Summary of Help Desk System Targets

[James O'Reilly]

Virtual Learning - Newbie Help Desk System Targets
(*check the main introduction for links to basic terms)

Guiding Newbie Help Desk Goals (causa finalis)

(1) CMM Level 1: Initial is not the capability maturity level, where things need to end. Achieving higher capability maturity levels is indeed feasible. Assessing andragogic & pedagogic client requirements management (for adult and teen/child grids) and establishing repeatability is a frontline task (help desk - single point of contact) for stepping up to CMM Level 2: Managed at this point. People-CMM lends itself to this process.
(2) This also includes the embrace of ISO 9001 principles, sustainability, continuous improvement, and process analysis.
- Newer EU-driven quality systems for the e-learning domain:
-- Quality Management of Peer Production in e-Learning
http://qmpp.innovationpros.net/index.php/qmpp_quality_model/
-- Peer Production Cycle
http://qmpp.innovationpros.net/index.php/qmpp_quality_model/peer_pr...
-- QUALC Quality Assurance Network of Adult Learning Centres
http://www.efquel.org/qualc/
-- QUALC FINAL Quality Criteria & Self-Assessment Adult Learning Centres 12-2008 (benchmarking requirements)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22191610/QUALC-FINAL-Quality-Criteria-Sel...
(3) The IT Infrastructure Library ITIL model offers a sustainable set of concepts and policies for managing Information Technology (IT) services (ITSM), developments and operations; thus leading to the implemention of an IT service management environment, in which virtual world (language) learning - a sub-domain of e-learning 2.0 - is actually embedded.
(4) The use of benchmark examples makes sense, in order to avoid inventing the wheel twice.
(5) Ultimately, we want to shorten time and cost of the learning curve at increased quality, which is the strategic incentive for deploying quality management.
(6) Then as an IT infrastructure, overcome virtual world dis-illusionment processes, and enhance the transition to a plateau of productivity.
(7) In the course of this, then increase risk resilience and risk mitigation capabilities.

Operational Process Steps & Goals (causa efficiens)

Your Virtual Kickoff (Goal: To ensure Newbie feedback and quick support response)
1. Your Second Life® Registration (Goal: To ensure operational Newbie registration)
2. Your Enabling (Goal: To ensure for proper Newbie configuration, entry, and basic start-up skills)
2.1: Your Help Desk (Goal: To ensure out-world / in-world service management and support)
2.2: In-World Orientation Booth (Goal: To provide basic Newbie skills, knowledge, and experiences needed for event participation)
2.3: Your First Linden Dollars (Goal: To provide for initial financial resources)
2.4: Skill Building Center (Goal: To provide a domain for further skill, knowledge, and experience building, and according course modules as based on andragogic & pedagogic client requirements)
3. Teaching and Learning (Goal: To provide for quality training services, and according course modules and events as based on andragogic & pedagogic client requirements)
3.1 Help Desk Check-In / Briefing (Goal: To provide for course requirements, content, scheduling, and landmark information, operational check of Newbie event skills, in-course Trainer service and support, out-world / in-world Newbie service and support, disaster recovery)
3.2 Help Desk De-Briefing (Goal: To collect firsthand information about Newbie problems and incidents, Trainer/Support and Course feedback, course follow-up tasks, risk evaluation, continuous improvement, establish compliance with target benchmarks, capability maturity levels, and establish EU taxpayer transparency, integrity, and accountability for EU projects)
4. Sharing (Goal: To provide for shared resources)
5. Social Interaction / Getting Immersive (Goal: To provide for cultural activity for Newbies)
6. Communities (Goal: To provide for social networking, places to see, and things to do)

NUS National University of Singapore in SL
ISO 9001 Certified for Virtual Worlds, Webcasting, and Mixed Reality
http://www.cit.nus.edu.sg/quality/

Do you also think that quality of learning has to be based on broad consensus and involvement, inclusiveness & dialogue? Then show your opinion and download the EFQUEL-badge for your website now!

[James O'Reilly]

Maturity Level 1: Initial

At maturity level 1, processes are usually ad hoc and chaotic. The organization usually does not provide a stable environment. Success in these organizations depends on the competence and heroics of the people in the organization and not on the use of proven processes. In spite of this ad hoc, chaotic environment, maturity level 1 organizations often produce products and services that work; however, they frequently exceed the budget and schedule of their projects.

Maturity level 1 organizations are characterized by a tendency to over-commit, abandon processes in the time of crisis, and not be able to repeat their past successes.

[James O'Reilly]

Maturity Level 2: Managed

At maturity level 2, an organization has achieved all the specific and generic goals of the maturity level 2 process areas. In other words, the projects of the organization have ensured that requirements are managed and that processes are planned, performed, measured, and controlled.

The process discipline reflected by maturity level 2 helps to ensure that existing practices are retained during times of stress. When these practices are in place, projects are performed and managed according to their documented plans.

