App development in user services: oxymoron or incubator?

ABSTRACT

User Services attracts all types. This talent develops differently, and opportunity can knock on many doors. At New York University (NYU) School of Law, we had a few Helpdesk technicians who took a web development class. When our new exam software came without robust administrative/management tools, opportunity did knock. We started off in PHP, scarfed some data from our database guys, and cobbled together a working web app in about 6 weeks. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. One year later, our next iteration implemented a framework (Zend), version control (Git), and staged environments (development/testing/production). Yet another year later, we added new features, satisfying both administrative and student clients. Today we have a small, versatile team that handles lightweight projects, and fits them into a Helpdesk schedule to accommodate an ever-growing demand for new web applications. Remarkably, we do this all without sacrificing our core mission of providing top-notch user support. While it does require better time management, it's amazing to see how flexible your Helpdesk can be with their time. Coming from the user services group, we have a solid relationship with the end users and consequently understand their needs better than traditional programmers. Working with the core development team allowed our Helpdesk programmers to learn faster, and helped the real code-monkeys understand valuable user support fundamentals, which makes them better, too! Finally, this created professional development opportunities within the organization. While we found equilibrium in User Services, you could also have internal moves within your larger organization. Either way, you preserve organizational knowledge and make the entire IT department stronger. While this kind of professional development opportunity may not be for everyone in your group, you can reward individuals who take initiative, have an interest in learning new technologies, and show strong time-management skills.

Index Terms

• Software and its engineering

  • Software creation and management

    • Collaboration in software development

      • Programming teams