Using Information Systems to Improve IT User Support

Analysis and Recommendations for Information Technology User Support Provided to a Government Field Office

Information technology users in government field offices require a user support program that addresses their needs for successful completion of job duties. Providing the necessary user support is a challenge for office management and the information technology staff. While this professional report focuses on information technology user support provided to a government office, many of the observations and lessons should apply to other organizations.

An assessment is made on the intended goals of the user support program for providing information system maintenance and documentation to the user of a selected government field office. A comparison is then made between the physical processes involved within the "ideal" information systems for user support with current information systems utilized by the organization. Based on the evaluation of the performance of the current information systems, recommendations for improving the information technology user support program at the government field office are presented.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction and Historical Background
   
   
   • Introduction
   • Description of the Organization
   • Author's Role and Position in the Organization
   • Recent History of Information Technology within the Organization
     
     
2. Analysis and Methodology
   
   
   • Previous Analysis of Field Office User Support
   • Methodology Utilized for this Report
   • Definition of User Support and the User
     
     
3. Information Technology Changes for the User
   
   
   • Introduction to Change Management Systems
   • Change Management Systems and IT User Support
   • Impact of User Support on Additional Information Technology Programs
   • The Ideal Field Office Change Management System
   • The Current Field Office Change Management System
     
     
4. Documentation for the User
   
   
   • Documentation as User Support (Document Mangement System)
   • The Capture, Storage, and Retrieval of Knowledge
   • Applying Concepts of Knowledge Management Systems on the Intranet
   • Shortcomings of Field Office Document Management and Knowledge Management Systems
     
     
5. Recommendations for the Field Office IT User Support Program
   
   
   • General Recommendations for Field Office Managers
   • Change Management Recommendations for the IT User Support Program
   • Documentation and Knowledge Management Recommendations for User Support Program
     
     
6. References

Author's Note: Organizational Anonymity in this professional report was a requirement for submission to the Master of Science Administrative Studies program at the University of South Dakota. The word "Organization" is used as a label for the actual name of the government organization in review. The Organization is a municipal, county, state, or federal government entity responsible for emergency management services and the protection of life and property. Other labels are also used to replace true names and some content has been removed from the original paper to also protect the organization's anonymity.

Finally, please note: If you are a student, writer, or blogger and take excerpts from this article for your own use, please be sure be sure to reference my work appropriately:

Bryan E. Ruby, "Using Information Systems to Improve IT User Support: Analysis and Recommendations for Information Technology User Support Provided to a Government Field Office", CMS Report, November 28, 2007.