Date of Award

6-2020

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Master of Science in Information Systems and Technology

Department

Information and Decision Sciences

First Reader/Committee Chair

Shayo, Conrad

Abstract

Creating a culture that values accountability and efficiency is a difficult task for any organization. Without metrics or systems in place to help with these problems, the task becomes nearly impossible. The focus shifts from accountability to covering your tracks and decreased efficiency are usually blamed on external factors. In higher education, the problem is far more severe. Management leadership and staff are accountable to the stakeholders of higher education, such as the students, community, and faculty. A lack of accountability and a decrease in efficiency, in the Education Department, have led to a need for a technological solution that can help mitigate these problems.

IT Service Management solutions are typically used by IT departments. However, the standards and principles that are followed by ITSM, can be beneficial to non-IT departments. “ITSM bridges the gap between university IT and non-IT departments by extending IT Service Management Practices across campus” (Sankaran, p.7, n.d.). This project implements an ITSM solution into the Education Department to increase accountability and efficiency. The tools offered by the ITSM solution are intended to help increase efficiency, communication, and transparency within the department, thus providing excellent service to the department’s stakeholders.

This project focuses on the importance of accountability and efficiency in service provisioning. The project investigates the best practices used by leaders in higher education, the importance of IT Service Management, compares four ITSM solutions, and finally explains the implementation and customization of the solution. The motivation for this project highlights the significance of the problem and the need to solve it. It is also important to understand the workflow of the department prior to the implementation of the ITSM solution and why it needed to be improved. The customization and configuration of the chosen ITSM solution demonstrates the benefits that it can bring to the department. Overall, the project will show how the ITSM software increases efficiency and accountability.

The implementation of the ITSM solution allowed for more accountability due to the records and metrics created within the software. The Education department team can see who is doing what and where others are lacking. It also increased efficiency by providing a resource where all relevant information is in one area. Notes, comments, and activities regarding service requests are kept in the software and it is accessible by everyone on the team. This allows for everyone to spend less time looking for information and more time focusing on resolving the service requests in a timely manner. Thereby, improving the quality of the service provided.

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