Category: STABLE

Announcing New Features in STABLE on August 13

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The STABLE team has been diligently building new features and tools to help support SMU faculty, staff and students. On August 13, we will implement several key enhancements that will make it easier for you to submit new requests, manage requests, and communicate with the assigned personnel about the issue.

Introducing the Mobile App!

We have built out the new customer mobile application which will allow you to submit requests and book spaces on campus from your mobile phone. The application is available for download for Android and iOS devices. Once signed in you will be able to do the following:

  • Submit facilities requests
  • Submit Event requests
  • Locate available meeting rooms and make a reservation
  • View computer inventory assigned to you (faculty and staff only)
  • View your requests and current status
  • Access quick links to the SMU Events page and more

As we onboard various other departments over the next several months, we will expand these features on the mobile application as well. Instructions for downloading the mobile app is posted at smu.edu/stable.

Introducing enhanced communication tools (Delayed until end of month)

We’ve introduced several new communication tools over the past year to help streamline the communication from the assigned personnel to the customer. However, these enhancements still required you to login to STABLE to update your request. Beginning September 1, you will be able to provide an update to your request via email! Assigned personnel can send you a communication with the order number in the subject line through the STABLE software. You can then simply respond to that email, which will then update the request and notify the technician. Your request must still originate in STABLE but this enhancement will improve the communication flow until your issue is resolved.

New Dashboards and Reports for Designated Building Contacts, RLSH and Computer Inventory

There is a wealth of data in STABLE across the various components from space utilization, to trends of requests by building, to computer inventory eligibility and more. Navigating through the data elements within the application can be slightly tricky. Therefore, we have built out several new dashboard reports that display the information visually. The dashboards were designed in Power BI and are updated daily. These reports provide information that has been requested by individuals responsible for managing a building or set of buildings. We will automatically grant access and send information to the designated building contacts, key personnel in RLSH, and individuals who previously had access to the computer inventory reports in iSupport. If another individual requires this information, please email stable@smu.edu. We have many additional dashboards under development to help provide actionable and clear data for decision making.

Other Enhancements

While not as “flashy’ as the items above, we are also introducing several new features or fixes.

  • The Blanton Ballrooms (room 108, 110, and 112) will be available for reservations via STABLE. They will no longer manage reservations in Outlook.
  • New Event FAQ: displays answers to the commonly asked event questions
  • Changes to our HR integration will automatically update the security role for an individual that moves from a student to an employee providing the right set of forms for the new affiliation
  • The Financial Services department within Enrollment Services will begin using STABLE for several internal processes.
  • Several internal processes within Facilities have been refined and will be implemented.

We are excited to announce these new enhancements and features. Work continues for the transition of the OIT ticketing processes into STABLE. We are still targeting December 2023 for the OIT implementation. More information will be available later this fall.

Launching Phase 3

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The STABLE team has been hard at work delivering a number of new features and enhancements during fall of 2022 and spring 2023. The following are a few highlights of development features and key processes that have been completed:

  • Real Estate module configuration and report build
  • Development of several reporting dashboards for Space Management, Maintenance and Grounds and Facilities leadership.
  • Conducted the second annual Space Survey
  • Conducted the annual Computer Asset verification process
  • Revised event forms and workflows based on stakeholder feedback
  • Implemented a communication enhancement for work requests, giving customers the ability to submit updates to a request from the portal
  • Implemented new communication features for technicians and supervisors
  • Launched preventative maintenance plans
  • Launched service level agreements
  • Delivered enhancements for over 500 CAD files, improving readability and accuracy
  • and more.

Over the next 10 months, the team will be focused on building the services and forms to onboard OIT and the other departments that currently use the help desk ticketing solution. There will be three main go live dates associated with this effort.

  • July 31 will be the first go live date including the following departments: ImageNet, Course Scheduling, Lyle Distance Education, Concur, Enrollment Services, and the Health Center.
  • December 2023 will onboard OIT and departments involved in the account management process
  • March 2024 will complete the on-boarding of OIT for several internal processes.

