Overview

FIC IT team consists of 4 staff including 2 contractors currently. IT office utilizes CIT infrastructure and dedicate desktop services to support FIC staff's IT needs & requirements. The core activities & serivces includes general desktop & conference room support, IT projects management and IT equipment acquisition & management, etc.        

General process & procedure for IT service ticket

1. FIC staff submit an IT Service Ticket
2. FIC IT DST (Desktop Support Technician) contact ticket requestor to confirm/clarify IT needs and provide assistance and/or fix the issues
3. FIC IT DST close the ticket after receiving confirmation from ticket requestor

Average ticket received: 41 per months. From May 2017 to May 2018, Avg is 3.6 days. Starting from June 2018, IT office imporved the process policy by monitoring the ticket queue more proactively and also modified the ticket system. DST closes the ticket right after it is fixed, and if there is no response from customer after try 3 times, DST will also close the ticket. Therefore, the resolution time is down from 3.6 days per ticket to 2.2 days per tickets. Although our target is still 2.5 days per tickets. 

Current status

Our current average IT ticket closing time is three days, and we have been successful in closing most desktop incident requests within this timeframe. However, we have observed that requests for conference rooms or virtual meeting support need to remain open until the corresponding conference is concluded. This has resulted in an increase in the average resolution time.

March 2020: Staff relocation, workstation set up and maximize telework at NIH

Dec. 2019: Tickets were submitted earlier for GFE for foreign travel loaner request (3 month before travel start) and for new staff onboarding

Positive Factors - Shorter resolution time

• Enthusiastic IT team. IT team is willing and has ethusiasm to work well, to provide better services/support and promote the use of information technology at FIC. Team member helps each other, always looks for ways to make new ideas work although the work style may be different.
• Collaborating with IC partners including but not limitted to CIT. FIC IT office has partner with NIH ICs to optimize the use of IT resources, especially, we utilize CIT as our back end support which give us more resources when helping FIC staff.
• Hiring to fill the vacant position. FIC IT office need recruit 1 staff to the team, which will reduce current IT team's workload and shorten the resolution time.
• FIC staff with increasing IT knowledge/skill and understanding. More and more FIC staff has taken IT related training to gain general/basic IT knowlege and understanding on the importance of IT regulation, process & operation. Theoretically, the resolution time may be shorten because of the shorter explanation time.
• Smaller group. FIC is a small IC and IT team is small team with 4 member. It is relatively easier for IT team establishing good relationship with staff/each other and knowing the person who we serve for and work with.

Negative Factors - Longer resolution time

• Big volumn of tickets. IT office receive more IT service tickets around the end of fiscal year than other time frame. Especially, almost every ticket requires immediate attention and help at once.
• Complex and difficut issues. Some complex IT service request such as login authentication exception, require IT developer/database adinistrator /network administrator to modify the code or setting, and also require extra approval from senior management and/or chief information security office. 
• Unavailable customer. FIC staff may on travel, leave, ect. when submitting an IT ticket. The ticket will remain be open till he/she is availableto allow DST to provide services.
• Unclear/unknown requirement. Customer may select the wrong category when submitting a help desk ticket, which will take more time to find/assign the proper resource or people to help. 
• Waiting time for third party resources & approval. IT service ticket resolution time can be impacted by many factors. Some factors may play critical role. E.g.,  IT DST depends on other resources to assist customer, which will have impact (sometimes big impact) on  IT ticket process time. For example: 
  • The DST must coordinates with other NIH system help desk, such as eRA, nVision, CIT infrastructure team, hosting team, etc.,  DST has to wait until the involved third party to finish their process.
  • Must wait/collaborate with NIH security committee/ISSO office for their approval.
  • Coordinate with commercial partner, such as Apple, Dell, Ricoh, NetCom, Contractors or Vendors. The processing time depend on third party's response time.
• Lack of staff. FIC IT office is running under short of hand. IT team has to take additional responsibilities that outside his/her scope of work in order to meet FIC staff's IT needs. Therefore, IT tickets maybe not closed on a timely manner.

IT Service Tickets Details

• Customer: FIC Staff
• NIH IC Partners including CIT
• CIT Desktop Support Team and Other Service Provider Team
• NIH Enterprise Systems Help Desk Team
• NIH IT Security Program Committee and Work Group
• Contractors and Vendors

1. Coordinate with CIT desktop support team to make "CIT IT Services Survey"  be required after each IT service is completed
2. Generate and review IT service monthly report and ad hoc report to oversee the IT service status
3. Monitor the IT service ticket queue and ensure the ticket is closed when the service is completed
4. Update the ticket management protocol
5. Training and Encourage DST to collaborate with CIT co-workers to ensure knowledge/skill up to date
6. Clarify/reiterate DSTs' roles & responsibilities and primary/secodary task owner. Ensure IT office's coverage

1. Update ticket management protocol.  IT DST will close the ticket if there is no response from customer for 3 days. Customer can re-open the ticket by  submitting another ticket.
2. Continue work with CIT partner to enhance  current IT service ticket system and reporting feature. 
3. Plan to create customized "IT Service Survey" internally, which can help IT office understand customers' need and requirements better, also, can help in monitoring/managing/improving DST and other IT supports.