Survey

When someone wants to communicate with me, I prefer contact via:

Email
IM
Phone
A Personal Visit

Staff Profile

Nan McKenna

Nan McKenna manages the Process and Account Management department of Client Services. She has been at Stanford since 1979.


How would you describe your current job responsibilities?

I'm the Director of Process and Account Management, an expanded version of Client Relations. I think of the two groups as part of the glue that holds IT Services together and allows us to provide the best client service that we can. The account managers and process experts are involved in just about everything that goes on; projects, support, help services, and lots of client interaction. I just stay out of the way and clear the decks.

Which aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?

I get to know about almost everything that goes on in IT Services, and that's fun. I work with capable, smart people in IT Services and in our client organizations as well. Client service is always a moving target, so there are always new things to do.

What did you do before you came to Stanford?

I went to high school.

What do you like to do when you're not at work?

Read, swim, cook, do tech for local theatre groups, and drive my daughter around (really, we have a good time).

What is your favorite movie, book, song?

Book: The Once and Future King by T.H. White
Song: Do I have to say? Okay, (Stairway to Heaven). I can't help it; it's my age.
Movie: It's a tie: Picnic at Hanging Rock and The Princess Bride, but there are about 53 others right behind....

Staff Happenings

Ryan and I are overjoyed to welcome Nathan Clark Pilat into our family. He was born at 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday, March 8, at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Redwood City. He and his Mom are resting comfortably there now, and all three of us are doing well.
Specs:
Weight: 8 lbs., 5 oz.
Length: 21.5 inches
Hair: Reddish-brown
Eyes: Blue

- Jon Pilat
Client Support; Project Management Office

Comings and Goings

I'm just a little bit late getting this out, but Maria and I would like to welcome Jeremy Fife to the CRC team. Many of you have probably already met him, as he has already started. Jeremy is taking on the Office of General Council contract and is currently working closely with Andrew and Shahn to transition things.

Jeremy came to us from Online Technical Services where he was contracting with Washington Hospital in Fremont, working on a major Windows XP upgrade, writing documentation, and providing daily support for over 800 users. Prior to that, Jeremy was an IT Administrator at ChartOne, Inc., in San Jose for five years. He has experience with Windows, both desktop and server, Exchange, network services, a host of software applications including Ghost, all Microsoft products, Remedy, and others.

Jeremy is moving into Bambi and we'll have his contact information posted on the EHS Technical Directory very soon.

Please look for Jeremy and give him a big ol' welcome when you see him!

- Karen Zack
Client Support; Computer Resource Consulting

Joanne Valdescona’s co-workers in Order Processing are bidding a fond farewell to her as she leaves Stanford and California—and even the continental U.S.—to start a small business venture in the Philippines. 

Joanne has worked in ITS for eleven years and has been a significant contributor in every position she has held.  Starting in Administration, Joanne rode the re-org waves through Communications Services to become an Order Processor, where she excelled on a daily basis and earned various recognition awards to prove it.

Her quiet manner and spectacular smile will be missed all over campus. We wish her the very best and we hope that all of her dreams come true as she embarks on a new adventure.

- Karen Cox
Shared Communication Services; Order Management

We are sorry to announce that Veronica Houck is leaving Stanford to move with her family to Chico. Her last day with us will be March 22nd. In her short time as a member of the Administrative Services team, she impressed everyone with her energy, her ability to learn, and her ever-present smile. She will be missed.

On the other hand, we are happy to announce that we will have two temporary staff working with the group for the next few months. Zach Young will be working in Forsythe assisting Christina Gonzalez, and Paulina Piatek will be in Polya assisting Valerie Cruz.

- Cholada Chenhansa
Finance and Administration; Administrative Services

GQ, the cat who lived outside of Pine and Redwood Halls for 15 years, died in her "retirement home" with ITSer Meighan McWilliam last month. Some people remember her as the sweet cat who appeared in several of the holiday videos; others call her "that vicious little beast" and point to their scratches from trying to pet her. Regardless, she was a tireless greeter for Jordan Quad who would often come out from the bushes to give you a few moments of pleasant distraction from work.

Our condolences to Meighan as well as our thanks for bravely taking GQ into her home for the past few years.

- John Klemm
Administrative Systems

its in bits welcomes more detailed employee news submissions from all staff. Please submit to itsinbits-submissions@lists.stanford.edu

Technology Training Courses

Seats are still available for the following IT Services Technology Training class the week of March 27:

  • Mastering Dreamweaver Level 3 (ITS-2605), Wednesday, March 29, 9:00–4:00, $275
If you are interested in signing up for a course, please register by Monday, March 20. Classes with low enrollments may be cancelled one week in advance.

More information on courses, registration, and training is available at the Technology Training Services site.

- Phyllis Olrich
Client Support; Technology Training Services

IT Employment Opportunities

There were three additions to the IT Services job requisition postings for this edition.

Req.#9693 - Computer Information Systems Analyst - 100% FTE, continuing - Range 4P2 - Maria Maravilla, Manager.