While the development work is underway for these new modules, we will continue to deliver enhancements to the current system and existing modules as well. This summer, we will introduce a customer mobile application that will allow you to more easily book space and open requests from your mobile device. We will deliver another round of communication enhancements as well as advanced reporting for several areas. We will also upgrade the environment to the most recent software release in May. We remain focused on continual build out and enhanced use of the system while refining and improving our existing components with your invaluable feedback and support. More to come!

Revised Event Forms Launched

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As we designed the campus event form process within STABLE, our goal was to eliminate the need for individuals to submit multiple forms for an event.  On August 13, we implemented a few changes to the existing form and process to incorporate the approval process for serving alcohol at an event, as well as engaging vendors that are not part of our SMU preferred vendors list.  A requestor will no longer have to complete a separate form for alcohol approval and SMU Purchasing will now automatically be included in the request process to review vendors for compliance.  In addition, a few new internal templates were built and implemented to for special events.  While these forms are not available to the campus at large, individuals who are responsible for coordinating services for large events such as athletic games, boulevard events, etc. will use these to ensure the appropriate support and details are captured.

Please remember that many different departments are involved in delivering services for events or verifying that vendors and event plans are in compliance with our policies. In order to plan and support your event appropriately, submit your request with as much advance notice and detail as possible.  Failure to do so may impact our ability to support your event!

If you have questions about event processes on campus, visit smu.edu/events

 

Technology Purchases and Computer Inventory in STABLE

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As we begin the new academic year, we are transitioning several IT processes to the STABLE environment. These processes include computer inventory, technology purchasing, computer orders, and warehouse management.

Computer Inventory

In early August, Faculty and staff will see a new icon on their STABLE home screen called My Computers. This will display all SMU computers to which they are the assigned owner. It will also list the eligibility dates for replacement.

We are implementing several other improvements to our computer inventory system to provide better reporting by major divisions. We have also built a computer health dashboard that will allow our desktop consultants to quickly identify computers that need attention. This allows us to proactively address issues before they escalate and impact your work!

Technology Purchasing and Orders

Technology Orders will continue to use the website smu.edu/techsales to submit requests. These requests will generate a work order in STABLE instead of the current IT Help Desk system. We are implementing a number of tools for the individuals responsible for ordering, receiving, installing and billing to support this process. While these changes are behind the scenes, they allow us to process the orders and manage our warehouse more efficiently.

The associated charges for technology orders will be processed within STABLE through an integration with Financials.SMU. Each charge will list the associated work order in the Q drive report. Individuals reviewing the Q drive report could then easily lookup that work order from the “Order lookup” gadget in STABLE to review the details of the request.

Future IT Components

In August and September, a plan will be compiled to outline the next implementation phase for the IT ticketing components. Additional information will be shared once that plan is complete.

STABLE: Summer Implementation Plans

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We are nearing the first anniversary of the launch of STABLE at SMU. Since the launch, we have continued to enhance the current functionality while implementing other new processes. This summer, we will introduce the warehouse management and purchasing processes and tools for technology purchases. We will also reveal the integration with our computer inventory to allow employees to view their assigned computers within STABLE and view eligibility dates for replacement. In addition, Continue reading “STABLE: Summer Implementation Plans”

STABLE: What’s Next?

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Campus is settling in using the new room reservation and event management system in STABLE.  In just the first month, there were 60,500 classroom reservations, 15,100 room reservations, and 337 event requests!  We continue to adjust and enhance the configuration and tools available to improve the experience for both the requestor and the individuals responding to those requests.  We will continue to develop the processes and functionality throughout the next year.

Since June 2021, we’ve introduced various modules in STABLE supporting numerous processes within the Office of Facilities Planning and Management including: work orders, financial reconciliation, warehouse management, stock management, asset tracking, equipment checkout, health and safety, real estate, and more.  During the spring semester, we will begin implementing a few of these modules to support similar processes within OIT. Our focus will be on the computer inventory, OIT warehouse, and technology purchases.  We will provide updates on these processes as they become available.

We are also working through a number of enhancements to the existing modules.  We are implementing a more robust reporting framework to support more accessible dashboards and data to inform decisions.  We are working on an enhancement for the room scheduling feature to address critical functionality for course scheduling. We are also working on various data validation processes to ensure the information is reliable and current.

