Upgrading the Research Management System

Transcription

1 Communications Strategy Services Division Upgrading the Management System Approval Business Owner Douglas Robertson Approved/ Not Approved Signature Title Date Director, Services Division Author: Nalini Nair, Manager, ITS Version: 1.0 Date: 15 October 2013 Developed by Office Information Technology Services

2 Contents 1 Introduction Purpose Objectives Communication Procedure Communication Themes Key Messages General Sensitivities Potential Good News Events Potential Bad News Events Stakeholders Analysis Key Stakeholders s Key Stakeholders Orientation PAGE 2 OF 13

3 1 Introduction 1.1 Purpose The purpose of this document is to describe the communications strategy for the Upgrading the Management System project. This communication strategy is part of the broader organisational change management strategy in place to manage the people side of the implementation. Communication initiatives will proactively address issues, react to progress and setbacks and provide a feedback mechanism. Supporting this strategy will be a revised Business Process Document (BPD) for each existing module. The BPD will identify key components of the process, focusing on those supported and contained within the system. Key data fields will be identified, as will the impact on the data quality if these field are not completed or completed poorly. The BPD will underpin the user manual and training guides. 1.2 Objectives a. Create awareness, interest, involvement and understanding of the project, and ensure perceptions and expectations are managed b. Ensure and provide visibility of ongoing commitments and support of all relevant entities on all aspects of the project; and c. Enable consistency and regularity in the messages that are communicated about the project to all relevant entities. d. Ensure all critical issues are identified in BPD to support users with clear governance including system rules, flexibility and data security, and university policy and procedures. 2 Communication Procedure The project will adopt the communication processes identified in the PMO Communication processes document available on the ITS Management website. The following link will take you directly to the document. PAGE 3 OF 13

4 3 Communication Themes 3.1 Key Messages Audience Type/ Role Issue/question Message Key dates and dependencies Chanel and spoke person Responsibility Every user group What is the ARIES project about? Why is this project required? The ARIES project is about upgrading the system to bring the current framework in alignment with the commercial product base that is being utilised by other customers. The ANU system is currently running on an unsupported framework. This has resulted in the inability to undertake mainstream enhancements, utilise new or improved functionality, provide enhanced user experience and comply with regulatory requirements. Finalised timeline In addition to upgrading the system, this project will bring about improvements to the existing business processes around the management, support and quality assurance of ARIES as an Enterprise System and boost the vendor-client relationship with an established Vendor Management Framework. Additionally, a more rigorous process is required to ensure that the ARIES system meets the expected quality of an Enterprise System and that the management and support for the system is sustainable. How does this project improve organisation In addition to upgrading the system, this project will deliver improvements to the existing business processes around data entry, business rules management, support and quality Steering Committee approval PAGE 4 OF 13

5 Audience Type/ Role Issue/question Message Key dates and dependencies Chanel and spoke person Responsibility efficiency? assurance of ARIES as an Enterprise System and boost the vendor-client relationship with an established Vendor Management Framework. The project will deliver an enhancement schedule for immediate priorities post upgrade and set aside a timeline for an environmental scan to determine if ARIES is providing a cost effective solution that aligns with the University s data management requirements. Vendor looked in for deployment dates What outcomes will this upgrade and enhanced business processes deliver? Will ARIES integrate with other enterprise systems? A stable, robust, reliable enterprise system on the new framework. A manageable system architecture An efficient process for managing and supporting the Management system An established rigorous quality assurance process for any future enhancements or defect fixes to the system An established service and maintenance agreement Strong and improved vendor-client relationship Commercial product base aligned with other customers A sustainable future state of the application. Revised Business Process Documentation including clear governance, system rules, flexibility and data security, and university policy and procedures. There is no planned work for the integration of ARIES to other enterprise systems such as HR or Finance at this time. However the upgrade will enable future enhancements that will support the data transfer between ARIES and the After demo and once clarity on differences and outstanding RITA list items clarity on revised maintenance agreement and fess clarity on revised BPD structure PAGE 5 OF 13

6 Audience Type/ Role Issue/question Message Key dates and dependencies Chanel and spoke person Responsibility data warehouse imis. Every User How will the project impact me? Users of the system will experience a new user interface and functionality. A change management and training process will be undertaken to ensure that the transition to the new user interface is conducted as seamlessly as possible. Newly revised Business Process Documentation (BPD) will assist users adapt to the changes and lead to greater data quality in the longer term. 3 Weeks before go live date Workshop Nalini and KK BPD will be drafted by RSD staff in the first instance against existing reporting activity. The BPD will be taken to for consultation prior to implementation. Grants User Will the project improve the search functionality? Will the Grants Module Read Only Permission be in this new build? The new UI includes search options and functionality that are not available in the current production environment which provides a more efficient and flexible way to search for information in ARIES. No, however it provides the capability that will allow this permission in a future release. Combine in workshops above Workshop PAGE 6 OF 13

