Structuring Technical Staff

All staff supporting mission-critical systems within Enterprise Services should be structured in the same manner with two levels of support: junior technicians (second-level support personnel) working very closely with senior technicians (third-level support staff) and reporting into the same management. This allows for:

• Second-level or junior- technical personnel to accelerate employee skill development.

• Second-level technical personnel to have a clearly-defined career path.

• Improved communication between second- and third-level support. They'll be working on implementing projects and production support issues together.

• Discussing projects and support issues in the same staff meetings.

• Second- and third-level technical support personnel will have the same group goals and objectives.

• Improved turnaround for problem resolution.

• Freed senior staff to provide analysis on new technologies, and fully implement and customize system management tools. It also allows the time for senior technical staff to architect the proper infrastructure.

• Second-level technical personnel to implement and maintain system management tools alongside the senior staff.

• Second-level personnel not designated as "support only." They need to be working on projects together with senior technicians.

Second- and third-level technical staff should be physically located in the same area. They should be having coffee breaks together and attending technical support group outings. There cannot be any organizational barriers.