Black Belt Support: The Journey of a Thousand Help Tickets Begins with a Single Workaround Sean DeMonner Diana Perpich Usability, Support & Evaluation

Black Belt Support: The Journey of a Thousand Help Tickets

Begins with a Single Workaround

Sean DeMonner

Diana Perpich

Usability, Support & Evaluation Lab

University of Michigan Digital Media Commons, [email protected]

Disclaimer

This presentation is not intended to be culturally insensitive or offensive. Providing good technical customer service is a fine art and our allusions to ancient martial traditions and philosophies are intended to indicate reverence, not disrespect.


On The Shoulders of Giants

The black belt was "invented" by Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, who first devised the colored belt system and awarded the first black belts in the 1880s…The most common colors other than white and black are orange, yellow, green and brown... Testing for a black belt varies with the style and the school...The test is almost always administered by a senior instructor…It is usually an honor even to be allowed to test…Depending on the school, different black belts may…challenge the candidates to explain their actions or to repeat portions of the test. None of this is meant to be cruel. All of it is intended as a sort of crucible: to burn away bad habits, reinforce good ones, and convince the new black belts that they are capable of more than they thought possible…

- Wikipedia, “Black Belt (Martial Arts)”


Unfolding Lotus

Glorious flower!Slowly opens to the sun,

Rooted in the muck

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


The One-Eyed King

Entered on 01/09/2006 at 13:21:03

Upload isn’t working

Answer: Punt? Collect data up front on your submission tool: site ID, browser, OS, activity, etc.


The War on Error

Entered on 01/05/2006 at 03:22:07

I can’t find the FIN 237 site.

Answer: Site doesn’t exist, dropped from roster, site not published, course cross listed, tab hidden in prefs, tab under More, wrong system, student not registered, data not synched…


To Succeed, First Do Not Fail

A problem, once solvedEmboldens the next attempt

Just give it a try


Copywrong

Entered on 04/12/2006 at 11:31:22

I had an instructor ask about posting articles on Ctools and if postingentire articles violated any copyright laws. I wasn't sure about theanswer, although many instructors already do this, so I'm assuming thisis okay to do? Please let me know if this is correct and if there areany provisions that need to be taken to assure that copyright lawsaren't violated.

Answer: Beware of dispensing legal advice; also know local copyright experts and institutional party line on copyright issues


Grader X

Entered on 01/26/2006 at 00:32:27

I have a grader who has access to CTools. She is supposed to be anonymous to the students. When she grades the assignments in CTools, the name of whoever graded it appears in the text box, for the students to see. How do I change this?

Answer: Friend Accounts allow for user control over profile data and therefore allow anonymity; what about related issues of Presence?


Repeating Repetitive Repetitions

Like sad history,Most support requests repeat

Or at least they rhyme


Incipient Stages of Chaos

Entered on 01/12/2006 at 15:17:02

Help, I can’t edit my site! It was working fine then all of a sudden I couldn’t add students.

Answer: Watch out for “all of a sudden” issues; instructor has changed their own permissions through Add Participants or in the Participant list. Or another owner has changed their permissions.


When Software Attacks!

Entered on 03/13/2006 at 11:36:55

I posted a resource on my MKT 310 001 W06 site, but now it’s gone. I know it was there because a colleague saw me put it on the site. Help!

Answer: Resource is in My Workspace resources, not site; another instructor deleted the file


Unrecoverable DFU Error

What the user says,

And what the user has done:

Not always the same


Permission.confusing

Entered on 05/17/2006 at 15:43:46

I’m working on this site, trying to figure out how I can revise a Discussion topic and a message once I post it. The permissions say I can revise my own and others', but it's not letting me. Is this possible?

Answer: You cannot edit a Discussion posting, only delete or add new despite the revise.any and revise.own persmissions - they only apply to Drafts.

Feature request: one-click report of all permissions on a site (BTW- learn to use Jira)


Sakai Ate My Homework

Entered on 04/12/2006 at 11:31:22

I turned in my assignment on the CTools site, but my professor says he didn’t get it. He says if I can prove I turned in the assignment he’ll give me credit. Help!

Answer: Student attached, but didn’t Submit. Policy issues; low-stakes introduction

Feature request: email notification of successful submission


Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Take your time, write wellWhen nasty problems return

Just copy and paste


Control Freak Control

Entered on 03/15/2006 at 18:45:09

Greetings....I am working on my site...and want to change the buttons on the left side of the home page....can't seem to figure out how to do this. Also, how do I put an item in Resources onto the left menu bar?

