[160] in Tooltime
Software Support Meeting Notes 7/10
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Steven Wade Neiterman)
Sun Jul 14 23:41:09 1996
Date: Sun, 14 Jul 96 23:42:03 EST
From: wade@MIT.EDU (Steven Wade Neiterman)
To: tooltime@MIT.EDU
Cc: sampson@MIT.EDU, kcunning@MIT.EDU
Help Desk Supported Software Review Meeting
July 10, 1996
10:00 am 16-720
Attending: Cunningham, Lee, Oh, Pakulat, Rosen,
Sampson, Sousa, Wade, Willis
There are two parts to this document.
1. Meeting Summary - action items and comments
2. Meeting Overview - includes meeting detail, including handouts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Meeting Summary:
Application Changes (as compared to release 1.0b3):
- Decided to remove Software Category
- Decided to remove Supported/Unsupported and Partially Supported flags
- Decided to remove dependency of Software pick list to Operating
System and allow free form entry.
- Decided to remove constraint on Software Version and allow both a
pick list and data entry.
- Decided to make best effort to update data in pick lists, maintain
accurate information, allow consultants to work in most flexible
methods as possible and to understand process to maintain this
information ONLY for release 1.0.
Next Steps:
Premise: Concentrate on tactical (best effort) needs for release 1.0
production, understand possible process requirements post production.
- Lynne to make application changes for 1.0b4 release
- Al and Lynne will work on getting list of Macintosh models
- Al to talk to Karen M. to get Dell models
- Peter to review both O/S pick list and O/S Version values.
Best effort will be made to get accurate list and sent to
Wade for import into Oracle.
- Kevin and Peter will review the Filemaker Software data as
a baseline for importing into Oracle. The list will be sent to
Wade for import into Oracle.
- Kevin has a starting point for Software Versions. Peter and Al
will review this list and make a best attempt to complete the list
with supported and non-supported version numbers. The list will be
sent to Wade for import into Oracle.
Comments:
- Software search should not be based on a specific operating system or
hardware (as is in release 1.0b3).
- Need to see all software items in pick list and not limit those to
a specific hardware.
- Strive for a low maintenance system to keep track of pick list items.
Understand that it's difficult to keep track of all items that are
supported in today's environment and structure.
- When log busting, focus on operating system, not hardware category.
- It was noted that listing supported or unsupported identification per
software is useful. However, given a lack of an existing process to
easily maintain this information, the integrity of the information is
questionable.
- Requirement: When revisiting the process of listing supported
software, ensure that the customer and the consultant have access to
the same information. It's possible that the consultant may have
access to greater detail of information in order to properly answer a
question. Radio buttons (as in release 1.0b3) do not display enough
information on supported products.
- Process issue: Can we have an owner of a product(s) maintain the
level of supported information? For release 1.0, the Help Desk
system administrator can update the various pick lists stored in
Oracle until a better process is defined.
- Process Issue: We expect 90% or more software items to be taken from
pick list, which will help with data consistency and searching. Upon
removing the constraint in release 1.0b3, we need to confirm that
data entry is using the pick list as appropriate. Possibly, six weeks
after release is a good time to reflect on usage patterns. Also,
this is a good method to update the pick list. We also should check
data entry of the software versions with the pick list.
- Process Issue: Need strategic direction to ensure both Help Desk
requirements and enterprise wide requirements are being met. This
includes process of who updates information, defined communication
channels and access to same information for both consultants and
customer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Meeting Overview:
Meeting Purpose:
- Reach common understanding such that when the application goes into
production, access to data, meaning of the data and process to
communicate will be understood and quality of responses from
consultants will not be hindered by the application.
- The position and needs of the Help Desk should be stated as it
relates to other teams/processes who are reviewing/maintaining
supported software lists.
- Evaluate the current design for problems, items the system is not
addressing.
Groundrules:
- This meeting is not to discuss specific hardware/software
recommendations, other than when using as an example.
Help Desk business model and requirements:
- Consultants are asked to spend an appropriate amount of time on
supported products/questions. Thus, there is a need to know the
status of a product (supported/unsupported, partially supported).
- Searching for call tracking records based on Software, Software
Category, Hardware, Model, Operating System are required.
- Knowing team referral ability (e.g. SQL*Net help is asd-ds) or
local consultant (and/or mailing list) referral is required.
Current design uses pick lists for ensure data consistency and
thus facilitating searching. May also help with training new
consultants as some pick lists are dependent on values in other
lists (e.g. software category relates to software).
