Thats gratitude for you! Comments after Exchange 2007 upgrade

[ssiruuk2]

Over this summer I worked my nuts off and this Exchange upgrade being one of many jobs completed - Heres the thanks I get...

I tested it all after the upgrade to make sure the mail flowed ok, moved all the mailboxes and public folders over ready for the staff to return... In two days I must have had about 20 phone calls saying "can we have the old email system back!?" (everyone used OWA 2003), and "urrr not too keen on this" etc etc.

I give up!! I just tell people who don't like it to use the full Outlook client instead (as I'm certainly not going back to 2003,) the response is usually "whats that then?"

[beeswax]

Without wishing to add further to your woes, did staff know you were going to do this, or did they come in after the holidays to be faced with something unexpected? If this is the case, then I'm afraid that the reaction you found is probably normal.

“A new system is a hard thing to put into place, it is opposed by those that would be disadvantaged by the new system and it receives no support from those that would benefit.”
Niccolo Machiavelli

[ssiruuk2]

Nope - no one was aware that I was going to upgrade it. But then again the teaching staff don't have any input into a decision like that.

The old server was starting to get a bit flakey and would lock up now and again - especially on weekends for some reason so I saw it as a perfect opportunity to put that right.

How true that quote is.. - and there I was trying to do something beneficial for everyone! One thing I can't see that was available in 2003 is how to just show unread messages in OWA 2007? Maybe they have a point..

[webman]

Nope - no one was aware that I was going to upgrade it. But then again the teaching staff don't have any input into a decision like that.

Ah, there we go then

They don't necessarily need to have input into it; they just need to be made aware of what will happen, when, and how it will affect them. For example, I created this document for our users and gave it to them well before we migrated our email platform.

Feedback on this from staff was very positive, and that it "was a good thing we had that PDF".

[kmount]

That's a pretty neat PDF, is that a Zimbra client?

[beeswax]

We're currently looking at introducing Office 2007 to the school either later this year, or more likely early next year. In view of the drastic overhaul of the interface for Word, which, let's face it, will be the most commonly used piece of the Office kit, a change management strategy needs to be thought out for the diffusion (the process by which a technology spreads through an organisation) and assimilation (the formal adoption of this software by the 'workforce') of this software.
In your case, Exchange 2007 is just part of such a strategy, and you have to accept that for the most part, while your efforts will be appreciated on this forum, the staff at your school may well have dragged themselves in reluctantly after a six week break to be faced with an unheralded and unexpected change. They don't like this, especially when they're getting their backsides into gear. I do wonder if the start of the Autumn term really is the best time to introduce something new. You may well find that staff just starting out at your school this term, those expecting change won't moan as much.
I appreciate that in your case there were extenuating circumstances and you seized the opportunity of a six week break to upgrade things, but innovation in an organization has to be carefully planned and introduced. Otherwise I suggest you put your feet up for the six week break then stand in the entrance hall on the first day back for the staff and ask them to slap you about the face with a wet kipper. You'll feel just as under appreciated, but at least you'll have had six weeks of doing what you want beforehand.

[beeswax]

Ah, there we go then

They don't necessarily need to have input into it; they just need to be made aware of what will happen, when, and how it will affect them. For example, I created this document for our users and gave it to them well before we migrated our email platform.

Feedback on this from staff was very positive, and that it "was a good thing we had that PDF".

Exactly!

[webman]

Thanks. The 'Zimbra Client' is nothing more than Mozilla Prism (FF3 engine without the UI chrome) directed at the web client; the same piece of tech they use in Zimbra Desktop.

We planned the move to Zimbra for almost a year.

[russdev]

What we have started this year (first one went out start of this term) is a IT update newsletter the feedback was very good. We put all changes and stuff we needed to communicate in that update.

Russ

[webman]

What we have started this year (first one went out start of this term) is a IT update newsletter the feedback was very good. We put all changes and stuff we needed to communicate in that update.

Russ

That's a very good idea. We've set up a blog (with the idea of having RSS of this on our intranet) as a means of communicating updates and progress about various IT things to staff; but haven't pushed it forward yet.

[beeswax]

What we have started this year (first one went out start of this term) is a IT update newsletter the feedback was very good. We put all changes and stuff we needed to communicate in that update.

Russ

Must be something in the air; we're planning something very similar.

[contink]

What we have started this year (first one went out start of this term) is a IT update newsletter the feedback was very good. We put all changes and stuff we needed to communicate in that update.

LOL.. I did that in one school and the feedback I got was

Oh? Were we supposed to read it?

[beeswax]

When we introduced Webman's Online Room Booking system last October to replace the much abused paper-based version. I created an animated walkthrough in Wink showing staff how simple it was to use, placed this in a network share and sent out a staff bulletin with details and a link to the share. Then I removed the paper-based version (which was in our office) from public access. Two teachers came looking for the book, they "were too busy" to read the bulletin and got an ear bashing from a couple of other teachers. Peer pressure is a wonderful thing.
You do all that is possible to explain and inform, however, if a teacher refuses to read the bulletin (which is a briefing for the coming week) then that's their problem, and the chances are that they'll miss out on booking rooms.
It's interesting to note how quickly the online system has been assimilated into the school system. This year because of a mistake with timetabling there's nothing available online, or on paper, and the number of phone calls I've had asking about it is testament to Webman's design (simplicity of use) and the fact that it's so much easier to go online and book a room rather than traipse all the way across school to check the paper version (it was the fact that so much time was being wasted which created a general mood for change and allowed me to bring in the system much earlier than planned-and with a lot less planning than would normally have gone into it*). Sad to say, but two teachers were booking rooms on Boxing Day for the coming January.
*An Improvisational Model of Change Management

[localzuk]

LOL.. I did that in one school and the feedback I got was

That is the one thing that's stopping me from doing something like that.

We have a noticeboard in our staff room which shows the status of different things like web access, email, file access, sims etc... but people still ask me, whilst I am actually in the staff room, why they can't get online. People don't seem to read anything IT related for some reason.

[ssiruuk2]

Update newsletters? Blogs? RSS feeds? Pah! you lot are far to considerate for my liking!