Welcome to the ICTS 2020 blog

Earlier this year, ICTS embarked on a mission to transform the way we work as individuals and as a team. The first step of the process was to invite all ICTS staff to information sessions where Executive Director of ICTS, Sakkie Janse van Rensburg, gave an overview of where we currently are and where he would like to see us heading in future.

Environmental survey allows ICTS’ers to have their say

Each ICTS’er  was invited to complete the ICTS 2020 environmental survey conducted by Simplify Solutions earlier this year. The survey results are now available.

Staff in ICTS are motivated by different things. Some are more motivated by challenges and problem solving, others by people they can help or the impact they are making. Understanding people’s different perspectives can help in working together.

Simplify Solutions

Successful practices that people would like to share or spread

These are some of the common approaches ICTS staff are finding successful and see value in spreading further across ICTS:

  • Sharing information through online systems with proactive collaboration
  • Developing friendships with peers from other teams
  • Developing friendships with end-users and understanding their environment
  • Using online systems to publish and manage workload
  • Agile approaches, instant messaging and flexible work (eg. starting work early)

Strongest concerns arising from the survey

Key project management and operational challenges

  • Ensuring solutions that best match end-user needs and university strategy (analysis)
  • Improved insight into production services (on changes, quality and resilience)
  • How work is started and progressed (prioritisation, resourcing, gatekeeping)

Key line management challenges

  • ICTS staff want more positive working relationships within and across teams
  • Across teams, the biggest challenges are in sharing information and taking shared ownership of issues, successes and failures
  • Within teams, staff would like greater coaching for growth, more regular positive feedback on their work, further encouragement to provide input into discussions