IWMW 2004: Using your Ayes and Noes: Creating a Business Case for an Institutional Portal (A4)

Editor's Notes

• #2: Bo’s post at University of Leeds = Academic Services Portal Project Manager This 2 year post created because there were staff across Academic Services who thought an Institutional Portal was “a good idea”. Politics meant that the post was positioned as a cross service post. Remit: To investigate portal implementations in HE To undertake user requirements work To undertake business process analysis (or work with others doing same) To create a business case for an institutional portal To steer procurement/development process To implement a portal pilot
• #3: Workshop = opportunity to draw on my experience but, since these workshops are meant to be participative events, also to draw on your own ideas about creating a business case for a portal. Therefore – group discussion followed by report back – but I will also being giving you some details about hoe I’ve gone about creating a business case Theme of workshop = creating a business case using your Ayes and Noes
• #4: Who/What are your Ayes and Noes? (include those external to institution). Not just people – include any source of information – don’t forget events/precedents May feel that some Ayes and Noes ‘people’ or ‘precedents’ are unique to your institution - but over this last year I’ve come to realise that implementing a portal is 95% people and politics and 5% technology and, unfortunately ‘politics’ is not unique to any institution How can you identify Ayes and Noes and get feedback from them? For each of the Ayes and Noes – how can you find them and get information from them
• #5: Bleeding edge Other HE implementors Portal anoraks Open source communities Us and them Students Staff Peddlers Portal, CMS, process management suppliers Paper promises Strategy documents Web JISC projects Commercial portals People Academic freedom fighters Technology freaks Web wizards Dinosaurs Systems VLE Communication apps Collaborative tools Identity Services Content Management Web-enabled services Legacy apps Paper promises Operational plans Purse strings
• #6: Grouped into 5 areas Second column shows ways that I have engaged with each group Web survey for staff as well User requirements work directly contributing to business case – what do students and staff want in a portal More on the strategy/benefits mapping later
• #7: Using the Ayes and Noes identified - I’ve listed the kind of information needed to build a business case
• #8: Portal benefits/functionality: Provides presentation layer - A portal provides the presentation layer for all current and future applications. It can save costs in purchasing web enabled products and/or, new applications in development can utilise the portal as the presentation layer of the application, saving development effort. Eases access to information, reduces overload and simplifies searching - Users are faced with a vast array of information when using University web pages and Campusweb, the majority of it being irrelevant for the one particular piece of information required at any one time. At the same time, because there is so much information accessible, users can’t find what they actually need. A portal can solve these problems by providing targeted information and offering the opportunity to search across a variety of information. Provides a common and consistent user interface - A portal provides a single user interface (UI) for all the information/content, applications and processes of the institution. Each service or ‘channel’ is delivered with the same ‘look and feel’. In addition, the barriers to introducing new content and services are reduced by launching them through a new portal ‘channel’. Allows aggregation across systems - A portal has the ability to take data, content and processes from a variety of sources, providing a single ‘channel’ to access related information. For example, financial details could be taken from the SAP Finance database and from the Library Management System to provide a single ‘balance sheet’ service. Thus, the portal has the potential to offer new services and present new ways of analysing data. Delivers ubiquitous access - The portal can be accessed from any web-capable device connected to the internet, significantly broadening the scope of access to traditionally ‘on-campus’ only applications. Provides simplified sign-on - The portal may provide a mechanism for simplifying sign-on to other applications (though this may be provided elsewhere). If this functionality is provided by portal software then, significant benefits can be derived - including reduction in password queries to helpdesk and library staff, less time spent on password look up for users, and increased security (since simplified sign on will preclude the need to write down list of usernames and passwords).    Accenture survey: Integrate/ streamline information & services 49% Improve service to students/ staff 40% Offer personalised/ customised/ targeted service 30% Improve administration efficiency 26% Attract students 19% Enhance university image/ raise profile 17% Engage/ connect/ build community 11% Offer distance/ flexible learning 9%
• #9: More about dinosaurs   Against implementation: No web strategy Resources and commitment Culture Achieving authentication Achieving authorisation Achieving customisation Content management Portal functionality/level of integration
• #10:        
• #11:        
• #12: What kind of business case is required High level strategic business case? Real numbers showing ROI?  
• #13: the ayes (together with collected evidence) give the business drivers and the noes focus the business case – aiding the identification of the benefits which you should emphasise 