Victoria University Wellington



Raising Performance through Capturing Knowledge

For any leader, there is always the drive to seek smarter and more efficient ways of working, and for Peter Borich, Associate Director of IT at Victoria University Wellington, this was no different. In mid 2008, whilst researching on the internet, Peter came across Knowledge Centered Support (KCS), a solution that looked ideal for his Information Technology Services team to roll out across the University.

What is KCS?

• KCS is a methodology and a set of practices and processes that focuses on knowledge as a key asset of the support organisation.

• Creates knowledge as a by product of problem solving

• Enables effective management of knowledge creation, participation and quality

• Started in 1992 – with a simple premise – Capture, Structure, Reuse

• 10+ years of evolution

If KCS was the solution, then what was the problem?

A customer satisfaction survey conducted in early 2008 showed that knowledge within the ITS group was perceived to be an area of weakness. The results of the survey had knowledge within the ITS group at -3% compared to an overall satisfaction score of +3%. The survey backed up the anecdotal evidence within the department. There was a high turnover of staff on the Service Desk which was resulting in knowledge gaps. Replacement staff had a long induction time to get them up to speed, and there was also the need to support more services, without increasing staffing levels. “Things needed to change.” says Peter Borich. “The early reviews of KCS indicated it was the catalyst we were looking for.” There were specific management and performance objectives of the KCS project which were:

• Reducing the negative effect of high turnover of staff on the Service Desk.

• Decreasing the induction time.

• Supporting more services with existing staff levels.

• Improving the survey response by focusing on consistency and improving IT knowledge.

As Client Services Manager, Janet Hunt led the project to first review the viability and suitability of KCS, and then the implementation of it. Says Janet “Peter had the vision and it was up to my team to make it a reality.” KCS had been successfully implemented by AMP in Australia using Ionix Service Manager. AMP made extensive use of the vendor (EMC2) who were certified in KCS implementation. Like AMP, Victoria University also use Ionix Service Manager, however implementing KCS would be a first for New Zealand. Training was identified as an essential requirement, so Janet organised a 3 day KCS Foundation course hosted by Victoria University, and other organisations including other major users of Ionix Service Manager, including Delta Software. This was a unique opportunity for clients and vendors alike to become certified in KCS and provide valuable input into the implementation of KCS within Ionix Service Manager. “Starting with the certification really made a difference to us.” says Janet. “It gave us the knowledge we needed to tackle the project and it also meant that both ourselves and Delta were on the same page right from the beginning.” Delta Software and Victoria University have an excellent relationship going back over a decade, ever since Victoria University first installed Ionix Service Manager (known then as infraActive). For all involved, the implementation of the KCS project broke new ground. “Having Delta Software as part of our team providing valuable support during workshops and planning really made a difference.” says Janet. Training and involvement of the Service Desk and Desktop teams from day one was crucial to the success of the project.

Implementing KCS was a shift from the previous centralised knowledge base to the KCS de-centralised knowledge management framework. Starting with a blank slate with no solutions in the knowledge base there was significantly more work at the beginning, for both the Service Desk and Desktop teams, creating the solutions. Each time an incident was logged, the team member would search to see if a solution was available, and if not, they created the solution. Importantly, if a solution was found, the team member would review it and, if required, flag it (to be fixed) or fix it. If the solution was found and applied, the team member would rate it for usefulness. As more and more incidents were logged, the more complete the solutions became. Everyone became part of creating and editing solutions and building the knowledge base. “It was hard work to get the knowledge base to the point where it reached critical mass.” says Janet. “However, once we got there the benefits really kicked in!” Knowledge Centred Support shifts knowledge from individual to organisational knowledge, with everyone gaining access to all solutions. This creates a valuable resource for any organisation, but can prove challenging to existing staff used to a more personal way of sharing knowledge. Achieving this shift was the result of the belief and commitment to the project by Peter Borich combined with the determination and perseverance of Janet Hunt and her team.

Measuring Results

Based on the results to date, the KCS project for Victoria University is a success. “The results are extremely positive so far” says Peter Borich. “KCS has delivered on our project objectives, so it’s very rewarding for all of us to see the work has paid off.” In January 2008 there were 13 staff managing 5595 calls per month with a 72% First Point of Contact Resolution. By January 2009 there were 10 staff managing 5944 calls per month with a 77% First Point of Contact Resolution. Importantly the 6% increase in call volume was all managed by the service desk with no impact on other teams, enabling these teams to work on projects adding value to the University. The two key measurables that demonstrate the success of KCS are Knowledge and Trust in the ITS team. In 2008 Knowledge was measured at -3% and moved in 2009 to +1%, an overall shift of 4%. Even more impressive was the shift in Trust measuring +7% in 2008 and increasing a further 5% in 2009 bringing the total to +12%. Like all projects of this nature there were lessons learnt which included:

• The importance of standardizing the content formatting of solutions.

• Keeping the content simple – bullet points work best.

• Keeping the perspective from the customer’s experience.

• Prepare beforehand for an extended lead time (with increased workload) in order for the solutions to reach critical mass and start delivering efficiencies.

• Remember that accurate technical solutions solve the users issues and result in a happy customer.

• Know what you want up front, you may need to modify software to fit your requirements.

• Be aware of what reporting functionality you need and factor the development of these into the project.

• Make KCS part of your induction training to ensure everyone is working with and contributing to the system from the outset.

KCS Results at a Glance

Calls logged +6%
Service desk staff -20%
Resolution at First Point of Contact +5%
Calls resolved by Service Desk +6%

For Victoria University the future of the ITS group is looking bright. KCS will become more valuable as a resource enabling them to continually improve service to the University faculty and students.


Staff Induction... Was 3 months, now 1 week.