Monitoring applications in IT. Easier than a burger

It so happened that they appointed me as the head of the IT department. When I was at that time, I was the head of the group for the development and operation of electronic information systems, and, thanks to the fact that the whole group consisted of one person at that time, I, I easily managed it. However, my rationalization talents did not pass by the management, and during the reorganization of the company, the IT group (with a couple of administrators and the head) decided to withdraw from the engineering department and make a separate IT department. I, in turn, were taken out of the quality assurance department (do not ask what the REEIS group was doing there) and made the head of this “newly created” department. On the one hand, it consoled pride. On the other hand, besides the work that I did, I still have to take care of the mouse pads, and “my cursor is not blinking” ... It was also not particularly possible to refuse. Actually, I just put an order on the table that now I am the boss. Assuming that the amount of work from this assignment does not decrease, I notified the authorities (who apparently thought that I hadn’t done anything) that I probably wouldn’t have enough time to manage the group, just enough to manage. The authorities waved their hands - for him, apparently there was no difference.

When I took office, I quickly dismissed both administrators, leaving a more savvy team leader, and instead of the two, I was not very quick to hire one, as it seemed to me more efficient. Everyone, bingo, I’m the boss, the management decisions are made, there are two wonderful employees, smart and motivated. If anything needs help, call me, always help. And now let me - you are smart adults, do your work, and I went to refine my corporate systems.

So it went on for a while. It seemed to me that I was managing the process, and at the peak of difficulties, when my staff needed help, I came as a superman-rescuer, and routinely everything works qualitatively and well by itself. It seemed to them that the authorities were far away, we were presented to ourselves and it would be like that. (Participatory management style, ord ..)

After some time I began to twitch for any reason. The network does not connect, the Word does not open, the cartridge does not change, and the mouse does not travel. Are you from the IT department? Who cares what the boss - I have to work! Particularly depressed was the fact that callers had already contacted the support service one or more times, but the admins forgot about them because they did some other work or simply scored. Suggestions and scolding admins in this situation, of course useless. The moment began when a classic queue of applications to the IT department became necessary.
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I was newly minted as an IT manager and had no idea about ITSM, however, like José Arcadio Buendia, who discovered that the earth is round like an orange, I just figured out for myself how the IT application service should be organized. After some thoughtlessness, I painted a short process.



Applications were organized in the corporate document management system. After creation, they got into a special section of the system and were sent to the mail of all employees of the IT department. The head of the IT group and I could assign applications to any executor or take them to work, a simple administrator could only accept the application. After performing the work, the performer noted the execution of the application, conferring a new status on it, and the employee who created the application should have noted the degree of satisfaction, or acceptance of the cancellation of the application, if it was not completed correctly.

The type of requests in the workflow system (in its final instance. At the described moment, the view was somewhat different).


Well, everything seems to be ok, the process is automated, everyone is happy. Guys - that's your system, it will help you. Users - here's a button for you - fill out applications, there are only three fields, and admins will immediately come to the rescue. Uff, the system is adjusted, work on health, and I again went to work on the processes in the workflow system.

But an experienced IT executive reading this article will guess what was wrong. Applications just started to accumulate in the section, admins then "did not see the mail message", then "we do not go into the workflow system", then something else fun. Like and argue nothing and no one is to blame. Ok, well, I began to organize a weekly meeting at which every non-closed application was reviewed. It often turned out that the majority of applications had already been completed, but the execution was not marked, so we sat and stupidly, like in kindergarten, poked the “Fulfilled” button, and in unclosed wrote comments on the progress of the performance. After a couple of weeks, the picture began to change in a different way. The applications were saved until Tuesday, by the evening of Tuesday most were closed, and on Wednesday at 11, crystal administrators came to the meeting, so there was nothing to get to the bottom of it. Nevertheless, the process did not work, I had to direct and not direct, and I squeaked my teeth from impotence.

I thought the perfect picture, in which the user, if he stopped rustling the disk or erased the mouse pad, wrote a request that instantly flew away to the admins, they instantly distributed who would do it, executed it in turn, and the user immediately noted his satisfaction . This process seemed to me as in McDonalds, when you place an order, it is sent to the system, and employees in the kitchen see what needs to be prepared on the monitor, immediately a free employee prepares, and the manager delivers a tray to a satisfied client. I wanted the same thing - the user - the application - instant pick-up of the application by a free admin - execution - satisfaction - orgasm. In reality, in addition to the fact that half of the users did not write the application, but as always they called, the admins also delayed the execution for no particular reason.

