FY09 Operational Plan
Functional Area: Client Support Services
The operational plan must support the strategic goals outlined in the directorate's strategic plan and must be aligned with the guiding metrics provided. It should not include work for which an incremental budget request (over and above the given guidance) is being submitted. Please use the attached sheet to prepare incremental budget requests, as well as to provide a list of 5 things you propose to do in order to decrease O&M in FY09.
Directorate Mission:
Client Support Services partners with the entire MIT community of faculty, students and staff to maximize their effective use of IT services and technology in fulfillment of MIT's mission of education and research. As members of this community, we embrace the Institute's commitment to technological innovation and creativity in how we do our work, and bring our expertise to bear in serving and supporting our customers, internal and external.
A. CSS Strategic Goal: Ensure that the availability of support services determines the schedule for delivering IS&T products and services to the MIT community
Activity 1: Develop a support process to manage the increasing number of applications being released out of ISDA & SAIS (ALL)
Activity 2: Participate on project teams early in the planning stage to offer CSS expertise and resources. (ALL)
B. CSS Strategic Goal: Assess and ensure that the support services and processes underlying all IS&T services and systems are also current, reliable, scalable, sustainable and secure
Activity 3: Ascertain the Oracle server upgrade timeline in an effort to work on new versions of current products that are outdated and dependent on an upgrade (Bowser)
Activity 4: Evaluate departmental software billing through RT, considering reliability, scalability, etc. (Hunt)
Activity 5: Design and provide support for IS&T systems that is are current, reliable, scalable, sustainable, and secure (ALL)
Activity 6: Keep client computer equipment, hardware and software up to date (DITR)
Activity 7: Enhance and upgrade email and calendaring systems (on-going) (Thomas)
Activity 8: Work with content managers for the IS&T web site to implement new content management web site (Wood)
Activity 9: Support and maintain physical classrooms and equipment used for IS&T training (Kibbee)
Activity 10: Provide contractual maintenance and upkeep services to support DLCs in keeping their web and database sites, applications, and infrastructure current (Reed)
Activity 11: Serve customers as upper tier support, participate on software release and other teams, perform systems maintenance and testing as necessary. (Reed)
Activity 12: Create an MIT identity management process for non-community members (Thomas)
C. Strategic Goal: Improve the way we deliver support, software and consulting services to all members of the MIT community.
Activity 13: Continue to provide, enhance, and improve the broad spectrum Help Services to all members of MIT community via walk-in, telephone, and on-line mechanisms (Thomas)
Activity 14: Improve tools to enhance delivery of support services (e.g. Eon implementation, Request Tracker enhancements, remote troubleshooting tools) (Goguen & King)
Activity 15: Continue to support clients as they integrate mobile technologies into their existing computing environment (DITR & Hunt )
Activity 16: Smart routing of questions in a wiki-based knowledge base (Thomas)
Activity 17: Revitalize the N42 Walk-in Area (from lo tech to high tech look & feel) (Egan)
Activity 18: Enhance SDLS and provide additional software titles through it (Hunt)
Activity 19: Continue to provide and expand 1st and 2nd tier support for telephony, inc. VoIP (Tarasenko & Goguen)
Activity 20: Participate in transitioning from traditional to VoIP telephone (Tarasenko & Goguen)
Activity 21: Ensure IS&T web sites, training modules, and services are usable and accessible to all (Ziegler & Reed)
Activity 22: Ascertain remote connectivity tools that exist in today's market for evaluation, recommendation and delivery. (Bowser)
Activity 23: Provide personalized, on-site computing support (DITR)
Activity 24: Manage and facilitate IS&T projects that benefit the MIT community. (Wood)
Activity 25: Reinvent the way we deliver services (ALL)
Activity 26: Provide high-quality IT repair service (Egan)
Activity 27: Provide a great customer experience for people seeking help via phone, internet or walk-in (All)
Activity 28: Provide quality end-user documentation to the MIT Community (for supported hardware and software, projects, stock answers, etc.) (Wood)
Activity 29: Provide maintenance and production support for the IS&T website. (Wood)
Activity 30: Maintain and deliver up-to-date adaptive technology devices demonstration and loaner program for MIT community. [Device Demo and Loaner Program] (ATIC)
Activity 31: Provide quality end-user training to the MIT Community for supported hardware and software products (Kibbee)
Activity 32: Release all new versions of software as part of the current supported suite for all platforms
Activity 33: Create, release, and support third-party applications for new mobile device platforms, ie. iPhone, Blackberry
Activity 34: Provide initial project assessments at no charge to encourage customers to utilize internal MIT businesses to fulfill their needs. (Reed)
Activity 35: Develop web and database products for DLCs that achieve their business goals and both support and demonstrate innovation (Reed)
Activity 36: Promote our own usability service to IS&T (Reed)
Activity 37: Provide Usability services to ensure that websites and applications developed by MIT DLCs (including IS&T) are intuitive and usable by all members of the application's target audience. (Reed)
