PROJECT DEFINITION REPORT For SEMS Program

Transcription

1 PROJECT DEFINITION REPORT For SEMS Program AUTHOR Ulandi Greyling DATE 4 June 2007 VERSION 1.0 Project Definition Report Page 1 of 15 20/06/2007

2 Table of Contents BACKGROUND... 3 PURPOSE... 3 PROJECT SCOPE...5 IN SCOPE...5 EXCLUDED FROM SCOPE... 7 PROGRAM BUDGET...9 PROGRAM CHANGE CONTROL...9 ASSUMPTIONS...10 CONCERNS CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS...11 ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA...11 PROGRAM RISKS...11 DEPENDENCIES AND PROJECTS / PARTIES IMPACTED...12 PROGRAM ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES...13 GLOSSARY OF TERMS...14 DOCUMENT REVISION HISTORY...14 PROGRAM CONTACT DETAILS PROGRAM APPROVAL Project Definition Report Page 2 of 15 20/06/2007

3 Background The SEMS Program in its current status has a history attached. The challenge is clearly to leave the history behind and move forward in order to deliver an integrated solution best for the Institution. Student surveys at UWC have indicated that the students experience administrative support as frustrating. For a period of 15+ years no resources were allocated towards implementing improvements of the Student Administration function supporting Student Enrolment within UWC. Purpose The purpose of this program is to: Increase the throughput, retention and pass rates of UWC Be able to support the student efficiently by means of: o World class support and administrative capabilities o Having information at the fingertips in order to be pro-active Improve service levels o Between the various areas involved in Student Enrolment o Between Student Administration and the supporting areas o Between the Institution and its client Work efficiently throughout the Student Enrolment process o People o Processes o Technology Deliver a solution that will assist the Institution with o Effective financial planning o The supply of information to the Institutional Planning office to assist with overall planning and direction To improve data integrity, Communication and Integration by means of o Workflow o Audit trails o Tracking o Escalation Have clear Roles and Responsibilities within Student Administration and the supporting processes Earn respect internal as well as external to the Institution Replace old technology without a vendor lock-in Integrate work processes Understand all the interactions with a student Project Definition Report Page 3 of 15 20/06/2007

4 Project Definition Report Page 4 of 15 20/06/2007

5 Project Scope In Scope The following diagram illustrates the scope of this program at a high level. The scope will address the urgent need in Student Administration to deliver an efficient service to prospective and current students, delivering an integrated solution between all areas impacting on student enrolment and providing the capacity to manage and make decisions about a student. UWC Is about.. Student Enrolment New Student Recruitment Advising Interfaces Throughout Student Admin process Doc Management BI Community Outreach Application Pre-Selection Assessments Financial Aid Academic Program Time Table Res and Catering Research Screening Selection Financial Clearance Finance Financial Aid Debt / Credit Billing Snr Student Admission Tracking Teach/Learn Registration MAS THROUGHPUT Y / N Promotion Complete Graduation Alumni Committee Doc Management Portal Call Centre Project Definition Report Page 5 of 15 20/06/2007

