1.2. A Dissected Ticketing System

Before we get into typical applications, let's dissect a generic ticketing system into its component parts, by building a list of the things a typical ticketing system will do. You can use this list to decide whether or not you need a ticketing system.

These are the bones of a true ticketing system:

• Register an event or a ticket

• Assign an owner, or person responsible, to the ticket

• Assign additional interested parties to the ticket

• Track changes to the ticket

• Inform interested parties of these changes

• Launch activity based on ticket status and/or priority

• Report on status of one or more ticket(s) an overview

• Finish with, or close, the ticket

1.2.1. Deletions

Note the list doesn't include a "Delete this Ticket" mechanism, even when it is finished, or closed. This is because it is essential for any professional ticketing solution to show the status of a Thing once it's entered into the system and the entire history of how it is handled. You should be able to close a Thing, but not remove knowledge of it, or what happened to it, from the system. On the other hand, it is possible and sometimes even desirable to remove erroneous entries from the system such as duplicates or plain wrong entries. Deletion may be primarily a manual process, so that people will use it rarely. The prime intention here is to maintain a history of events and the current status, and never to lose it.

While your to do list, sticky notes on the refrigerator, or PDA may be a great personal ticketing system for simple lists of things to do, these tools are mediocre at best as a ticketing system for larger projects. Taking a numbered ticket at the supermarket before you can buy meat and cheese at the deli counter is another instance of a short-term but effective system. The same applies to the systems installed at railway stations and doctors' offices.

The concern here is not the short-term view, but the fully-functional system leveraging the power of a database to identify a Thing and follow the course of this Thing through a distinct process to an expected conclusion.