Sam Houston State University's IR Office Organization System.
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Transcript of Sam Houston State University's IR Office Organization System.
Sam Houston State University'sIR Office Organization System
The Issues IR offices are inundated with requests by
phone, email, web system...etc Requests take time, correspondence, and data
(not always on hand) Paper copies can get lost, inadvertently file
13’d, or my personal favorite “well it was here the other day….”
A SolutionA system to: track all requests keep track of all correspondence keep track of variables and data files let the customer stay informed A system that does it all…and more!!!
Why was it developed? To increase our efficiency To keep track of all written materials To track our Office progress over time To have stats available on our requests To keep our “customers” informed about their
requests
How a Request Becomes Information
The Request A Request is received
Email Phone Fax Web System Magically Appears
The Phone Call A phone call is made to the customer At this time we ask and answer questions
about The process Other information needed Any Clarifications that our staff will need
A Request is Born After the phone call
The request is entered into our system It is assigned a number (IRD-Year-Request#) It is linked to a folder with the number
All information for this request will be stored here Excel Sheets, Correspondence, SPSS syntax,
datasets…etc
A Request is Born (ctd) The request is automatically uploaded to our
web site Customers can check their status on the web This has cut down on the phone calls we get,
which also allows us to be more efficient Serves as a progress indicator
A Request is Born (ctd) Throughout the process the folder on our
common drive is populated When similar requests from year to year come
in we check past years folders Many times we can use the same syntax,
simply changing the years (or updating the spreadsheet) to produce the results
Request Completion After slaving over a hot computer the request
is completed A memo is sent along with the spreadsheet The status is updated to “Returned” It is automatically removed from the reporting
schedule
The System Elements
Current Data Requests Previous Data Requests Log Files Syntax Library Variable Definitions Status Update
Current Data Requests All data requests which have not been
completed Allows easy access to all requests which are
“received”, “on hold”, or “in progress” A link to the common area folder is generated New Requests can be entered here Action Updates
Previous Data Requests Requests from previous years
Searchable Past requests can be used to verify #’s Syntax can be reused efficiently No more reinventing the wheel
Log Files Accountability
Log file is printed out as a report with pertinent information
We use them at our Monday meetings to keep on track
Gives a good idea at each time during the year what we have accomplished
Syntax Library Organization
Syntax is stored in one folder, or across requests A description is added so they can be used for
other related projects SPSS, SAS, Perl,…etc
Variable Definitions Many Files, MANY VARIABLES
Searchable database of all variables Form display
File the variable is located in Description of variable Valid values
Helps others to do data validation
Status Update Request Progress Indicator
Allows customers to see their status Reduces amount of calls relating to request
timeline
Limitations IR office must have Microsoft Access Set-up time of the system Updating of numbers at year end This is a constantly evolving work in progress
Future Versions Completely Web Based
Eliminates the need for using Access More efficient storage of information Web browser access, possibilities for customer to
download files, and be more involved
Our Results Our office put this into operation in “2003” During the next year we saw upwards of 50%
increase in requests This system has helped us to stay organized
Demo: From Start to Finish Data Request is Received It is assigned a number A phone call is made Work on request begins Request is returned Folder is checked for completion Start Demo
Questions and Comments Brian Cordeau Sam Houston State University Office of Institutional Research 936.294.3989 [email protected]