Answer: Use Admin Sites tool to edit name of tool in Pages (e.g. change Resources to Files); create Web Content link to specific item in Resources tool. Note bug with reordering of pages on site

Warning: Admin tools and exposure to error risk; use buddy system


Is There Anybody Out There?

Entered on 02/15/2006 at 23:19:50

I am teaching EECS 281 this semester and am using ctools. Is there any way to know how many different students enrolled in the course have accessed a given resource?

Answer: No built-in tools - but one under development. Meantime, use third party tool (NetTracker) or build a page using an external hit counter:http://cgi.www.umich.edu/counter?link=https://ctools.umich.edu/portal/site/1103413159747-4217159/page/1103413159949-4217180

Caution: Policy / Privacy alert!


Undocumented Behaviors

The best time to squashA really annoying bug

Is before it bites


Layers Upon Layers

Entered on 12/30/2005 at 13:35:07

I have a weird problem that I have never seen before. I have a difference between the items I see in my WebDav network connection to my N345 Winter 06 Ctools site and the Resources in the same site. The folder is in resources on the Ctools site and it has resources in it. To make sure I got the right site, I copied and pasted the URL from the multiple upload help page. I did a couple of screen shots and put them in Powerpoint to show you. How does this happen?

Answer: Sakai web page view shows metadata, WebDAV shows directory contents


Fear is the Mind Killer

Answer: Site really gone? Find the site ID of the old site, create a new site using Admin -> Sites ->New and insert the old site ID into the site ID of the new site.

Entered on 04/01/2006 at 04:17:03

Oh my God! I’ve accidentally deleted my site and don’t see any way to get it back. I really need that data! Help!


Food For Thought

It seems obvious:The dog food will taste better

If we eat our own


The In Crowd

Entered on 05/12/2006 at 11:55:49

Can you please make a new folder on ctools for Draft manuscripts? I do not want everyone to have access to this folder, only the gates science team people, essentially U-M personnel only.

Answer: Create another site and add the participants you want in the subgroup, then create a URL link to that site from the original site. Or use groups with Announcement attachment


WYSIQYG vs. WYGIWYWEntered on 03/02/2006 at 20:04:15

I decided that I'd like to have a cyan background for a couple of web pages I created in "Resources" using the html editor of CTools. So, I used the toggle switch to go to html view and inserted the following line: <body bgcolor ="lightcyan">at the very top of the page, and saved. This changed the page to have a light cyan background, as it should. But when I logged out of CTools and logged back in again, the background to the pages had turned white. When I used the toggle switch ("<>") to investigate what was happening in those pages, it seemes that the line "<body bgcolor ="lightcyan">" had mysteriously disappeared from the pages.

Answer: The WYSIWYG Editor strips out certain HTML tags: BODY, HEAD, SCRIPT, etc.


Razor Sharp Logic

Just think of Occam

When confusing problem looms;

It’s likely simple


PDQ TLA SOSEntered on 03/28/2006 at 16:28:10

I just had an odd situation with a resource file I was trying editing. We had originally loaded the file as a pdf. However, I decided that I wanted to upload the original Word Doc instead. But, after I uploaded the word document, I couldn't access the file because the URL was still claiming that it was a pdf and sending it to acrobat, which couldn't read the word file. Is this the way it is supposed to work? Are you not allowed to change the format of an uploaded item?

Answer: Delete resource and start over; can’t change name of underlying file reference once it’s been created


Punt and Heck

Entered on 01/15/2006 at 08:25:07

I have a large number of assignment submissions (180) and I want to print them in one bunch for grading. How can I do

this?

Answer: Download all, then script?


Paradigm the Dominant Subvert

Officious rudeness:A career limiting move!

Be kind to users


Size Matters

Entered on 05/17/2006 at 14:56:02 by [email protected]: [mail headers]

I set up a WebDAV client as instructed by the CTools help on my computer, and am trying to copy this entire site to my hard drive. On a pc, the site shows up properly in My Network Places. After dragging and dropping all the files from CTools to a folder on my computer, the copying process starts, and a few folders and files are transferred, but then it stops. Trying this repeatedly, it asks if I want to overwrite the existing folders. Whether I select "yes" or "no", the copying process stops prematurely. Even when I try to copy the files one by one (which would be impossible because the site is so large) there are some files that will not copy. One example of the many files that will not copy is the 89.5kb "050223_KB_Hoffman_Outline_of_Project_Request_to_act_as_advisor.msg" file. Any idea what might be wrong?

Answer: Path too long; 256 character limit; customer use long filenames because description info hidden


Permission Denied

Entered on 01/05/2006 at 03:22:07

I get an error message saying I don’t have the necessary permissions to access my Drop Box.

