USER INTERVIEW
Name: Anthony & Troy
Company: IOSS
Industry: Infrastructure
Job Title: System Engineers
What are your key responsibilities?
Write and maintains software for controlling systems
What outputs do you produce?
Software for controlling systems
For whom?
IOSS and its customers
How is your success measured?
On time, pass or sufficiently pass software review
Which software installation problems interfere with your success?
- It takes too long to get a software to install, which in turns holds up my work
- Occasionally miss deadlines because requester cannot get needed software to install
- It takes too much time out of his work time to follow up on the software request from start to finish
How do you request for software to be installed now? (current process)
- Ask around to know how is the IT person to contact
- Sends an email to the IT person for software request
What problems do you have with the current process?
- It takes too long to get a software request to process once an email request has been sent out (receives confirmation email from IT personnel that he is looking into it)
- No intermediate status report on the process of the software request (doesn’t get any status update notice to let him know how far along the IT personnel has processed his request)
- If a license needs to be purchased for the software, the IT person copies him on the email that the IT person sends out to a buyer to get the software license purchase.
- Long wait time to get buyer to place a PO (buyer responds to IT person’s email and copies requester if a PO has been placed)
- No communication from buyer if a PO has been approved/rejected.
- Requester has to email the buyer to check up on the status of the PO
- PO approval takes too long for the requester’s manager to approve/reject
- Once a license has been purchased, the requester has to physically go to the IT department location to get the software installed on his computer.
- If the computer is a desktop, an IT personnel has to come to physically install software on it.
- If the license is not granted (manager doesn’t approve), the requester has to do his own research to see if he can find alternative software that are cheaper. He will start the requesting process all over again for a cheaper version of the software.
How long does it take to send out this request?
Quick…email
How do you get notified when requested software is ready to be installed?
IT emails or calls to let requester know software is ready
How does requested software get installed?
Go to the IT desk physically to have it installed
If your request doesn’t get approved, what do you normally do next?
Find similar software that is cheaper and resubmit request
What can a new system do to improve the current process?
- More automated process
- Faster response from IT and buyer
- Ability to check on request status without having to send emails to IT or buyer
- Provides available software application list to allow users know what’s readily available
- Provides alternative software applications if the requested one gets rejected
- Provides a list of IT personnel and what each one is responsible for in order for users to know who to contact if needed
- Provides instructions/training materials to show how the software request process works, what to expect, what preparation if needed the user has to do
- Faster cycle time on each software request
What is your educational background?
Master’s
What is your computer background?
Proficient from many years of usage
Are you experienced with this type of application (automated requesting system)?
No
Which platforms are in use?
Explorer, firefox, windows
What are your expectations for usability of the product?
- raining of the new system should not take longer than 1 day
- nline training is preferred
What are your expectations for training?
- Tutorial materials should be provided to walk the users through the new process
- Provide help files/supporting system for each step of the process
- Provide video if possible to show each step the user has to do
- Training of the new system should not take longer than 1 day