6 The scope of this program includes the following: Review of current business processes within Student Enrolment, compare it to Best Practise, suggest and implement improved processes. Clarify roles and responsibilities within the Student Enrolment business processes. The design and implementation of an integrated technology solution that will support the refined business processes. o The investigation, presentation and approval of the technology to be implemented. The technology must firstly support the Institution in its dayto-day business activities. The technology selected must have a long-term vision and not be short-sighted. Presentation for approval must include investigation of the build as well as the maintenance of the solution. o The technology vision of the Institution must be respected and where it is challenged it must be approved by Executive. o There must be no vendor lock-ins with the technology selected. o Service Orientated Architecture must be implemented and be done in such a way that it is to the benefit of the Institution and not just this program. The build, modifications and/or interfaces to support the Student Enrolment process throughout the student lifecycle as presented in the diagram above. The build, modification and/or interfaces to the Call Centre solution to have 1 point of entry to a student record viewing all administration information relevant to a specific student. The build, modification and/or interfaces to the Academic Program having 1 data source of programme and module information that will serve as the source to all the enrolment processes. The investigation and implementation of the Document Management requirements specific to Student Administration. o Investigation and Selection of a solution o Implementation of the solution o Electronic storage of documents relevant to the Student Administration process o Audit Trail, Tracking and Escalation of documentation relevant to the Student Administration process o View of documentation per student to simplify enquiries Archive of documents. The investigation and implementation of the Tracking solution for Student Enrolment, managing academic performance and debt. The investigation and implementation of the Business Intelligence requirements for Student Enrolment. The implementation of workflow supporting the Student Enrolment process. The ability to distribute information relevant to the need of a potential or current student by means of the UWC web portal. The scope includes the following Interfaces: Residence and Catering o Enable the student to indicate if Res and Catering is required and give the student feedback whether he is accepted or rejected. Electronic Time-Tabling system o Enable the student to view his time table once he has selected a program and modules Marks Administration System o Pro-active support to the student o Facilitate the assessment, promotion, registration and graduation of students Committee Document System o Enable direct access to documents containing decision for a specific student Project Definition Report Page 6 of 15 20/06/2007

7 Business Intelligence o Supply of data relevant to Student Enrolment to the Business Intelligence solution Financial Systems o Management of ALL financial issues relevant to the student Tracking o Interface from MAS to the Tracking solution Document Management o Enable direct access to documents relevant to a student. Academic Program o One source of data for programs and modules offered by UWC Portal o UWC staff and students must be able to access systems via the portal Call Centre o One entry point to information relevant to a specific student The scope also includes the following where directly required for this program: The implementation of the necessary project management processes The implementation of the necessary maintenance and support processes for implemented solutions The above must be delivered in such a way that it is to the benefit of the Institution and not specific to this program. Excluded from Scope The following is excluded from the scope of this program: Implementation of project management processes other than what is required for this program. Implementation of maintenance and supporting processes other than required for this program. The build or maintenance of Document Management requirements not part of Student Administration. The build, replacement or enhancement to the following where it does not support Student Enrolment from an Institutional view: o Residence and Catering o Finance Systems o Financial Aid o Student Credit Management o MAS o Committee Document Management o Time Table System The build, replacement or enhancements to any existing systems solving operational issues in areas Student Administration interfaces to that is not related to Student Enrolment. The implementation of the Business Intelligence infrastructure: o Selecting a solution o Implementation of the solution o Build or Maintenance of the solution other than for Student Enrolment Training of resources to be able to fulfil their role on the program, other than on the job training where it will not impact on the program. Maintenance of solutions implemented by this program. Project Definition Report Page 7 of 15 20/06/2007

8 Enhancements to the solutions implemented by this program, other than approved by the Program Board. Project Definition Report Page 8 of 15 20/06/2007

9 Program Budget A budget of R12 mil is allocated to the program, over a period of 3 years. ±R 4,6 mil 2006 Actual spent R4 mil 2007 Budget R3 mil 2008 Budget Note: Still in the process of investigating the 2006 actual vs. budget. Program Change Control Change Process Approval Additional Funding Program Manager to justify and communicate with the Rector. Complete Change Control Rector Sign off Change Control Additional Time Additional Resources Additional Requirements Program Manager to task relevant Project Manager for investigation and justification. If justified, present impact (budget, people, time) to the Program Board Complete Change Control Program Manager investigates if the funds are available. Justify the requirement and present to the Program Board Complete Change Control Program Manager to task relevant Project Manager for investigation and justification working with the identified Business Owner. If justified, present impact (budget, people, time) to the Program Board Complete Change Control If justified and the impact can be accommodated, the Program Manager can approve. Program Manager to communicate to the Program Board. Complete Change Control Program Board Sign off Change Control Program Board Sign off Change Control Program Board Sign off Change Control Program Manager Sign off Change Control Project Definition Report Page 9 of 15 20/06/2007

