Mailbox Management Needs Analysis

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) has documented a need for improved basic computer skills for CHFS employees. By using a database call-tracking system known as Remedy, many computer-skills problem areas for state employees have been identified as areas where improvement can be made via training solutions.

The training issue is complicated by a perceived attitude problem on the part of some students. Attitudes can be improved by offering students concrete reasons why requirements are in effect, giving the student information how they can easily comply with these requirements. It is important to improve computer usage habits and skills of all CHFS employees. Problems addressed in this Mailbox Management Needs Analysis seem to be more significant in some larger metropolitan sites such as the L&N Building in Louisville, Kentucky.

Problem areas have been identified on the basis of whether any of the following questions were answered affirmatively by OIT personnel and CHFS supervisors in a survey that was sent out at the beginning of 2006:

1. Does the Mailbox Management skill that is lacking have a negative effect on services offered by CHFS employees?

2. Does the Mailbox Management skill that is lacking impact the worker’s ability to perform assigned tasks?

3. Does the Mailbox Management skill that is lacking impact tasks assigned to OIT?

One Mailbox Management behavior that has been identified by OIT personnel as “in need of improvement” for CHFS employees throughout the state is the ability to clean out mailboxes assigned to them. Mailbox sizes are limited to 50-megabytes. If the limits were raised, associated costs related to backing up the data would also raise. In the past OIT has attempted to back up Personal Folders (pst files) on the server, a practice that has been discontinued due to the costs involved in daily backing up large amounts of data from locations throughout the state. Personal Folders are used to store email that the user wants to keep. If the mailbox is full, mail must be moved from the mailbox into Personal Folders. The Microsoft size limit on a Personal Folder file (pst files) is 2-gigabyte, while OIT has set a 640 megabyte limit on the size of this file when used by CHFS employees. A limit of 640 megabytes limit is preferred so that the option of backing up files to CD media is possible. Many users do not understand or know that there are restrictions for the size of pst files. There are basic email knowledge facts that could be learned in one forty-five minute lesson that could make their job easier. Some employees are aware of the knowledge facts, but do not understand why there are restrictions on mailbox sizes. Some who do understand why they should adhere to the requirements do not know how comply with OIT requests to clean out their mailbox. Computer user attitudes are negatively affected when they are told to do something, but are not given information on how to accomplish the task. Following is a list of items that would be addressed by a Mailbox Management lesson plan:

1. Folders that make up the Microsoft mailbox

2. The 50-megabyte limit on mailbox items

3. Personal Folders are used to store email that that will not fit in the Microsoft mailbox.

4. Creating new folders in your Personal folders.

5. Moving mailbox items to Personal folders.

6. Emptying the Deleted Items folders.

The Mailbox Management lesson was developed to insure that CHFS employees were trained in the above areas.