Inside DELTA: 5 Questions with Britnique Hodge

IT Project Analyst Britnique Hodge has worked at DELTA for five years.

A Raleigh native, Hodge attended NC State for both her undergraduate degrees in political science and sociology and her graduate degree in public administration. Now, Hodge utilizes her skills to work on ServiceNow, which is an IT Service Management platform used to organize and streamline a number of IT processes and services across campus. 

How would you describe your position to someone unfamiliar with DELTA?

Hodge describes herself as a project analyst who focuses on ServiceNow, coordinates workflows, and spearheads administrative initiatives.

“I manage and analyze data in ServiceNow, ensuring that Enterprise Digital Media’s incident tickets are owned by the appropriate group or individual and resolved as soon as possible. The data ranges from technology issues, schedule changes, facility issues, Zoom administration and more” Hodge said. “I create reports that track our progression from year to year. These reports help to inform some of our decisions and help to determine future projects. If the data shows that we’ve experienced a significant amount of audio issues, we may determine that we need to upgrade the audio technology. A second aspect of my job is scheduling and allocating resources such as technicians and DELTA classrooms. I also help maintain updated documentation, like standard operating procedures.”

Hodge was integral in helping to build the ServiceNow management platform for Enterprise Digital Media. “Being part of the beginning stages was pretty cool,” Hodge said. “It allowed me to contribute to the framework we use to pull data, create forms, produce analytics, etc.” Hodge especially enjoyed this project because she can see the results the system is producing. “From year to year, I have a chance to say ‘OK, well this isn’t working — so let’s change it.’ In addition, I can see when something we’ve done is working well, for example, the data showed that we were experiencing a high level of tracking camera issues in 2019- 2020. As a result, we installed new cameras. We now know that was the right decision because from 2020- 2021 the data revealed that camera issues decreased by approximately 90%,” Hodge said.

What is your area of expertise?

In tandem with her work on ServiceNow, Hodge is skilled when it comes to analysis and evaluation. “I love to look at data and see what I can extract from it. What can it tell us about the conditions and how can we use it for our benefit?” Hodge said. “Part of what I do is make recommendations based on the evidence we have so that we can improve workflows, reduce costs, streamline processes, and increase efficiency. There is something about translating measurable variables, which can seem inconsequential without relative data, into tangible results.”

What is the best part of your job?

Hodge works with a variety of people at DELTA, and that collective environment is one of her favorite parts of the job.

“I do really like collaborating,” Hodge said. “I think it gives us a way to incorporate diverse ideas. Talking about things with individuals who have different perspectives leads to more comprehensive decisions and growth. It’s one of the nice parts about my job — I get to step away from independent work and bounce ideas off of others, because sometimes, as one person, it’s difficult to think of every option.”

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

While she truly appreciates the value of collaboration, implementing newly formed ideas is an art.

“Getting everyone on the same page can be difficult. Coordinating everyone’s schedules, making sure everyone has the same priorities, and checking up on action items takes some finesse,” Hodge said. “Often, people have different priorities because they perform specific tasks with different focus areas and projected outcomes. For example, Innovative Learning Spaces & Support Team’s (formally VCS) technicians work on the front lines, interacting with and providing grade-A customer service to professors on a daily basis. However, I work behind the scenes, helping to make sure that professors have the scheduled resources they need for the semester. When a professor needs help, the technician’s main concern is resolving the issue as soon as possible. In addition to the quick resolution, I am interested in seeing the ‘how’ so that we can document it and implement the solution into our workflow, preventing issues before they occur. So, even though we are working on the same projects we have different immediate goals. Sometimes, it takes a while to gain buy-in for long-term, big-picture goals. It can be a process to get buy-in from everyone on the team.” 

What do you like to do outside of work? 

Even though her job can seem very technical, Hodge has an artistic side. 

“I would say I do anything artsy, really,” Hodge said. “I draw and paint, and I used to be on a dance team in college. I recently started doing face painting gigs on the weekend which just happened organically. A friend of a friend needed a face painter and the next thing you know I‘m a face painter. You can probably catch me at First Fridays, I love the artwork, local vendors, and the overall vibes.”

In addition to artistic ventures, Hodge is always ready to try new things. 

“Going on adventures and trying new food is something I like to do. I try to experience two new restaurants a month, although I use the term restaurant pretty loosely. One of my favorite places to eat is Plates Neighborhood Kitchen because they switch up their menu so it always feels new every time. Trying new places feeds my passion for cooking as well,” Hodge said. “I also try to get in some thrill-seeking activities — well in the summer, because the winter and I are NOT compatible. I recently tried rock climbing and went to the Whitewater Center in Charlotte where I proudly embarrassed myself on an advanced mountain biking trail.”

Lastly, Hodge says, “I love spending time with my family and friends. My niece and nephews are my self-proclaimed children for now, although my sister ‘claims’ otherwise.”