Jason

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) IT Department is in charge of handling all customers’ questions and problems in regard to telephones, telecommunications, and computers. The department is currently overwhelmed and inefficient. Inefficiency is determined by a number of metrics used by the organization to determine items such as call answer time, time on call, and first call resolution. Currently the department is falling below the standards the company would like to see. The Tennessee Valley Authority was initially proposed by President Franklin Roosevelt during the New Deal. On May 18, 1933, Congress passed the TVA Act which led to the establishment of TVA (From the New Deal to a new century, n.d.). The company is owned by the United States government but is operated by a private entity. TVA provides electricity for approximately nine million people in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. It has corporate offices in Chattanooga, TN, Nashville, TN and Knoxville, TN. TVA also has fossil fuel plants, hydroelectric plants, and nuclear power plants scattered throughout the seven states that it serves. It employs approximately 12, 457 people. The Information Technology (IT) Department at TVA is responsible for all the technologies falling into the categories of telephones, telecommunications, and computers. The IT Customer Center is located in Chattanooga, TN. It was created to answer questions from employees through a telephone hotline and create service tickets for the rest of the IT groups contained within TVA. TVA’s general website is located at [|www.tva.com]  or [|www.tva.gov] . Information available from the website includes fiscal reports and yearly budget information (About TVA, n.d.). The key stakeholders within the Tennessee Valley Authority include: The IT personnel and the employees of TVA are also stakeholders but to a lesser extent than those names listed above (Leadership, n.d.). The primary interview to be included is from Senior Manager, Keith Youngblood. The IT Customer Center provides services to customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days per year. Personnel within this department are monitoring systems, solving problems and answering telephone lines. The system is currently highly disorganized. There are three tiers of IT personnel. They are Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3. Tier 1 personnel are primarily responsible for answering the telephones, solving problems to a minimal degree, and basic installations of software. Tier 2 personnel have many of the same responsibilities as those of the Tier 1’s with added responsibilities including working extra service tickets and monitoring services. Tier 3’s include the responsibilities from above along with areas of special interest including multimedia functionalities. The majority of the personnel work Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. A minimal staff, ranging from one to two people, works weekends, and during the evening and night hours. Customers also have access to emailing requests and/or leaving voicemail messages to the IT Customer Center. The voicemail system currently records messages up to twenty seconds in length. The email system is currently backlogged approximately six months. Service tickets, assigned to personnel, range from current to two years past due. Table 1 shows current data for ticket resolution. These percentages are determined by a metric known as mean time to repair (MTTR). The formula for determining this is the Total Service Calls Completed by Deadline divided by the Totals Service Calls multiplied by 100. Table 1: Current Data Ideally, the IT Customer Center would operate such that all monitoring, problem solving, and telephone answering activities were kept up in real time. The email and voicemail boxes should be processed each day. IT personnel should be available during all shifts with minimum response times for customers. Service tickets should be promptly resolved. Measured metrics should all meet and/or exceed the standards set forth. The current methods of determining resolution percentages are shown in Table 2. Table 2: Percentage Meanings These percentages were drawn from data gathered from standards from the United Group. Desired performances are either On Plan, >= 85% and < 88 %, or Exceeding Plan, >=88%. April, May and July have the ticket resolutions in the category for poor. The fiscal years to date numbers, while not poor, are less than plan. The performance gap for these months range from about six to nine percent, while the fiscal year to date numbers only range by about one percent. The current performance gap is primarily due to the increase in the use of technologies within the company. More and more of the jobs within TVA require the use of computers for the completion of tasks. More technology tied with more people using the technology has resulted in an increase in the number of problems associated with the two groups. The Information Technology Customer Center will help employees to meet the goals for every TVA job (TVA’s mission and vision, n.d.). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> **History.** TVA was created when Congress passed the TVA Act on May 18, 1933. The company is owned by the government but run by a private entity. During the 1930s, TVA helped many farmers with new farming techniques and also revolutionized hydroelectric power. During the 1940s, it undertook one of the largest hydroelectric power projects in U.S. history. From the 1950s onward, TVA has changed from just hydroelectric production to that of both fossil fuel and nuclear production. The company has grown in size substantially and now delivers power to areas in seven states. The company is now focusing on producing energy that is both cleaner and more efficient (From the New Deal to a new century, n.d.). TVA’s renewed vision is to be one of the nation’s leading providers of low-cost and cleaner energy by 2020. More specifically, TVA intends to be: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">(TVA’s mission and vision, n.d.) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">There are three potential strategies for intervention in this project. The first is a low end intervention with the smallest budget. This intervention will only include a reorganization of the groups within the IT Customer Center. The second intervention is a middle end one. This one will include a reorganization of the Center along with some new technologies designed to help individual groups. The final intervention strategy will include components from the other two strategies as well as a major remodeling of the IT Customer Center itself. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The intervention strategy to be implemented will be the high end intervention. The primary reason for this choice is due to primarily two factors. These factors are the need for improvement, and the availability for financial backing. TVA’s IT department has never experienced a major restructuring of its department since its development. The remodeling of the current facility will allow the department to both expand and be better able to meet the needs of its customers. The fiscal budget for this year has been modified in such a manner where funds are significantly more available towards the restructuring of IT than will most likely ever occur again. This is, therefore, a prime opportunity to direct these funds toward giving the department a fresh start. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The low end intervention strategy was not chosen primarily due to the limited impact it would have on overall achievement for the department. While this intervention would have helped the department to reach higher standards in the short term, it would not fit the needs of the company in the long run. The middle end intervention is also too little in terms of the needs of the department. It, too, would satisfy the needs for the short term but would also not ensure the long term success of the department.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Problem Summary **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Background of Organization **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Stakeholders and Decision-Makers. **
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">President and Chief Executive Officer – Tom Kilgore
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Board of Directors
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chief Operating Officer – William R. McCollum, Jr.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Chief Financial Officer – John M. Thomas III
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Vice President and Chief Information Officer – Daniel Traynor
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Senior Manager of IT Customer Operation – Keith Youngblood
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Manager of the IT Customer Center – Erik McGann
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Performance Gap: Cause Analysis **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Actual Current Performance. **
 * || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">April   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">May   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">June   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">July   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Month  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">77.9%   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">77.6%   || ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">79.1%   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Fiscal Year To Date  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">84.2%   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">84.6%   || ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">85.6%   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Desired Performance. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Poor  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Less Than Plan   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">On Plan   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Exceeding Plan   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">< 82%  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">>= 82% and < 85 %   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">>= 85 % and < 88%   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">>= 88%   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Performance Gap. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cause Analysis. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Organizational History and Background **
 * Goals.** TVA’s energy future in which every TVA job and initiative will be linked to six focus areas:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Cleaner air
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Greater energy efficiency
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">More nuclear generation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Low rates
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">High reliability
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Responsibility
 * Mission and Vision.** TVA’s enduring mission is in:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Affordable electricity
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Economic and agricultural development
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Environmental stewardship
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Integrated river system management, and
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Technological innovation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The nation’s leader in improving air quality
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The nation’s leader in increased nuclear production
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Southeast’s leader in increased energy efficiency
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Three Intervention Strategies **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Low end intervention. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Reorganization of the IT Customer Center into three groups including monitoring, problem resolution, and response line. Training as to expectations for each group will be provided. The budget for this proposed change is approximately $50,000. The training to be provided will include the responsibilities for each group and the members to be assigned for each group.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Middle end intervention. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Reorganization of the IT Customer Center into three groups including monitoring, problem resolution, and response line. Training as to expectations for each group will be provided. Some new technologies will be purchased to help with assistance in meeting the goals. The proposed budget for this change is $100,000.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">High end intervention. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Reorganization of the IT Customer Center into three groups including monitoring, problem resolution, and response line. Training as to expectations for each group will be provided. New technologies will be purchased to help with assistance in meeting the goals. The department will also undergo a remodel as the floor plans are changed for better interactions within groups and also better interactions between groups. The proposed budget for this change is $250,000.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Justification for Intervention Strategy **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> Project management techniques <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;"> The first critical step will be to set the ground rules. The project manager will then break the project down into easier tasks and subtasks. This will be done by first splitting the main group into the subgroups. The next step will be to acquire and train new staff. This will be followed by the creation of a new schedule. The final step will be the construction of the new center. The project manager will also work to help reduce the risk of potential delays to the project (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Resource management techniques: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">These techniques will concentrate on the context for delivering the resources and how the content is managed. The context will primarily rely on the Response Line to obtain the most information from the customer for each ticket created while also attempting to solve the problem with a minimal amount of manpower. If the Response Line is unable to solve the problem successfully in less than ten minutes, the problem will then pass to members of the Problem Solving team (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Delivery system management techniques: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The primary technique will be overseeing the delivery system and the processes used to deliver the product. The delivery system in this case will be that of developing better methods by which problems can be solved more productively and rapidly. If these methods are not working to improve our results, they can be changed to improve the quality (Januszewski & Molenda, 2008). <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Information management techniques: <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The information will be primarily stored in the form of documents saved on a computer with ample backups in the case of computer failure. Much of this knowledge will be passed as best practices for technicians. Working knowledge will also be passed from higher level technicians to lower level ones through on the job training opportunities while solving day to day issues. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Budget:
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Manager’s Many Roles **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Manager as Change Agent **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Financial and Budget Information. **
 * **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Category ** ||  **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Expense **  ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Construction  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">$100,000   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Personnel and Training  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">$100,000   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">New Technologies  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">$50,000   ||