7 Audience Type/ Role Issue/question Message Key dates and dependencies Chanel and spoke person Responsibility ARIES Reference How can I get updates on this project? The project website contains a lot of information and allows you to register for project updates via . You can also contact the Manager on Alternatively, the user representative who will be invited to be part of the Team will update other users on the project. Finalised timeline Web page Introductory Every user group Animal Ethics user group Will the project be delivered in time to meet the new requirement of the Australian Code for the Care and use of Animals? Yes the intention is to purchase the new Animal Ethics module provided by the vendor. However, if after the demo of the product the steering committee is not convinced the product is suitable, an alternate product will be sourced. At this time only WA has mandated the changes with a deadline of January If necessary an alternate solution may be put in place as a temporary measure for the 8 existing protocols that are affected by the licence ANU holds in the state of Western Australia. Meets regulatory requirements and ANU business needs. Successful deployment of 528 Workshop for Animal group If alternate solution is required this will be communicated by DVC(R) Human user group Will the project automate the human ethics application and mitigate the need for 15 The deployment of the upgraded framework will not eliminate the need for 15 hard copies of each Ethics application, however, it provides the capability that will allow for electronic processing of applications in a future release. PAGE 7 OF 13

8 Audience Type/ Role Issue/question Message Key dates and dependencies Chanel and spoke person Responsibility hard copies? Publications users group How does the project change the Publication collection process? The advanced UI will allow for greater flexibility and efficiency in publication collection as a result of improved functionality. There are no major changes to the functionality of the publications module beyond the new UI. Will standardised reports be available to monitor progress against University KPI s? There are no major changes to the reporting engine within ARIES. For comprehensive standardised reporting on data held in ARIES, HR and/or Finance the imis data warehouse has a suite of standardised reports suitable for many needs. Additionally, RSD can provide ad-hoc reports on data held in ARIES for cases where imis does not meet user requirements. The upgraded framework will not change the imis interface. Will the grade fix the ARIES imis interface? Is ANU looking at replacing ARIES? If so, when will that happen? The ANU is planning to complete an environmental scan over the next 12months. This will help inform any decisions made about the suitability of ARIES as the Enterprise Management System for ANU. More information will be available on this in Successful deployment of 528 PAGE 8 OF 13

9 3.2 General Sensitivities The ARIES product was purchased in 2004, and rolled out to users at a time of significant devolution. Management tasks and responsibilities moved from the central service division to the local schools. At this stage colleges had not been implemented. The rollout plan implemented at the time did not account for the differences in work practices and general resources and capability levels available to the individual business units. The business rules surrounding data entry and therefore data quality were excessively flexible. The result has been major inconsistencies in data entry between users, poor data quality and reporting capability. Since 2004 minor upgrades and patches have been undertaken, as well as several major upgrades (Publications module (2006), Animal Ethics module (2006) Human Ethics module (2007)). Despite RSD recording defects and change requests the vendor has not been able to deliver these in a reasonable timeframe, or at all and this has led to "user fatigue" in relation to ARIES. 3.3 Challenges to the User Adoption of the Upgraded System CHALLENGES COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSE(S) The project timeline has been established to fit around major grant, publication and Office of Integrity deadlines. The timeline is tight which, could impact the breadth of consultation and quality of outputs Poor consultation is the primary challenge to the user adoption of the upgraded system Directly share with stakeholders the project timelines and explain the constraints the Team is working under, as well as communicating the timeline on the Team website and project newsletter Schedule workshops per user group, run multiple workshops where required. Tailor consultation processes where possible to ensure stakeholders have an opportunity to engage i.e. where there is only a short period to provide feedback, proactively engage with the stakeholder rather than waiting for a response Potential stakeholder confusion about the approach, scope regarding short and longer tem solutions Record Clear and feedback agreed and messages responses about on the the project project and website. key decisions communicated both formally and informally Publish and distribute a simple fact sheet/chart which illustrates the project approach and nominated solution as well as opportunities to provide input Reiterate the approach at any consultation forum Key opportunities for input and decisions advised via monthly newsletters and Team website PAGE 9 OF 13

