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What Did I Do All Day?

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by mbutts

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As the IT manager (I'm also the entire department) of a 35 person company, I purchase/support/train on all computer/telephone/geeky things that we use to run our company. I also do billable network engineering for clients and wear several other hats, as is common for a small company.

Upper management would like a better idea of what the heck I'm doing all day, mainly the amount of time spent on "Hey, do you have a sec?" type of support. Does anyone have a suggestion on tracking the time these tasks consume?

16 replies

by lordinfidel

Make an excel spreadsheet and list all of the tasks/projects that you are working on.

Have a staus colmun, date assigned, amt of time spent working on it, estimated completion time etc,.

I also keep multiple worksheets called Current, Pending,Closed, and On-Hold.

When a new request comes in I add it into my pending list, then when I start working on it, it goes into current, then if there is a problem and it is delayed it goes into On-Hold, or if it is completed it goes into the Closed worksheet.

Then once a week, give your supervisor a copy so he knows what you are doing.

Even write down the little tasks.

That is the easiest low cost method.

by maxwell edison

Under what category do you, or should I say we, log all that "quantum physics", "bone-head helpdesk" comparisons, and political dialogue that is so important in the IT industry today?

by road-dog

the "Miscellaneous" category. Also covered by this work center code:
1) Internal interactive media operations;(maintenance of the intranet server web based football pool).
2) Internet bandwith testing using real time 3 dimensional graphic immersive environment; (DOOM Tournament)
3)Advanced instruction in IT trends; (Tech Republic Discussion participation)
4) Interdepartmental team building activities; (trying to get that cute Admin Assistant in accounting to have a couple drinks after work)
5)Olfactory triangulation and elimination activities; (tracking down and killing people who burn microwave popcorn in the break room)

The Misc category can be used for almost any activity when combined with a proper level of verbal obfuscation! Learn to use it well and you will soon be wasting time you never knew you had!

by admin

Mix it up a bit....

"Research"
"Troubleshooting"
"Break"
"Lunch (For Once!)"
"Testing the speed of packets going in and out" and
"Testing" (of any sort)
or
the related term "mapping" as in "I was mapping the framerate capabilities of our new workstation video cards"

and of course my perennial favorite:

"Networking with my Peers" which of course keeps me up to date with all the latest, greatest IT concerns so that our systems run smoother, better, stronger, faster.

:)

by ladyit

Well, much like the signs on a highway, including all the dotted lines, and straight lines, thank GOD for a few rules and some old fashioned boring organization... or all the little old people and toddlers would have to fly... with you on the road... :-)

Then again, perhaps the BOSS should just hand out paychecks because we ask for them? Can I work for your company? Please, Please...

by serverjockey

Hi! Sounds like they are trying to determine how much time you dedicate to internal support, maybe they are thinking you are overworked and want to hire someone to help you but they need justification first!! (yeah right, wouldn't that be nice)!!Years ago I found a form/template in Outlook 97 so users can send in their requests (or you can fill them out for them if they can't type). At the end of the week I would compile stats on all the requests and post them on the door of my office to give people an idea of the volume of requests I was handling. I did eventually use this tool in order to justify hiring a database administrator to free up more of my time so I could wear some more hats! One other thing you might try is MS Project- it's a handy tool to track on-going projects, etc. There are also several "freeware" and "shareware" software programs available for download at http://www.download.com. If you search for "Help desk" you'll pull them up. Some even have other utilities such as inventory mgmt that might help you since you're the only guy doing everything! Hope this helps!

by tbragsda

Everyone is on the right track. Make it simple to do. I have seen many call tracking systems, and most make more work than is necessary. Have ALL requests come to a unique mail box. Something like Support or ITHelp or something. Then setup several folders to put the requests in. Open, Telecom complete, Network, Desktop etc. Whatever makes sense to you and mgt.

Tracking the little one off requests is the hardest. I know when I was doing desktop support, I had a manager that made us domonthly reports on ALL CALLS we took with cost centers etc. This took a full day for each of us, but did pay off. We got more tech/supported wks with this sort of reporting. A little further in my career, I have had to justify just this sort of thing to management to get support staff, equipment etc. Its a burden, but will pay off (unless your a slacker.).

If you want to go the DB route, I can send you a nice Access one, but again, if its just you, keep it simple.

by storme

Everyone here has very good advice about keeping track of everything you do in your job.

