Scott Mah’s Blog for Staff

Just a reminder for UTS staff that the Winter scheduled week off for most UW Technology professional staff is Dec. 28-Jan. 1.  Historically, this has been a quiet week for UW operations.  To provide coverage for essential functions, we will also have smaller numbers of people taking one of the alternate weeks:  Nov. 23-27, Jan. 18-22, or Feb. 15-19.  Now is a good time to confirm with your manager which week you are scheduled to be off.  A checklist is available as your SWO week approaches to ensure colleagues and customers can find help during your absence. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to let me know anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

Today the UTS management met for its monthly team meeting (first Wednesday of the month).  We walked through the original budget forecast that was submitted to Business & Finance last week.  Managers also got a briefing on how the process has progressed from their original requests to the initial UTS forecast submitted, including context and assumptions for the calculations. 

After consulting with Bill Ferris this week, we received additional guidance to refine the forecasts so they are more in line with the budget realities in the coming year.  Today the managers helped re-prioritize both staff and equipment expenditure forecasts so we can submit our revised plan.  Similar work is underway with other units, and all of this work will culminate in a UW Technology budget package that will be modeled by WTC as part of the rate development process.  Once again I was delighted by the quality of the interaction and outcomes from the management team’s engagement in this important process. 

I will be hosting a brown bag session in the near future for staff interested in learning more about this process and the details included in the UTS budget request.  You can also start the conversation with your manager.  Recognize that this is a new learning opportunity for all of us.  Hopefully your inquiries will help raise new questions that we can discuss together, and ultimately increase clarity around this sometimes complex and overwhelming work. 

I am also available to meet with teams interested in doing a deeper dive into UTS budgets and finances.  Please share your questions and ideas with me anytime. 

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp 

The latest reading from Jim Bruce:

Today’s reading “Lessons from Your Leadership Journey”  is a recent entry in Brian McDonald’s blog at the ITLP Leadership Development Community Practice website.  

Early in every Leadership Program cycle, everyone has an opportunity to reflect on their past experiences as a leader and identify lessons they learned from these experiences.  In doing this, some people focus on the experience, while others go a step further and ask the question, what did I learn?  Still others ask how did what I learn influence the way I lead today?  

Brian’s post urges you to go back to the leadership journey you completed in your cycle of the program.  Update it.  (And, for those who have lost track of your work then, do take some time once again to reflect on your journey.)  And, then look for themes, insights that you believe currently influence your behavior.

After you’ve done this, you are ready to explore how you might build on, refine, or add to your learnings as you look ahead.  Brian argues that understanding these experiences and being explicit about both what you learned and the resulting practices can significantly enhance your ability to be a more effective leader. The lessons learned no doubt inform your beliefs about leadership and influence your behavior.

Brian was also my leadership coach while I was participating in the program, and he continues to be a trusted resource and friend as I continue on my leadership journey.   While his post is targeted toward ITLP participants, I think the wisdom applies to many more.  If you are interested in learning more about the “leadership journey” referenced in this reading, please let me know. 

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

Please join me for two upcoming brown bag lunches planned for staff.  RSVP here.

Session A will provide an overview of the UTS budget numbers and project cost accounting procedures to help staff understand our chart of accounts.  It is particularly helpful for people who initiate purchases.

Session B will provide a deeper look at the cost allocation framework.   Two sample services, dial tone and managed desktop, will be used to guide staff through the process and provide a greater understanding of how we allocate costs to the services that we deliver.

Use these opportunities to learn more about the financial work that has become foundational to our new sustainable service model.  Having a deeper understanding of how all of these details fit together will help you gain confidence in the transformation underway to ensure our work is customer-driven, sustainable, and valued.

Please share your ideas about how we can help connect the dots so you can better understand the importance and relevance of the ongoing financial work.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

RSVP here for the brown bag lunches.

This week I’m grateful for:

• Kellie McComas who is profiled this month as one of our Star Performers.  Learn more about how Kellie delights her customers.
• The Service Model 1 action team who met today and recommended a preliminary ”basic bundle” of essential technology services – a key step in the process of developing a sustainable service and funding model.
• Business Web Services which I learned about at a recent Computing Director’s Meeting.  This flexible set of building blocks empowers technologists to more easily develop applications and services that leverage UW business systems and data.  It is a great example of delivering customer-driven solutions that are sustainable and valued by the community.  It was impressive to see the power of collaboration and community building in action.  Kudos to OIM’s Tony Chang, Paul Schurr, and Scott Stephenson for an effective presentation and a great solution. 
• An extra hour this weekend as we “fall back” one hour at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning to mark the end of daylight saving time.