Answer: Delete My Workspace to reset permissions on Drop Box; grand mystery…


When Disciple Becomes Master

It is a good thingYour staff know more than you do

Don’t cry when they leave


$#&!@ WebDAV

Entered on 04/26/2006 at 11:04:09

I'm co-teaching PHYSICS 126 101 Sp06. I'm unable to access the web resources using my webdav client; the error is that I am an unauthorized user. Here's some more information: Greg and I are both Owners. The steps below all work for Greg. We are both using Goliath on a Mac running OS X Tiger.

I open Goliath, select New Connection, and enterhttps://ctools.umich.edu/dav/group/463e2319-f6f3-405c-00df-541260641724/I enter my uniquename and my password.

Then the connection is rejected because I cannot authenticate.

Answer: First, use built-in WebDAV with OS 10.4, not Goliath. Second, WebDAV authentication is different from CoSign and doesn’t support all extended characters ($#&!@) which is a problem since we recommend these characters elsewhere. The error message is a local system message - difficult to troubleshoot. Make a decision early on the extent to which you will support WebDAV (desktop vs. application support and service integration issues).

Also watch out for storage problems (e.g. over quota due to WebDAV usage to get around limits of individual file size and overall quota)


Obscure Security

Entered on 04/11/2006 at 16:51:55

I posted a file in an announcement then found out it was the wrong one. I went into the announcement and revised it; I deleted the original file and put in the correct one. However, the link in the email that went out to all of my students points to the original file, which apparently is still on the system. As this is related to grades, how can I delete that original file?

Answer: You can’t without directly touching the database - this goes for all Attachments


Learn More, Know Less

Do not rush Sensei! Snatch the pebble from my hand

When you are ready

QuickTime™ and aH.263 decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


Hungry, Hungry HIPAA

Entered on Apr 26, 2006, at 10:18 AM

I set up a CTools Project site for a study going on at the VA. They want to know if it is okay to place patient names on the site. What do you think? We'll handle who has access to it but I wasn't sure about security issues beyond that. DO you have other sites with patient data? I know this was an issue with something in the School of Nursing but I can't remember how that was resolved... Do we need to be concerned that your staff could potentially see it? This is HIPAA protected data…

Answer: Sakai is NOT HIPAA compliant - attachments insecure, no least privilege access tiers for example


Shrink to Fit

Entered on 05/12/2006 at 11:55:49

In trying to add a url to an art portfolio,the ctools site rejected it, saying it is too long. This is the URL: http://images.umdl.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/imageidx?xc=1&start=1&type=boolean&view=thumbnail&bbidno=FMCHXX65.9051%20F390_34B&bbidno=SFMCHXX65.8237%203CE7697B&page=bbname&c=aaa&c=aaa2ic&c=aclsic&c=afroammu&c=afroammuakirk&c=afroammucass&c=afroammuduncan&c=afroammujessye&c=afroammulps&c=afroammureade&c=aict&c=amico&c=amph1ic&c=amph2ic&c=anthro1ic&c=apis&c=archivision1ic&c=atharvavedaic&c=bhl&c=bhl2ic&c=bhlpoetry&c=blakeic&c=borobudur&c=bp1ic&c=brut&c=cjsfilmic&c=conradiic&c=cvv&c=fish1ic&c=fish2ic&c=fish3ic&c=fish4ic&c=fish5ic&c=fmch&c=fung1ic&c=fung2ic&c=fuwatic&c=geh&c=harpersweeklyic&c=hart&c=hart2ic&c=herb1ic&c=hist265painting&c=indonesian&c=kdimg&c=kelsey&c=kelsey2ic&c=kma&c=lcp&c=linchigh&c=lrc1ic&c=mam1ic&c=mam2ic&c=mam3ic&c=medchem1ic&c=mfah&c=micountyic&c=misc&c=moaa&c=moaahbic&c=moaapcic&c=mqrimage&c=musart&c=nga&c=postidimage&c=prae&c=prem&c=pret&c=prha&c=prme&c=prmx&c=prmy&c=prna&c=prne&c=prpa&c=prsa&c=psda1ic&c=saaf&c=sampleic&c=scl&c=scllabe!hib&c=sclnethic&c=sclphilimg&c=sclphilimg2&c=sclradic&c=sdlphotos&c=sdlsvf&c=seaas&c=sos&c=ummu&c=ummu2ic&c=umric&c=workshopic&c=yhsic1&size=20&back=back1147446472

Answer: Use TinyURL; remember it’s the web and you have more tools at your disposal than are immediately available in the application


Honey, I’m Home

Complaining wastes timeJust embrace the workaround

You’ll get home sooner

But watch out for boomerangs (creating more support problems by hacking the system). For example replacing %20 in Home Page references with spaces to display an image


Bungling Bundles

Entered on 05/11/2006 at 10:52:32

When I upload Keynote or Pages files I get an error message or the page just spins forever. Likewise when I upload via WebDAV the files don’t appear in the web view. What’s going on?