The CISA provides standard contract desktop and local area network support and analysis to university departments. The CISA serves as a technical expert regarding all aspects of desktop computer support. This position is responsible for responding to customer calls, troubleshooting, resolving problems, and answering questions related to network connectivity, software, and hardware.

Req.#9962 - Installation & Maintenance Technician I - 100% FTE, Bargaining Unit - continuing - Range A-32, Rocco Petrunti, Manager.

Technicians at this level function with limited supervision. Work assignments and instructions are oral and/or written and include wiring lists, installation request forms, and simple block diagrams or schematics. Work is to be performed in conformance with these instructions and industry standard and practices.

Req.#9329 - Sr. Manager, Shared Application Systems - 100% FTE continuing - 1M4 - John Freshwaters, Manager.

Manage a staff of multiple direct reports. Assign, schedule, and track tasks. Review performance and professional development goals for personnel. Manage performance for staff in both in a direct reporting and matrix reporting relationships. Realign resources based on changes in priority. Understand University, client, and IT Services priorities, objectives, and environments.

To view the complete listings or to apply for a position, visit the StanfordJobs web site at: jobs.stanford.edu.

There are other open Information Technology positions at Stanford. To see what other opportunities exist on campus, link to the full list of open positions from: itss.stanford.edu/staff/itssjobs.html

Quote of the Week

"CPU fans for five firebirds (Dell Precision 420's) were replaced to reduce noise. Students nearby had tears in their eyes after I was done."

-From a recent Change Management notice

News

A Note from Bill...

Next month, IT Services will release its annual Client Satisfaction Survey. This survey serves as a key indicator to whether we are meeting our clients' expectations in delivering useful, reliable tools with excellent customer service. As I've mentioned in previous articles, continually improving client satisfaction is absolutely necessary for IT Services to succeed at Stanford.

One influence on improving client satisfaction and providing great customer service is, without a doubt, an employee's satisfaction with their work environment. Many of you (a phenomenal 89%) participated in our recent, short Employee Satisfaction Pulse Survey. Clearly, this shows that we all care deeply about this organization and want to provide input to help improve it. So why do I believe that employee satisfaction is so critical to client satisfaction?

It almost goes without saying that our mood affects our performance. The more pleased we are with our work environment, the more likely we are to provide great client service. By addressing internal staff concerns we are often also addressing our clients' concerns and making them more successful. I realize (especially from my own experience) that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to be happy all the time. However, when morale is high, we are all much more likely to support each other. Such teamwork is clearly evident to our clients.

Every successful team maintains a pervasive attitude that the success of the team is as important, if not more so, than the success of the individual. I honestly believe that this is true for IT Services. While we should all be working to create an environment that allows individuals to be successful, it is because such success can lead to success for the organization. None of us are truly successful—especially me—unless the entire organization succeeds.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will all be reviewing the results of the employee survey in our work groups. All in all, I'm very pleased with the results since they indicate that, for the most part, we are moving in the right direction. Please remember that the results are not an end in themselves—we don't win anything for having a positive internal survey. Still, creating a great organization where we all feel valued and supported is a crucial stepping-stone to providing great service and services. Please join me in working to continue this trend and in taking the next step to leverage our improvements to deliver even better service to our clients.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

IPP Phase 2 Kicks Off

Wednesday, March 1st marked the beginning of Phase 2 of our annual performance evaluation process.

The purpose of Phase 2 is to check in and review progress against goals set in Phase 1. In addition, it allows for goals and job descriptions to be updated or amended as necessary. As always, the most critical thing to keep in mind is that this process is first and foremost about communication regarding expectations, performance, training, and tools that may be needed for successful job performance.

The Phase 2 review includes:

  • Section 1 (job description)
  • Section 2 (principal objectives and goals)
  • Section 3 (competencies)
  • Section 5 (career development)

Hopefully, everyone has already started conversations with their supervisor on the Phase 2 process. Updated IPP forms are due no later than March 31, 2006. Any questions can be directed to your supervisor or to Nilda Bonet.

- Bill Clebsch
IT Services

2006 Client Satisfaction Survey

We are about to launch the 2006 Client Satisfaction Survey. As part of the process, we invited all IT Services staff members to help out by completing the version of the survey designed for staff. We are asking you to complete the survey for three reasons:

  1. We want to hear your feedback about our services and receive your input on priorities for future directions (because you are clients too);
  2. we want you to be informed of the questions we will ask a random selection of Stanford faculty, students, and staff next month; and
  3. we need your help to test the how well the survey works and whether the questions are clear.

Your responses to the survey are confidential. MOR Associates will receive the raw survey data directly and will complete the needed analysis.

This is just a reminder: tomorrow is the last day to get your survey in!

You can contact any member of the IT Services Client Satisfaction Team with your questions or to provide feedback. You can also reach us via email at itss-survey@lists.stanford.edu.

Thanks for helping out.

