Project Management

Assignment
Rabia Kazmi 2009-1-09-10182 Submitted to: Mr. Sheikh Abdul Qadir Faculty, Project Management

INTRODUCTION
Jayne Bacon is the Information Learning and Technology Manager at Colchester Institute. She was appointed the Project Manager of a Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) sponsored interoperability project at Colchester Institute in 2001. Janette Hillicks of JISC infoNet interviewed Jayne at Colchester Institute to find out more about the Project Management approaches used on the Project and the benefits felt, challenges met and lessons learned from successfully undertaking a sizeable project in a relatively short time scale.

THE INSTITUTION
Colchester Institute is the largest college in Essex and is based over two campuses one in Colchester, the other in the seaside town of Clacton. The Institute has over 10,000 full-time and part-time students enrolled on over 140 full-time and over 700 part-time courses. There is a large infrastructure underpinning the academic operation which includes a Learning Resources Centre, Student Services and 1,200 internet enabled PCs. The College offers both Further and Higher Education deliveries and this is one of the challenges facing the institution given the requirements are diverse for each, for instance with regard to examination boards and various statutory and other elements.

THE PROJECT
The JISC Committee for Integrated Environments for Learners (JCIEL) set up a Managed Learning Environment Steering Group (MLESG) to help Further Education Colleges with the selection and implementation of Managed Learning Environments. The MLESG conducted a number of Interoperability pilots to implement and prove the feasibility of interconnection between systems within an MLE using the international standard of IMS (Information Management Systems), with FE (Further Education) extensions. Colchester Institute became one of the pilot sites in 2001. The intention of Colchesters project was to investigate the technical and other issues surrounding the interfacing of TekniCALs Virtual Campus (a Virtual Learning Environment product) with Fretwell Downings EBS (a student record system component of a Managed Learning Environment (MLE) using appropriate elements of the IMS standards. The project took place over the period 1 April 31 December 2001. The projects stated aims were to:

achieve student and course data exchange between component parts of the MLE to enable the VLE to deliver specific study material to identified group of students; test interoperability between the Virtual Campus (VLE) and learning resources (content)

Its specific objectives were to: achieve student and course data exchange easily; construct objectives for best practice within the College; identify summary reports required by Colchester Institute; ensure that the reporting and tracking of students achievements within MLE met the needs of Colchester Institute.

The Institute was already working with a standalone VLE (TekniCALs Virtual Campus) and were keen to consider if a Managed Learning Environment could offer any enhancement to their current operation and also what effects this would have in terms of staff and procedures. The project was supported by a small team who worked on it alongside their regular jobs and also had a steering group and a small pilot group of students in an identified area of the curriculum.

THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT APPROACH

A great believer in using structured, methodical approaches, it is no surprise that Jayne used just such an approach for the Interoperability Project. The method she used was something of an adapted hybrid of recognized practices. It was not strictly a prescribed Project Management methodology although it did have elements of tried and tested tools. There were several similarities to PRINCE for example. Preferring to work within a structure with clear tasks and goals, rather than a fluffy environment, Jayne believes that the main advantages of using a methodical approach are: Control Focus Key inputs/outputs Clear objectives Challenges

It is Colchesters policy to only take on projects that will be of benefit to the Institute. It is imperative that there is some value for the College in any new initiative undertaken. Jayne recognizes that the temptation is there for the availability of funding itself to be a driver for committing an institution to undertake a project but feels strongly that this would not be in the best interests of Colchester Institute and is keen that any project undertaken should fit in with the strategy of the College. The Interoperability Project was something that the Institute was going to be undertaking anyway although the potential for involvement with JISC was very attractive. Defining the scope wasnt easy it boiled down to what was realistic in the time allowed. Getting clarity of business process levels, etc there was a real element of trust in other peoples skills and expertise. There wasnt a change of scope as such although some minor tweaks were

made. A real push was required towards the end of the project to ensure its successful conclusion.

STAKEHOLDERS AND RELATED PEOPLE ISSUES

When it came to the involvement of stakeholders in the project there was a deliberate overall strategy pursued to ensure that the maximum support from throughout the College was generated. The goal was to ensure that stakeholders reacted positively to the approach and this was achieved. There was no detrimental reaction against the formal approach taken and a proactive communication strategy helped alleviate any fears and dispel any confusion that may have been experienced. The whole project was managed in a proactive way. All stakeholders were encouraged to have buy-in to the project. Indeed, it was vital for the success of the project for stakeholders to be on board. This included the active buy-in of the vendors as well as the other stakeholders. There was also a recognized requirement for additional/dedicated resource for the project including a programmer. It was essential that the Academic Registry, the Senior Management Team and the Head of IT Services were all on board from the outset too. Transparency of data was an important issue and was the responsibility of the Academic Registry. There were some challenges experienced in the selling of the project. It was important to avoid raising stakeholders expectations too high, too quickly. Jayne candidly admitted that the institution has had its fingers burnt on previous projects due to overselling something from the outset. This can cause real disappointment and helps fuel mistrust for future initiatives. Academics were not heavily involved in the project initially; there was a deliberate plan to get them more involved later. The college had previously undergone a collaborative VLE project which had resulted in a number of lessons being learned and an agreement that some aspects of the previous experience should not be repeated. One of the lessons heeded was not to raise expectations too early on in a project hence the delay in including some elements of the Institution until there were real tangible outputs. An interesting approach was taken when academics were initially introduced to the project. Sessions for academics were held based on the premise that money was no object and technical barriers were surmountable. They were asked what would make things better for them. No promises were made about the outcome of the exercise. In actuality several of the suggestions they made were already available they just hadnt realized. Team building is very important to Jayne and she was also keen to break down formality. Goals were seen as shared and not just the province of management. Meeting of goals was seen as a useful motivational tool encouraging further commitment of the stakeholders to the project. The Project Steering Group was chaired by Jayne and she also managed the team. Her philosophy with regard to managing people is If theyre there, theyre important. Group mix was important and once the group was formed it stayed together throughout the duration of the project.