The process needed revision. Admins should have seen applications as soon as they appeared, and in addition, all other applications, especially with a suitable deadline. Again and again, the McDonald's scheme of work was spinning in my head, and the cheerful monitor, with the jumping orders. Actually, why not?

Some time ago I initiated the transition from fragile tabular reports in the workflow system, reminiscent of Excel tables, to a much more pleasant, informative and opening up broad prospects of MS Reporting Services, which is part of the honestly purchased MS Sql Server. Reports are compiled using a special tool for editing and posting reports from MS Report Builder, which, in its basis, is probably even better than Crystal Reports, and even friendlier - for sure! In addition, you can view them directly in the browser and of course upload to any format.

With the help of my colleague, a database administrator, a report was written in MS Reporting Services, which selected applications from the database, and formed a readable screen, first of all displaying applications that do not have an artist, the second one must be completed today, then overdue, and descending order by date of performance. The first half of an hour a new application was highlighted in yellow, so it was impossible not to notice. In order not to appeal to the administrators' conscience any more, and not even to listen to the excuses about “I didn’t see” - “I didn’t hear”, an old laptop was started, on which the browser was running with a report (the report was updated every minute) and connected to one of the monitors . And the monitor, in turn, is hung on the wall in the admin, so that it can be seen from any angle. The system has acquired this form.



Red overdue requests were displayed. The card was comprehensive information. Applicant, responsible, deadline, application number. As well as the total number of outstanding, overdue ...

Well, now that's all? There is an application, there is a user, there is an admin, there is a monitor. What else can go wrong? After all, this is a fully implemented McDack conveyor scheme. All links of the chain were formed; the application was supposed to roll along this process, like kids in an aquapark along a chute. However, the side of the Mack process, hidden from prying eyes, was not taken into account - motivation. After all, an employee in the kitchen does not have the de facto ability to refuse to fulfill or delay the order preparation time, but something also forces him to work as fast as possible. And we got completely red requests that it was time to either cancel or fulfill.

When the awareness of this problem matured, the solution began to mature. My task is not to punish or pardon workers, I just want everything to work without my participation, but at a good pace and without jambs. What is so complicated about my desire? OK. Wanted motivation? There you are!

Now for each application began to earn points. They are, as usual, two types - positive and negative. Positive points (in the amount of 4 pieces) are awarded for the execution of the application. Next come the negative ones: -E. For the day of delay in the execution of the application - 1 point. For each additional postponement of the deadline - 1 point. The application implemented the feedback function from the user after its execution, with several gradations of the quality of work performed. If the user feedback was different from “Completed in full and on time”, then negative scores were attributed depending on the degree of user dissatisfaction. The monitor took this form (I took the February report, so the dates of requests are red):



Separately, applications that are related to procurement were singled out, since, objectively, administrators are not responsible for the timing and approval of delivery of the ordered equipment.

It was agreed that three months after the introduction of this system, points for applications will be accepted as an objective quality of work performed by administrators, and the quarterly bonus will be awarded in accordance with the proportions of positive and negative points. 90% positive points - 100% premium. Then, the premium is removed in proportion to the increase in negative points in excess of 10%.

Points are always counted for the last quarter, i.e. on those applications that were closed in the previous three months, which always provides up-to-date information and seriously motivates, especially closer to the prize. However, the system turns out to be built in such a way that in order to receive the award in full, it is necessary to work all the time during the quarter, and not just towards the end.

In general, the work of this system is effective. There was a process that can be controlled, regulate flows. Difficulties arose with the accustoming of users to create applications, but this was resolved quickly enough, since it immediately became noticeable that administrators react much faster to requests created in the system rather than received in the corridor. After writing instructions for users, I allowed administrators not to execute applications received outside the system at all, or, if the user does not have the ability to create an application, create them themselves.

With this article, I wanted to share an interesting experience that may have already been perfected somewhere. If so, share your experience - how to make people work voluntarily, efficiently and with full dedication.

I can't wait for feedback from people who, in their harsh life reality, had a chance, so to speak, to recognize the McDonald’s kitchen from the inside, i.e. work in the fast food system. Tell us what methods of stimulation and motivation you can learn, so that the reaction to incidents in the IT sphere would resemble the preparation of an appetizing sandwich, and the user from the admins was satisfied not less than from a juicy burger.

UPDATE
For those who wrote that in MD there are no monitors.