This week was more about memorization. Mainly: phone numbers, key staff, and who does what. While all of this information can be found somewhere, the time it takes to find it versus the time to memorize it (which is shorter) makes the work worth it.

Once again, help desk is where I found the most … I’ll call it excitement. Two problems came up simultaneously, and neither of us (Medha and me) had any quick, complete solutions. The key in logging these problems is not just getting the facts, but asking the right questions to get the most useful facts. The worst case with this is when a user leaves early — you can’t get facts from someone who isn’t there. A key to ensuring that doesn’t happen: make sure you prioritize people who seem in a rush.

Earlier, when I stated the importance of remembering who does what, I also found a good reason for that. When the help desk makes problem reports, they also assign the reports to the right people based on the problem. This step saves time, for faster resolution of problems.

A reason for logging every problem is that we may not know every factor that goes into a solution. Full disclosure: I originally loathed having to log every single problem we run into. However, by shortcutting to a quick solution, we might miss something important that would have otherwise remained hidden, and that could cause major issues. A key example: Migrating emails from stonybrookmedicine.edu to stonybrook.edu — this can be done easily, but will this take into account HIPPA regulations? Best to keep a log and ensure full compliance.

On Sunday, I was surprised to find I would be doing almost all opening procedures. It’s not difficult, but being put on the spot always gives me a little jump…and I learn that way, since it’s a change from the normal. After that, just content, nothing new in terms of a walk-in.

To summarize what I learned this week: giving time to check the books is actually worth it, rather than solve first then ask questions later. When you work for something much larger than yourself, there are many people with a stake in how you represent the bigger picture, and any error reflects on all. Avoiding errors keeps the system reliable, which is an optimal choice between reliable, timely, and correct solutions versus sporadic, instant, and wrong solutions.