Review of IT Services Organisation Design

Transcription

1 IT Services Review of IT Services Organisation Design Background 1. Further to the recommendations agreed by the University Strategy Board on 18 November relating to the Efficiency and Effectiveness Programme IT Workstream, the University Executive Board agreed at its meeting on 25 November 2013 that a Review Group be established to undertake a review of the IT activities both inside and outside of IT Services, in light of the University s current and anticipated requirements with particular focus on the organisational design, including the staffing structure, skills and capabilities required. Scope of the Review 2. Building on the high-level Organisation Design work that was undertaken as part of the IT workstream (Enabling Technology) of the Efficiency and Effectiveness Programme, the aim is to more closely define the requirements of IT activities and associated staffing arrangements within the University of Reading. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the current range of IT activities, systems and services across the University in both Schools and Service Functions, John Leary (Director of IT Services) and Cherry Bennett (Head of HR Operations) met with all Heads of School, Deans, Heads of Function and Heads of Service between December 2013 and February Current staff data was also taken from the HR database as a starting point to help inform those discussions. Enabling Technology a new IT Strategy 3. The Enabling Technology workstream includes the development of a new IT Strategy. The new IT Strategy has five underpinning principles which also underpin the work on the design of a new IT Services structure: - Available services are available anytime and anywhere on a wide range of devices - Standardised - a standard set of services designed for the many, not for the few - Commoditised - commodity services provided and supported by external suppliers - Responsive - able to meet future demands and react quickly to change - Efficient - duplication removed to improve efficiency Definitions 4. There are a number of headings used in this paper which describe particular IT activities, as defined below: i) Core IT Services this includes activities such as first-line computer and printer support, asset-tagging, ordering new and replacement computers and other IT hardware, data centre management and support, network management and support, software installation and updating and applications management and support. University of Reading 2014 Page 1

2 ii) Teaching and Learning IT support this includes AV support for teaching rooms, support for computer labs, installation, updating and facilitation of software for Teaching and Learning activities (eg: Matlab, Autocad, visual editing software, language software, stats packages), support for undergraduate student project work, and support for Blackboard, other VLEs and online learning materials. iii) Research IT support this includes support for hardware relating to research (such as servers, scanners, computer laboratory equipment), high performing cluster development and support, and software development and support including programming. iv) User support this includes support for core business users of the corporate systems with those providing the support acting as super-users of the system. v) System Administrators this includes configuration of the systems using in-built application configuration tools. vi) System Development and Integration this includes development of the systems and the programming that integrates one corporate system with another. vii) Management Information this includes the provision of management information from the corporate systems either internally within the University or externally to government agencies and others. Summary of findings 5. The analysis of IT services, activities, systems and support found across the University as a whole is set out in detail below. We have established that there is circa 106 FTE in total carrying out this work. Of this; circa 59 FTE is within IT Services and circa 47 FTE is across the remainder of the University. These numbers are often not whole posts, but parts of posts. Of the circa 47 FTE found across the University circa 12 FTE includes activities supporting and undertaking the administration, development and integration of corporate systems and the remaining 35 FTE is undertaking core IT services support work, Teaching and Learning IT support work and Research IT support work. These are outlined and explained in more detail within the review paper. 6. During the review we discovered a number of single points of failure regarding the support and back-up for both research activities and corporate systems, putting those activities and systems at significant risk. We also identified that there were strong synergies between certain activities that would benefit from sharing best practice and technologies, cross-training (to avoid single points of failure) and having a critical mass of technical support staff, all of which should lead to better identification of service improvements and innovation possibilities. Alongside this, we also identified a lack of (and need for) professional development and career pathway opportunities for all technical staff, in particular those outside of the current formal IT Services structure. It is against this background that a new, single structure for all IT activities and support across the University is being proposed. IT Services 7. The current IT Services structure is comprised of four parts: There is a small team providing administrative support. The Customer Services team provides Service Desk, Desktop and Classroom support across the University including AV support. The Corporate Information Systems Support team provides development and integration support to some Corporate Systems and also provides some project management 2