Please share your gratitude moments with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

One of the things I look forward to is meeting with staff at a climate lunch.  It’s something I started doing in 2007, and it continues to be a wonderful opportunity to hear what staff are thinking about — from their perspective.   Today was no different, and seven colleague shared their thoughts about the work we are doing, the challenges they face, and ideas for moving forward.  It was particularly helpful listening to different points of view as we discussed some of the foundational work we are doing to build a sustainable financial and service model.  ”Connecting the dots” can be challenging when you are focusing these different lenses people have into an understandable progression toward a shared reality.  But it is the work we need to do together. 

I’m always energized by the dialog and new insights gleaned from our climate lunch conversations.  The most important thing we can do during this transformational change, is being open to the possibility of learning new information and perspectives, and asking questions and voicing concerns as we work through the process.  It’s through that mutual interaction that the future becomes clearer and connecting the dots leads to those exciting “light bulb moments.” 

On Monday I will solicit participation in a few brown bag lunch sessions to provide you with an opportunity to explore more details about some of the important foundational work we are doing.  Understanding the WTC financial model and rate development process, service management, and service delivery and support efficiencies is an important step in appreciating the differences between our past and our futue success as a customer-driven, sustainable, and valued organization.

Share your questions, concerns, and ideas as we continue our journey:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

At today’s UTS leadership meeting, we discussed a new standing meeting schedule.  The twice monthly meeting will be split between the leadership team (Scott’s direct reports) and the management team (direct reports and their managers).  This provides an opportunity to discuss issues and share information at multiple levels throughout the year. 

1. UTS leadership team will meet the third Wednesday (2:30-4:00) each month.
2. UTS management team will meet the first Wednesday (2:30-4:00) each month.

In addition, the extended UTS management team, which also includes supervisors, will meet quarterly.

Today I also gave those in attendance a preview of the UTS five-year forecast that was submitted to Business & Finance.  This is the culmination of several intense weeks of identifying staffing, equipment, and training needed to sustain services and operations.  All of the detailed requests were summarized, and then prioritized and normalized for inclusion in the UTS submission that is being reviewed, along with those from other UW Technology units, by Business & Finance.  This process will likely require several iterations before the final forecasts are reflected in the WTC models to develop initial rates for FY11.  We will review the original UTS submission at next week’s UTS management meeting. In the coming weeks we will also engage staff to help everyone understand how these forecasts relate to our priorities for FY10 and beyond.

Finally, we also discussed what I’m calling the “10-10-10 Plan.”  The plan, when completed, will highlight the transformational work that we want to accomplish in the next year.  Think of it as the short list of specific objectives we will focus on and achieve in the next year.  The plan will reflect the strategic imperatives and priority areas that I shared with you previously.  On October 10, 2010, we will be able to measure and celebrate what we have accomplished, before planning for the next year’s work (or the “11-11-11 Plan”) .  Within three years, on 12-12-12, we expect to more fully realize the transformation we are working so hard to achieve.  You will be hearing more about this plan, including opportunities to provide your input and feedback, in the coming weeks.

Please share your questions, concerns, and thoughts with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

This week’s reading from Jim Bruce:

Today, we turn to Business Week’s September 18, 2009, Leadership column for the piece “How Authentic Leaders ‘Walk the Walk’“.

In the article, Alan Deutschman, says that being an authentic leader means two things:

1. You must share the struggle and the risks with your people.
2. You must make sure that your actions consistently reinforce the one or two most important values you hold up for your organization.

So, the questions we must each ask:  How authentic a leader am I?  Am I walking the walk?  What do I need to do to step it up?

Share your feedback with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

[Revised 10/27/2009]

In August most UW Technology staff began recording effort against projects using CacTrack.  The system is aligned with the newly created cost allocation framework which uses the Basic Product and Service Elements (BPSE) to aggregate costs for specific services and projects.

