Running Head: WORKSHEETS 7-13
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Worksheets
7-13
by
Anthony
P. Niemann
University of Louisville
ELFH
664-50
Spring,
2006
Worksheet Seven
(Matching)
The Current Situation
Current Lines of
Business
The organization
consists of tens of thousands of employees working for the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Please consult worksheets 1-6 to get a picture of the executive branch of state
government. The bureaucratic hierarchical structure of state government continually
undergoes change. Branches of state government can be significantly affected by
the political party in charge. One typical way that state government addresses
problems is by reorganization. State government exists to serve the citizens of
Kentucky. For
the purpose of simplifying these sheets, this report will focus on the Office
of Technology in the Cabinet for Family and Health Services (CHFS-OIT).
Although all twelve
sub-branches of the executive branch are affected by the change initiative, the
two main Information Technology (IT) groups in state government are affected
more than other offices. The larger group is CFA-COT. The mnemonic stands for
Finance and Administrative Cabinet – Commonwealth of Kentucky Office of
Technology. COT is one of many offices that are under CFA, one of the twelve
main sub-branches of the executive branch of state government. The second main
IT group in state government is CHFS-OIT. OIT is one of many offices that are
under CHFS, another of the twelve main sub-branches of the executive branch of
state government. To further complicate matters, reorganization that will join
these two groups has been announced for July of 2006. For the purpose of
simplification, we will discuss CHFS-OIT, as it is organized at the present
time. CHFS-OIT is broken down to include a group of six technicians and one
supervisor that has responsibility for proper operation of servers, computers,
and printers in the counties of Jefferson, Oldham, Henry, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble,
and Bullitt. This is referred to as OIT-Jefferson. All state government offices
use computers and printers. The change initiative that is discussed applies to
issues surrounding maintenance contracts on printers.
Current Competitors
State government
has no competitors. There are political parties that constantly vie for power.
Performance of state government and the departments that make up state
government are scrutinized by many groups, as well as by media. A few of these
groups were included in the references listed in the first two worksheets. The
group that provides computer services in the six counties listed above has no
competitors, although performance comparisons with other groups within CHFS can
be made. It is reasonable to assume that improper billing for printer service
calls by IBM occurs throughout the organization. Worksheets 7-13 were filled
out referencing CHFS-OIT and OIT-Jefferson. It is presumed that IT personnel and
printers throughout the state have similar experiences and results. One feature
that may make OIT-Jefferson unique is the number of people who work out of the
L&N building in Louisville,
Kentucky. There are 2100 people who
work out of this building, but not all are computer users. There are about 600
-800 computer users and 130 networked printers at this location. Although it is
reasonable to expect that printer problems occurring in OIT-Jefferson will
apply to all groups, the concentration of computers (600 – 800) and printers
(130) in the L&N building in Louisville.
Kentucky may
cause skewed results. With concentration of equipment in one
location comes confusion. Users can lose track of problems because they are
simply ‘redirected’ to an alternate print source. Technicians lose track of
reported problems because they may not be the person who worked on it
previously. If the users and technicians are both unfamiliar with previous
reported problems, the same problem can repeat for months, or even years.
Current Critical
Success Indicators
1.
Compliance with initiatives mandated by the top management
of CHFS-OIT in Frankfort, Kentucky
2.
Timely resolution of helpdesk problems related
to printers?
The quality of the resolution is not
monitored, nor is the cost to Kentucky
taxpayers. Records are not maintained for printer calls. If there is a
persistent problem, the technician will often replace the printer with a
similar printer. The printer that is removed is not tracked for intermittent
problems. It gets placed into the reserved pool of
printers and often ends up being swapped into another location without ever
having the reason it was removed properly repaired. It gets lost because there
is no tracking system in place for the six technicians and 130 printers. If calls are
cleared by a technician on a daily basis, it is considered a job well done.
There is no attempt to track repeat calls involving printers.
Current Important
Initiatives
One initiative that is currently
going on is the examination of every computer issued to CHFS employees in seven
counties to determine the manufacturer and size of the hard disk drive. If the
drive is six gigabytes or larger and if the computer is a Dell or Hewlett
Packard, the Outlook Personal Folders are moved from the user’s folder on the
server to their local hard drive. A backup tool is created on the users’
desktop to allow them to back up their Outlook Personal Folders. CHFS-OIT
actively requested a solution to a difficult problem they had with Outlook’s
personal folders. The solution was developed by one of the six network support
workers in OIT-Louisville. After presenting his solution, management studied
how it could be implemented. A ‘loose’ procedure was developed and implemented.