At maturity level 2, requirements, processes, work products, and services are managed. The status of the work products and the delivery of services are visible to management at defined points (for example, at major milestones and at the completion of major tasks).

Commitments are established among relevant stakeholders and are revised as needed. Work products are reviewed with stakeholders and are controlled. The work products and services satisfy their specified requirements, standards, and objectives.

[James O'Reilly]

Maturity Level 3: Defined

At maturity level 3, an organization has achieved all the specific and generic goals of the process areas assigned to maturity levels 2 and 3. At maturity level 3, processes are well characterized and understood, and are described in standards, procedures, tools, and methods.

The organization’s set of standard processes, which is the basis for maturity level 3, is established and improved over time. These standard processes are used to establish consistency across the organization. Projects establish their defined processes by tailoring the organization’s set of standard processes according to tailoring guidelines.

The organization’s management establishes process objectives based on the organization’s set of standard processes and ensures that these objectives are appropriately addressed.

A critical distinction between maturity level 2 and maturity level 3 is the scope of standards, process descriptions, and procedures. At maturity level 2, the standards, process descriptions, and procedures may be quite different in each specific instance of the process (for example, on a particular project). At maturity level 3, the standards, process descriptions, and procedures for a project are tailored from the organization’s set of standard processes to suit a particular project or organizational unit. The organization’s set of standard processes includes the processes addressed at maturity level 2 and maturity level 3. As a result, the processes that are performed across the organization are consistent except for the differences allowed by the tailoring guidelines.

Another critical distinction is that at maturity level 3, processes are typically described in more detail and more rigorously than at maturity level 2. At maturity level 3, processes are managed more proactively using an understanding of the interrelationships of the process activities and detailed measures of the process, its work products, and its services.

[James O'Reilly]

Maturity Level 4: Quantitatively Managed

At maturity level 4, an organization has achieved all the specific goals of the process areas assigned to maturity levels 2, 3, and 4 and the generic goals assigned to maturity levels 2 and 3. Sub-processes are selected that significantly contribute to overall process performance. These selected sub-processes are controlled using statistical and other
quantitative techniques.

Quantitative objectives for quality and process performance are established and used as criteria in managing processes. Quantitative objectives are based on the needs of the customer, end users, organization, and process implementers. Quality and process performance are understood in statistical terms and are managed
throughout the life of the processes.

For these processes, detailed measures of process performance are collected and statistically analyzed. Special causes of process variations are identified and, where appropriate, the sources of special causes are corrected to prevent future occurrences.

Quality and process performance measures are incorporated into the organization’s measurement repository to support fact-based decision making in the future.

A critical distinction between maturity level 3 and maturity level 4 is the predictability of process performance. At maturity level 4, the performance of processes is controlled using statistical and other quantitative techniques, and is quantitatively predictable. At maturity level 3, processes are only qualitatively predictable.

[James O'Reilly]

Maturity Level 5: Optimizing

At maturity level 5, an organization has achieved all the specific goals of the process areas assigned to maturity levels 2, 3, 4, and 5 and the generic goals assigned to maturity levels 2 and 3. Processes are continually improved based on a quantitative understanding of the common causes of variations inherent in processes.

Maturity level 5 focuses on continually improving process performance through both incremental and innovative technological improvements. Quantitative process-improvement objectives for the organization are established, continually revised to reflect changing business objectives, and used as criteria in managing process improvement. The effects of deployed process improvements are measured and evaluated against the quantitative process-improvement objectives. Both the defined processes and the organization’s set of standard processes are targets of measurable improvement activities.

Process improvements to address common causes of process variation and measurably improve the organization’s processes are identified, evaluated, and deployed. Improvements are selected based on a quantitative understanding of their expected contribution to achieving the organization’s process-improvement objectives versus the cost and impact to the organization. The performance of the organization’s processes is continually improved.

Optimizing processes that are agile and innovative depends on the participation of an empowered workforce aligned with the business values and objectives of the organization. The organization’s ability to rapidly respond to changes and opportunities is enhanced by finding ways to accelerate and share learning. Improvement of the processes is inherently part of everybody’s role, resulting in a cycle of continual improvement.

A critical distinction between maturity level 4 and maturity level 5 is the type of process variation addressed. At maturity level 4, processes are concerned with addressing special causes of process variation and providing statistical predictability of the results. Though processes may produce predictable results, the results may be insufficient to achieve the established objectives. At maturity level 5, processes are concerned with addressing common causes of process variation and changing the process (that is, shifting the mean of the process performance) to improve process performance (while maintaining statistical predictability) to achieve the established quantitative process-
improvement objectives.

[James O'Reilly]

This work (CMM Capability Maturity Model, People-CMM, and its subsequent versions) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Software Engineering Institute (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. QUALC has now adopted Capability Maturity as its consulting model within its quality mission statement http://www.efquel.org/qualc/