This effort information will become part of the cost basis for establishing future rate proposals to ensure that we continue to offer sustainable services that are valued by the UW community.  To be used effectively for cost recovery purposes and customer billing, staff hours must be certified and reviewed not later than 10 days after the end of the previous month. Sooner is always better especially for profesional staff.

In addition, CacTrack information is now used in lieu of separate time sheets for professional staff.  Therefore, it is imperative that hours are reported before the timesheet deadline for each pay period.  This allows Bob Weinstein to post any exception hours before the payroll cutoff.  Nov. 2 is the deadline for the period ending October 16-31.

Best practices include:

1. Staff record hours daily and certify hours weekly.
2. Supervisors review staff hours weekly.  Be sure to confirm any approved leave.
3. All employee time must be recorded, certified, and reviewed not later than the 10th day following the close of the month.  Help UTS maintain its 100% on-time submission streak.  You’re making a difference!

If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas about CacTrack or our effort reporting process, please share them with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

This week I’m grateful for:

• The new UW Exchange “disconnect feature” which allows more seamless customer transitions to and from UW Exchange.
• Publishing our Quarter 1 Update for FY10.  Great work everyone!
• Staff attention to the ”stay healthy” guidelines; staying home when they are sick or caring for someone who is sick.  It’s helping to keep the spread of illness within the office to a minimum.  Let’s help each other stay healthy by remembering the basic precautions:  cover your cough, wash your hands often, and stay home when you are sick.
• Purple and Gold Day!  Good luck to Husky football this weekend against Oregon. 

Share your gratitude moments with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

I am delighted to share our first Quarter 1 Update with you.  This update highlights some of our work from July 1 to September 30, 2009, that reflects our unit strategy for this fiscal year.  It is one way I hope you begin to see how your work is connected to the success of the UW. 

Technology Services is powered by our People and Partners to be:

• Customer-Driven
• Sustainable
• Valued

The goal is to achieve the right balance for each of these imperatives.   The Quarter 1 Update provides examples of how we are all doing that. 

I encourage you to talk about other accomplishments and examples within your teams.  You can always share examples with me anytime.  Kay Pilcher helps me compile highlights of your work each quarter for these updates.  If you have questions or ideas, please send them to me.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

Last week UW Technology HR hosted a supervisor’s meeting to discuss progress with the organizational development framework and the new organizational competencies that will become part of the 2010 performance evaluation process.  HR will be sharing more details with all staff in the coming weeks, but encouraged managers and supervisors to begin discussing the new competencies now. 

You may recall the original organizational competencies include the following:

• Collaboration / working relationships
• Communication
• Customer forcus
• Focus on results
• Functional expertise / job knowledge

The sixth and newest competency for all staff is Innovation.  Some descriptors for this important competency include:

• Constructively challenges the standard approaches and suggests improved processes to get work done.
• Generates creative, resourceful solutions to problems.
• Demonstrates flexibility and initiates and embraces new ideas.
• Draws upon multiple and diverse sources (individuals, publications, etc.) for ideas an inspiration.
• Encourages others to consider new approaches and ideas.

Innovation is also one of UW’s core values, and during this period of challenging budgets and evolving customer needs, we need everyone’s creativity and innovation in carrying out our work.  I encourage you to talk amongst your team to recall the innovative work that you have accomplished recently.  Starting with performance evaluations conducted in 2010, all staff will be expected to perform these skills and behaviors effectively.  Talk often with your supervisor to ensure that you have mutual expectations related to performance. 

In addition to these six organizational competencies, six new skills and behaviors were identified for all supervisors.   The HR team helped introduce these competencies in a “innovative” and fun way for those attending the meeting.  You should ask your supervisor how their group did in conveying the skills graphically in the Pictionary-style lightning round.  Here are the new Supervisor Competencies:

• Building teams and relationships
• Communicating with employees
• Decision-making and delegating
• Developing employees
• Managing performance
• Navigating change

While formal performance evaluations happen at least once every year, you should start an ongoing conversation with your supervisor about how you are doing and identify ways you can embrace these organizational competencies.  Ultimately our success is enhanced when all staff in the organization exhibit these skills and behaviors at a competent level. 