The network support person who worked out the original solution was not given
credit and the solution he developed was altered drastically, thereby reducing
the effectiveness of the solution. The only initiative currently taking place
concerning printer helpdesk calls in a seven county area is being taken by that
same network analyst. This analyst has tried for nine months to implement
change in relation to the way printer helpdesk calls are being addressed, but
has been unsuccessful in changing any department values or procedures.
Current
Organizational Attitudes and Values about Change:
Change
is mandated from the top down. Problems initiated at the lowest level of state
government are not addressed due to the bureaucratic hierarchical structure. Problem
resolution input from the workforce is not considered due to the effects of cultural
environment of state government. Many important change initiatives are
implemented at the top levels of the organization, but are not properly
monitored afterwards. Attitudes concerning changes in the way printer helpdesk calls
are viewed as an area that is not possible to change, nor is anyone interested
in attempting the task. It is very frustrating for users and technicians.
Worksheet Eight
(Matching)
Vision of the Future
The
Vision of the Future
Successfully
initiating changes in the methodology of tracking printer service requests by IT
support personnel sets a precedent for examining other issues. If an IT office
with responsibility for seven counties in Kentucky can bring about change in their
area, then change throughout the CHFS-OIT organization could be possible. At
the minimum, a standardized and responsible method of insuring printers are repaired
in a timely fashion and at the lowest possible cost will be achieved in these
seven counties and within the CHFS-OIT organization.
Future Major Lines
of Business (LOBs)
There
will be no changes in this area.
Future Competitors
The
future competitors are the same as the current competitors. Political parties
running state government will continue to come and go. The group that provides
computer services in the six counties listed above has no competitors, although
they will continue to be measured through comparison with other groups within
CHFS. After changes are implemented it is expected that IBM will handle their
maintenance contract differently. The state should encourage competitors of IMB
to bid on the next maintenance contract, or refuse to let IBM bid if they can’t
follow the terms of this contract. Pomroy, the sub-contractor, is also expected
to change their methodology of servicing and reporting conclusions of printer
maintenance activities. Finally, OIT-Jefferson will change present procedures
with standardized methods for addressing printer maintenance activities. Although
OIT-Jefferson has no competitors, they will be compared with other CHFS-OIT
groups.
What will be the
Critical Success Indicators (CSIs)?
Change initiatives
will be focused on the area of printer helpdesk maintenance. There are four future
success indicators for resolution of printer helpdesk calls:
1. The
ability to determine what problems were reported over the latest twelve month
period on each printer and by each serial number.
2. The
ability to determine what action was taken to resolve the listed problem.
3. The
ability to determine how long it took to resolve the problem.
4. The
ability to determine what the state of Kentucky
is being billed for these services.
How Will This Impact
Other Important Initiatives?
Financial
responsibility should be every employee’s job. If there is strong evidence that
suggests the state is being over-billed, it is reasonable to expect that any
employee should be able to present the evidence to their supervisor and obtain
resolution. A precedent will be established that will make future change
possible. A procedure to initiate change from the bottom of the hierarchical
chain will provide a roadmap for future change initiatives. An emphasis on
quality of work that is performed by this organization will be established,
providing additional guides for future change possibilities.
How Must the
Organization’s Culture and Values Change?
Changes
in this bureaucratic organization’s culture and values would be monumental. It
is hard to envision changes of this magnitude happening without force or
pressure being applied to upper-level management, yet this may be what it takes
if any true change in this area takes place. Attitude change engendered through
sponsorship by upper management is assumed to be necessary in this government
bureaucracy.
Worksheet Nine
(Matching)
Gap Analysis: The Reality Check
Differences in LOBs
Currently,
performance requirements placed on each LOB is regulated to what is
specifically mandated by written directive. There is no room for variance or
independent action, and each LOB is expected to do as directed. Quality of
performance is not as significant as insuring that directives are followed to
the letter, whether they work or not. The gap in attitude and cultural change
is significant for the particular LOB that we will examine, as well as all LOBs
within the organization.
Differences in
Competition
There
will be no changes in this area.
Differences in CSI
There are four future critical
success indicators highlighted on worksheet eight. Those CSIs are:
1.
The ability to determine what problems were reported over
the latest twelve month period on each printer
2.
The ability to determine what action was taken to resolve
the listed problem
3.
The ability to determine how long it took to resolve the
problem
4.