D. Strategic Goal: Provide consultative guidance and expanded software access for MIT research initiatives
Activity 38: Continue to engage in and consult on key research projects that have a strong IT component or may have an IT impact in later phases (Thomas)
Activity 39: Expand portfolio of research software available to students and faculty (align with academic portfolio where possible) (Thomas & Hunt)
Activity 40: Incorporate knowledge relevant to research activities into standard knowledge bases/open to peer contributions (Thomas)
E. Strategic Goal: Align all aspects of IT support to help accomplish MIT's business and strategic goals
Activity 41: Continue to develop IS&T policy in support of MIT use of information technology resources (McGovern)
Activity 42: Provide more comprehensive management information to support the decision-making of IS&T managers about their clients, processes and staffing. (Smyser)
Activity 43: Publish guidelines and standards for accessible web sites and new media production (ATIC)
Activity 44: Ensure MIT is in compliance with respect to US Copyright Law (DMCA, takedowns) and MIT disciplinary processes (McGovern)
Activity 45: Provide assistance as needed to MIT Office of General Counsel on identification, evidence and follow-through when members of MIT community are being sued by copyright owners/agents. (McGovern)
Activity 46: Sustain and expand the Stopit program to support both MIT and non-MIT individuals resolve complaints of unethical behavior or violations of MITnet Rules and Athena Rules of Use (McGovern)
F. Strategic Goal: Promote good computing practices in the MIT community to ensure recoverability and continuity in times of service interruptions
Activity 47: Plan and document procedures for maintaining call center services during periods of IT service or infrastructure outages (Goguen)
Activity 48: Focus on services impacted by multi-day outages and test/develop continuity models (Thomas)
Activity 49: Promote good computing practices in the MIT community (DITR)
Activity 50: Cross-unit IS&T readiness plan for emergency and disaster scenarios (Johnson)
Activity 51: Provide traditional IT Security incident detection, response and recovery (detect, disable, format, re-install, enable process) (McGovern)
G. Strategic Goal: Reach out to the MIT community to provide information, determine their needs, and increase feedback to improve our services
Activity 52: Through training and outreach, provide counsel on how IT can help community members do their jobs (Kibbee & Ziegler)
Activity 53: Continue to hold community forums and other public outreach activities (e.g., participation in MIT-wide vendor and travel fairs) to encourage open dialogue (ALL)
Activity 54: Produce communication materials to support IS&T services and resources. (Wood)
Activity 55: Gather faculty and student requirements for future computing needs (ALL)
Activity 56: Through diverse outreach approach, raise awareness throughout MIT of all IT security, compliance and ethical behavior issues; in FY09 expand focus of outreach to sensitive MIT data protection, and sensitive individual data protection, including response to data disclosure incidents. (McGovern)
H. Strategic Goal: Expand and provide comprehensive support for MIT business applications and products
Activity 57: Expand support & training for business applications (Kibbee & Goguen & Wood)
Activity 58: Leverage new tools and technology to deliver remote assistance to customers (King & Dietrich & Goguen)
Activity 59: Provide exceptional customer support in the area of business application authorizations and hierarchy updates (White)
I. Strategic Goal: Promote practices and products to reduce energy consumption in MIT's computing environment
Activity 60: Develop smart tool to apply recommended Energy Saving settings that does not hinder scheduled backups for Windows, Mac and Unix (Hunt)
Activity 61: Reconfigure Athena to leverage power savings settings including display sleep instead of screensaver. (Hunt)
Activity 62: Set green standard for new IS&T facilities (public and back-office) and renovated/upgraded facilities (I.e. If we upgrade a learning space we will...) (Thomas)
Activity 63: Provide IT innovation support to students and faculty engaged in energy projects (Thomas)
J. Strategic Goal: Expand and provide comprehensive support for the academic software portfolio, particularly in support of changes to the GIRs (General Institute Requirements)
Activity 64: Expand the student laptop loaner program (Murphy)
Activity 65: Update recommendations provided to content providers (OCW, Stellar) for accessibility practices as they apply to new and evolving teaching and learning technologies (i.e., transcripts for podcasts; captions for video, etc.) (ATIC)
Activity 66: Expand the portfolio of academic software available to students on personal machines and align with GIR recommendations (Thomas & Hunt)
Activity 67: Deliver support & training for academic software products, Mathematica, Maple, MATLAB (Bowser & Kibbee)
Activity 68: Engage in small but innovative technology experiments with strong student participation (Thomas)
Activity 69: Partner with DUE to develop a strategy for IS&T learning and hybrid teaching & learning spaces on campus; begin implementation (Thomas)
Activity 70: Operate and maintain computing cluster with specialized equipment for students with disabilities, updating equipment provided according to current student needs and IS&T recommendations (ATIC).
Activity 71: Coordinate alternative text production for students with disabilities (ATIC).