3 support. The Systems and Communications team provides telephone and network management and support, along with infrastructure and server management for Corporate Applications. There is currently 59 FTE within the central IT Services structure. Schools 8. Most Schools across the University have some dedicated local support for IT activities, systems and software. There are three Schools where IT activities are most concentrated; the School of Systems Engineering (SSE), the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences (PCLS) and the School of Maths and Physical Sciences (SMPS). Within SSE the activities are mainly concentrated on supporting T&L and research activities for both undergraduate programmes and postgraduate students. This includes the clusters, Big Data, ERASER, virtual server hosts, advanced networking infrastructure etc. Within PCLS the activities are mainly concentrated on research activities including support for the scanning facility within the Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics (CINN) and the data storage that is required. Within SMPS the activities are mainly concentrated on supporting research activities, including specialist software, mostly using LINUX and large volumes of data. 9. Other Schools in the Science and Life Sciences Faculties such as the School of Construction Management and Engineering (SCME), the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences, the School of Biological Sciences, and the School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy all have some specific T&L and/or research IT support needs. SCME has a specialist Building Information Modelling (BIM) lounge for students and is in the process of taking over the CAVE virtual environment from SSE as a research facility. The School of Biological Sciences and the School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy have local IT support for laboratories and the Chemical Analysis Facility (CAF) including the Electron Microscopy Laboratory (previously CfAM) and the mass spectrometry and X-ray equipment within it. Professor Pagel s Evolution Laboratory also has substantial IT requirements (some of which is currently being undertaken by academic staff). There is also a significant requirement for a wide range of statistical software packages to enable research to be undertaken. 10. The Schools within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Henley Business School have broader and more varied requirements for Teaching and Learning IT support, but fewer specialist research IT support needs. The research needs are focused around database design and development. Henley Business School has IT support for T&L activities within ICMA for the dealing room. The School of Art and Communication Design has dedicated IT support for Film, Theatre and Television and Art to enable activities such as film, and theatre productions and art shows. The International Study and Language Institute also has dedicated local IT support for T&L activities including the language labs and specific language learning software. It is noted that there is an emerging need across the University and the humanities in particular, to produce and provide e-learning materials, including blogs, websites, forums that are cutting edge and enhance the employability of students as well as showcasing high quality teaching. More support is required for these activities. 11.Whilst there were a number of dedicated staff undertaking IT activities across Schools, we found that there were a number of academic colleagues undertaking a range of IT activities (from building and configuring new PCs to developing and implementing School IT strategies and undertaking e-learning resource development). The activities of 3

4 those academic staff are not counted as FTE in this review, but the outcome of this review should result in savings of academic time and effort on IT activities and services. Core IT Services 12. Core IT Services include activities such as first-line computer and printer support, assettagging, ordering new and replacement computers and other IT hardware, data centre management and support, network management and support, software installation and updating and applications management and support. 13. We have identified circa 15.3 FTE of core IT Services work being carried out by local IT support in Schools and Services outside of central IT Services. This includes posts or parts of posts in most Schools, in Research & Enterprise and in the Design and Print Service. Teaching and Learning IT Support 14. Teaching and Learning IT support includes AV support for teaching rooms, support for computer labs, installation, updating and facilitation of software for Teaching and Learning activities (eg: Matlab, Autocad, visual editing software, language software, statistical packages), support for undergraduate student project work, and support for Blackboard, other VLEs and online learning materials. 15.We have identified circa 9.6 FTE of Teaching and Learning IT support being carried out by local IT support in Schools. 16. Of this 9.6 FTE above, it is believed that circa 3.2 FTE in Schools is undertaking AV support including the setting up and trouble-shooting of problems with equipment in classrooms that is not supported by central IT services. This is particularly an issue in those teaching rooms without standardised AV equipment. This also includes support for particular T&L facilities such as the computer labs in Systems Engineering, the BIM lounge in the School of Construction Management and Engineering, the Language Labs in ISLI and other PC labs across the University. 17. We are mindful of the work that colleagues in the Centre for Quality and Staff Development have been undertaking with the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Teaching and Learning to develop the Teaching Enhanced Learning (TEL) strategy. It is acknowledged that as this work progresses there needs to be the appropriate IT technical support and resource for Blackboard and VLEs, in line with the principles for supporting all of the corporate systems. Research IT Support 18. Research IT support includes support for hardware relating to research (such as servers, scanners, computer laboratory equipment), high performing cluster development and support, and software development and support including programming. 19.We have identified circa 9.6 FTE of specialist research IT support being carried out by local IT support in Schools. This is mainly concentrated within the three Schools highlighted at the start of this report; SSE, PCLS and MPS with some further specialist research IT support being undertaken across SBS, SCFP and SCME. 4