The ability to determine what the state of Kentucky is being billed for these services
The gap analysis between where
CHFS-OIT is presently and where they want to be in the future is significant.
CHFS has little ability or desire to accomplish any of the four CSI objectives
listed above.
Differences in
Important Initiatives
Present initiatives are
non-existent. The difference in initiatives between what now exists and what
will exist is that initiatives would then be openly discussed.
This is not possible now.
Differences in Culture
The
gap between what now exists and what will exist in the future is enormous. Changing
the culture of a statewide organization is a huge task. We must examine what
has taken place in the public sector in countries such as Canada to get
an idea of the scope of this task. In Canada’s case, implementing a
cultural change in public sector workforce involved fundamental attitude
changes as well as significant pay structure changes. The desired changes in
these worksheets involve only CHFS-OIT, and then only the seven counties
indicated in worksheet seven. The scope of change we are discussing in these
sheets affect only one office within one Cabinet in the Executive branch of
government.
Worksheet
Ten
(Redefining/Restructuring)
Barriers to Change
LOB Barriers
Significant resistance is expected
due to cultural and bureaucratic attitudes. Difference in LOBs are explained on
Worksheet nine, and current, performance requirements placed on each LOB are
regulated to what is specifically mandated by written directive. There is no
room for variance or independent action, and each LOB is expected to do as
directed. Quality of performance is not as significant as insuring that directives
are followed to the letter, whether they work or not. The gap in attitude and necessary
change in cultural environment is significant for the particular LOB that we
will examine, as well as all LOBs within the organization.
Competition
Barriers
There are no barriers to change in this
area.
CSI Barriers
There are four
future critical success indicators highlighted on worksheet eight. The key word
listed in all four critical success indicators are the words ability to determine. Changing the
cultural environment of state government is beyond the scope of this paper. The
scope of this problem is discussed from a view of a seven county area indicated
in Worksheet Seven. The first barrier to change is resistance from the supervisor. The second barrier to change is the
attitudes of the six analysts in OIT-Jefferson. The third barrier to change is
the statewide CHFS-OIT department. The fourth barrier to change is the cultural
environment of the CHFS cabinet. The fifth barrier to change is the cultural
environment of the statewide organization. The sixth barrier to change is the
willingness of IBM to accommodate changes. The seventh and final barrier to
change is the willingness of Pomroy to accommodate changes.
Important
Initiative Barriers
The
most important initiative barrier is, in general terms, is the cultural
environment of state government. IBM and Pomroy are not considered to be
barriers to change initiatives. In the final analysis, the state can refuse to
accept bids from IBM or Pomroy in the future. If employees within the
organization support the initiatives, IBM and Pomroy will pose no significant
problem.
Support from the supervisor
of the seven counties mentioned on Worksheet seven is required. Lack of support
from her is the largest specific barrier to any change. After her, the most
crucial required support will come from management of CHFS-OIT. With strong
support from these two areas, it is expected that support from other areas can
be obtained.
Organizational Cultural Barriers
Changing
organizational cultural environment barriers will require support from all
employees in the organization if change is to be made. It is the greatest
barrier to any real and lasting change in this organization.
Worksheet Eleven
(Redefining/Restructuring)
Action Plans for Each Line of Business
Develop a master
plan for each LOB that is based on the results of the performance gap analysis.
The LOB is defined as CHFS-OIT. Attitude is one of the most difficult
things to change. While attitude is the object of measurements,
it is difficult to measure the extent of change that takes place in a LOB. Performance
is much easier to measure, and measuring this will form basis for future master
plan changes. Support from CHFS-OIT is important for the success of changes. There
are several necessary steps for this organization to take:
1.
Insure that terms of the statewide printer maintenance
contract is distributed to all network analysts.
- Arrange a meeting with IBM to discuss:
- Terms of the present contract
- Suitability of present website portal for entering
service request orders
- Possibility of changing the website to allow
verification of fixes
- Possibility of changing the website to allow
verification of billing
- Inadequacy of service workorder sent to Pomroy
- Inability of Pomroy to obtain replacement parts on
a regular basis
- Requirement to get work orders signed by a network
analyst
How will employee’s
jobs change?
- Network analysts will be required to complete IBM
request for service correctly
- Network analysts will be expected to respond to all
Pomroy requests for signature of completed workorders.
How will these impact customers
(internal and external)?
