Each month, we’ll provide updates on some of our key projects via the IT Services blog. If you have any questions or feedback about our new monthly project update, or in relation to the projects we’re highlighting this month, please email projectdocs@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
Relationship Engagement Platform (REP)
Our Relationship Engagement Platform (REP) project is designed to identify customer relationship management (CRM) needs across the University.
We have assigned a Business Analyst and Project Manager and this project is moving into analysis scoping phase with a Gate 2 being drafted and project board being formed. The analysis phase will explore existing and future aspirations for managing relationships and interactions with different stakeholders. From this, we hope to identify common themes and requirements to inform an options appraisal of suitable enterprise software platforms.
Unified Communications
Our Unified Communications project will replace the current approximately 8,000 telephones with IP telephony handsets. We will deliver integrated communications services including improved call distribution and handling through new call centre functionality.
This programme is formed of two workstreams:
- Technical implementation (which will involve replacing all telephone handsets)
- Implementation of the solution for our Contact Centres – the four largest being: Clearing, Admissions, IT Service Desk, Student Hub.
Procurement are currently raising the purchase order and a communications plan is in development. We’re reviewing project team membership to ensure the appropriate stakeholders are engaged for this programme.
Office 365 pilot
Microsoft Office 365 is an online platform offering a range of integrated applications.
The University already subscribes to O365 to deliver some student and alumni services. Our current pilot introduces some O365 services to a small group of staff with the aim of providing some initial answers to a number of key questions around how we best use the services, what limits we might place on them and whether they duplicate any existing tools or applications already in use at the University. Answering these questions will allow us to determine the best way to release these services to the wider University.
We are piloting the following O365 features:
- Teams – a platform for collaboration and communication
- Forms – an online survey tool
- OneDrive for Business – online file storage, sharing and co-editing
- StaffHub – a rota tool that can be used for scheduling shifts to cover services within departments
- Flow – an automation tool
The pilot is underway with 300 IT staff plus 13 staff in External Relations and 23 staff in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Engagement with the pilot has been very positive with regular interaction with the tools (see Usage statistics PDF).
Our mid-point survey tells us that users are clearly finding benefit, in particular from Microsoft Teams:
“it’s soooo much better than email and skype and is a more relaxed way of communicating, think over time it would help office culture”
“We are better able to collaborate as a whole team. It feels like there is a heightened awareness of current issues.”
“It has been easier to communicate with groups of people and to collect knowledgeable colleagues together in a Team that perpetuates after you shut your machine down.”
Automated Testing Project
In November 2019 IT Services launched the Test Automation and Process Automation tool Leapwork, following a lengthy procurement and proof of concept phase.
Leapwork is a codeless automation tool for web, desktop and virtualisation software and currently, anyone from Application Services can use Leapwork. If there is a software test that needs to be repeated, Leapwork can be used to automate that test. If there is a repetitive IT based task that you carry out daily the chances are that Leapwork could be used to automate that task through Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
To find out more: Come and speak to the QA Team in G25 of Elms Road, chat to us on Teams – https://bit.ly/2FII2j0or raise a general request on Service Now.
StARS (Student Administration Refresh and Simplification) Programme
The StARS programme was formally launched in June 2018 with the overall objective to replace the aging student record system (Banner 8) with a newer vendor supported version of the software. In doing so, this presents an opportunity to standardise and align related administration processes to the new ‘out of the box’ software and ensures vendor support will be available in event of system failure.
Additionally, a number of new system modules will be implemented to increase the functionality available within the system, most notably, including Banner Document Management, Ellucian Workflow and Student Self-Service.
This also presents an opportunity to review and improve the accuracy and flexibility of current data reporting through a re-structured curriculum data model and to rationalise the number of interfaces through deprecation of legacy systems, such as the current Banner interface, BIRMS.
The programme timeline runs until June 2021 and is broken down into the following stages and sub-workstreams:
- Discovery, Requirements Gathering, Procurement, Recruitment and Planning Phase
- Project Implementation
- Banner 9 Upgrade (8 to 9)
- Banner 9 New Module Implementation
- Curriculum Data Model Restructure
- Business Process and Cultural Change
So far the programme has undertaken a vast amount of requirements gathering and planning, which has resulted in initiation of all key project workstreams. We completed the first stage of the Banner 9 Upgrade in December 2018, with planning continuing to agree the final upgrade date, currently assumed November 2019. The curriculum data model restructure and new module implementation workstreams are under planning with a view of formalising a delivery plan before the end of this month.
The Business Process and Cultural Change workstream has been kicked off and is creating a delivery plan for an initial proof of concept process (leave of absence), which will need a number of technical implementations that will provide the Banner modules we need to support the process optimisation involved.