This document defines the Policy to be followed by MFCF Staff with regards to requests for Work.
Each Worker is responsible for selecting queued items in a manner that will ensure all items are completed by their due-dates.
If this is not possible, the Worker must as soon as possible notify the Help Centre and Supervisor, who must, possibly in conjunction with Clients, correct the situation by adjusting due-dates, reassigning items to other Workers, and/or cancelling items.
Changes should be tested in ways that minimize the effect on Clients.
Each item's log should accurately reflect the current state of the item, and should include sufficient detail to allow other Workers to back out of or proceed with the item.
All changes that might affect Service must be announced in advance to the affected Clients.
Supervisors are responsible for reviewing the request queues of their Staff.
Items that are past their due-dates must be reviewed immediately.
The priorities of individual items may be adjusted to reflect their importance to MFCF, and items may be reassigned to other Workers as necessary.
Each Worker's queue should be consistent with expected practice, and should reflect the Worker's actual work load.
Any Work that, in the professional opinion of its Worker, is considered routine duty may be performed without further approval. The Worker should record all such activities in a log in some location determined by the Worker's supervisor.
All requests for Work, regardless of origin, must be processed by the Help Centre.
Incomplete items may be assigned to the Help Centre and closed if the requester does not supply sufficient information in a reasonable time.
No item may be closed without first being assigned.
No item should remain unassigned at the end of the working day.
The Help Centre must ensure that each request is complete and understandable before further assignment. All items must be given a meaningful subject. Complex requests may be broken down into multiple items, explicitly indicating any interdependencies.
Any Work not expected to cause a significant change in Service (except possibly for the requester) and not expected to require a significant amount of Staff time to complete, may, according to the professional judgement of the Help Centre, be assigned without further approval. The Help Centre may assign such requests to itself.
Any Work deemed by the Help Desk to be an emergency may be assigned without further approval. The Worker's supervisor must be immediately notified of the emergency assignment. Such items must be co-assigned to the Change Advisory Board for retroactive review.
The Help Centre must assign all other requests to the Change Advisory Board. Such requests must be complete, including estimates of resources required, expected time to complete, back-out plans, and possible impacts on Service.
The Change Advisory Board will be chaired by the Technical Manager, who, with the approval of the Director, will determine its membership.
The Board must meet weekly. Meetings may be cancelled if there are no outstanding items or at the discretion of the Director. The Board may hold ad hoc meetings to handle urgent situations.
For each outstanding request, the Board must decide whether to reject the item, to schedule and assign the item to a Worker, or to send it back to the Help Centre for further clarification. Such decisions will be based on the risks, costs, benefits, and possible side effects associated with each proposed change.
At weekly meetings, the Board must review all new emergency items, and all previously approved items that have completed or failed since the last such review.
The Board is responsible for closing items that it has approved.
The Board must publish without unreasonable delay the minutes of each meeting, including all items reviewed and all decisions made.
Any decision may be appealed only at the immediately next higher level: Worker, Supervisor, Help Centre, Change Advisory Board, then Director.