ITtickets

IT tickets, often referred to simply as IT tickets, are records in an information technology service management (ITSM) system used to track reported issues, service requests, or tasks within an organization. They serve to document, assign, monitor, and resolve problems while maintaining an auditable history and supporting service level agreements (SLAs).

Tickets are typically created by users through a self-service portal, email, phone, or chat and are assigned a unique identifier. A ticket includes metadata such as requester contact details, category and subcategory, priority or impact, assignee, status, and a descriptive summary with resolution notes. The information collected supports routing, escalation, and reporting.

Lifecycle stages commonly include Open, In Progress, On Hold, Resolved, and Closed, with updates logged as staff work on the issue or request. Tickets progress through workflows that may involve assignment to specialists, technical tasks, approvals, and validation before closure. There is often a distinction between incident tickets (unplanned interruptions), service requests (routine needs like access or hardware), problems (root cause analysis), and change requests (modifications to the environment).

Key fields typically tracked are ticket ID, requester, title or summary, description, category, priority, status, assignee, SLA, and resolution notes, plus audit trails and activity history. ITSM platforms such as ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, Freshdesk, Zendesk, and BMC Remedy are commonly used and may integrate with asset management, knowledge bases, and change management.

Benefits of IT tickets include improved accountability, faster resolution, standardized processes, and actionable historical data. Challenges can include ticket volume, data quality, duplicate entries, and privacy concerns. Best practices emphasize clear SLAs, consistent categorization, knowledge base use, automation of routine tasks, and regular workflow reviews. See also ITIL and incident management.