10 Potential stakeholder dissatisfaction about the opportunities to provide communication input and influence the way they are communicated Clear and agreed key messages about the project and opportunities to provide input and feedback Development of a simple fact sheet/chart which illustrates the process and opportunities to provide input Reiterate the project process at any consultation forum Ensure that all input by stakeholders is appropriately addressed in a timely manner and recorded on the web page Potential anxiety among staff about the change Managing staff expectations about the software capability Lack of stakeholder buy in for the proposed solution Consistent, regular message to all staff Development of a Change Management Plan in close consultation with current RM and the Chairs of each Ethics Committee Clear consultation during the development of the Business Process Documentation Clear and agreed messages about the project and functional design elements communicated both formally and informally Strong leadership by the and Team members Strong stakeholder engagement and communication processes to ensure stakeholders are involved in the project Clearly demonstrate the advantages and efficiencies the project will deliver in both short and long term Clearly articulate the big picture goal and that the project is working for and the benefits of a bestpractice approach 3.4 Potential Good News Events EVENT AUDIENCE Type/ Role SUGGESTED APPROACH AND MESSAGES Achieved milestones Stakeholders Provide an to inform of achieved milestones Live Demo of animal ethic module Stakeholders, Committee members invites to attend demo. Evaluation survey after demo. Launch of Business Rules Stakeholders Management Forum/ Demo of User interface RSD Staff invites to attend demo. Demo of ERA solution Enhancement plan Environmental scan TBC TBC TBC 3.5 Potential Bad News Events EVENT AUDIENCE SUGGESTED APPROACH AND MESSAGES Significant shift in the product delivery date Stakeholders Schedule an unplanned meeting with key stakeholders to provide reason for the delay PAGE 10 OF 13

11 EVENT AUDIENCE SUGGESTED APPROACH AND MESSAGES Expected features delayed or unavailable Stakeholders Schedule meeting with stakeholders to advice of the delay, seek alternative solutions. 4 Stakeholders Analysis 4.1 Key Stakeholders s STAKEHOLDER TITLE & AREA ROLE/ Audience type MESSAGE TYPE Prof Margaret Harding Deputy Vice- Chancellor () Sponsor, Peter Nikoletatos Chief Information Officer Senior Supplier of Technology; John Parry Douglas Robertson Kathrin Kulhanek Paul Wong Senior Management distribution list Service Divisions Directors General Manager Committee distribution list University Committee distribution list Associate Director, Enterprise Systems & Delivery, Information Technology Services Director, Services Division Deputy Director, Services Division Director, Office of Excellence, Services Division Steering Committee; Oversight & Governance; Chair, Steering Committee; Oversight & Governance Steering Committee; ; Oversight & Governance Subject Matter Expert; Advisory ANU Senior Management Information & Awareness ANU Senior Management Information & Awareness Academic Reference Academic Reference PAGE 11 OF 13

12 Users STAKEHOLDER TITLE & AREA ROLE/ Audience Type MESSAGE TYPE Grants admin user group Grants academic user group Human Ethics module user group Animal Ethics module user group rdna Ethics module user group Publications user Professional Staff User Professional Staff User Academic Reference Academic Reference Academic Reference Professional Staff User Team STAKEHOLDER TITLE & AREA ROLE MESSAGE TYPE Nalini Nair Harry Nott Dave Pullen Mounika Paka Nick Walsh (User Representative) Team Lead, BA & TA, Enterprise Systems & Delivery, Information Technology Services Senior Business/Systems Analyst, Office of Excellence, Services Division ERA Officer, Office of Excellence, Services Division Test Analyst, Enterprise Systems & Delivery, Information Technology Services Deputy Manager, Office, ANU of Asia & the Pacific ITS Manager; ITS Senior Business Analyst Application Oversight RSD Test Analyst ITS Test Analyst User Experience & Source of Information Todd Melville University Office Vendor; Product Delivery Peter Mackie University Office Developer; Product Development PAGE 12 OF 13

13 4.2 Key Stakeholders Orientation Stakeholder group Sponsor (SMG, Service Division Directors and GMs) Senior Supplier of Technology Overall Support Rating L M L Interest and \ or concerns Positive Engagement Strategy Method of Communication Frequency Feedback Steering Committee Oversight & Governance M M Subject Matter Expert; Academic Reference Grants admin user group Grants academic user group Human Ethics module user group Animal Ethics module user group rdna Ethics module user group L L L M H M H H H PAGE 13 OF 13