Keeping track of issues that occur within your system can be a lifesaver. The software for doing this is commonly referred to as an issue tracker. There are plenty of issue trackers out there to choose from; some are open source and free, some are fee-based commercial but are products. At GISinc, all of our teams use an enterprise issue tracker, and it is downright indispensable for our team. Some reasons to consider using an issue tracker include the following:
- Accountability: With issues logged over time, you have a record of what you have been dealing with and spending your time on.
- Historical reference: Logging issues consistently and with details gives you a reference to look back through. This could, quite possibly, be the most important reason to have an issue tracker. I can't tell you how many times I've had an issue come up, only to ask myself Haven't we seen this before?. I search through the issue tracker for the error code or message, and sure enough, there's a...