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by Ron Schwarz
Elsinore Technologies' Visual Intercept is a project-oriented, three-tier, enterprise-level, incident-management system designed specifically for Microsoft developers. The package lets you track bugs, feature requests, support calls, and other incidents, as well as organize all your incidents, contacts, accounts, and projects in a hierarchy.
This is an ambitious product. Basic installation is fairly quick and painless, but if you want to integrate Visual SourceSafe or use a heavier-duty database than the prebuilt Access database, you'll have to do more work. Besides tracking incidents such as bugs, feature requests, and deadlines, this extensive system lets you create reports, send notifications, and import and export data.
Manage the Process
The tool features several tools: the Administrator, the Manager, the Notification program, the Wizard, and the IDE toolbar (if you've integrated it with Visual Basic or Visual Studio). The Administrator manages groups and users, while the Manager is the main Visual Intercept browser, where you create and maintain incidents, create reports, and import and export data. The Wizard automates creating new project frameworks, and the IDE toolbar lets you access most of the management functions from within your application as you work on it. Visual Intercept uses an open back-end database, so you can use whatever database technology you need.
Each incident has four key attributes: Status (New, Open, Closed . . .), Priority (High, Low . . .), Severity (Annoying, Crash . . .), and Category (Design flaw, Cosmetic . . .). You can extend Visual Intercept, if necessary, by purchasing remote-client software, which lets end users submit incidents into the system directly. You can also purchase an SDK if you'd like to extend the system yourself.
Visual Intercept has great power, flexibility, and scalability. The bigger the project, the more you'll benefit from it. However, successfully deploying it requires a commitment from everyone in your organization. You'll encounter a steep learning curve, and you'll likely run into some initial resistance from front-line staff satisfied with sticky notes and voice mail.
Ron Schwarz works out of his rural home on a five-acre minifarm on the west coast of Michigan. He welcomes your comments at .
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