JISC

The Flexible Service Delivery programe’s focus on process improvement is directly aligned with the University’s strategy and is also a key thread of our supporting Information Services strategy. Our commitment to engaging in the JISC programme has afforded us the opportunity to build upon our experiences and learning gained from our JISC funded Lean Enterprise Architecture Project, which was part of the JISC Enterprise Architecture Pilot Programme in 2008. It is also emerging that our ongoing commitment through our Modern IT Working Environment Programme – which includes a range of software tools from major vendors such as IBM and Oracle for business process automation, data management practices and application integration using SOA - has provided us with the opportunity to share our experience of adopting a service oriented approach and reducing operating costs and waste with others across the Strategic Technologies Group. Our close involvement in the Enterprise Architecture Practice Group has meant that we’ve been able to support practitioners and managers new to EA to develop some initial knowledge that enables them to get started themselves. 

Contact Name: Paul Hobson 
Position: Deputy Chief Technology Officer 
Email:hobsonpd@cardiff.ac.uk 

The adoption of Enterprise Architecture will play an important part in creating a framework and processes to integrate University activities with those of the IT teams; bringing together business process, information and systems architecture.

New strategic technologies and delivery models such as ‘Cloud’ and Shared-services will be explored together with IT Governance, IT Service Management and Portfolio Management.

These initiatives will bring significant benefit to DMU as it adapts to the challenging times within the sector.  We recognise the importance of not ‘reinventing the wheel’ and the work of the FSD programme covers many of the areas we are exploring.

Membership of the STG will allow us to work with peers across the sector, sharing knowledge and experiences for the benefit of both DMU and the sector as a whole.

Contact Name: Michael Robinson
Position: Director of Information Services and Systems
Email: mrobinson@dmu.ac.uk

Contact Name: Rayhana Rahman
Position: CRM Project Manager
Email: Rayhana.Rahman@uwe.ac.uk
Tel: 0117 32 83848

Southampton Solent University (SSU) is currently engaged in an ambitious programme to develop its Business Systems as part of its Strategic Development Programme. Through this programme the University will implement a new HR / Finance system, develop the Student Information System to accommodate more flexible modes of learning, see the introduction of a University wide attendance monitoring system (with future expansion to address engagement monitoring) and develop a learner management system.

All new and existing University systems will be supported by a 24x7 server infrastructure. In order to develop effective interfaces between diverse University systems and to ensure the resilience and reliability of our IT systems SSU has commenced a project to implement an SOA architecture utilising IBM Websphere Business Process Server.

The University’s participation in the STG and associated EAPG will allow SSU to accelerate its ICT development programme as outlined above and to benefit from and contribute to sector wide developments. Furthermore, the opportunity for members of our ICT team to participate in the EA Professional Foundation Programme will allow them to develop their skills alongside colleagues from other institutions who are facing similar challenges.

Contact Name: Elizabeth Selby
Position: Dean, Learning and Information Services
Email: Elizabeth.Selby@solent.ac.uk
Tel: 023 80319679

The benefits of integrated information systems are recognised at the highest level in the University and our Process Review and Systems programmes are key enablers to achieving organisational change and improvement. Involvement in the Flexible Service Delivery programme is helping us to ensure we embed best practice in our institution, as well as providing us with a suitable forum in which to share our approaches to the wider HE community.

Our current corporate systems approach (the combination of best-of-breed and tailored bespoke systems) is already undergoing a change. Recent examples include the introduction of externally hosted services such as WPM for online payments and Hobsons for PG applications (and soon to be used for PG & UG CRM); The development of a new reporting infrastructure; Investigations into Cloud-based services such as e-mail. There may also be further opportunities that should be investigated, such as shared services and the use of a more service-orientated technical approach.

The preparation for future changes to service delivery choices (in-hosted, out-hosted, Cloud, outsourced, etc.) will require an ever greater need to align IT with the requirements emanating from initiatives such as PRS. Such alignment must be according to an overall architectural plan, defining the alignment of infrastructure, applications and data with organisation structure & business process change. The plan must be based upon a high-level enterprise-analysis (building on existing work such as SPR and the existing IT Strategy), and must be maintained and enhanced through an ongoing dialogue between IS and process owners. The outcomes of such analysis must be embedded within the institution IT governance framework, and then combined with the more detailed assessment of existing systems, their future potential fit for purpose (review, revise, re-implement or replace? As with the SITS review), and go on to inform future systems development choices in a more holistic manner."