Automating your tasks can be a bit difficult, but with time and patience, you can basically have a DB set up with customized templates to enter the requests, generate reports and stats, link them to an internal server for your clients to view (providing that proper security is taken to ensure they can't change anything they view) and maintain backup copies of all the work you've done in hard copy or on disks.

Microsoft Office and StarOffice provide most tools for your needs. StarOffice used to be a free product until they released 6.0. So, if you're on a tight budget, search the site for StarOffice 5.2 if available.

Good luck.

by monkeyrubs

Action is another! you can have all the databases and forms in the world, but they are not worth a damn unless you got the support to use them.

What I mean by that is; If your planning on having the end users to post their problems for you, justmake sure you got the pull to make it happen or the support of upper management.

I was heading down this path and turned away simply because I know my users. 50% would post the other 50% would just continue to hound me and my team with their priorty issue of a palm pilot not syncing. The problem 50%; Upper management, who think they are too important to waste their time to help you manage yours.

UHGG! I feel better now. I suggest starting it simple enough for you to manage it (Like using excel), with plans of growing into something better where end users can help out.

Good Luck

by ladyit

Don't forget to ADD: Seasonal IT workloads. By seasonal, I mean "according to budget". As the budget changes up or down, so does IT workloads.

When there is "extra" money, everyone buys new equipment, upgrades SW, automates processes, etc. That is MORE work.

When there is "no money", everyone hangs on to the old, and makes "do". That can also be MORE work such as repairs, downtime, and a lot of PR to smooth things over (without actually saying this stuff is older than the owner!)Use the "no money" time to create "wish lists" for the "we now have money in the budget" time. Do your research here, 1. customer surveys. 2. customer interviews. 3. cutting edge technology that fits your business needs. 4. AND do not forget to research human resources for when you have new projects and need people.

And, last - make sure your Job Responsibilities are updated, organized, documented, easily accessible, and work on all the repairs that need to be including cleaning up that network patch panel! Clean up the files on your servers. Make sure your customers have CLEAN PCs (as in files, and working components) Call this "Spring Cleaning", "Fall Review", "Winter File Marathon"... what ever... you CAN make it fun so that you get the buy in from your customers.

by ladyit

I advise that first, you gain control of those "hey you, got a sec" tap on the shoulders. They can eat into your time quicker than sands drop in an hour glass! And, you can't measure them!

Ask your Management if you can set a Corporate Policy for "IT Problems". Then, announce this policy company wide. Explain that your time needs to be measured by "documented" sources that top Management can measure.

Your Management should endorse this policy in this communication notice as a "from now on" notice. So that the decision comes from a business perspective rather than some thinking you are too "upity" to be tapped on the shoulders.

Then, when they tap you on the shoulder, let them know that you wish you could, but they must callyour helpline so that you have a logged call for the request because you have to account for your time through that log.

Then, as stated by others, document your every project and include the "thinking" and "research" time. Don't forget purchasing and shipping and receiving (if any). Incorporate these jobs into categories and assign "work time" to them on a daily, weekly, monthly, basis. Re-evaluate as necesary.

Don't be afraid of putting a name on what you do. If talking to the customer is part of the call, then time that, and call it "assessment", if talking to the customer about what you did is part of the call, then call it "post evaluation". BUT, do measure it and account for it. There is "research", and there is "collaboration". These things account for time... So, build them into the equation. You would be surprised at how much time they take up!

by inxale

My boss is non technical and cannot understand why I cannot present to him within a day the entire project plan for a comms upgrade , voice and data and just was wondering how do you say . Well its because you don't know without it being career limiting..
Any ideas...

by mommaniac

I would suggest taking a course like "What Matters Most" by Franklin Covey. It teaches you that the majority of your work needs to be focused on the "primary tasks" (or as the class calls them: big rocks). The "hey you's" can be managed, and you caneven say no when you have to. "Hey you's" seem like something that need to be taken care of that second, but in reality, most of them can wait. Time Management involves spending more time on big rocks and less time on the "little pebbles" that inchtheir way in. Your reports to upper management should reflect mostly those big rocks and the progress you made on them, your "hey you's," unless they're part of a bigger rock, should be a small part of your day that you can cover with "Miscellanious."

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