Zendesk Insights: Better Data, Information, and Knowledge for Wise Decisions

-- Tony Markel

Zendesk recently introduced Insights to our ticketing system.  Insights is a tighter integration between Zendesk and GoodData.  We've enjoyed using GoodData reports with Zendesk in the past, by going to GoodData directly. With Insights, we get the same functionality we had in GoodData, but with the ability to view and transform reports right in the Zendesk interface.  Below is an introduction to some of the benefits of Insights.

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What's New?
In the gif below you'll see what you can expect out of Zendesk Insights.  To get there, from the left hand side of the screen, select the reporting () icon, click on the Insights Tab, and select the Insights - View Only project.  You'll be able to modify and view the pre-built reporting.

That's nice and all, but what if I want to create my own reports?

If the canned reporting isn't good enough, use the My Dashboard project to create your own reports. You can learn more about them on the Zendesk Insights page. If you like the comfort of GoodData, you can always click the GoodData link at the upper-right of the Insights reports.

But what about all this other stuff?

There are reports and dashboards that we migrated from GoodData.  Please consult with the Performance Improvement and Management team before changing reports that don't show up under My Dashboard.  Luckily, Insights has auditing and versioning, so we can always roll back a report to a previous verison.

As always, if you have questions, please contact msishelp@umich.edu and reference Zendesk Insights.

MiCores: Enabling cutting-edge research through efficient service

The Biomedical Research Core Facilities (BRCF) are moving ahead with MiCores.  MiCores is an online system from iLab Solutions designed to streamline the process of ordering and billing for core service requests.  MSIS has played a role behind the scenes assisting the BRCF integrate the iLab Solutions product into our billing and authentication systems.  Now MSIS is stepping in to help even more.

Beginning March 23rd, the MSIS Service Desk will serve as the main point of contact for MiCores patron support.  This will allow BRCF administration to focus on improving and rolling out MiCores, and provide consistent service to Lab and Core personnel.

We are excited to offer this as a resource to our customers, and all core users are invited to use the system. The Cores are launching MiCores in three waves, which began Fall 2013.

Current Active Cores:

• Bioinformatics Core

• Biosafety Containment Core

• Flow Cytometry Core

• Metabolomics Core

• Microscopy & Image Analysis Laboratory

• Proteomics & Peptide Synthesis Core

• Sample Preservation Freezer Farm Facility

• Transgenic Animal Model Core

• Vector Core

All launched Core users are invited to use the system, accessible through your Uniqname and level-1/ Kerberos password. Once you complete the one-time registration process and are approved by your PI or Lab Manager, the system will enable you to place service requests, provide required approvals, and monitor progress. Please note: users must also be approved into each core from which they would like to request services. To register for an account, follow these simple steps.

The Biomedical Research Store, Epigenomics Core, and DNA Sequencing Core are on target to implement MiCores by the end of 2015.

Set up an account at https://umich.corefacilities.org. If you have any questions, please contact msishelp@umich.edu or visit the MiCores Knowledge Base. Video tutorials on registering for an account and a services overview are also available (on YouTube).

Employee Engagement Survey - Why Bother?

by Cindy Leavitt

We all have been pinged several times to fill out the Employee Engagement Survey and, if you are like me, you have ignored the emails because there are a million other things you have to do. I wanted to take a couple of minutes to talk about why the survey matters and why it is worth your time to fill it out.

First, we really do listen and care about how you feel about working in MSIS. Last year, we did deep dives to better understand your concerns based on the responses to the survey.  We embraced your comments and have implemented several changes.

Second, we want to know if the changes we are making in response to your feedback are helpful. This survey is an important measure of whether the changes we are making are having a positive impact in your daily working experience.    

As I interact with MSISers across the organization, I am continually impressed by the intelligence, care,  and passion that you bring to servicing our faculty, students, and staff.  I love the Medical School and the University of Michigan and feel really lucky to be part of this organization. I am looking to each of you to help make this an amazing place to work!

Please take the time to take the survey and be open, honest and thoughtful as you make comments. If your comments are actionable, it is really helpful.  

Below are all the details on how to take the survey.

Survey Logistics

Password: The password required to take the survey consists of your 8-digit Employee ID number, plus your two-digit date of birth. (For example, if you were born on June 4 and your employee ID number is 12345678, your password is 1234567804.)

Work Area Code: When you complete the survey, you’ll be asked for your MSIS Work Area Code. You’ll find the list at the end of this email.