The HR team is working hard to provide us with timely information and helpful reference materials.  Please visit the Employee Toolkit and Supervisor Toolkit periodically to take advantage of the latest guidance and tips.  If you missed the recent Supervisor Meeting, you will also find a helpful recap of all of the details under Hot Topics in the Supervisor Toolkit.  UW Technology HR is also available to consult with supervisors individually to discuss any issues in more depth.

Effective performance management is everyone’s responsibility.  Supervisors, in particular, need to provide adequate feedback to their team members, and deal with issues as they arise.  Please share your thoughts, concerns, and questions with me anytime. 

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

A new reading from Jim Bruce:

Today’s Tuesday Reading takes a look at Higher Ed 2.0.  Our reading is “Who Needs Harvard?” from the September 2009 issue of Fast Company.  The article’s subheading says it all:  “Free online courses, wiki universities, Facebook-style tutoring networks – American higher education is being transformed by a cadre of web-savvy edupunks.”  

This piece makes the point that the university as we know it came into existence around the year 1100 when communities formed around a scarce, precious information technology, the handwritten book.  Today, we are still educating on a model based on the scarcity of knowledge when we have gone to unimaginable abundance.  New information technologies have the potential of radically changing the way we do higher education.  This piece argues that the new university can’t be far away.

An interesting read.  Let me know your thoughts.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

This week I’m starting a new theme for Mondays that I’m calling “Why Monday?”  It’s your opportunity to ask questions about WHY something is the way it is, or the reason we do something a certain way, or just about anything somewhat work-related that starts with Why.  We’ll see how this goes.

For today’s post, I thought I’d answer one recent question I received last week:  Why don’t you use bullets when you have lists in your blog?

The real answer is that I use bulleted list formatting all the time, however, depending on your browser you may or may not see them.  I’ve always wondered why, but really never pursued it.  I now have the answer.

The default style sheet I’m using in Wordpress seems to format bulleted lists in a way that is incompatible with Internet Explorer 7.  If you’re using that particular browser, like most Nebula users, you won’t see the properly indented lines with bullets.  In some cases you see indented paragraphs, and in most other browsers you see a “right guillemet” which looks like the right chevron symbol.  If you read my blog through an RSS feed, then it probably looks perfectly formatted, much like I see when I’m writing the entry.  RSS does not use the Wordpress style sheet, so your local browser takes care of the formatting, including bullets. 

When Nebula upgrades to Explorer 8, you will start seeing the the “right guillemet” which makes it easier to read the list.  I’m also going to look into updating the Wordpress style sheet that I use, perhaps adopting the purple and gold template that UW Marketing developed. 

One other thing that I learned:  UW Technology’s style guide recommends capitalizing the first letter of each of the bulleted items.  I’ll try to consistently do that in the future (especially on gratitude Fridays). 

To help make Why Mondays meaningful to you, please begin sharing your questions.  I’ll do my best to answer them until you no longer wonder why.  You can send them to me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

P.S.  Thanks to Chad Haffenden and Rick Ells for their expertise in helping me answer today’s Why Monday question.

This week I’m grateful for:

• All of your daily efforts to help our work be customer-driven, sustainable, and valued
• WTC progress and updates at the UW Technology staff town hall
• A productive Supervisor’s Meeting highlighting the latest HR updates; I’ll share more details next week
• The Huskies 36-33 win last Saturday against Arizona
• The gift of no meetings today, allowing me to telecommute from home

Share your gratitude moments with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

As we learned at Tuesday’s town hall meeting, our WTC engagement has progressed through the first six steps.  Thank you to everyone who has helped us to reach this milestone.  It’s an impressive body of work.  The completed service cost allocations, and now unitized costs, help us understand what it takes to deliver our services.  This information will help frame the next steps related to developing a sustainable rate and funding model.  The Service Model action teams will also use this cost information to make recommendations on bundling and prioritizing the services that are most needed by the UW. 

