How do you justify your time? 1

[squirkie]

I work for a small company, 30-35 users. I am the only IT person here. When I was hired, it was understood that my job would consist of both IT and regular administrative type work (data entry, filing, etc.). I've been working here for about a year and a half now and I am still struggling to keep up with all the work I'm given to do. And when I do speak up and say that I have too much to do already, the new tasks are put on a list for me to cross off when they're complete. Needless to say I have a list a mile long with no end in sight. The biggest problem is explaining that maintaining our network and workstations each day takes longer than just a few minutes. Helping users when they have questions often takes longer than a few minutes, and then it's hard to get back on track after the interruptions. Our servers are getting old, and quite frankly I'm surprised they're still plugging along.

I finally spoke up when my boss asked why certain things weren't getting done and now I'm being asked to document everything I do every day. As if I have time! So what I would LIKE to do is present a list of the daily tasks that MUST be done and take priority over everything else. Except I've been stuck in this stupid chaotic rut for so long that I can't remember what it is I should be doing.

So how do you justify your time? I know I can't possibly be the only one here who has experienced people in the workplace thinking that as long as everything is working, there is nothing for the IT people to do!

 

[AndrewTait]

But she's so busy and frantic herself that she never has time

I suspect that this is part of the problem. I suspect she cannot see where her own time is going, let alone anyone elses. She is probably getting annoyed about other people bothering her about you not having time, and getting you to justify your time is an easy answer to her problems.

I suspect that if she really is as busy as it seems, then she will not even look at your logs even if you make them.

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I got to the edge of sanity....then i fell off
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[squirkie]

Yesterday I started using my Google desktop sidebar and I'm really getting attached to the notepad it has on it. I can quickly type my tasks in it without worrying about what other windows I have open since it's right there. At the end of the day, I copied/pasted my notes from there into an email to my boss and her boss. They were in the conference room for a bit today and when they came out I found out...that they're hiring a part time person to cover most of the administrative work I've been doing! Woohoo!

 

[Opieo]

By administrative work I am assuming you are saying all of the work that really is in no way IT related, and not the IT admin work? Sorry, I just have to make sure.

~
Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

 

[squirkie]

Yes, like the work an administrative assistant would do...data entry, filing, etc...general office work. Which I'm not opposed to doing if I had the time to!

 

[aarenot]

One thing I would suggets is asking for all requests for work in a support function be done in writing, or electronic. Create a few email accounts.

emailsupport@yourcompany.com

PCsupport@YC.com

helpdesk@YC.com

Try to get users to contact you via email unless something is an emergency. You can then forward the emails to the proper account as per its area of support.


A few benefits from this

Users doucment their own issue, date, and time, as well as when you recieved the request.

You can forward the requests to the email account that describes it for records.(email support to the email support account).

You can schedule in outlook, include the email, and respond to the sender with an invite to show them when it is on your schedule for including your boss in the invite for info purposes only.

You can add notes, info., completion date,time etc. to the email by forwarding, or in outlook meetings.

Making a meeting for yourself for anything that takes longer than 15 minutes, or groups of emails together to a meeting for smaller things. You can always go back and edit the meeting to reflect that actual time if it takes longer than expected easily.

Last item. Share your calendar with the person who you want to see what you do. When they see the simple number of emails you get, and the meetings you have scheduled they will see you are busy.

 

[sstoppel]

Squirkie, I have a couple of suggestions for you. I don't know how long you have been in IT, so you may already know about this stuff. I did IT for years before I really knew what I was doing, so I wanted to pass along some things that helped me.

1. The most important thing you can do is to get out of reactive mode. You will need managerial buy-in for this as initially you will get resistance from users. Do this by:

a. Do not allow people to ask for things passing in the hall, etc. If you must do random user support, schedule it for say, an hour in the AM and an hour after lunch. Then do your walkaround/helping.

b. To the greatest extent possible use standardized workstation images and resist one-off modifications. When you develop the images test them carefully before you deploy. Then when the image is good don't spend hours troubelshooting a workstation, just reimage.

c. Read the introductory ITIL material and rigidly protect live systems. Never implement a change unless it is tested and you have a way to undo the change (which you have also tested.)

d. Get some sort of free or cheap help desk software and use it to track issues.

2. Get management to prioritize your work, and hold them to it.


Hope this helps

 

[AndrewTait]

d. Get some sort of free or cheap help desk software and use it to track issues.

For some cheep (read Free!) helpdesk software, considering there is only you there, try

http://www.inet-sciences.com/index.html

I've used it on a number of customer sites, where they wanted to implement this kind of thing, but didn't have any money to buy anything. It takes a bit to get it set up as you want it, but is well worth doing.

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I got to the edge of sanity....then i fell off
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[squirkie]

Excellent ideas! I love the help desk software/ticket system suggestion, too.

I'm also making a list of the things we don't have that we need (the IT person that was here before me apparently didn't do much). For starters, we don't have a disaster recovery plan, and we don't have a privacy policy or an opt-in/out policy.

 

[shoalcreek]

Definitely keep a log of everything you do.

Also, make sure that you are never seen doing non-work stuff. Turn off your personal cell phone if you have one. Don't take personal phone calls. Come to Tek-tips when you are at home.