Once upon a time no one worried too much about timetables. Someone in each school sorted this out with rooming every year, term started and we turned up and ran our lectures and workshops. Straightforward and few if any problems. Then we had “new processes”. This is what Ratty and his crew do: invent new processes (in between harassing the staff). In the spirit of If it ain’t broke, then bloody well break it, the old timetabling arrangements have been replaced by a “process” involving the use of some complicated software that produces a comedy timetable.
Unfortunately no one is laughing, other than in short bursts of hysteria. Lecture slots are fragmented, classes are missing, bookings vanish overnight, students have classes scheduled for hours without a break, the timetabling staff don’t reply to booking requests or complaints about the chaos. The last two failings are perhaps not so surprising: apparently they have been away on a “team building exercise”. (No, we’re not sure what that is either.) Seems a timetable system building exercise would have been more useful.
But not to worry. Lesley-Jane-Hyphen-Hyphen-Eales-Reynolds BSc PhD InC Omp ETENT is on the case. She immediately reached for her management-ware; everyone has been informed, priorities have been established, issues have been identified; new processes mean it’s a learning curve, there will be a “lessons learned” exercise so as to avoid problems moving forward. No one is to be blamed, she reassures, which isn’t surprising since the cause lies with the management. Blame never attaches to management.
The students have been told it’s a “systems problem”. Doubtless this will persuade them to ignore the mess when it comes to NSS time. While the shambles continues — and it was bad enough last year — students and staff have to tolerate a situation that need never have occurred. The previous arrangements were perfectly adequate. But Ratty had to manage it into a new process, one that doesn’t work. Perhaps he shouldn’t have sacked all those IT staff after all.