Technical support requires some level of management. In schools this may be carried out by a
hands-on technician, or it may be carried out by a non-technical person responsible for managing
internal or external technical resources.
The principles in FITS will help manage ICT technical support in the most efficient and effective way
possible because they are repeatable processes and help to make best use of limited resources.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Technical
management
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A technical manager will have a
better grasp of technical issues
and their implications and is
better able to represent the
technical needs of support to
the rest of the school.
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The skills required are a much
broader range as good
management skills are required
as well as technical skills.
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Having a technical manager
enables a more flexible
workforce as they can readily
fill the breach in a technical
emergency if no one else is
available.
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A technical manager may have a
conflict of interest, for example
they may get too involved in
resolving technical issues at the
expense of management duties
such as overall co- ordination of
workload and communication
with customers.
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A technical manager may work
more closely with other
technicians and may have a
better understanding of what is
happening in the team, what
people are doing, what the real
issues are, what processes
and procedures are being
followed or not being followed.
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A technical manager may be
prone to using technical jargon
which may alienate users.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Non-technical
management
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A non-technical manager can ensure
that technical matters are expressed
to the rest of the school in non-
technical terms and therefore improve
communication.
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A non-technical manager is unable to
carry out technical tasks and help out in
the event of a major problem or absence
of technical staff.
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A non-technical manager can remain
focused on the management of
processes and issues and not get
drawn into trying to resolve technical
matters.
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A non-technical manager is more
removed from the technical issues
themselves and may be less likely to
pick up on the issues technicians might
have in relation to processes and
procedures and customer needs.
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A non-technical manager is more likely
to view ICT in terms of service
requirements rather than technical
requirements so may have a clearer
view of the users needs.
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A non-technical manager may find it
more difficult to communicate technical
needs and become a barrier in
discussing them with other school staff
or suppliers.
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