application performance delivered to customers in addition to network performance guarantees. Figure 4 provides a general overview of the process and data flows that must occur to enable these various, integrated capabilities. Trouble Management Systems When failures and other problems do occur on the network, it's time to issue a trouble ticket. In other words, someone has to be assigned to go fix the problem. This can involve anything from a NOC engineer accessing equipment remotely to a truck roll with skilled, well-paid technicians. Once again, it's the NMS's job to diagnose the problem accurately. The trouble management system is where trouble tickets are issued and tracked. The Ultimate Guide to Building and Delivering OSS/BSS 6.2.1 What's a Trouble Ticket? A trouble ticket is a notice that describes a failure or problem that has occurred on a network. Trouble tickets are also issued when customers call to resolve non-network problems, such as billing disputes or late orders. When network trouble is identified, or when a customer calls to complain, a trouble ticket is opened to explain the problem and to track any work that is done to fix it. In an integrated environment, when a trouble ticket is opened or issued, the workflow manager assigns tasks to a number of systems. For example, repair tasks must be assigned to workforce management. Also, CRM systems must be updated with the trouble ticket's status SO that customer service representatives (CSRs) can keep customers updated, or trouble status information can be made available to customers on a Web portal. More and more IICs allow customers to issue trouble tickets themselves through such a Web portal as well. This is especially prevalent in wholesale-retail relationships. How well trouble tickets are handled can also be tied to SLAs, in the same manner as network performance statistics. "Mean time to repair" is the key statistic used to measure how well IICs respond to and resolve trouble tickets. Trouble ticketing and trouble management is an area of g