Russ Smariga's Weblog

I have been serving in a position with the title of "User Advocate" in SunIT for almost two years now. It was a "created" position which did not exist before I moved into it. It was created to address and help solve a number of challenges our internal end users were facing. [Most of those challenges were related to the budget reductions SunIT had faced over the past 5-6 years.]

What does a "User Advocate" do, you ask? So did I, when I first signed on! Well, a User Advocate (UA for short), primarily has two roles. The first one is to let folks, both inside and outside of Sun, know what tools are available to help get their day to day work done. Part of this role is also to make sure folks know how to use their tools and where to get more information on them. Another part of this role is explain the vision and roadmap, so that folks know, not only where we are today, but where we are heading tomorrow, and why.

The second major role for the UA is to LISTEN to end users of all types to understand both challenges and successes. Once heard, this feedback can become part of information that Sun's executive team (including both the Information Technology Mgt Grp (IMG) and the Executive Leadership Team (ELT)) is receiving "unfiltered" input on the state of the "user experience" on which to base business decisions.

When I first took on this role I was both excited and passionate about it, as well as a bit concerned as to how much the UA could really do to "make a difference." Today, as I look back over the last 18 months, I'm still excited and passionate about the role, but I have a much clearer view of how much the UA *can* accomplish, as well as what limitations there are. A good day for me includes at least one instance of an end user saying, "Thanks! It's working now," or "I didn't know I could do *that*!" Or, maybe even, "We are going to be rolling *that* out next quarter?!? Cool!" It is even a good day when someone says, "Ok, so I get it now. We can't solve this problem today, but at least I know why. Thanks for getting back to me."

One of the biggest challenges is that, while I would like to reach out to every person and work location at Sun, I am only one person. This means that I have to leverage group gatherings and web resources to "get the word out." And, there are many other people and organizations within SunIT who are responsible for connecting with Sun folks and organizations to help ensure that IT is delivering what the business needs. Those folks are doing a great job with very limited resources, and, in many cases, I hand over a user issue to those "other folks in IT" for resolution. For those who might have helped me in the past when I did hand over a problem, you have my thanks and appreciation.

I also spend some of my time with external customers, so whether you are reading this as a Sun employee or as someone who might be a customer of Sun, we might get the chance to meet someday. Until that time, let's keep on doing the best we can to be creative and enjoy the journey!

Sláinte!