10 Assumptions 1. Resources on the program do not require any training to be able to fulfil the role they are contracted for. 2. All resources on the program report to the Program Manager and the Program Manager has the authority to act as a line manager. 3. The Program Manager is managing the budget allocated to the program. 4. Work done on processes and specifications to date can be re-used. 5. The technology framework proposed is stable. 6. Skilled resources can be obtained within the given budget. 7. Business Owners wish to refine and streamline their processes. 8. The necessary IT infrastructure to implement any of the solutions delivered by this program is in place. 9. SEMS resources will not be utilised to work on the framework if the requirement is not SEMS specific. (budget, people) Concerns 1. Decisions on what must be delivered must not be made without inputs from the Program Customer, who speaks on behalf of business. 2. Governance must be put in place: Management of the Program How decisions are made (outsource, proprietary, development) 3. Support infrastructure must be put in place in IT in order support solutions after implementation. 4. There is a budget, people and time constraint to accommodate build and/or fixes to the technology framework from this budget and/or team. 5. There is too much on the job training/learning in the program team. The majority of the skills in the team are too junior. 6. The Program Manager must be on the IT Board and receive the minutes of the Council Committee and CISC. 7. There is no clear understanding of what the impact of in-house development is with regards to time, budget, people and capacity. 8. The business has reservations that the solution cannot be delivered due to a history of non-delivery. 9. There are many unknowns with regards to the specifics of the deliverable. 10. The budget allocated is for the technology only. There are no funds available for the Change Management project that is crucial for the implementation of this solution into the business. 11. There are team members appointed onto the SEMS team that are too junior which will have an impact on the quality of work and/or time required by senior team members to assist. Project Definition Report Page 10 of 15 20/06/2007

11 Critical Success Factors 1. Program Manager to have Program Board support. 2. Senior Business Analyst on the team with an understanding of Education solutions and being able to build good relationships with the business, given the history of Business Analysts on this program. 3. The Project Manager must be: Able to enforce the implementation and use of project management processes Able to manage a project with dependencies to and from other projects Able to implement projects with a System Development component Willing to educate throughout the Institution on the generic project life cycle Good relationship skills relationship with the team, IT and Business 4. Business, IT and the program team must work together as a unit. 5. Change Management across all the projects to the various role players is crucial for the delivery and acceptance of this solution. Acceptance Criteria 1. Integrated solution 2. Stable solution 3. Efficient student support 4. Defined Roles and Responsibilities 5. Accepted technology 6. Maintenance processes in place 7. Happier students in the next student survey 8. The final solution must support Student Enrolment for: Undergraduates Post-graduates Foreign Students Part-time Students Full-time students 9. Usage of the solutions delivered by the various role players Program Risks 1. Change Management is not driven as a project and this could jeopardise the success of the implementation. All parties must be identified and the relevant information must be communicated as per a communication plan. 2. There is fatigue in the Business for participation in this vision. Business buy-in and participation is crucial and the program team must be aware of this at all times and manage it accordingly. 3. It is necessary to re-look at solutions already built. There is a risk that the work involved to implement the Enterprise Architecture and align with the refined processes could be more than expected. 4. There is no guarantee at this point that the proposed technology framework is complete for the solutions to be delivered. There is an expectation that this program will build the gaps when they are identified and this will have an impact on time and budget. 5. There is misunderstanding in the Institution of what this program should deliver and this contributes to the scarcity of trust. 6. SEMS Program resources are contracted as Fixed Term, which requires the same processes for termination of contract as for dismissal of a permanent employee. This could result in the program having to finance resources that might not be adding value. 7. The work load relevant to the finance requirements could be underestimated which will impact on time, budget and people. Project Definition Report Page 11 of 15 20/06/2007