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Links for New Technologies include: **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The formative and summative evaluation methods will be similar to one another. These assessments are based on performance. The evaluation will call for the creation of percentages determined by a metric known as mean time to repair (MTTR). The formula for determining this is the Total Service Calls Completed by Deadline divided by the Totals Service Calls multiplied by 100. The bases for determining evaluations are successful or not will be based on the resolution percentages shown in Table 3. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Table 3: Bases Percentage Meanings <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Examples are shown in Appendix ?.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Project Assessment. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Poor  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Less Than Plan   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">On Plan   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Exceeding Plan   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">< 82%  ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">>= 82% and < 85 %   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">>= 85 % and < 88%   ||  <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">>= 88%   ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Conclusion **

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">References <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">About TVA. (n.d.). //Tennessee Valley Authority//. Retrieved from http://www.tva.com/abouttva/index.htm. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">From the New Deal to a new century. (n.d.). //Tennessee Valley Authority//. Retrieved from http://www.tva.com/abouttva/history.htm <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Innovations, (2011). Avaya. Retrieved from http://www.avaya.com/usa/innovations/ <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Januszewski, A., & Molenda, M. (Eds.). (2008). //Educational technology: A definition with// // commentary //<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">. New York, NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Taylor & Frances Group. <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Leadership. (n.d.). //Tennessee Valley Authority//. Retrieved from http://www.tva.com/abouttva/leadership.htm <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">TVA’s mission and vision. (n.d). //Tennessee Valley Authority//. Retrieved from http://www.tva.com/abouttva/vision.htm