FCT Refresher: Getting the Support You Need By: Lauren Stanisic

Background: When We Need Help In our day-to-day work, we are in an IT environment and need to use many different technologies in order to do our job. Sometimes, those technologies do not behave as we expect, they experience errors, or they do not have the capacity to provide everything we need.

Background: When We Need Help As a result, it is part of our job to be self- starters, and work through these roadblocks. This involves navigating through several different channels to get the help we need. It is up to each of us as individuals to take responsibility for this task. Remember the example that Ada has set for us.

Background: When We Need Help So, when we are in this situation, we have to … 1.Research Existing Documentation 2.Troubleshoot Errors & Solutions 3.Ask Questions to Peers & Experts 4.Tickets – Request Bug Fixes – Request New Features

Step 1: Research Documentation If you are experiencing an issue, the first step is always to: a)research existing documentation, and b)try and learn from existing examples

Research Documentation, cont’d A) Research Existing Documentation: – OpenMRS and Ampath both have a wealth of information posted to their respective wiki sites The wikis are organized by topic, such as “HTML Form Entry” or “Concept Dictionary” – Outside websites may have information, as well (Google search error messages being received). – Gather all available information.

Research Documentation, cont’d When to use OpenMRS wiki, and when to use Ampath wiki?  TIP: It’s helpful to always check both the Ampath & the OpenMRS wiki!

Research Documentation, cont’d B) Learn from Existing Examples: – Many times, people have encountered the same issue as you, and figured it out. We can learn from what they’ve done. – Survey existing examples to see if you can find an illustration of what it is that you need to do. This includes Ampath Forms, samples on the OpenMRS wiki, examples in the OpenMRS demo server, etc.

Step 2: Troubleshoot Errors & Solutions It’s always best to first try and fix the error, on your own. So, once you’ve researched all documentation, use critical thinking to try and troubleshoot the problem.

Troubleshoot Errors & Solutions, cont’d Apply any potential fixes that were found through your research. Check all the different properties of the items to identify possible issues.

Troubleshoot Errors & Solutions, cont’d Undo any special validations/rules that you have applied, to see if that is the cause. Keep track of what you are doing, and document solutions.

Step 3: Ask Questions Sometimes, despite all of our hard work trying to resolve an error on our own, we cannot find the solution. At this time, we should reach out to others to try and resolve the problem. We have several different options to ask questions to peers and experts.

Ask Questions, cont’d IRC: – The IRC is a chat room where many OpenMRS developers and implementers are available for discussion. – This is a good option for finding someone to get immediate attention. You can simply log in and begin to chat. – For example, asking Daniel a question related to Xforms.

Ask Questions, cont’d FCT List-Serv: – Our team’s list-serv is also a great resource. – Great for asking feedback on a specific topic or issue for which our team members have expertise. – Great for bringing a general issue or topic to the group for discussion, if necessary.

Ask Questions, cont’d OMRS Impmenter’s List-Serv: – This list serv is sent to all OMRS implementers. – Great for getting advice on best and common practices, advice, feedback, etc. – Many implementers do the same work as us, and have great experience and wisdom. This is an excellent way to connect with that community of people.

Ask Questions, cont’d OMRS Developer’s List-Serv: – This list serv is sent to all OMRS developers. – Intended to be used for technical questions, related to design and development troubleshooting.

Ask Questions, cont’d Ampath Support List-Serv: – This list is sent to Ampath IT Staff. – Can be used to report issues or ask questions related to AMRS. – Can also be used to “file a ticket” for AMRS support.

Ask Questions, cont’d OpenMRS Implementer’s Forums – Q&A Sessions – Topics of Interest OpenMRS Developer’s Forums Ampath Calls – Especially important for communicating delays & roadblocks experienced by FCT

Step 4: Filing Tickets Sometimes, after going through these steps, we learn that the error or issue we’re experiencing is a bug or a new feature. At this point, we file a ticket.

Request Bug Fix Clear communication is very important. In your ticket, you should: 1.Detail the steps taken before the error occurred. 2.Provide stack trace, images/screen shots, the error message, and any other possible information. 3.Detail exactly how the feature should be behaving and how it is currently behaving.

Request New Features Again, clear communication is very important. In your ticket, you should: 1.Detail exactly what it is that you need. 2.Provide detailed descriptions, examples and, if possible, mock-ups of what you would like. 3.Attach any images you can provide to support your request.

Recap Any questions on steps 1-4? 1.Research Existing Documentation 2.Troubleshoot Errors & Solutions 3.Ask Questions to Peers & Experts 4.Tickets Request Bug Fixes Request New Features

Now that we have consensus on the steps we need to take in order to get the help we need, let’s take a look at the details of filing tickets…

Filing Tickets 101 Do not be bashful about filing a ticket. It’s the best way for implementers, like us, to communicate our needs to the developers. It can be confusing, but just do your best. If anything needs to be edited, we can do that after the ticket has been filed.

Filing Tickets 101, cont’d To file a ticket, navigate to the Jira site, and select “create issue”

Filing Tickets 101, cont’d Next step is to select the “project” which this ticket should be filed under Common projects include: – OpenMRS Trunk (main core/code base) – Xforms Module – HTML Form Entry – Form Entry Module

Filing Tickets 101, cont’d Next step is to select the “Issue Type” which should be assigned to this ticket

Filing Tickets 101, cont’d Summary: Where to put the “title” or “header” for your issue Description: Where to put the complete description of your issues, and other supporting information Label: Allows us to apply a label to the ticket, such as “Ampath-form” so that others can know we are interested in this ticket.

Tips for Filing Tickets, cont’d Once our ticket is filed, we become the “point person” for information. Be an active communicator. – Makes it much more likely we are to have our ticket quickly moved to completion Share your tickets with others, and encourage them to vote!

Tips for Filing Tickets, cont’d  TIP: Respond quickly and clearly! We get the best response from developers when we reply to them immediately. If not, they often forget us and move one to other tasks. This is the reality.

Tips for Filing Tickets, cont’d  TIP: Just go for it! Another reminder, don’t be afraid to make a mistake! If a ticket is filed incorrectly, we simply edit it to reflect the proper information. It’s OK The most important thing is that our need is communicated!

Tips for Filing Tickets, cont’d  TIP: Push, push, push! We have to be our own advocates. If things are ignored or delayed, we can raise those issues to key persons and/or leadership.

Take-Home Message: This is a critical part of our job! It’s up to us to file tickets, perform follow-up, communicate well, be persistent in order to get the support we need to do our job. It’s our duty as FCT members. If it doesn’t happen, we only have ourselves to blame!

Any Questions? Anything I have missed? Please see the “Cheat Sheet” for an outline of all the resources we discussed today, and their web links.