Case Study:

USDA - Broadband USA Help Desk

Background:

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) allocated $7.2 billion to support the expansion of broadband access across rural America through the USDA's Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). This initiative aimed to enhance technological infrastructure and spur economic growth by providing high-speed broadband access to underserved communities, which would create jobs and increase long-term economic benefits.

Challenge:

To ensure the successful deployment of broadband infrastructure, the program included a short-term, high-pressure Help Desk aimed at supporting grant applicants from NGOs and small businesses. These callers, seeking technical assistance to apply for grants under tight deadlines, were under significant stress due to the urgency of their tasks. The Help Desk's primary function was to provide incident management and technical support for grant submissions. Given the time-sensitive nature of the task, the demand for prompt resolution of issues was exceptionally high.

Project Scope:

• Type of Service Provided: Incident Management and Technical Assistance
• Duration: Short-term
• End Users: Grant writers for NGOs and small businesses
• Main Objective: Help Desk assistance for grant applicants facing urgent deadlines
• Volume of Calls: High-frequency, time-sensitive calls with minimal room for error

Solution Approach:

• Incident Management: The Help Desk focused solely on managing incidents, providing technical assistance to callers who encountered issues with the grant submission system. The team worked under intense pressure, ensuring that problems were swiftly resolved to allow applicants to meet their deadlines.

• Support for Grant Writers: Callers were often under extreme stress due to the looming grant application deadlines. The Help Desk provided rapid resolutions to technical issues, maintaining a clear and calm approach to ease the frustration of callers.

• Implementation of ITIL Methodology: As a result of the technical challenges faced during this high-pressure project, the team recommended adopting ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) best practices. These recommendations led to improvements in the RD Service Desk processes, fostering a more structured approach to incident management.

• Expansion of Enterprise Lifecycle Management System (ELMS): The project also contributed to the expansion of the organization's ELMS, integrating Incident and Service Management functionalities. This enhancement would lay the groundwork for more efficient and effective service delivery in future projects.

Results:

• Efficient Incident Management: The Help Desk successfully managed and resolved high volumes of time-sensitive incidents, ensuring that grant applicants could meet critical deadlines.
• ITIL Integration: The implementation of ITIL practices significantly improved the overall Service Desk operations, providing a framework for future incident management and service support.
• ELMS Expansion: The integration of Incident and Service Management into the ELMS set the foundation for future scalability and more seamless support processes.

Key Takeaways:

• Importance of Structured Processes: The adoption of ITIL best practices resulted in more efficient and effective incident management.
• Pressure-Driven Solutions: The short-term, high-pressure nature of the project highlighted the need for clear communication, calm under pressure, and the ability to resolve issues quickly.
• Long-Term Benefits: The project contributed to the ongoing development of the organization's IT service management infrastructure, resulting in a more robust Enterprise Lifecycle Management System that could be leveraged for future projects.

Conclusion:

The USDA Broadband USA Help Desk project was a critical piece of the broader broadband expansion initiative, successfully supporting grant applicants under tight deadlines. The lessons learned from this short-term project, including the implementation of ITIL practices and the expansion of the ELMS, paved the way for improved service delivery in future projects.