Student support system: IIT Kgp

#this post is created as a requirement for Assignment # 2 Implement and Deploy a Business Application which is due on 20th October 2012, MIS Course, VGSoM Batch of 2014, Autumn Semester.
#screenshots have been added to aid the user or the evaluator



Business Problem:

Creating a support system for students of IIT Kharagpur where they can raise tickets which will go to the concerned authorities for solving.

Software Evaluated:

Open web messenger
Dolibarr
OrangeHRM
Trellis Desk
osTicket
HESK

Why did you select the particular software:

I started my project with a child's sense of curiosity, I wanted to evaluate a number of software packages, even If they didn't look much towards solving my problem.

Problem Faced: The X2 cpanel was allowing for at max 2 project installation at a time in the free version so had to delete the data for the evaluated softwares after testing them out.

Experience with other Softwares:

Open web Messenger: It is a live chat software, whereas I wanted a system in which messages can be sent by students and can be seen by admins at a later point also.

Dolibarr: Its a very detailed software package, in which several modules can be added and also third party contacts can be managed, it was way too detailed for a simple problem that I wanted to solve, I added a few modules in it but did not go beyond that.

OrangeHRM: Going by the name I was sure that it is not for the problem that I wanted to solve but wanted to explore an Human Resource Management software so installed it, It is a complete repository of all kinds of HR activities like Timesheet, applying leaves, recruitment mode etc.

Trellis Desk: Moved on to customer support systems to solve my problem, I first evaluated Trellis Desk, Its look and feel was good, but it was difficult to configure on admin perspective.

osTicket: It was a very simple ticket managing tool, but features such as category adding, extra fields in ticket requesting were missing, also it was giving some problems in sending the email with the error : #unable to load template.

HESK: finally I choose HESK because it suited all my requirements, It was simple to configure and it had knowledge bases and categories along with other things, it had these additional features.

1. One can create as many categories he wants.

2. Canned Response which allows you to pre create most responses and store them.

3. File attachments in queries and replies.

4. Knowledge Bases for storing related articles.

5. Anti-Spam checks.

6. Rating of articles.

7. Anti Spam check while submitting a ticket.

8. E-mail notifications for new tickets and responses.

9. Option of customising "Submit a Ticket" field.

10. Option to search your pre logged ticket.

11. Unlimited personal accounts for staff.

12. Simple interface for user and admin.

13. Auto closing of tickets after X days.

14. Assigning individual permissions to all users by admin.

15. Lets the admin see the reports for a particular period.

Customizations done in the software

1. I created 9 categories in which student can register a complaint or raise a ticket namely, more categories can also be added

General

Hostels

Mess

Academics

Department

Fests

Gymkhana

Grievances

Guest House.

2. Added extra fields in student ticket registration like:

Gender

Hall of Residence

Course

Year

Contact Number

3. Created a category head for each user and assigned individual permissions to those,however did not assign direct admin status to any of those, designed it in a way that each query would come to main admin first which is me and then I can assign it to any category head.

4. Created a few canned responses which would be sent to student for ease of the category heads.

5. Added few knowledge articles, many more related articles can be added to it.( citation: wikipedia.com)

6. Updated admin profile and configured it in a way that mails go to particular admin ID only.

7. Being an admin I can change the ticket in many ways:

Assign the ticket to any category head.

Delete, modify, close the ticket.

Change priority of the ticket.

Search for a ticket according to various categories.

See the tickets in waiting, new, replied, resolved, on hold and progress categories.

Link to the working application

"IIT KGP Student Support"

To login as a admin click on Go to Administration panel on the bottom of the page and enter the following

Admin Login ID: admin
Admin Password: adminpass

The greatest advice ever

"GEETA SAAR...From GOD to YOU"

लफ्ज़...

क़ैद से हो गये हैं लफ्ज़,
मेरे कलम की स्याही में,
पूछ रहे हैं मुझसे,
मेरा वजूद, मेरी पहचान.

