Introduction
Telephone calls come in to the (computer) service department's help desk, the person answering the phone tries to help the caller and close the call, if possible. If not, service workers are dispatched to the site and the service department records the call so that management can run reports so that work requests are not lost or forgotten. If there are specific technical things done to eliminate the problem, the analyst or worker notes those things so that they can be re-used the next time a similar problem arises. If there are large projects requiring the effort of more than a single person then the reports or queries should give management an idea as to how much of the work looks completed at this time. The reports should also give management a good idea as to how much department effort is being absorbed by a particular user or department. As the service department is obliged to allocate available manpower, a help desk system ought to list proposed work schedules for service workers. It is best if the service department can meet daily to review the work done yesterday and describe problems encountered. The exchange of ideas really helps everyone and if other service workers need to get involved in a particular project or problem then there is background for all to draw from.
When software to help service departments tries to be something for everyone, it often includes too much and the size of such programs becomes large. What The Work tries to achieve is to give a service department something that does the basic things right away, and allows the service departments a chance to modify the program to better suit it's needs. I'm not sure if The Work will ever become a program coded in C++, Visual Basic or something else because that keeps departments locked into buying program updates from me while I stuff more and more features, features requested by other program users, that you really don't need into an ever expanding vehicle. You then wind up with a program with the size and awkwardness of a parade float instead of a compact car or bycycle.
There are help desk programs that cost a lot of money and do everything but shine shoes and this program, tries to stay away from all that. As a result, the program is an Access program. If you decide to use it, it will work fine. You will also receive criticism that it isn't a "real" program. All Access programs receive this kind of undeserved comment usually from people who have "a lot of knowledge". Be kind to them anyway. You'll be busily producing results for your area long before they create or buy their dream program.