Jayne is a pragmatist and one of the strengths that has become apparent in her leading of this project is that she has trusted those people with particular levels of experience and knowledge to use it appropriately in order to achieve set goals. However, she felt strongly that in order for her have an overview of what was happening and a strong steer of direction for the project, it was important to have regular plain English explanations of activities by all members of the team. This was important as it helped to ensure that everyone had an understanding of what was going on in basic terms. It also helped to de-mystify some of the more technological and data specific aspects of the project. Feedback from those involved in the Project Team has been positive one member of staff stated: It has provided a much needed opportunity to reconsider my own, sometimes cynical, view of new learning systems. The enthusiasm within the project team has been infectious and I have recaptured something of the spirit I had when I was involved in research some twenty years ago

TOOLS
PEST and SWOT analyses were undertaken in order to highlight issues from an early stage. (A PEST analysis looks at Political, Economic, Social and Technological factors. A SWOT analysis identifies the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats involved.) All stakeholders including the Governors, the Principal, the Senior Management Team and the students were analyzed using the tools. There was some familiarity with the approaches and the theory behind them but the project gave an opportunity to put the theory into a practical context. The project investigated elements of the College rather than looking at the sector as a whole. Careful consideration was given to what the Institute required of the technology and the project outcomes. The team needed to look at a minimum level at which requirements could be met to allow scalability for the future. The project was not just about technology. During the pilot stage a significant amount of time was spent looking at processes and demands on technology. A business process project was undertaken alongside other related projects at the same time as the Interoperability Project.

EXTERNAL PARTIES
Vendors met the deadlines. The same vendor representatives attended the regular project Meetings each month there was a consistency of contact which, it become more and more obvious, was a major factor in the successful progression of the project. The regular meetings always ended with an agenda/action plan being agreed in advance of the next meeting. It was seen as a definite advantage that the two vendors had worked together before as this helped save time from the outset of the project. The approach and the relationship cultivated with the vendors worked well and occasionally more progress was made than had originally been planned for so other tasks could be fitted in.

Vendors were so on board that it was not uncommon for them to seek responses from their developers via phone calls during the regular project meetings rather than waiting until they were back at base to come back to Colchester about particular issues. If Colchester had not taken such a proactive and methodical approach to the project there was definite potential for deadlines to be missed. The projects communication and reporting framework prevented float and encouraged continued motivation.

TRACKING AND REVIEW

The project used a minimum bureaucracy approach. Form filling was kept to a minimum within a pro-active communication strategy. Emphasis was placed much more on communication rather than on over-zealous administration. The following questions were regularly asked: Where are we today? Where do we need to go? What do we need to do? When can it be done by? These simple questions helped frame the projects progress and resulted in appropriate measurements of tasks and timescales. Tasks within the action plan were tracked. Monthly progress reports were compiled which met the requirements of both JISC and Colchester Institute whilst also being a useful tool for the Project Team itself to measure progress against goals. This helped ensure that the project was regularly reviewed to monitor its progress and keep it on track. There was also a major review of the project at its conclusion. Challenges were seen as a positive throughout the project as the approach was such that challenges could be faced and met. A schedule for monthly meetings was agreed from the outset of the project. The whole team, including vendor representatives attended the regular meetings. Tasks were set at these meetings with an emphasis on reality were undertakings realistic? Could things be done within the required timescale? The projects success relied on the setting of realistic goals within realistic timescales based on realistic levels of resource.

COMMUNICATION
Regular communication was vital and, as well as face-to-face meetings, great importance was applied to the use of telephones and emails. In order to prevent any slippage on deadlines and milestones it was accepted practice that the relevant parties were prompted (via telephone or email) a week or so before looming deadlines.

RISKS
The biggest risk to the project as far as Jayne was concerned was failure the Interoperability might not actually work. Colchester, however, was prepared to accept this risk, although there was a lot of confidence within the institution that this would not happen and it was not generally considered to be a risk project. All risks were shared throughout the team the relationship was very open with a high level of communication.