कहा मैने लफ़्ज़ों से,
मुझे यूँ दगा ना दो,
नया नया शायर हूँ मैं,
ऐसी सज़ा ना दो.

वजूद और पहचान,
तो बाकी है बनाना,
थोड़ा साथ दो तुम मेरा,
तो हो जाए यह काम आसान.

लफ्ज़ सकुचाए,
थोड़ा मुस्कुराए,
थोड़ा इतराए,
और मुझसे बोले.

कहते यही सब शायर हैं,
फिर जाते हैं भूल,
अपनी ही बातों पे उनकी,
पड़ जाती है धूल.

तुम भी तो क़ैद करोगे,
अपनी नज़्म की बंदिश में,
जी लेने दो मधुर प्रवाह में,
जब तक ज़िंदा हैं.

लफ़्ज़ों का अभिमान देख,
थोड़ा मैं घबराया,
फिर मैने बड़ी निपुड़ता से,
उनको यह समझाया.

लफ़्ज़ों का मोल नहीं है,
स्याही के  तरण ताल में,
उनकी सही पहचान तो है,
किसी कविता के मायाजाल में.

लफ़्ज़ों का है बड़ा महत्व,
उसकी तुम पहचान करो,
लफ़्ज़ों की भाषा इस जग में,
तीखा तेज प्रहार है.

यही लफ्ज़ बन जाते अक्सर,
फूलों का उपहार  ,
यही लफ्ज़ रखते हैं खुद में,
तलवार की धार .

लफ्ज़ हंसकर बोले,
तुम जीते हम हारे,
पर तुम हो शायर नादान,
नहीं है तुम्हे गुमान.

होती नहीं लफ़्ज़ों के बस में,
संसार को बदलने की कुव्वत,
यह तो कवि की कल्पना हैं,
शायर का ख्वाब हैं.

कवि ही देता है लफ़्ज़ों को,
पंखों की उड़ान,
हम पर तू निर्भर ना रह,
बना खुद तू अपना मकाम.

©HG

Largest IITs, IIMs in India

This is a comparative study of the areas of the IITs and IIMs in India.This includes the old ones of which campuses have been established. This will give a fair amount of the idea of magnificence associated with these elite temples of learning.

IIT Kharagpur :  2100

IIT BHU: 1300

IIT Kanpur: 1055

IIT Guwahati: 700

IIT Madras:  620 

IIT Bombay: 550

IIT Roorkee: 356

IIT Delhi: 320

IIM Lucknow: 200

IIM Indore: 193

IIM Calcutta: 135

IIM Shillong: 120

IIM Ahmedabad: 106

IIM Bangalore: 100

IIM Kozhikode: 97

(all values in acres) 

(source: Wikipedia)

In addition to the above mentioned IITs and IIMs, there are 8 more new IITs and 6 new IIMs, the campuses of which are under construction and are being run in temporary campuses elsewhere.

The new IITs are situated in (Bhubaneshwar, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna, Mandi, Ropar, Jodhpur) and new IIMs at (Ranchi, Rohtak, Raipur, Trichy, Udaipur, Kashipur).

Interestingly, Indore becomes the first city to have both IIT and IIM.

That thing called love...

#wrote it at 2 A.M just before going to sleep before my last midsem exam in first semester MBA at IIT Kharagpur

In my dreams intoxicated,
I have found you in many shades,
In many colours
And many songs,
In timeless eternity, 
and ruthless desires...

Where I have found you smiling, 
At our lives which suddenly went by,
Uncontrolled by our presence,
Oblivion to our demands...

But still they yielded,
Truths which were unknown,
Life which was meant to be,
Wasted without your presence...

Time which was never meant to be with you,
Our fates have bought us here,
To celebrate our togetherness,
Our joys and sorrows,
Share our smiles and pain,
Be one in duality,
Yet be twice as powerful...

So that our companionship,
Transcends the petty issues,
That surround the people and the world,
And be intertwined in each other thoughts,
So that it’s not possible to separate us,
And forever we,
bind in, 
That thing called LOVE....

©HG