K. Strategic Goal: Contribute towards cross functional support activities to improve international initiatives and programs
Activity 72: Continue support of international programs through laptop loaner program (Murphy)
Activity 73: Provide specialized training for international students, both through existing agreements and new initiatives (Kibbee & Thomas)
Activity 74: Expand use of web-based/Web 2.0 application (Thomas)
Activity 75: Continue to develop, measure, and expand self-help and self-service tools available to the MIT community (Thomas)
Activity 76: Expand support for mobile devices by MIT applications (Thomas)
L. Strategic Goal: Incorporate project management practices into project work undertaken in CSS, including the use of the PMM framework and cross-IS&T project tracking tool
Activity 77: Incorporate professional project management practices into project work undertaken in CSS, including use of the cross-IS&T project tracking tool. (Smyser & Reed)
Activity 78: Promote the IS&T Project Management Methodologies when leading or participating on project teams. (ALL)
Activity 79: Help DLCs define project requirements that support their business activities while adhering to best practices and Institute standards (Reed)
M. Strategic Goal: Establish regular interactions between CSS staff and their counterparts in the IT community to promote knowledge sharing
Activity 80: Establish regular information exchanges between CSS and the IT service groups. (ALL managers)
Activity 81: Provide IT colleagues in DLCs with "Partner Report Cards" that outline metrics on central IT help desk requests generated by their department (Smyser)
Activity 82: Allow for easy routing of requests and work across departmental boundaries (Thomas)
Activity 83: Broaden outreach for product recommendations process beyond IS&T, Procurement, Sloan, ResDev, DUE (Thomas)
Activity 84: Expand functional uses of ACCORDiacs to provide consistent views into educational technology services for faculty (Thomas)
N. Strategic Goal: Base business decision-making and process improvement on comprehensive management metrics
Activity 85: Gather and supply metrics to better define the staffing required to support products & services, both at implementation and ongoing (ALL)
O. Strategic Goal: Align all aspects of IT billing venues to help accomplish IS&T's business and financial goals
Activity 86: Continue to support and enhance TNSC billing system (Tarasenko)
Activity 87: Perform functions of IS&T training registrar, including entering classes into the database, managing enrollments, and prepping materials for classes. (Kibbee)
Activity 88: Distribute and bill for software
Activity 89: Acquire and negotiate software licenses with attention to Institute priorities and sound financial management.
P. Strategic Goal: Promote higher-level or cross-functional work to grow staff capability both in depth and scope
Activity 90: Continue to expand upon work begun with documenting and sharing process for communicating during unplanned service outages. Extend beyond OIS/CSS into other parts of IS&T. (Goguen)
Activity 91: Establish a new process where IS&T staff can participate as subject matter experts in training events offered by IS&T to the community. (Kibbee)
Activity 92: Offer training expertise to IS&T HR team to be able to offer performance management "training" electronically. (Kibbee)
Activity 93: Learn and test new technology to develop training, including curriculum, software, hardware (Kibbee)
Activity 94: Participate on cross-departmental teams, initiatives and activities (White & Kibbee)
Q. Strategic Goal: Ensure active engagement that CSS is actively engaged in student-focused initiatives such as the Campaign for Students
Activity 95: Convert Athena Clusters to new more adaptive uses (Murphy)
Activity 96: Explore student billing options for software --- e.g. bursar, TechCash (Hunt)
Activity 97: Continue engagement with DSL and AILG-IT to develop joint IT strategy for MIT student residences (Thomas)
Activity 98: Broaden use of RCCs in dorms to play a structured role in application, academic, and student life/learning support (Thomas)
R. Strategic Goal: Contact new members of the MIT community to introduce them to IT services
Activity 99: Provide IT orientation to new members of the community (Kibbee & Thomas)
Activity 100: Assist individuals with disabilities with the application of adaptive technologies (Ziegler)
S. Strategic Goal: Deliver a plan to provide service and support to essential personnel and front line emergency responders
Activity 101: Continue ACD efforts and expand to other groups to allow seamless use across emergencies, develop emergency routing models (Thomas)
T. Strategic Goal: Review and refine Fall Readiness activities for new and returning students
Activity 102: Continue to participate in Fall Readiness activities for new and returning students (Thomas & Wood & Ziegler & McGovern)
Activity 103: Upgrade network infrastructure in dorms (ongoing) (Thomas)
The three additional goals listed below were originally part of CSS' goals but should be part of any HR program that might be developed; CSS would be an active participant in these goals but not the driver.
U. Strategic Goal: Assess existing skill gaps and develop marketing, hiring and professional development plans to address them
- None
V. Strategic Goal: Establish a career development program that leverages a variety of internal and external resources
Activity 104: Encourage and coach staff to manage small projects (Hunt)
Activity 105: Encourage more participation in events hosted by NerCOMP and EDUCAUSE; especially highlight opportunities for staff to showcase the great work done here (Goguen)
Activity 106: Continue to send staff to Disney Quality Service, Interaction Associates Leadership, and other proven, high-quality professional development opportunities. Implement practice of leading brainstorming sessions with peers upon return to maximize the investment and lead to improvements. (Goguen)
Activity 107: Invite and engage more IS&T colleagues in sharing knowledge internally through low-investment solutions such as our current Help Desk wiki (Goguen)
ctivity 108: Participate in professional development activities, whether formal training, on the job learning or other means. (ALL)
W. Strategic Goal: Provide clear definable processes to enable successful staff guidance and management
Activity 109: Provide attentive and thorough team management and supervision, including the integration of operating plan goals into performance goals at quarterly reviews, and succession planning with relevant training. (Managers & Team Leads)