This week the UTS management team met to identify the additional investments needed to provide our services on a sustainable basis.  This includes staffing, equipment, training, and tools that are needed to continue to offer services to meet customer needs.  Two thirds of the forecasting work is completed, with the remaining third being done over the next week.  In addition to sustaining our current services, we are doing our best estimates for investments in strategic areas identified by the leadership team.  Examples of these strategic areas include the following (alphabetized):

• Business Continuity
• Cloud Computing
• Data Center
• Digital Content Systems
• Green IT
• Mobility & WiFi
• New Research & Development
• Research Computing
• Service Delivery Replacements
• Student Initiatives

The management team will submit their ideas and estimates by noon Wednesday next week.  UTS will then submit its investment estimates by BPSE and fiscal year through 2015 for inclusion in the overall UW Technology projections.  This information, together with our historical FY09 cost information, will help WTC create the cost basis for the FY11 services.  Over the next few months, a rate proposal will be developed for implementation next July 2010. 

Please continue to share your questions, ideas, and challenges as we work through this process.  This is an essential part of achieving a sustainable operational model, and we will need everyone’s help and understanding to be successful.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

As part of Technology Services unit strategy to be customer driven, sustainable, and valued, I am delighted to announce we are creating a Service Management team to be led by Oren Sreebny effective Nov. 1.  At the same time, the Operations and Customer Services divisions will combine into one division, Customer Services & Operations, led by Tammy Stockton.  Read full internal announcement.

Service Management will ensure that our services life cycle is aligned with customer needs and UW priorities.  In the fullness of time, we will develop processes to ensure seamless transitions through service strategy, design, delivery, and operation using the ITIL (IT infrastructure library)  framework.   Initial efforts will focus on developing a service request intake process, and improving service delivery and operation for new initiatives such as cloud-based communications and collaboration services.  The Service Management program will scale over time to provide continuous service improvement as we continue to build the foundation for a sustainable service model.

These staffing changes effective Nov. 1 support the priority areas outlined in the 2010 organizational plan.  As this work progresses, I will share future updates and additional context for next steps.  Please share your questions, ideas, and concerns with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

A reading from Jim Bruce:

For today’s Tuesday Reading, we turn to a Harvard Business School Working Knowledge Q&A – “How Team Leaders Show Support – or Not”  – with HBS faculty member Teresa Anabile.

Though from 2004, the findings remain valid.  Professor Anabile’s research points to two key concepts for leaders who want to gain their staff’s confidence:

1.  Perceptions of team leader support are more positive when the leader

• Gives timely feedback
• Support the team member’s actions and decisions
• Recognizes good work publically and privately
• Seeks team member’s ideas and opinions

2.  Perceptions are more negative when the team leader

• Micromanages
• Provides nonconstructive negative feedback
• Fails to clarify roles and objectives
• Avoids addressing problems

Think about your team.  Are you doing all you should be doing to build your team’s confidence in you?  Let me know your thoughts anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

This week I’m grateful for:

• Finalizing the Microsoft Live@edu Agreement which now includes FERPA protection for our University data and records stored in email
• The Sophos Anti-Virus software now available, and especially the ease of installing the software on home computers — Nebula managed PCs will be updated in a coordinated manner before the March 31 deadline
• Reconnecting with my fiber partnership colleagues in the region at a recent meeting to discuss a proposal to complete the fiber loop around Lake Washington — collaboration in action
• The continuing work by the UTS management team to refine our financial investment projections for the next five years.

Share your gratitude moments with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

I wanted to highlight the broad priority areas we intend to focus UTS efforts in FY10 (July 2009-June 2010).  Work is already underway in several of these areas, and I look forward to sharing our collective progress each quarter, broken into the three imperatives:  being customer-driven, sustainable, and valued.

Here are the UTS 2010 Priorities to date:

• Launching initiatives:  Cloud Computing, Green IT, and Mobility.
• Developing a sustainable service and financial model and structure.
• Developing service management to ensure the services life-cycle remains aligned with our customers.
• Empowering our customers and staff through service delivery efficiencies.

In the coming weeks and months we will be working together to define specific efforts in these UTS priority areas and ensure that they are aligned with UW Technology strategic areas.  Please start thinking about these priorities as they relate to the work you are doing.  It’s important to remember that support of these priority areas comes in a variety of ways, and it is not always in the form of a specific project.  In many cases, you may be supporting the day-to-day operations that make it possible for us to deliver services, etc.

