any of the following individuals and / or groups:

• Assignee
  The individual who is currently assigned to the record.
• Assignee (new)
  The individual assigned to the record if the Assigned To field is changed during the Edit operation.
• Assignee (previous)
  The individual who was the previous assignee if the Assigned To field is changed during the Edit operation.
• Reporter
  The individual who reported the problem record.
• State Manager
  The manager assigned to the process state of the record when it is edited.
• State Manager (new)
  The manager assigned to the new process state of the record if the State field is changed during the Edit operation.
• State Manager (previous)
  The manager assigned to the previous process state of the record if the State field is changed during the Edit operation.
• User Group
  The User Groups configured within your database will be listed. You can select any User Group(s) to receive notification when a record is edited.

Delete Options

When a problem record is deleted, notification email can be sent to any of the following individuals and / or groups:

• Assignee
  The individual who is currently assigned to the record.
• Reporter
  The individual who reported the problem record.
• State Manager
  The manager assigned to the process state of the record when it is deleted.
• User Group
  The User Groups configured within your database will be listed. You can select any User Group(s) to receive notification when a record is deleted.

Task Options

When the Task operation is performed on a problem record, notification email can be sent to any of the following individuals and / or groups:

• Assignee
  The individual who is currently assigned to the record.
• Assignee (new)
  The individual assigned to the record if the Assigned To field is changed during the Task operation.
• Assignee (previous)
  The individual who was the previous assignee if the Assigned To field is changed during the Task operation.
• Reporter
  The individual who reported the problem record.
• State Manager
  The manager assigned to the process state of the record when the Task operation is performed.
• State Manager (new)
  The manager assigned to the new process state of the record if the State field is changed during the Task operation.
• State Manager (previous)
  The manager assigned to the previous process state of the record if the State field is changed during the Task operation.
• User Group
  The User Groups configured within your database will be listed. You can select any User Group(s) to receive notification when a record is edited.

Assignment Change Options

When a change of assignment occurs for a problem record, notification email can be sent to the following individuals and / or groups:

• Assignee (new)
  The individual the record is being assigned to.
• Assignee (previous)
  The individual the record was assigned to before the change of assignment.
• Reporter
  The individual who reported the problem record.
• State Manager
  The manager assigned to the current process state of the record.
• User Group
  The User Groups configured within your database will be listed. You can select any User Group(s) to receive notification when a record is edited.

State Change Options

When a change of state occurs for a problem record, notification email can be sent to the following individuals and / or groups:

• Assignee
  The individual who is currently assigned to the record.
• Reporter
  The individual who reported the problem record.
• State Manager (new)
  The manager assigned to the new process state.
• State Manager (previous)
  The manager assigned to the original process state.
• User Group
  The User Groups configured within your database will be listed. You can select any User Group(s) to receive notification when a record is edited.

You can establish multiple notification rules based on changes to particular states. Examples of notification rules that can be used simultaneously based on various changes of the status field:

• When the status of a record is changed to the Closed state, the Reporter, the previous State Manager, and the new State Manager are notified.
• When the status of a record is changed to Fixed, the Reporter, the new State Manager, and the Managers user group are notified.

Please note that these are just examples of the many combinations that are possible to establish notification rules for a change in state.