The plunger

My friends in other districts have been tracking the amount of time a ticket is open for years, which is something I started paying attention to last winter. ... While we’ve made improvements, we can always improve here. I’d love to have a year where we stay under 20 work hours for an average ticket. Nathan Mielke

 

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The Terminator. The Executioner. The Great Emancipator. The Father of Our Country. The Angel of the Battlefield  ...

As nicknames go, "The Plunger" is probably not the most exciting. But it's one in which I take pride. As tech director, I am the last, best place to go for resolving a stubborn technology problem in the district. Everything from a ball of hair to a serious (ahem) obstruction.

Over the years I've found that to be an effective plunger, you need to understand a few things, including..

• There is no such thing as a small problem in technology to the individual being impacted. See this post. Here's the deal. School systems are made up of individuals. You take care of the individual, the system works.
• People will put off difficult tasks. It's human nature, I believe, to make the quick fixes first. Encouraging a mentality in technical staff to look at problems chronologically rather than by time needed to fix a problem needs to be encouraged.
• Talking to people F2F or on the phone is more effective than e-mail. When I ask why a particular job is taking so long to get done, I often get the reply "I am waiting to get e-mail back from _________." When people don't reply, get them on the phone or, even better, go visit them. Don't let others' procrastination reflect on your job performance.
• Problems are often simply a lack of understanding, of clarity, of communication. I was recently asked to provide volunteers e-mail accounts in the district - a big job that would get bigger. When I asked why these folks needed email the reply was "so they could print." I reminded the requester that we have generic logins for people who just need to print. Problem solved. Figure out the real issue before attempting to resolve it.
• Get everyone in the room. Sometimes tasks are not completed because of personality conflicts. My job as the plunger is often to get all parties in the same room, talk about the problem, and then get clarity on who needs to do what. Sometimes uncomfortable, but about the only good remedy I've found.
• Offer assistance. "What can I do as the tech director to help you solve this problem" is probably the best question I can ask. Can I get information, a budget code, an agreement, a tool, etc. that will enable you do clear this one out of the helpdesk backlog?
• Have patience - but not too much. I hate to micro manage, but I also know that it's my job as a supervisor to help others prioritize. Helping create a timeline is sometimes necessary.
• Put it in writing. Sometimes a task is not done because the person responsible is uncomfortable with the policy behind it. I will then put the request in writing with the reminder that if there is a complaint, it can be directed to me.
• Reexamine a rules and legacy practices. "I am supposed to be only in this building on Tuesdays and Thursdays." "We don't keep projection lamps on site in buildings." "We don't give computers to teaching assistants." "We never move the location of a smartboard once installed." If a job is not getting done because of a long-standing practice, take a good hard look at the practice - or consider an exception to that practice.
• Sometimes the solution to a problem is admitting there is no solution to the problem. Being open about insolvable problems (I get too much spam, there is no money for this in the budget this year, this product does not have this feature, etc.) is the only way to close an issue. It's a last resort only to be used after all other avenues have been explored.
• Know the difference between a problem and a dilemma. Dilemmas can't be solved, only managed.
• Don't quibble over pennies. OK, I abide by the golden rule of school budgets whenever possible - "Never pay for something from your budget that you can get someone else to pay for." But if a problem can be solved by just buying a damn part that is under $100, I'd just as soon pay it and get the job done. Why save a few bucks and risk having your department's reputation for good service tank?
• Create team members who are plungers themselves. Encourage and reward timeliness, creative problem-solving, good communications. That way you can take on the really big clogs. Last week I challenged our tech team to significantly reduce the number of job tickets that are over two weeks old. In one week we went from 116 old tickets to under 60. Yes!

It's a lot more rewarding to work for department known for its competence that for its dysfunction. And once you have created a positive reputation, you'll never want it any other way.

Happy plunging.