[Tech] Handling Partimus Tech Issues

[James Howard]

I've always been a proponent of having a trouble ticket system. We could
host the service on our own web space. A ticket could be opened by school
staff or Partimus personnel. Tickets could be administratively assigned to
a prospective individual or to a pool of volunteers. Issues could be
assigned, tracked, and re-assigned until completed.








> Greetings everyone,
>
> One of the things I have been thinking about quite a bit recently is
> the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make choices.
> I would like to encourage this behavior at our six computer sites and
> would like your help brainstorming possible solutions.
>
> We support five sites in San Francisco and one site in Oakland.
> http://partimus.org/projects.php  Rather than thinking of reported
> issues as "support problems" I want to try to recognize that these are
> also "learning opportunities" where people can acquire valuable
> skills.
>
> Fixing computers, after some practice, isn't technically all that
> difficult, yet things don't get done because nobody feels any
> responsibility or authority to take action. We provide some
> recognition for those that do but I think not enough for part time
> volunteers. When nobody acts to resolve an issue it is bad for
> everyone - computer users, our sites and Partimus. The best effort
> model we have used so far isn't reliable. Internet connections, power
> and physical space are provided by the sites we support. The software
> is freely downloadable. http://www.ubuntu.com  Most but not all
> hardware is generously donated.  http://www.mcrc.org  We have found
> ways to provide network equipment and volunteers to set up the
> hardware and software. However we still haven't found a way to grow a
> sustainable effort. We are quite close but our offering isn't scalable
> yet.
>
> We share a desire to help middle school youth but we need something
> more. We have already identified that key people at each location are
> missing from our equation. How best to get people involved is
> something we need to address better. Student helpers might play a role
> as well. Maybe a new structure for teaching how to solve the issues
> that come up is required.
>
> What is actually required to keep the shared computers we provide
> fully functioning?
>
> * a small stock of parts - a spare monitor, a spare machine,
> keyboards, mice & network cables
> * basic knowledge to troubleshoot simple issues
> * a place to ask questions & report issues
> * a few minutes each week to assess and act on reported issues
> * access for trusted volunteers to do the more complex work and help
> train those interested in taking on more responsibility
> * a capacity to manage local accounts locally if needed rather than
> the default shared account setup
>
> Luckily, we have not had much problem with vandalism, just keeping
> things running with normal wear and tear. For printing we don't have a
> good solution in place right now due to the variable costs of supplies
> and maintenance. Submitting documents via email or using commercial
> printing solutions are currently recommended and saves both trees and
> power.
>
> Any other ideas for how to make our offering more sustainable?
>
> Cheers,
>
> Grant Bowman
> Partimus Board Member
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