5 Corporate Systems 20.There are a large number of different systems being used to capture, store and process information and data across the University. The following have been identified as the main corporate systems: - Agresso the finance system - Campus Cards and e-commerce the campus cards and e-commerce systems - itrent the HR and Payroll system - RISIS the student/sits system - WREN the Estates and Facilities Management system - Blackboard the Virtual Learning Environment - CMS - Content Management System which is the University website system - CRM - Customer Relationship Management system is being identified - AAM Agresso Awards Management system (for research grants) - LMS - Library Management system (Unicorn) - the University system 21. Many other smaller systems provide core functions within the University. Of these there are two different CRM systems; Raiser s Edge in the Campaigns and Supporter Engagement office and Pivotal in Henley Business School. There is separate work underway to source and procure a new single University-wide CRM system and there will be a need for IT support for that system (and for integration with current systems). The technical support for this and existing systems is included within the scope of this review. 22. The diagram below (fig 1) shows the different layers of IT support for corporate systems and applications. IT Support Layers Definition (fig 1) IT Support Layer Definition Application Users Application Super Users Application Administration & Configuration Middleware & Integration Technical Infrastructure Core Infrastructure Benefactors of the system Use of predefined configuration and business flows No ability to change how the system works who uses it Input of data into configured objects Setup of other users Updates via defined configuration pages Setup of new Systems Configuration of core systems flows Definition of integration / data needs Managing Enterprise Services Bus and delivery of new Integration Services Managing technical Master Data Management Management of MS Exchange Configuration and install of Databases Management and Config of Application / Web servers Support of Server infrastructure Management of Storage infrastructure Management of core UoR data Networks 5

6 23. All activities below the arrow and red line in the diagram should be the responsibility of the new IT Services team. Consistency of technical support for the corporate systems (both front office and back office) is becoming increasingly important as the work on the Student Journey progresses. If students are going to be using a single web portal, all of the systems that they need to access must be of the same high standard, must be available and must be integrated. This should therefore be the responsibility of technical support teams within one single IT structure working consistently across the institution. 24. Currently, the levels of IT support for the different corporate systems varies across each system. Trent, Blackboard and CMS have dedicated technical support within central IT Services; this is support for integration with other systems and configuration of the applications. The systems development and integration work for Agresso, RISIS, and WREN is done by individuals in the various function specific systems teams, external consultants and/or the software suppliers. It should be noted that WREN is supported by just one individual (with some back-up from an external consultant) and there is no team. 25. We have identified circa 12 FTE undertaking systems development and administration work. A further circa 4 FTE is undertaking Management Information provision. Design considerations 26. It should be noted that many Schools have reduced their need for dedicated local IT support over recent years, with some only requiring support from central IT Services. The School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, based at Earley Gate, uses IT Services for all IT support, including AV support for teaching rooms and lecture theatres. The Library service reported that their arrangement with IT Services for IT support on a dedicated morning once a week was a model that worked well and reduced the number of queries going through the IT helpdesk. 27. It was found that many Schools have some individual academic colleagues that use MACs. Some Schools, including the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences and the School of Art and Communication Design, have a large number of academic colleagues that only use MACS in order to carry out both research and T&L activities and that these were a necessary requirement going forward. It was also found that LINUX is used extensively across a number of Schools at the University including PCLS, SSE and SMPS. 28. As a result, there are a number of potentially strong synergies in activities across Schools and Functions that at present are not being explored or exploited. The current IT Supporters Network allows for some information sharing, but there is a real need to develop a critical mass of technical specialists across the University to allow for sharing technical best practice and cross-training. This may also allow for the identification and exploitation of innovation possibilities. 29. Some single points of failure were identified by Heads of School and Heads of Function as part of the discussions that were held. There are some parts of the University (for example, in CINN) where IT work is being carried out by individuals who are not part of any team and where there is little or no input or support from IT services so that if there was a failure of systems, data could be at significant risk. There are also corporate systems (for example, WREN) where again there are only one or two 6

7 individuals who are responsible for all elements of Systems Development, Systems Administration and integration which leaves the University at significant risk. 30. The geography of the University campuses (Greenlands, London Road, Farms, Earley Gate, Foxhill House and Whiteknights) will be taken into consideration when designing the new organisational structure for IT Services, and in particular the continuing need for some local IT support and audio-visual (AV) support where appropriate. IT support for remote working and studying in the UK and on our international campuses must also be considered. 31.One point that we heard in most of our meetings with colleagues across the University, was the real need for IT Business Partners working at a high level in partnership with Schools and Services, who really understand those Schools and Services to determine strategic and operational IT systems, software and service priorities, to plan and forecast demands and to ensure that the service is delivering against its service catalogue and SLAs. They will also be a specific point of contact for colleagues and can manage and respond to feedback. 32. It is recognised that underpinning the new organisational structure on the service delivery side there will need to be a full and thorough Service Catalogue and a set of clearly defined and well managed Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with Schools and Services. This work is already underway and is being prioritised accordingly. 33. There is a significant amount of content management and website development work being undertaken in Schools and Services. The IT activities for the University s CMS will be defined in accordance with the description in Fig 1 with IT Services providing the core technical support (website design and integration). There will be work undertaken by the Marketing and Communication team to define the business owners for CMS as part of the further Efficiency and Effectiveness programme. Proposals for a new IT Services structure 34. The proposed new structure for a single IT Service for the University is shown in Annex 1 to this document. 35. The new structure outlined proposes all IT activities, resource and support for the University being accountable to the Director of IT Services. By bringing all IT activities together it is expected that a reduction in overall costs (including staff costs) can be found due to the creation of economies of scale. The proposed structure does not include an estimate of IT application development resource for major new projects, for example a new CRM system, or new digital platform. These will need to be costed in addition, and it has been assumed that these costs will be factored into the business case for the Student Journey etc. 36. It is recognised that there will necessarily be a close working relationship between some IT Services posts and those Heads of School with a large IT requirement (SSE, MPS, PCLS) and between the business owners and technical owners of the different corporate systems in the Services. 37. The Business Engagement and Transformation team will focus on introducing consistent IT standards and technology platforms, review potential new technologies 7