12 Dependencies and Projects / Parties impacted Dependencies with other Projects: Inputs / outputs from/to other Projects: Interface Responsibility: 1. MAS Program Manager 2. Document Management Program Manager 3. Committee Document Management Program Manager 4. Time Table Program Manager 5. Business Intelligence Program Manager 6. Academic Program Program Manager 7. Call Centre Program Manager 8. Portal Program Mnager Impacted Parties: Projects, Parties, Processes & Systems Impacted: Interface Responsibility: 1. All Faculties Program Customer 2. ICS Maintenance Operations Manager 3. Student Enrolment Process Program Customer 4. FSIU Technology Framework Program Manager 5. ICS Project Office Program Manager 6. Avoir Project Prof D Keats Project Definition Report Page 12 of 15 20/06/2007

13 Program Roles and Responsibilities Program Director: Program Sponsor: Program Customer: Program Manager: Program Administrator: Program Executives: Mr L Pokpas Prof B O Connell Dr I Miller Ms U Greyling Ms D Howes Prof D Keats, Prof S Ridge, Prof L Tshiwula, Mr M Regal, Mr M Darries, Prof J van Bever Donker, Mr V Morta, Mr R Schuller Other Information: Program Board Meeting o Meets every 4-6 weeks o Will address program process, issues and decisions to be made o Attendance will be mandatory o Minutes will be available to all Board members Program Progress Meeting o Meets every 2 weeks o Attended by Program Manager, Project Managers, Business Analysts o Attendance will be mandatory o Minutes will be available to all Progress Reports Program Progress Reports to be completed 7 work days prior to the Board meeting. Program Progress Reports to be reviewed with the Program Customer and key business representative, as identified in project scope. Communication Communication to form part of the Change Management plan Documentation Microsoft Office, Visio, Microsoft Project Documentation to be stored on the project server and SVN. Project Definition Report Page 13 of 15 20/06/2007

14 Glossary of Terms Definitions Enrolment The business process of the student life cycle process (Recruitment to Alumni) Framework The proposed technology framework, being Chisimba Abbreviations SEMS Student Enrolment Management System BI Business Intelligence ESB Enterprise Service Bus SOA Service Orientated Architecture Document Revision History Revision History: Version: Date: Author(s) Revision Notes: /05/2007 Ulandi Greyling Document created /05/2007 Ulandi Greyling Feedback from: Dr I Miller Prof D Keats /06/2007 Ulandi Greyling Update with inputs from the SEMS Board meeting held 04/06/2007 Program Contact Details Name Department Telephone Cell Address Prof B O Connell Rectorate bo connell@uwc.ac.za Mr L Pokpas Rectorate lpokpas@uwc.ac.za Ms U Greyling Rectorate ugreyling@uwc.ac.za Dr I Miller Registrar imiller@uwc.ac.za Prof D Keats ICS dkeats@uwc.ac.za Mr M Darries ICS mdarries@uwc.ac.za Mr M Regal Rectorate mregal@uwc.ac.za Prof S Ridge Rectorate sridge@uwc.ac.za Prof L Tshiwula Student Affairs ltshiwula@uwc.ac.za Prof J van Bever Donker Faculty of Natural Sciences jvanbeverdonker@uwc. ac.za Mr R Schuller Corp. Dev rschuller@uwc.ac.za Mr V Morta MIS / QA vmorta@uwc.ac.za Project Definition Report Page 14 of 15 20/06/2007

15 Program Approval Approvals Name: Prof. B O Connell Signed: Approvals Name: Mr R Schuller Signed: Name: Mr L Pokpas Signed: Name: Prof. S Ridge Signed: Name: Dr I Miller Signed: Name: Prof. J van Bever Donker Signed: Name: Prof. D Keats Signed: Name: Mr M Darries Signed: Name: Prof. L Tshiwula Signed: Name: Mr M Regal Signed: Name: : Mr V Morta Signed: Name: Ms U Greyling Signed: Project Definition Report Page 15 of 15 20/06/2007