Episode 17, triage IT problems in schools.
IT systems fail. All IT professionals and all IT users know this. In schools, it's no different.
As an IT professional working in schools, you will have to manage malfunctioning computers,
networks, and services. The reality for those of us who work in schools is that our to-do list
is often too long to allow immediate attention and resolution to all failed systems. We're always
underserved and we often cannot afford to have an on-site technician on every campus where we'd
like to have one. Further adding to the reality of managing IT is that not all failed systems can
or even should be fixed. In many organizations, we try to avoid catastrophic failure of systems
by replacing user and network devices before they become obsolete. In schools, we often find
teachers are reluctant to abandon old systems that provide useful and familiar instructional
applications and we find the budgets often do not allow replacement on a schedule that would
satisfy the folks in the IT suite. Triaging is a term we use to decide what gets fixed,
what gets bumped to the top of the list, and what is not repaired. When being interviewed for any
IT position in the school, you can expect to be asked how you prioritize what gets fixed.
Even if you're not asked about it in an interview, those who have thought through their priorities
tend to make better decisions about prioritizing what to fix and they're in a better position to
explain their decisions when they're asked to. Before I tell you the factors I use when making
decisions about triaging IT problems in schools, let me tell you who your best friends are as an
IT professional in a school. The best thing you can do is find these people and develop good
relationships with them. You need to go find the complainers. These are the folks that nag you
whenever something isn't right, but these are also the people who give you the best feedback on the
functionality of systems. They raise concerns immediately as opposed to others who try to
manage with less than optimal technology and they tend to be the individuals who use the systems the
most and for the most purposes. The IT professional who can satisfy this group will generally be
perceived as responsive and effective. But of course you must be able to differentiate the
helpful complainers from most just complain about everything. There are some people who complain
whenever anything minor happens with technology and will insist on the intention of a technician
whenever it does. You know when I'm feeling snarky I like to say these are the same people
who call the librarian when the book is open to the wrong page. So IT professionals must develop
skills at triaging calls for support. We must decide what gets immediate attention and what
waits until later. Unfortunately there are no rules that guarantee we make the correct decisions
in every case. Many factors affect our decisions and a situation that was given high priority one
day may be given lower priority another. Of course the first two criteria are relatively easy. Safety
and legality. It's unfortunate that IT can be used to create unsafe situations. So if you see
threats, bullying or other potential unsafe situations and your expertise is needed to document,
investigate or remove those threats then they need to be given highest priority and immediately.
Likewise situations that might be associated with legal liability must be given high priority as well.
When dealing with issues of safety or legal issues no IT professional should be working without school
administrators participating in all decision making. Ideally they will be present when any work is done
and they will both direct the IT professional and receive frequent and detailed updates on what is
happening. We also give high priority to our financial data or the financial records or the
systems that we use in order to manage that. Once we're sure that everyone is safe, legal and getting
paid then we can turn our attention to other triage decisions. Perhaps the most important
consideration is the number of users who are affected. One standard criterion for prioritizing
troubleshooting in all organizations is fix the problem that will get the most users back up and
the shortest amount of time. Of course this rule of thumb applies in schools as well. Teachers often
arrange for their students to have special one-time opportunities. Before COVID field trips and guest
speakers were common examples of one-time events. As video conferencing platforms gained popularity
in the years before COVID these events have become increasingly technology based. Because these
events cannot easily be rescheduled and because they represent very valuable opportunities for
students they should be given highest priority so that students can enjoy the educational benefits.
Because schools are hierarchical organizations certain stakeholders can be understood to be of
higher priority. It seems reasonable that school administrators should be given the highest priority
as they are the most politically empowered individuals in the school. It's difficult to
justify this decision however. Whenever I'm faced with prioritizing and one of the problems has
direct impact on students then that's the one that goes to the top of my priority list. It should
be noted not all who are in leadership positions or teaching positions agree with my priorities.
In several interviews for technology leadership positions I have made it clear that students
and reteachers receive priority when I triage problems. I always look at the individuals who
are administrators on the search committee when I answer that question. I can tell when they don't
agree. Those expressions are also my cue that I should be brief with my answers through the end
of the interview and be on my way. If the school leaders don't agree that students should be given
the highest priority I probably don't want to work at that school. Now I understand that not
everyone is as fortunate as I have been. I have been able to build my career in schools where the
leaders agree that students do come first but you might not want to stick your career on that.
Beginnings and ends are also important. School schedules are periodic. At all transitions
between school years, marking periods, there's some information tasks that must be given higher
priority. For example, ensuring class rosters are accurate, attendance can be recorded, and grades
can be recorded are among the tasks that must be reliably and quickly accomplished at certain times
of the year. Because these are scheduled well in advance, many IT professionals will take steps to
minimize scheduling of other high-demand events that coincide with the beginnings and endings of
school years or marking periods. Only school IT professionals have ever experienced the type of
pressure that comes when you enter a classroom to fix the computer and a projector for a classroom
of elementary school students who are waiting the start of the long-promised movie. Once you have
experienced that, you will understand how to triage malfunctioning IT in schools.