The
impact will affect Pomroy and the network analysts, but will have minor effects
on customers. Customers are CHFS social workers and citizens of Kentucky. Pomroy may
experience some difficulty and inconvenience getting a network analyst’s
signature. It will cause a delay in the completion of the call on the part of
the Pomroy technician. In addition, network analysts can expect a disruption of
his or her work schedule.
How will this impact other LOBs and business units?
There will
be no impact on other LOBs and business units.
Who will set the new standards and how will they be
developed?
CHFS-OIT
will set the new standards after consulting with individuals most familiar with
the problem. This includes network analysts who are close to the problem.
What will the organizational structure of the LOB look like
after the plan is in place?
The
organizational structure of the LOB will not change.
How will you incorporate feedback and monitor CSIs?
CSIs will
be tracked by monitoring cost for printer contract maintenance per printer, on
an annual basis. Requests for Service will be available on an individual
printer basis. Corrective action will be included on paperwork filled out by
IBM before any bills are paid.
Worksheet
Twelve
(Redefining/Restructuring)
Operational Plans for Each Department
What is the REAL business of this
department?
The
real business of network analysts in the seven listed counties is to insure
that servers, computers, and printers used by CHFS employees operate correctly.
Is this department essential to the
new LOBs?
Yes
Does this department need to stand
alone or could it be combined with others?
It
exists independently at the present time. It can continue to operate
independently, or be combined into a statewide IT department.
Perform a gap analysis to determine
the department’s current situation and what must change so that it can do its
part to meet the organization’s vision of the future.
Employees
must accept a new reality of requirements in their job. They should look at
their responsibility to the social workers using printers and to citizens of Kentucky. Attitudes are
presently affected by the cultural environment of state government. Expectations
of job performance emphasis on service, quality, and efficiency should replace
or be added to former expectations.
Develop a master plan for this
department.
When
a network analyst receives a helpdesk call for a printer problem:
- S/he verifies the reported problem, and resolves
simple issues.
- If the problem can’t be resolved by the analyst, s/he
checks the printer for additional problems.
- The analyst carefully enters a request for service,
insuring all problems are listed. If IBM has not modified their call
tracking system yet, then we move on to step four. If they have modified
their database, we move to step five.
- The analyst verifies the past history of this
printer, insuring that the problem has not occurred in the past 90 days.
- The analyst verifies that the problem has been
resolved within a one week period of time by calling the user who reported
the problem.
Worksheet
Thirteen
(Routinizing) (To establish a routine for)
Evaluation Plan
What core measures, results,
and processes will the organization need to measure in order to assess change
outcomes?
Requests
for printer service that are placed to IBM need to be tracked. Each request
should include pre-determined data. Included in the date are the following
items:
·
Printer serial number
·
Person placing the request
·
Date of request
·
Location of printer
·
Description of problem
·
A box indicating whether this problem has
occurred within the past 90 days
From whom will the organization
gather data? How will the data be gathered from these sources?
This
data is available on IBM’s website. It needs to be entered into a Microsoft Access
database file and made available to all CHFS-OIT employees.
What will the organization's
cycle for checking results look like, including the collection of
"before" and "after" data?
The
data will need to be entered once per week. IBM will be required to relay the
corrective action on each service request that they accept. The corrective
actions will be sent to Frankfort
for inclusion in the Access database file.
What resource requirements are needed to carry
out the plan for checking results? Who will be responsible and accountable for
the effort to check results?
It
will be the responsibility of each network support person to verify the past
history of the printer. There will be three resource requirements:
·
IBM website information, which is presently
available, but needs some modifications
·
The database file maintained by CHFS-OIT
·
A CHFS-OIT employee in Frankfort responsible for updating the
database will serve as an in-house point of contact.
How and to whom will your
organization communicate the results of the assessment?
Results of the assessment will be available on an annual
basis to all departments in CHFS-OIT. Department supervisors will receive a
detailed report, and a summary will be distributed to all network support
personnel.
Based on the findings, what process will the
organization use to determine corrective action?
Supervisors
in each region will accept responsibility for contacting IBM concerning repeat
calls, or they will assign responsibility to an associate. IBM will provide a
contact that will examine reports of repeat calls and respond to the supervisor
or authorized representative as soon as possible. Appeals to the process by the
local OIT representative or by IBM can be made by forwarding the issue to CHFS-OIT
headquarters in Frankfort.
In that case, the point of contact is the CHFS employee in Frankfort who is responsible for updating the
database.
How will the organization continue
to gather data on systems impacts? What long-term solutions can be developed to
align the organization with the change and the change with the organization?