Election Equipment & Setup

I am currently here in Memphis, TN. This is the second trip that I have made here due to lack of planning. I was here last week to do the Server Setup, AVTS & GEMS training. I was only able to do the AVTS & GEMS training, due to the fact that we did not receive the Server. We finally did receive the Server last Friday, and Rob McDonald was able to come in on Saturday and set it up, then shipped it to Memphis. However, due to a FedEx screw up, it did not get here until this morning at 8:00 a.m. I accomplished the Server setup and testing today, but encountered a few problems along the way. I had to finish setting up the Server in order for Central Count & the AVTS to work. I had to install the printer drivers for the QMS 4032 for it to work. The duplexor for the printer is not the correct one, so I need to get the correct one ordered, then shipped here, and hopefully I can get someone with some mechanical know how, to install it. Otherwise I will need to make another trip out here to do this.

I can understand that sometimes we are not able to plan in advance, for the ordering of computers & other components. However, we need to establish some sort of Document, that is filled out with a new Customer or when Demonstrations are done, as far in advance as possible, so we can do more planning in advance, and get the Quality Assurance & testing that is necessary for the setup of the Server and other components. This is the second time that this has happened to me, where the Server was not setup completely, and it also happened to Greg Forsythe last week in Indiana.

If we know what is needed for a customer, then the Server and all other components need to be ordered, shipped to McKinney, configured and tested before it is sent to the customer site. I sent out an e-mail back on March 5th, asking for a Server with other components be set up, however, it was not setup according to the e-mail I sent. Also, if the printer would have been setup and tested, we would have found out that the duplexor was not the correct one.

It becomes very frustrating as a support person, to have to go through the same routine over and over. The objective of the support person, when going out to a customer site, is to focus on Training, not to have to debug and setup a Server and other components, when we have people in the McKinney office who are supposed to do this.