Remember to review our wiki for new videos and information on all of the various components of STABLE.  If you have any questions, please email stable@smu.edu.

Room Reservations: Pictures, Attributes and More

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We officially launched the new room reservations and event management platform on January 10.  It will take us all a few weeks to work through the hurdles of learning new software and adapting to the new processes.  However, there are some new features that should be a welcomed benefit!

View the Schedule Grid

Faculty and Staff can now view the schedule of most rooms within STABLE.

  1. On the left side of the screen, you’ll find a menu “Reservations View Only“
  2. Use the filters at the top to navigate to different spaces, days, etc

Access Room Images and a list of Technology

Everyone in STABLE can now access a room details menu.  It’s on the left side of the screen– called “View room details.”  This will allow you to locate reservable spaces within the various buildings and view images, technology attributes, special restrictions, etc. 

Reservations can be made from the homescreen gadget (indoor or outdoor reservation).  This also lets you search for particular spaces or spaces with the specific technology that is required for your meeting/event.  We have had a few reports of some bugs with recurring meetings and are looking into that.  But in just under two days of going live, there are already 600 room reservations that have been entered!

Stay tuned for more changes and enhancements over the next several months.

Events and Room Reservations: FAQ

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We will soon introduce the new event management and room reservation process to campus.  The teams are busy finalizing the processes, configuration and documentation.  Training of our room schedulers, event leads, and campus partners has begun and will continue for the next several weeks. In addition, we are building out a new website to help guide you through the entire event process. All of these features will be available to campus on January 10.

For this update, we wanted to answer a few of the questions we’ve received about this new module. Continue reading “Events and Room Reservations: FAQ”

Event Management and Room Reservations

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Work has continued on the event management and room reservation functionality of STABLE.  Devonne Washington has held numerous meetings with the individuals across campus who are involved in either room approvals and/or event coordination.  The focus has been to confirm the event spaces and various rules and attributes of each space.   With nearly 100 people involved in this process across campus, this has been quite a large effort!

One of the major pain points for outdoor events is the management of the outdoor request approval process.  The current process is facilitated in DocuSign. Event requests are submitted months in advance to reserve the space.  However, often these requests do not have all the details of the event, which is critical for approval.  Requestors do not have visibility into the status of their event request as the form circulates to multiple areas for review.  In order to enhance this process, the reservation of an outdoor space can occur separately from the actual event request process.  A space can be reserved but will not be confirmed until the event request has been approved.  We’ve also greatly simplified the approval process—narrowing it down to only 3-4 approvals.  Requestors will be able to view the status of their request as it moves through the different approvals.  Finally, we have revamped the questionnaire to include additional details that are important for campus safety.

Work is also underway for an enhanced event website.  There are many different rules and processes that must be followed for compliance, risk and safety issues.  However, these are currently distributed across the SMU website in various locations.  In order to help guide requestors through the event process, it is critical we have a single portal that helps guide them through the process.  This is a highly collaborative effort to gather the location information, pictures, rules, forms and more.


For indoor locations, we are building out the room request process to provide additional information about each space as well as images that give you various viewpoints of the room.  Each space will have all of the technology components listed. These components will also serve as a filter to assist you in locating a space that meets your needs.  Room reservations will be quick and easy and can be managed within the STABLE portal.  Indoor events, similar to the outdoor event process, will have a secondary form to be completed that will capture the required details to ensure better coordination and safety of your event.

For both the indoor and outdoor event process, requestors can select the various services required for the event.  this will generate a work order for each service provider but all work orders will be linked to the primary event request.  This means better coordination across multiple service providers regarding each event.  If your event is canceled or rescheduled, the various suborders will be updated- all in one location.

We will be completing the configuration of STABLE by the beginning of November.  At that time, we will conduct some initial reviews from our stakeholders and make any additional adjustments.  Training sessions will be scheduled and offered in December and early January.  We will go live with the new processes on January 10.  We appreciate all of the collaboration and patience as we launch this new event and room management platform.