| Audience -Author- |
| Context |
| Goals |
| Resources |
| Input |
| Output |
| Benefits |
| Database |
| Admin Tools |
| Measures |
| Conclusion |
Defining the Problem and Our Goals:
Reducing down-time through faster reporting and resolution of problems
- Receiving phone calls / voice mail about problems in the labs was inefficient, hard to deal with, easy to misplace, and we often received insufficient data. We might have a voice mail indicating that "the PC in the corner isn't working right..." To solve the problem quickly we need to know which lab, exactly which computer, what symptoms, and what solutions have already been ruled out, if any.
- Paper forms were simply too slow. We had more success dictating content of the report, but the paper was either delivered to an office, or posted on the suspect hardware. In either case it would be easy to misplace the report, or not see it right way, and therefore not deal with it in a timely way.
- Both formats maybe left with one person and / or wrong person. If a staff member is out sick or on vacation, our student employees very likely are not aware of the absence. If our process allows them to leave the report with an individual who is not available, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Soliciting feedback and reports - not just from our student employees
- Lab users are often in tune with problems and willing to report them if process is easy, quick, and transparent. I have often had visits from students who see an open door, and I have received email from students who found my contact information on the paper lab documentation.
- Other UMD staff, such as librarians, also willing to report problems. The librarians, especially, have our computers in their space. They want to be able to help students. This means they are very willing to contact us if a machine is in need of repair.
- Communications between ITSS staff also streamlined through an appropriate form. Like my student employees, I am liable to leave out pertinent information on a voice mail. The format of a from provides me with a reminder of all of the types of information I need to provide.
Encouraging proactive trouble-shooting
- Student employees need to be reminded to gather appropriate data.
- Student employees need to be reminded to try to fix it before reporting it.
- Immediate email feedback during business hours - prompts the student to trouble-shoot further.
Eliminating bottle-necks and duplicate efforts
- Voice mail or paper form might sit while a person is out sick or on vacation
- Sometimes multiple people could fix the same problem, but no one knows who will take the initiative or maybe more than one staff member works on it and time / efforts are wasted
Identifying recurring or related problems
- A "false" or "not repeatable" problem might crop up over and over, prompting a permanent fix.
- A series of similar "software" problems in one lab might signal what is really hardware related, virus, etc.
Page URL http://www.d.umn.edu /~jdavis/planb/goals.html
Last Modified on Monday, 27-Mar-2000 13:01:26 CST
©2000 Jason Davis email: jdavis@d.umn.edu
Presented at the Great Lakes Academic Computer Lab Management Conference on March 3, 2000.