Fields defined in release 1.0b3, changes for 1.0b4, issues and comments:
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Fields:
- Hardware Represents desktop platform
Release 1.0b3:
Example: Workstation, Macintosh, PC,
Other (which means ambiguous or combination),
N/A (which means not relevant)
List based on: Pick list table, not dependent on other info.
Free Form: No
Required: Yes
Release 1.0b4: No changes recommended
Issues: What about CHRP machines?
- Answer: Pick list can be updated, adding
Motorola or PowerComputing. Need to focus
more on O/S than hardware.
Comments: What would be entered if a question was not
related to a specific hardware, such as "having
trouble connecting to the data warehouse?",
"on-line directory information needs updating",
a question on Ecat, SAP, lack of network access?
Wade comment: Making this field required seems
to have effect on consultant to ask question on
hardware type, even if it is not relevant
What would be entered for a business question or
if a question was forwarded from one queue
(e.g. user accounts, libraries, CWIS) to the
HelpDesk? (This is a vision, not a reality at
this time).
Training: When selecting Other from hardware, use Summary
field to add more information, e.g. "HP printer
problem", "problem moving files from Windows to
Mac",
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Model
Release 1.0b3:
Example:. PM 8100
List based on: Pick list based on hardware code
Free Form: Yes
Required: No
Release 1.0b4: No application changes, work on data
Issues: How to get accurate list?
How to get IBM models?
-----------------------------------------------------------
- O/S
Release 1.0b3:
Example: Windows NT
List based on: pick list table, no dependency
Free Form: No
Required: No
Release 1.0b4: No application changes, work on data
Issues: In some cases, there is a difference between
enterprise support and departmental support
as in Windows NT. Does the Help Desk need to
know? Will it affect their communication?
Who updates this list after post release 1.0?
-----------------------------------------------------------
- O/S Version
Release 1.0b3:
Example: 7.5.3
List based on: pick list based on O/S
Free Form: Yes
Required: No
Release 1.0b4: No application changes, work on data
Issues: Will beta releases display? For example,
MacOS 8.0b1? Should the consultant type
any value into this field? If so, what
happens to the supported flags?
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Software
Release 1.0b3:
Example: Excel
List based on: Pick list table, dependent on O/S,
value picked affects supported flags
Free Form: No
Required: No
Release 1.0b4: Two changes. 1. Allow free form entry,
and 2. Remove constraint on O/S. 3. Work
on data.
Issues: Difficult for consultants to have access
to a complete list of software representing
possible questions.
If this is a free form field, will
this degrade the consistency of data input?
How do we represent "printing", "networking",
or finer granularity of components, such as
"SAP Journal Voucher"? (Mike Sampson has a
list of SAP components).
Comment: Possible option is to maintain constraint on
software items and utilize an item called
"Other" in the Software list. The consultant
could be more explicit in the Summary field.
It was decided that this is not the correct
solution at this time.
Removing the constraint on Software affects
both Software Category and Supported products.
Who determines the software list (e.g. should we
add Tether Software? Network Cards/Modems,
third-party query tools? Ecat? Electronic
Proposal System?). This impacts the design of
taking a feed from a central repository.
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Software Version
Release 1.0b3
Example: 4.0
List based on: Pick list, dependent on Software, affects
supported flags
Free Form: No
Required: No
Release 1.0b4: Remove constraint and allow free form entry
and work on data.
Issue: Difficult to keep up with new versions, e.g.
Excel 4.2. However, this impacts the
supported/unsupported flags.
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Software Category
Release 1.0b3:
Example: Spreadsheet
List based on: Table is based on software listing
Free Form: No
Required: No
Release 1.0b4: Remove this field
On-going work: Al (Desktop Products) and Kevin (Self-Help) are
developing a list of software and relating the
software to a category.
Questions: What is the timeline?
How is this data communicated to Scopus?
What happens if software is changed to a
different category, legacy data in Scopus still
has old values?
-----------------------------------------------------------
- Supported/Unsupported/Partially Supported
Release 1.0b3:
Radio buttons
Based on: Software and Version
Free Form: No, not changeable
Release 1.0b4: Remove these radio buttons
Issues: Whose definition of support are we using? For
example, the Help Desk does not support SQL*Net,
but IS (via the database group) does?
Partially Supported may be too limited to be
meaningful for a Help Desk consultant. This
pertains to a limited amount (e.g. training,
user groups, documentation, ...) of support.
Supported/Unsupported flags in the Scopus Help
Desk application only pertain to the
software/version and not to the operating system
(e.g. OS/2, Windows NT, etc.).
