March 8, 2005
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Transcript of March 8, 2005
March 8, 2005
Portal Delivery: A Bold ApproachPresented by: Rick Bunt, Jonathan Moore-Wright, Lea Pennock, Sharon Scott, Todd Trann
University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Tuesday, 7:30 am – 8:30 amEvaluation Code 376
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Acting boldly and seizing their chanceWith no promise of funds in advance A team of mere mortals Unacquainted with portalsPut one in by the seats of their pants.
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PAWS
Background
Our approach
Some challenges
Lessons learned
Outline
Personalized Access to Web Services
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The University of Saskatchewan
Located in Saskatoon, Canada A “medical-doctoral” University
20,000 students 7,500 faculty and staff 14 colleges and schools with a full range of programs
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Our ERP Timeline
May 2002 – Board of Governors approves Si! project; selection process begins
November 2002 – RFP issued May 2003 – SCT Banner selected June 2003 – Contract signed; project planning begins September 2003 – PAWS launched “quietly” March 2004 – PAWS launched “loudly” April 2005 – Student goes live May 2005 – Finance goes live
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The Case for a Portal
What we had in May 2003 Institutional readiness Existing work Lists of desired services to deliver
What we didn’t have Process to implement Support (read: budget)
uPortal chosen as way to “break in” Then, along came Luminis …
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The Luminis Decision
Serendipity Luminis came as part of Si! project
purchase Not our first choice, but a good one
Leveraged existing uPortal work Provided a vendor partner Project credibility
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Project Strategy
First tangible deliverable of our Si! project We required a bold approach
Tight scope, focus on quick wins Nimble governance, “just-in-time” project
management Evolutionary budgeting Staged rollout
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Project Timeline
May 03 Sep 03 Mar 04 Sept 04
Adjustments
Train Users
Faculty Pilot
Implement
Tech training
Plan
Banner Prep
3.2 Upgrade
3.2 Beta
3.1 Upgrade
New Server
Sign Contract
Loud Launch
SoftLaunch
MyTaxForms
MyGrades
MyFiles
Calendar
Courses
MyFees
Groups
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Functionality & Services
Just-in-time delivery: leverage existing work Out-of-the-box functionality
Email, calendar, groups, courses, announcements
Grab the “low-hanging fruit” RSS, XML, WebProxy, CPIP
Throwaways
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Things don’t always follow the plan…
Rick,The portal is not yet live due to an unforeseen
requirement to re-install the entire portal…
Todd
From our Technical Lead …
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Many Challenges
Both technical and organisational A portal is a great “exposer” of
existing issues Enterprise-wide coordination
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Authentication
Issues Centralised authentication Distribution of login credentials
Strategies Leveraged previous work to establish a
campus-wide identifier Chose LDAP, maintained via existing
management system
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Issues Multiple existing services No central directory Coincident email system upgrade
Strategies “Bless” one system, guess for the rest Go live with old email server
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Instructor Data
Issues No central instructor identification
(>5000 class assignments) Several existing manual processes and
applications Negative impact on MyCourses
Strategies Opportunity for process improvement Collect with “throwaway” application
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Eligibility
Issues How to assign and control access to
services? Who is eligible for portal access?
Strategies Calls for clear definition of roles Use existing account management system (Continually) redefine “university community”
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Defining Responsibilities
Issues A portal is not “just an IT project” Unclear responsibility for communications
Strategies Establish “Content Lead” Clearly separate responsibilities
(management, steering, operations) Co-development model
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Staffing
A special challenge: no budget for staff Relied on “contributed” resources
Core skills needed Technical Lead, systems and database
admin, developers Content Lead User support and training
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A quick look at PAWS…
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1-Sep-03 1-Jul-041-Mar-041-Dec-03 1-Sep-04
Soft launch
Christmas break
Spring break
Loud launch
End of term
NSID distribution
to newly admitted students
Classes resume
Usage
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In Retrospect
Our bold approach has paid off Clear vision, build the plan as required Leverage existing work Staged rollout, to everyone
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In Retrospect
Some challenges Test vs. production environment Everything on one server (scaling) SSO to Banner
Email not the carrot we thought Open-source vs vendor Changing processes takes time (and
patience)
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Now What?
Tie-in to Banner (Student and Finance) WebCT integration Integration – legacy middleware and role of
LDIS Enhancements to Luminis More services
integration with legacy systems (eg. PS HR) New channel development
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Summary:With PAWS, we are…
Responding to expectations of our students and faculty
Facilitating faculty adoption of technology
Reducing email clutter (via Targetted messaging)
Enhancing U of S reputation Leveraging existing brand awareness
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With PAWS, we are…
Providing a common platform for service delivery Building communities of both users and service
providers Preparing the community for on-line service
delivery Continuing to work with SCT in feature
development Proving value through usage – the system sells
itself
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And Usage Continues to Grow …
Term Two2004/05
Sept 03 Sept 04
Jan 05
Soft launch
Loud launch
NSIDs distributed to newly admitted
students
Term One2004/05
Mar 04
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Lessons Learned
Pay attention to governance Take advantage of quick wins Be ready
If you build it, they will come!