- The IT Services Client Satisfaction Team
Bill Clebsch, Jan Cicero, Jay Kohn, Chris Lundin, Nan McKenna, Jim Knox, Teresa Janeway, Lynne Myers, Nancy Ware

Tips for Handling HelpSU Cases

As part of IT Services' continued focus on measuring our operational activities to positively influence customer satisfaction, we began publishing weekly "SLA Performance Measures" in January. A previous edition of its in bits had details about the metrics project.

We have created a Tips page in our "HelpSU for Consultants" area which offers advice on how to handle HelpSU cases to promote the most accurate measurement of "response time." If you work in HelpSU to resolve cases, please take a moment to review the suggested practices and tips.

SLA (Service Level Agreement) is a common industry term to reflect the agreement between customers and service providers about service levels, and is also the name of a module in our Remedy Help Desk application. Our Remedy SLA module measures the elapsed time (in business hours) between receipt of a customer's HelpSU request and when that request is marked "Resolved." These SLA measurements are published weekly to the IT Services and Administrative Services managers and directors.

At the current time, as a way to get started, we have two specific resolution measurements for all groups using the HelpSU application:

1. Urgent Cases resolved within 4 business hours (M–F, 8–5)
2. Non-urgent cases resolved within 12 business hours (M–F,
8–5)

The weekly report then tells us what percentage of cases have been resolved within these times. These do not tie to the SLAs which we now have in place with our clients, but are a way to get started using the Remedy functionality.

In coming months, we anticipate adding additional, specific measurements for particular clients, as well as measuring "response time" (the time between a customer's HelpSU request and when the support staff advises them that the problem is received and under review). These measurements will tie to the IT Services SLAs which we have with those clients.

- Chris Lundin
Client Support; Help Desk Services

- Nan McKenna
Client Support; Process and Account Management

Changes in Shared Communications

I'd like to share a change in our reporting structure. Effective
immediately, Bob Moya and Karen Cox will report to me directly. This change comes as a directed effort to bring more of my focus and attention to two critical client-facing and cross-functional areas. They will each bring their groups along with them, somewhat lightening Bert's load in Operations.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this change.

- Jay Kohn
Shared Communication Services

New iOU

In late 2004, the Oracle Financials team was assigned the task of improving Oracle usability for campus users. A key goal was to reduce the amount of time required to enter transactions in the system. Three areas were identified for improvement: PCard, Reimbursements, and Purchase Requisitions.

The Oracle Financials team recognized from the start that strong end-user involvement would be critical for this effort. With the support of the executive sponsors, focus groups were convened and field studies were conducted as part of the solution design process.

At the outset, the team performed an evaluation of the Oracle iExpenses module as a potential option for PCard and Reimbursements. The findings indicated that iExpenses was not a good fit for Stanford, so the team proceeded to the next step: a customized solution for PCard.

With the help of the end-user field studies and a PCard focus group, application and report requirements were gathered, screen mock-ups created, code developed, and usability studies performed. In October of 2005, PCard rolled out campus-wide to great acclaim.

Then it was iOU's turn. Because it addressed Reimbursements, Advances, Other Checks, and Petty Cash, the new system and reports were dubbed "iOU" by the focus group that helped design it; nifty shorthand for a fairly comprehensive application!

Emerging from a successful test, a usability comparison between the new iOU application and the current iPO module has been revealing. For an identical reimbursement transaction entry, the following numbers were recorded:

Number of screens:
iPO = 31
iOU = 12
Number of mouse clicks:
iPO = 67
iOU = 37
Elapsed time required for transaction entry:
iPO = 8 min 39 secs
iOU = 4 min 31 secs

This significant reduction in required effort for a standard transaction will be music to the ears of thousands of users across campus.

The process of granting authority for over 3,000 users begins the week of March 27th. The transition should be complete by May 1st, and iOU will be running on all cylinders.

- Shirley Hodges, Suzanne Schiessler, and Tricia Richter
Administrative Systems

Strike !

Get your strikes in at the second not-so-annual IT Services Bowling Party. The party will include free bowling and shoe rental, pizza, and beer (a cash bar will also be available). Prizes and trophies will be awarded for high score and low score. A Sundial invitation should be on your calendar. Here are the specifics:

  • What: IT Services March Madness Bowling Party
  • When: Thursday, March 30th; 3 p.m.–6 p.m.
  • Where: Palo Alto Bowl, 4329 El Camino Real
See you on the lanes!

- Teresa Janeway
Client Support; Promotion and Publicity

About its in bits

A regular summary of IT business, news about personnel, and pointers to other information of interest to IT Services staff. Coordinated, compiled, and published by the Communication Strategy and Standards Team. its in bits is published on the first and third Wednesday of the month.

Submissions are due by Noon on the Friday before the scheduled issue, to itsinbits-submissions@lists.stanford.edu for consideration. its in bits is distributed via email to its-all-staff@lists.stanford.edu and the new subscription list itsinbits-subscribers@lists.stanford.edu. People outside of IT Services can self-subscribe via majordomo.

The next its in bits will be published on Wednesday, April 5, 2006