Please share your feedback and ideas about these priority areas anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp   

powered by our People and Partners to be:

• Customer-driven

• Sustainable

• Valued

Last month I shared the start of a framework to help us articulate our path forward.  Thank you to those who have shared your thoughts, questions, and ideas about how we can best align the work of UTS with our customers’ priorities to deliver the most value. 

Here are the latest presentation slides and poster.  We will organize our work along these imperatives going forward to help us remain focused in FY10 and beyond.   

Do you see the work you are doing today in terms of being customer-driven, sustainable, and valued?  Are we striking the right balance?  Continue to share your feedback with me and evaluate whether the 2010 Priorities included in the presentation match where you are spending most of your time.   Not sure what all of this means?  Let’s start the conversation…

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

Another reading from Jim Bruce:

This week’s Tuesday Reading is an entry –  “Humility as a Leadership Trait”  – from John Baldoni’s Harvard Business Publishing blog.

Baldoni asserts, and I agree, that leaders who want to inspire followers need to demonstrate both their accomplishments and their character.  Key to demonstrating character is being humble.  And, humility is essential to leadership because it authenticates a person’s humanity.

The article suggests three ways a leader can demonstrate humility:

1. Temper authority.  “…you don’t have to pull it to make it work for you.”  Delegate, both authority and responsibility.
2. Look to promote others.  Groom talent.  Success depends upon them.
3. Acknowledge what others do.  As Badoni suggests, channel “Bear” Bryant:  “If anything goes bad, I did it.  If anything goes semi-good, we did it.  If anything goes really good, then you did it.”

Baldoni also notes that it is possible to be too humble.  You do that by not putting forth your ideas and accomplishments.  If you don’t put these forth, you don’t give anyone a reason to believe in you, or follow you, or be influenced by you.  But, how do you balance the need to be noted with the importance of being humble.  You put forth your team’s ideas and accomplishments first and yours second, and the work of your team and you will be noticed.  Humility.

After you read Baldoni’s piece, you might take a bit more time and read the comments.  Ones that caught my eye included:

• Humility is a key to building trust
• Trust allows for real candor, everything on the table
• Humility inspires followership
• It takes a great deal of self confidence to be humble
• Managing humility requires a delicate balancing act and constant analysis

Your comments, reflections, and questions are always welcome:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

The August revenue report is complete.  There is only a slight drop in the number of dial tones (58) since July.  Pay close attention to the scale as in some cases very small changes are reflected as larger contrasting bars.   We will continue to monitor monthly revenue trends.  The good news is service levels remain stable for now. 

If you have any questions, please let me know.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

This week I’m grateful for:

• Our newest Star Performer, Kay Pilcher, who I rely upon for creating effective communication for both internal and external audiences and much more, is profiled this month.
• The launch of the new UW Medicine Flu information line (206.685.4FLU) which provides a comprehensive flu resource that is integrated with UW Medicine call centers at Harborview, UW Medical Center, and UW Medicine Neighborhood clinics.  The Customer Solutions Engineering team, including Patrick Lynn (UWMC),  did an extraordinary job implementing this high priority resource to the delight of the customer. Special thanks also to Stephanie Shandera (KUOW) for being the calming voice of the Flu line.
• UTS management team for their work to forecast BPSE expenses, and implementation of the UTS chart of accounts.
• A successful student launch of UW Windows Live and UW Google Applications at the Dawg Daze Technology Fair on Monday — the culmination of many talented staff who worked tirelessly to meet the date.  Special thanks to Colleen Butler for keeping the program on track despite a variety of hurdles along the way.

Please share your gratitude moments with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

As previously announced, the Network Operations Center (NOC) moved to Network Systems Operations Management division today.  This more closely aligns the NOC with the engineering teams within Network Systems, and provides consistency and efficiency in incident management and implementation of new networks.  The NOC will continue to operate on a 24×7 basis within Network Systems. 

Brian Boyd is recruiting a new NOC manager and expects to fill the position by Nov. 1.  Linda Hornung and Mike Houlihan will continue to manage their respective parts of the NOC staff until the new manager is hired and the transition is completed. 

Security Operations remains the same, and will continue to report to Linda Hornung in Technology Services.  In addition to working with the NOC, Security Operations will also work closely with IT Consulting and Technology Service Center teams to provide monitoring, mitigation, and remediation expertise for security incidents.