8 and IT Portfolio Management. It will address the need for IT Policy Management (including security requirements) and introduces new strategic IT Business Partners. - Enterprise Architecture will be responsible for mapping and then controlling the IT Technical Architecture, including any upgrades or changes to it. They will ensure that any new development is complementary and compliant with the existing IT estate, policies and standards. - The IT Demand, Planning and Forecasting team will focus on a strategic overview of priorities for technology projects. This will help the University to decide how to spend its IT budget. The resourcing of third party IT contractors for large scale Application or Infrastructure projects will also be controlled by this team. A team of IT Business Partners will enable the service to work closely with Schools and Services to ensure that business requirements are translated into IT solutions and implemented fit for purpose. - Contract and SLA management will be undertaken by this team as they will have the best knowledge of the service being provided. 38. The Applications Development and Support team will provide support for all key systems across the University. As shown in the diagram in fig. 1, this includes systems administration, configuration of core data flows and integration. The team is structured around three main parts: - All front office/ customer-facing applications will be developed and maintained by this team. Applications such as RISIS (CRM going forward depending on future investment) but also the technical aspects of the University website are supported by this team. - The Back Office Applications team will service all back-office systems and applications including Agresso, AAM, WREN and Trent. This team will also develop and maintain Business Intelligence tools and templates. - The Operating System and Core Applications team will support all core applications (such as , print, collaboration tools, document management systems, unified communications and Office 365) that are within agreed corporate standards. Windows and Unix Systems development is in this team in line with the principle to consolidate all application support into one reporting line. - The Specialist Project Support team will provide technical support (usually one-off programming/development) for unique teaching and research projects to both students and staff and may be best located out in specific Schools and Departments. - The TEL Support team will provide specialist technical support for teaching and learning such as lecture capture system(s), Blackboard technical support, and student blog and website development. This may include some delivery of support to students on specific technical/it areas. 39. The IT Service Desk & Infrastructure Management team will provide delivery of 1 st line IT support, management of 2 nd / 3 rd line support, desktop support and infrastructure technician support for telephony, network and Audio Visual equipment. Although predominantly maintenance and problem solving focused, these teams will drive continuous improvement within their areas of control to improve service performance. - The IT Service Desk will be responsible for call management and fixes that can dealt with at 1 st line support level. If a problem cannot be fixed at 1 st line, then they will route the resolution to the appropriate application or infrastructure 2 nd / 3 rd line maintenance team. This team will be responsible for tracking cases through to completion. - The Specialist User Support team will provide 2 nd line support for desktop, laptop and mobile equipment and support staff and students with specialist teaching and 8

9 research IT requirements. Some of these posts may be based locally in Schools and Departments to ensure that important local knowledge and understanding is maintained. - There will be a combined team for Telephony, Networks and Audio Visual (as they will share common knowledge of and dependencies on the infrastructure) working across the University. - A Server & Storage Management team consolidates Data Centre/ Capacity Management capability into one overarching team. This team will have two parts to it; a Core Systems Server and Storage Management team, supporting the infrastructure and hardware for the core systems and applications. A Research Server and Data Management team supporting those Schools and research centre with large research data management requirements. 40. As now, there is a need for a small team to provide administrative support across the IT Service. Recommendations a) That the IT Services included within the proposed scope are reorganised into a new single University-wide support structure as outlined above, taking effect from 1 August 2014; b) That the IT Services team should be structured broadly according to the proposed structure" set out in the review paper, both in terms of balance of activities, and in terms of posts. c) That there is validation of the proposed structure by the Design Reference Group established within the Efficiency and Effectiveness Programme Board. d) Once this is agreed, a Consultation Group be established with immediate effect to prepare a consultation paper and to undertake the required consultation process. e) That the Consultation Group membership should be: - A Pro-Vice Chancellor or equivalent (The Chief Operating Officer) - The relevant Head of Directorate or equivalent (The Director of IT Services) - A further senior member of the academic staff (or equivalent) not part of the activities immediately under review (The Head of the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences) - The Director of Human Resources or his nominee (The Head of HR Operations). ITS Review Group, 25 February 2014 David Savage, John Leary and Laurie Butler 9