CULTURAL CHALLENGES
There were some challenges and some cultural differences that became apparent between business and education sectors during the projects duration. Terminology for instance could be a problem at times for instance a field requiring the same information in both systems might be called something different. Also the possibilities for recording that information could also be different, for instance Male and Female could be represented as M and F in one system and 1 and 2 in another. There were also some cultural differences apparent between private industry (the vendors) and the education sector (Colchester Institute). However these challenges were met and a very good working relationship was developed. This data mapping issue is something that can be easily missed when planning a project. Overlooking it can have a huge impact on the progress of an implementation project as it can cause major delays if it is not taken into consideration from the beginning.

PROJECT END LESSONS AND BENEFITS

There were several unexpected benefits felt as a result of undertaking the project. Everyone learned a lot. Good relationships were built. It gave extra credibility to Colchester Institute within the sector. The project also helped to develop close links between sections across the College. If Jayne were undertaking a similar project today the main thing shed attempt to do to improve things would be to plan better for absences and holidays especially those that occur during the mid-summer period as delays caused by unplanned-for absences can be a frustration. The project experienced some challenges around the differences between education and business holiday arrangements. However if vendor representatives were away they would always send a replacement to any project meeting. When asked what message Jayne would give to other colleges who arent currently using a structured methodology for their projects she said that they should, Stop and re-think you need the structure! She feels that sometimes people blame the product but its more about insufficiently defining requirements. Institutions need to look at what they need to achieve and who needs to do it. One of the main lessons learned was that being proactive was crucial, it became clear during the project that if there is not a proactive attitude involved then the project will not work. There is

no opportunity to just sit back and expect things to happen people and activities often require prompting. Ultimately, the project addressed the interoperability of the Institutes VLE and MLE with the interests and needs of staff, students and Colchester Institute. The project complemented the Institutes CIS (College Information System) and ILT (Information Learning Technology) strategy. The Institution found that their approach to integration had realised benefits of a culture change within learning practices across the curriculum. The project was a challenging and rewarding experience for those involved had a major impact on developments for following years and stages at the College.

FURTHER RESOURCES
JISC infoNet has a wide variety of resources and tools freely available to institutions and individuals in the further and higher education sectors, with the JISC infoNet website (http://www.jiscinfonet.ac.uk) providing the main access route to the materials. Further information is provided on the website on a variety of issues relevant to the Colchester Institute Case study including information and data, PEST and SWOT methodologies, and best practice models for process review and project management.

APPENDIX 1

ORIGINAL PROJECT MILESTONES AND OUTCOMES. SUMMARY (from Public Report to Prove the Concepts of Interoperability Within Managed Learning Environments in the Further Education Sector (Colchester Institute). Written by Jayne Bacon.

MILESTONE OUTCOME
1 Submit tender to JISC 6 Feb DONE 2 Agree with partners monthly meeting dates and venues March DONE 3 All partners to agree on detailed action plan for the interoperability process to start March April. DONE 4 To identify a steering group to include a student, member from another college, ILT champion, member of SMT, Head of IT Services, Curriculum Manager and ILT

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

This was not done as stated instead many different cross college meetings took place and heads of faculty and centre as well as staff from FE and HE were invited. This was deemed as the steering group. 5 College to identify curriculum area for pilot with students for September 2001 DONE 6 College to ensure that chosen curriculum area will have appropriate study material available by September within the VLE. Course material to be developed by MPU (Media Production Unit) with course tutors where necessary DONE 7 Trial transfer of student and course data from the MIS to the VLE JUNE .This was delayed but took place in November and was successful to all 3 levels of data transfer. (level 1 transfer, level 2 understanding data transferred, level 3 using the data transferred in the correct manner) 8 Testing of curriculum mapping within the VLE JULY. Again delayed until November. In November we could see the top level course but not the broken down modules although the vendor could see them at their end. Tested again December and the modular level could be seen. 9 Testing of Validation July There is no method to do this in the standards for this project 10 Testing with Virtual student data July AugustTesting took place in November and has been successful at all 3 levels (see no. 7 for levels) 11 Staff development sessions for prospective tutors of the pilot project. The pilot project was on 2 courses which the ILT champions are all doing through the VC. They are all using the Virtual Campus as students and are learning through this medium. No training on being a staff member has taken place at present but staff are using the system. 12 Trial of interoperability with Olib the MIS and VC, This was not done but decision was made to leave this out due to hold-ups and delays on the rest of the project. 13 Enrolment and training for trial students Tested in November and successful. 14 Meeting with students on pilot where possible for evaluation of experience. As the course they are all doing is accredited at level 3 OCN all students will be required to do an evaluation at the end of the course. This will not be in time for this project end. However I have had positive feedback from staff that want to use this system with students and can see the benefits for some groups. 15 Changes made and noted for interoperability I feel that we have made some very relevant points in this project and we have made necessary changes as we have progressed. 16 Testing of further areas (deletion etc). This is something we all feel needs further testing.

17 Evaluation of all partners and staff and students This report (Public Report to Prove the Concepts of Interoperability Within Managed Learning Environments in the Further Education Sector (Colchester Institute) submitted to JISC at end of project