Operational Framework: 

Computing Services is one of the college resource services dedicated to providing support to IT infrastructure, connectivity, communications, services, and technical support to all the members of Stratford upon Avon College. Our goal is to provide greatest good to the greatest number with the limited resources available.  This involves a prioritisation of problems as specified later in this document under ‘Priorities & Response’.

Emergencies:

In case of emergency such as total loss of connectivity to the network, the IT Servicedesk can be contacted by radio via Reception.

Responsibilities of Staff/Student Requesting Support from the Computing Services Team:

Staff/Student requesting assistance are requested to provide the following information as a minimum requirement:
• First and Last Name
• Telephone extension
• Room number of problem
• Details of problem (including error messages where possible)
• Computer Name displayed on the desktop ( where possible)
• Asset Number – a four digit college asset tag on the equipment (where possible)

If a member of staff is requesting further information about a task previously reported, the following should be provided:

• Ticket reference number
• Summary of request

"At Risk" Maintenance Period

The Scheduled Maintenance Period for the college computing systems is Tuesday mornings between 07:00 – 09.00. This is allied to the JANET At-risk period for national academic networking maintenance, which may also occur at this time of the week.

There is no guarantee of services during the at-risk period, whether in term time or vacation and it is recommended that critical computing work be avoided at this time.

Definitions

• Target Response: the time between receipt of the request and the time a member of the Computing Services Department makes initial contact with the requester.
• Target Resolution: The time period within which the Computing Services Department can resolve an average of at least 8 out of 10 requests.

Exceptions

Due to the volume of calls during the opening week of college and in other peak volume weeks, response times may be longer than normal. Also, emergencies such as a computer virus outbreak or critical system issues will affect response times. The Computing Services Department staff will inform end users of anticipated delays in responding.

How projects affect priorities

Scheduled projects take priority over Routine/Low and maintenance work orders and may take priority over Medium/High priority work orders if consultants are on-site, because of the related costs of consultancy. Security concerns involving sensitive data override everything else.

Problem Escalation

The priority based system is used for classifying support calls in order to resolve issues in a timely and efficient manner. However, there will be incidents which remain open longer than desirable. Escalation procedures help to ensure that requests which have been left open for an extended time will be addressed.

 In the event that a member of staff wishes to escalate the progress of a task, contact Computing Services Service Desk Supervisor providing details of the ticket number and the reasons for escalation.

 

Complaints/Comments about the Services provided by the Computing Services Team

In the event that a member of staff wishes to complain/comment about any aspect of the services provided by the Computing Services they should carry out the following:

• Email the Director of Computing Services with details of the complaint including as much information as possible – such as job number, date reported etc.
• The Director of Computing Services will investigate the complaint and reply in writing to the member of staff initiating it within 2 working days.
• In the event that the problem is not resolved at this level, the Director of Computing Services or the staff member may refer the matter to the  Vice Principal – Resources

Performance Monitoring and Modification of the Service Level Agreement

Weekly reports summarizing volume of calls, response time and outstanding issues will be provided by the IT Servicedesk Supervisor for review and discussion upon request.

A summary of the reports outlining performance will be presented to the Executive Management team at least once a term.

On an annual basis (or more often if needed) any modifications [service level statement] will be reviewed by the Director of Computing Services for agreement by the Executive Management team.