Survey Link:  Employee Engagement Survey website

MSIS Work Area Codes for UMHS 2015 Employee Engagement Survey

MSA1070 -UMMS-CIO MSIS Learning Informatics and Learning Design & Publishing

• All those reporting to Johmarx Patton
• All those reporting to Jasna Markovac

MSA1194 - UMMS-CIO MSIS Operations

• System Administrators (all those reporting to Tony Mignano)
• Device Support Agents (all those reporting to Bonnie Thomas and Jonathan Komorowski)
• Security Support (all those reporting to Jonathan Mills)
• Audio Visual Support (all those reporting to Caleb Newman)
• Business Operations (all those reporting to Bob Topping)
• Data Management (all those reporting to Mary Hill)

MSA1195 - UMMS-CIO MSIS Services Delivery

• Performance & Improvement Management (all those reporting to Michael Warden)
• Automation & Continuous Delivery (all those reporting to Dan Stuart)
• Service Desk (all those reporting to Erik Zempel)
• Service Managers (all those reporting to Buzz Nau)
• Product & Application Managers (all those reporting to Steve Sarrica)
• Gracie Trinidad, Brett Miller, Sue Boucher, Sharon McKinney

MSA1196 - UMMS-CIO MSIS M-Learning/LMS

• All those reporting to Barb Eckstein

MSA1197 - UMMS-CIO MSIS Software Delivery

• All those reporting to Jim Behm
• M3 (all those reporting to Sam Keith)

MSA1198 - UMMS-CIO MSIS Office of the CIO, Strategy Team, and Research IT Team

• Cindy Leavitt, Lisa Dunn, Susan Topol
• All those reporting to John Brussolo
• All those reporting to Dave Roberts

Tell me a story!

by Michael Warden

The article below from SlideShare (who often puts out very informative tidbits for those that present often) shares some very interesting information about how the brain reacts to storytelling.  I thought it valuable to share as our faculty, staff and students are particularly responsive to effective storytelling when presenting.  Enjoy! 

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The Secret to Activating Your Audience’s Brain

By Scott Schwertly on March 4, 2015

In the world of presentations, there is one key ingredient that will radically change them – specifically, how you engage your audience and how they perceive you. And, it’s a solution you have been hearing for quite some time now, but I want to take it one step further.

Tell a story.

Why?

It’s the most efficient way to activate and ignite your audience’s brain.

Let’s look at the illustration below.

 When you share facts and stats with your audience:

1. They are going to agree with you

2. They are going to disagree with you

Hence, only two parts of your audiences’ brain will ignite when reacting to data.

But, what if you tell a story instead? Let’s look at this illustration.

A story doesn’t spark agreement or disagreement but rather participation. In fact, stories ignite 7 parts of the brain, which is testament to why as humans we love stories.

If you want to see all of this in more amazing detail, here’s an entire infographic my team created a few days ago.

The Neuroscience Of Storytelling (For Presentations) from Ethos3 | Presentation Design and Training

The bottom line is this: If you want to engage your audience and activate their brains, you need to start telling stories. Plain and simple. It’s powerful. It’s effective. And, it works! It’s the best tool to have in your kit.

To read the full story, please visit: https://blog.slideshare.net/2015/03/04/the-secret-to-activating-your-audiences-brain/

What Informatics is and isn't

Informatics is a term that I hear almost daily but struggle to understand.  None of the definitions I have researched adequately describe it until I came across this article published by our own Dr. Charles P. Freidman in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. I pasted the below excerpt and figure from the article because I felt it was the section that was most clear about what Informatics is. I encourage you to read the entire brief article. I hope that this helps someone else understand the term.

As illustrated in figure 1, informatics may be seen as the location in discipline space where (1) a particular set of relevant basic sciences meets (2) an application domain that is typically a field of professional practice. Using a crude analogy to elementary particle physics, informatics does not exist until these sciences and an application domain interact. It follows that persons educated in informatics are cross-trained. They have knowledge related to the basic sciences and knowledge of the practice domain. Sciences basic to informatics include, but are not limited to: information science, computer science, cognitive science, and organizational science. Education in informatics will, to some extent, address all four of these sciences. In a naming convention that has evolved over the years, the application domain creates the prefix for a particular branch of informatics. So cross-training between the relevant basic sciences and the domain of medicine gives rise to ‘medical informatics.’

For the full article you can access it here.

http://jamia.oxfordjournals.org/content/jaminfo/20/2/224.full.pdf