Frequently Asked Questions About the Enhancement Process
Q: How does the Symphony enhancements process work?
Q: Who are the enhancement forums moderators?
Q: How are they selected and what are their qualifications?
Q: What is the role of the moderators?
Q: Are there any rules for participating in the Enhancement Forums? If so, what are they?
Q: What features are available in the enhancement forums?
Q: Why does SirsiDynix only allow us to submit a limited number of enhancements annually?
Q: How long does it take between submitting an enhancement to SirsiDynix and the enhancement appearing in an actual version?
Q: Who should I contact if I have any questions or run into problems?
Q: How does the Symphony enhancements process work?
A: It begins on the Enhancement Forums which are behind the Client Care Web Portal. (If you do not have access to the Client Care site, please contact your System Administrator.) Customers can post questions, comments, or suggestions. The goal is to describe features that are missing from the software and, in the opinion of the customers, should be added. Other customers may post answers and clarifications. (In some cases, this is an educational process in that the feature may already exist, but the original poster is unaware of it.
Volunteer forum moderators monitor each forum and guide the discussion if needed. If the moderator judges that the issue or suggestion can be addressed via an enhancement and there seems to be some support on the forum from other customers, he will create a poll for the tread. The poll will be "sticky" which means it will appear at the top of the thread. Customers can then vote on the poll.
Once a year, the moderators, in cooperation with SirsiDynix, will set a deadline for voting. Once the deadline has passed, the moderators will compile the most popular suggestions and submit them to SirsiDynix. (The number of proposed enhancements that SirsiDynix accepts each year will vary.)
After the proposed enhancements are submitted to SirsiDynix, the company will conduct internal meetings wherein the enhancements will be evaluated. After a few weeks, SirsiDynix will post responses to the threads indicating the fate of each enhancement. Sometimes SirsiDynix will request clarification. Sometimes they will deem an enhancement unworthy of implementation because the feature already exists, is already being planned, or cannot work within the context of the software. If they decide to implement the enhancement, they will indicate the proposed version number in their posting.
When a version containing a proposed enhancement is available for downloading, they will update the thread.
Q: Who are the enhancement forums moderators?
A: Each enhancement forum is moderated by a volunteer from a SirsiDynix library.
Q: How are they selected and what are their qualifications?
A: The process of recruiting moderators is overseen by the SirsiDynix Users' Group. Moderators need to be familiar with the module under discussion, review forum activity at least weekly, summarize discussions accurately and impartially, create suggestion polls in a timely manner, and select proposed enhancements for submission to SirsiDynix.
Q: What is the role of the moderators?
A: Moderators monitor forum discussions and decide when and if to turn a thread into a poll. Moderators may encourage more discussion or request clarification. When creating a poll, moderators summarize the discussion, outline the goals/benefits of the enhancement, and describe the "look and feel." On an annual basis, moderators tally the votes and submit the most popular to SirsiDynix as proposed enhancements.
Q: Are there any rules for participating in the Enhancement Forums? If so, what are they?
A: Theoretically, each institution is limited to one vote per poll though this is currently not enforced by the software. Posters are asked to be polite and to stay “on topic.”
Q: What features are available in the enhancement forums?
A: Sticky Suggestions - All threads that have suggestion polls available for voting are made "sticky" which means they always appear at the top of the forum.
Polling feature - While you are viewing a poll, you can record your support (or not) and rate your enthusiasm on a scale from 1 to 5 with 5 expressing the most enthusiasm. Once you have voted, it is not possible to change your vote
View Polling Results feature - If you have not yet voted in a poll, click "View Results" to see the current results. If you have already voted, you will automatically see the current results.
Completed polls - After an enhancement has been submitted to SirsiDynix, the poll will be closed and no more votes will be accepted. Its "Sticky" status will be revoked.
Q: Why does SirsiDynix only allow us to submit a limited number of enhancements annually?
A: In the past, SirsiDynix committed to more enhancements than their development system could handle. Customers were unhappy when their favorite enhancements remained unfulfilled. SirsiDynix decided it was better to accept fewer enhancement requests and actually follow through on fulfilling them.
Q: How long does it take between submitting an enhancement to SirsiDynix and the enhancement appearing in an actual version?
A: This is a good question. Enhancements submitted in May 2008 were intended for Symphony 3.4. Projected release date: 2010.
Q: Who should I contact if I have any questions or run into problems?
A: For questions and concerns about specific forums, contact the moderator for that forum. Here are some other useful contacts:
Enhancement Forums Key Contacts |
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Name |
Can Help With... |
Role |
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Technical difficulties accessing the forums |
SirsiDynix Technical Contact |
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Scott Thomas |
Questions about the overall enhancements process. |
UUGI Enhancement Forums Coordinator |
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updated 4/1/08
