Controlling interrupts can be
achieved through changing the structure of the SA group. Divide the SA
team so that front-line support people perform requests that customers
expect to see done quickly. Requests
that will take more time can be passed
on to second-tier personnel. Senior
SAs can be in charge of larger projects,
such as the creation of services. This
division of labor ensures your priorities are aligned with your colleagues’
expectations and shelters people who
are working on long-term projects
from continual interruptions. This
may sound like something only a large
SA team can afford to do, but even a
team of two SAs can benefit from this
technique. One SA can shield the other from interruptions in the morning
and vice versa in the afternoon. This is
called the mutual-interruption shield
technique. 2
Perception and visibility. Many of
the stress factors that SAs face, including a lack of resources, can result
from problems with perception and
visibility.
˲ ˲ Perception is how people see you;
it is a measure of quality.
˲ ˲ Visibility is how much people see
of you; it is a measure of quantity.
The importance of being perceived
well is clear. The importance of being
visible, perhaps less so. When SAs are
not visible, they may be assumed not
to be contributing, not to be busy, to
be overstaffed or overfunded, or to be
otherwise unnecessary. This can result in underfunding and understaffing, leading to worse perceptions and
poorer visibility.
Most of the techniques discussed
here deal with improving how SAs
are perceived. Be aware that if you are
poorly perceived, it takes a lot of time
and effort to turn things around. SAs
can do a lot to improve the visibility
of their work, but they should try to
improve visibility only if they are actually doing a good job. In other words,
don’t publicize a bad product.
For example, to increase your visi-
bility, create a system-status Web page
that puts you in front of customers’
eyes daily. Make it a page that also has
other useful information and links so
that it becomes a home page. Meet
regularly with managers to help them
understand what you do and help you
maintain focus on their highest pri-
orities.
conflicting Priorities
SAs can end up with a number of conflicting high-priority requests, resulting in more stress. Try to resolve conflicting priorities by talking to your
affected colleagues, or perhaps their
manager, to persuade them to decide
among themselves what the priorities are. If more than one group is involved, get the managers in a room together and let them figure it out. If one
of the tasks is something that affects
the SA group, get your manager in on
the discussion. You may feel that you
have enough information about business priorities to make the decision,
but it is often better to involve your
colleagues, so that they have a better
idea of what you are working on and
why their requests are being delayed.
This approach can also aid you and
your manager when you request more
resources in the next budget.
end-to-end Responsibility
SAs are often held accountable for ev-
ery failure, regardless of whether or
not they have control over the com-
ponent that failed. SAs are the cen-
tral clearinghouse for all problems.
Embrace that role rather than fight it.
Don’t expect your colleagues to know
that the internal Web server has failed
because of content that another group
placed there rather than an operating-
system, network, or hardware issue.
Physical Well-Being
An important part of managing stress,
often neglected by SAs, is taking care
of one’s body. Physical exercise is an
excellent form of stress relief and has
the added benefit of improving mental alertness and stamina. It should
be scheduled as part of your weekly
routine, so that you don’t have to decide when to “make time”; you just go
when it is time. For example, decide
to exercise every Monday, Wednesday,
and Friday before work, or at lunchtime, or at 6 P.M., but not vaguely “
after work” or “after I get home.” If the
time is nebulous, it is not part of a routine and it will get skipped.
Getting enough sleep and eating
properly are also important components of physical well-being. Someone who has not had enough sleep
makes poor decisions, cannot concentrate, makes mistakes, and works
more slowly. Be at your best at work by