We are also recruiting two new computing specialists to support off-shifts in Computer Operations to backfill for the team members who are moving to Network Systems.  Computer Operations will also work with the Technology Service Center to provide urgent support for customers after hours.    

While the NOC is no longer a part of Technology Services, our working relationships with our colleagues remain  strong and we share responsibility for serving the needs of our mutual customers.  I have been proud to work directly with the NOC during the past five years, and have appreciated staff contributions to our work in UTS.  I wish them well, and look forward to future collaborations to transform our business and serve our customers for many years to come.

Please share your thoughts, questions, and ideas with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/tech/avp

Today the UTS management team convened for a workshop on the UTS chart of accounts and the importance of project cost accounting (PCA).  Starting October 1, many of our previous GOF/DOF and self-sustaining budget numbers are being retired in favor of a simplified chart of accounts (list of budget numbers).  All financial transactions require a PCA code, also called T-O-P code (for task, option, and project), which helps ensure that the expense is allocated to the appropriate Business and Product Service Element (BPSE).  Now that we have cost accounting implemented, fewer budget numbers are needed to conduct business within UTS. 

Your managers will work with you to help understand the new budget structure and PCA requirements. I also plan to host a brown bag lunch soon to review the new structure for interested staff.  We are also developing some quick reference materials to help explain when to use the different budget numbers and option codes.  This is something we all need to understand in the coming weeks.

Do you know what task code is assigned to your team?  If not, please ask your manager.  That’s how the conversation get’s started.  Your manager can also share what they learned today. 

Please share your questions, ideas, and challenges with financial transactions and information with me anytime:

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

This week’s Tuesday Reading is from BusinessWeek’s August 25, 2009 Communications Column:  “How to Give a Lousy Presentation”

We all make a lot of presentations.  And, I know that you are like me and know that you are able to do better most of the time.  This piece gives you 15 excellent ways to make a lousy presentation.  It thereby gives each of us a set of solid reminders.

And, if you are out to take your presentations to a significantly higher level, get a copy of Garr Reynolds’ book “Presentation Zen.”  (Or, take a look at his Website.)  His approach to presentations will lead you to a different way to think about how you develop and execute your “presenting.”  Key to his approach is beginning to think about your presentation from the listeners’ and not the speakers’ point of view.

Let me know you thoughts about this article. 

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech/avp

We’ve added some low-cost videoconferencing capabilities to the C-3009 and C-3010 conference rooms at UW Tower.  Each room now has a group Webcam and speaker phone that works with the existing Nebula PC.  This will make it easier to add remote participants who also have a Web-enabled PC.  Conducting more virtual meetings may also become necessary to acommodate staff who are telcommuting as part of our pandemic continuity plans.   Scheduling preference will be given to meetings requiring the video capability.

We are preparing step-by-step instructions to help you conduct scheduled and impromptu virtual meetings using:

• Skype
• Adobe Connect Web Meetings
• Windows Live Meetings
• Audio-only conference calls

As we gain more experience with these technology options, we will assess the feasibility of expanding its use elsewhere.  Many thanks to Jeremy Wu and Isha Zubeidi for coordinating these new meeting options.

Please share your experiences, questions, and ideas for ways to increase the effectiveness of virtual meetings with me at anytime.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/depts/tech

This week went by quickly.  Lots of meetings and good work.  This week I’m grateful for:

• WTC progress and the large-print spreadsheets are now on display outside my office.  I will be adding some helpful accessories next week to help you read the small print.  Stop by and check it out.  It showcases the many hours of work across UW Technology to get us to this point.  4545 staff can continue to check out the same information on the fourth floor outside Bill Ferris’ office.
• We’re a go for the student cloud services launch on Monday, Sept. 28. 
• A new, simplified chart of accounts that we will begin using Oct 1.  We will use fewer budget numbers within UTS, and I will be sharing more information with the management team next Wed.  Then we will all become familiar with the budget numbers and related task-option-project codes needed for each of our BPSEs.
• Another healthy week.  I did encounter a few people (not our staff) at external meetings and wondered if they should have stayed home (hopefully they didn’t have flu-like illness). 

Share your gratitude moments with me anytime.  It’s a great way to end the week.

• By email:  tech-avp@uw.edu
• Via Web:  http://uw.edu/tech/avp