Coordinating the TeraGrid’s User Interface Areas

Dave Hart, Amit Majumdar, Tony Rimovsky, Sergiu Sanielevici

Need for Coordination Among User Interface Areas

• Ensure seamless continuum of services for users

• Integrated gathering and management of user feedback

• Integrated distribution of feedback information within TeraGrid and the user community

Need to coordinate the interaction

Four complementary user-focused areas

AUS: Advanced User Support

• Coordinates the outreach, development, execution and reporting of Advanced User Support (AUS) projects.

• AUS project reports will be written by AUS staff and users and provided to the TeraGrid.

• The Extreme Scalability Working group (XS-WG) includes participants from AUS and USC groups as well as any other TG group interested in participating.

• The communications framework from the UFP team should accommodate AUS info and reporting needs.

USC: User Support Coordination• Coordinates resolution of tickets to RP and “UST” resolution centers.

– UST corresponds to cross-cutting or hard to classify problems: These are analyzed by the User Services working group and assigned to the best qualified TeraGrid staff or group.

• Coordinates assignment of personal contacts to every grant above the startup level. Personal contacts gather information regarding the needs and usage modes of the groups they work with. – The Coordinators make this information available to support staff as a tool in ticket

resolution. Personal contacts provide proactive help to users in renewing their allocations and requesting advanced support; and support CUE and QA work.

• Coordinates local support functions performed by Campus Champions.• Based on their interactions with users and projects, User Support staff

provide content, input and recommendations to UFP to guide content development.

• The USC function is performed via the User Services Working Group.

NOS: TeraGrid Operations Center; Common User Environment; Quality

Assurance• TOC provides phone and email initial point-of-contacts

for users; processes trouble tickets, solves them when possible, else assigns them to "resolution centers" for investigation and resolution; tracks and reports on resolution status of all trouble tickets.

• CUE gathers and processes user information regarding productivity requirements across TeraGrid resources.

• QA coordinates the process of testing CTSS components as updates are being rolled out for production.

UFP: User-Facing Projects• Develops, implements and maintains the persistent technological

means by which users interact with the TeraGrid, including – requesting and managing allocation awards, – accessing documentation, and – providing feedback to TeraGrid staff and processes.

• The TOC has established the several resolution centers for channeling and handling UFP-related tickets initiated by users, US staff, and AUS staff.– The TGUP is also one way users can initiate tickets to the TOC.

• In addition, the ticket system includes a feature that allows any ticket to be flagged as potential KB material. – The KB group evaluates these tickets in their ongoing article writing

process.

User Impact Council (UIC)

• What it is– A high-level group of people positioned to gather

and react to user input from across the project– Made up of the AUS, NOS, UFP and USC ADs and

we propose to involve the Director of Science– Discussions as needed; telecon at least monthly

• What it is not– … not a standard working group– … not a RAT

What does UIC do?

• User Feedback– Coordinates means by which users communicate back to TG– Collects and documents user input– Ensures user issues that span multiple areas are identified and

followed up on

• User Requirements– Translates feedback into recommendations and actions– Communicates to the GIG and TG Forum, which will ensure that input

is evaluated by working groups and that recommendations are developed

• User Outreach– Coordinates communication channels to users

User Feedback Channels– help@teragrid.org: Handled or Directed to Resolution Center.

• Tickets can also be flagged as KB-worthy. • Resolution communicated directly to initiating user.

– Documentation, portal and KB feedback forms. • Need to be consolidated.

– Allocations@teragrid.org, pops-alloc@teragrid.org. • Being merged with help@teragrid.org to minimize number of channels.

– User Support POCs• Changes to documentation, other information are channeled to UFP

– AUS project selections and interactions– User Surveys

• Annual survey• Startup initiation/expiration surveys

– Implicit feedback via metrics• UFP user and usage metrics • NOS operational metrics

User Requirements Tracking

– Input from feedback channels to be evaluated as input to evolving user requirements. • New requirements added. • Existing requirements updated or deleted

– Integrated with PM process.– Communicated to GIG, TG Forum as input to

operational and strategic decision processes.

User Outreach Channels

– KB, Documentation, User News– Web and TGUP– User Services personal contacts to projects– User Services updates to documentation– AUS communication of Best Practices and

Solutions– Coordination with EOT on New User Training,

Campus Champions, etc.