Answer: Some Mac apps (iLife, iWork) store their data as bundles of files which are displayed as a single unit in the Finder. Compress these “files” before uploading. Also true of Powerpoints with linked media, etc.


Outer Limits

Entered on 01/15/2006 at 08:25:07

When I’m in the WYSIWYG editor and I hold the Esc and Alt keys and doubleclick the menu bar while pressing tilde (~) with my nose, the cursor disappears and my machine locks up. Do you know why that’s happening? I’m using Red Hat Linux and the Opera browser.

Answer: Specify your supported configurations and rules of engagement (example of one customer with 158 tickets in 2 semesters)


Full of Emptiness

Friday, 5 pm

The sound of one hand clicking

Going home on time!


Question Authority

On the road you meet

A friendly smiling Buddha…

Kill him if you can



Abstract This session will review several technically advanced scenarios in Sakai customer support.

Based on real cases gathered over the past year at the University of Michigan, we will introduce progressively more difficult-to-resolve support requests, encourage audience discussion, and ultimately present a solution. Go from Novice to Sensei in one easy session!

Using the metaphor of progression through the Judo ranks to the level of black belt, this session will present participants with several support requests gathered over the past year at University of Michigan. Rather than simply offering "the answer" however, participants will be encouraged to present possible solutions and discuss pros and cons of different approaches. One possible solution for each scenario will be presented at the end of each section. In addition to specific technical "answers" to particular support challenges, participants will come away with a better understanding of the way in which Sakai can be extended and made more flexible from a support perspective. Several Best Practices and Lessons Learned will be shared along the way by way of illustrating the specific scenarios discussed.


Common Issues

Sites created before registrar data is available (manual Provider ID linking) Solution: Affiliate role and relations with units

Site locking mechanism Solution: Training, error message, software

change Large files & upload/download problems

Solution: educate instructors on materials preparation


Common Issues (cont.)

Integration with immature or unsupported services/browsers (WebDAV, Safari, Firefox 1.5) Solution: Specify supported technology

Site reuse vs. creating new Solution: Training

Lack of Auditing Tools Solution: WebTracker analysis tool


Common Issues (cont.)

Managing large resource collections Solution: WebDAV (usually…) 2.1 Resources should help

Managing peak support loads Solution: Training, ergonomics, happy hour

Distributed product delivery (e.g. Identity management, File systems, Registrar data) Solution: Orchestrating integration points; adopt a

holistic approach


Lessons Learned

Training is key Instructor request support disproportionately Support requests front loaded (process and semester)

Low-stakes introduction to tools (e.g. Assns) Use a ticket tracking system (e.g. Footprints) Multi-tiered support staffing works well

Use individualized support accounts (admin, instruct, student)

Hire and train Tier 1 staff early (July for Fall)


Lessons Learned (cont.)

Distributed support model (Affiliates in units) Instructors go to nearest support

Escalation of Issues / Communication Flow Advisory committee(s) / Policy making bodies

(e.g. security, auditing, privacy, identity, etc.) Embrace the workaround (e.g. anonymous

grading, public assns, site reconstitution) Establish Support Accounts and use Jira Combine MOTD with Known Issues


Lessons Learned (cont.)

Know browser targets and test local instance Migration never ends “Eat your own dogfood” Changing expectations of online systems

(data synch, “eBay never goes down”) There’s no substitute for talking with

customers, attending trainings, etc. Support is the ear of the organization and

should “have a spot at the table”


Materialshttp://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=301711.ds_store files in WebDAVWebDAV password characters Deleting My Workspace and DropBox on error messages Adding counters to pages Role permission change hacks

e.g. non-email recipients Site undeletion

WebDAV view vs. CTools view Changing Pages in Admin:

multiple chat tools customizing Home page

Filenaming conventions Adding Provider IDs when roster list is blown out

Changing project to class sites (e.g. for tutoring) Defining roles, adding Providers

Pointing MOTD to pubic pages Changes to Help tool to collect requests Cosign vs. CTools user IDs and password case sensitivity

Get bimodal! If you meet the Buddha on the Road Admin Power needs wisdom


Black Belt Test 2 Adding Provider IDs when roster list is blown out

Changing project to class sites (e.g. for tutoring) Defining roles, adding Providers

Documents

Black Belt Support: The Journey of a Thousand Help Tickets Begins with a Single Workaround Sean DeMonner Diana Perpich Usability, Support & Evaluation