Initiatives

Summary

We have a need to replace various legacy information systems in the near future. This need isbecoming more critical at a time when our resources are decreasing, the complexity of the systems that can meet our business needs is increasing, and time is running out between now and the certain inability of many of the systems to function in the year 2000.

We cannot plan development and implementation of each system in isolation of the others, with no thought to the consequences of missing what were typically, after all, soft or non-existent deadlines.

We must agree almost immediately on how we expect UW to conduct all of its business in Spring 1999. Then we can plan and execute all the analysis, repair, construction, purchase, implementation and training to ensure our ability to operate through the year 2000. This will imply compromises between "needs", cost, and timeliness on a scale we have never seen.

Background

These three projects are financed through central project funds and core department contributions.

	The FSP (Financial Systems Project) commissioning has been successful, but most of the system and related business processes still require implementation. This could require as much as 20 person-years from client departments and 20 person-years from IST staff.
	The SISP (Student Information Systems Project) is stalled: no functioning project team, no overall schedule, little institutional consensus on minimal functionality, and analysis of many areas still incomplete. Building a minimal system likely requires 35 person-years of IST staff alone, plus very significant user involvement; purchasing a system and implementing central components of it requires money but possibly fewer human resources.
	The HR/Payroll beta agreement (HRMS Project) with Oracle has been terminated, with no current project activity. We are acquiring a product from PeopleSoft that likely requires $1.0-1.5 M plus 10 person-years for implementation.
	The Tri-University Library initiative is in the early stages; a system is to be bought and implemented with leadership and project management at UW. Partial cash reserve available, internal financing and donations anticipated.
	The telephone switch, software, and handsets are no longer supported; replacements are increasingly problematic; maintenance costs are increasing. There are current and future pressures to enhance telephone services. A cash reserve exists to fund partial replacement.
	Many other IS needs are unaddressed by these major projects.

Problems

	User expectations of new systems are completely beyond the institution's ability to deliver that functionality in a timely and effective manner.
	We do not have a good record of achieving institutional compromises between "needs", cost, relative priorities, and time.
	We have no coordinated institutional plan.
	IST has acquired new development tools, but as yet, we have no experience in producing new systems with them according to tight schedules.
	The Year 2000 will cause many applications to fail. VS1 has not been supported by IBM for a decade; while it appears it will function beyond the year 2000, we would still then have to re-work every VS1-based application program and database.
	The unproductive overhead required to maintain new and old systems with poor interfaces between them is increasing.

Possible Alternative Solutions

Student Information Systems

	Develop (minimal) SIS without user or faculty consensus; or
	Evaluate and purchase (minimal) SIS and force compliance/"consensus".

HR/Payroll

	Develop or purchase (minimal) HR/Payroll with no further cooperation from Oracle; or
	Develop/implement software to permit payroll outsourcing.

Financial System

	Complete implementation before Spring 1999; or
	Revise scope to reduce resource demands.

Other Systems

Evaluate needs and alternatives.

Telephone System

	Purchase complete replacement from Bell; or
	Go through formal RFP, evaluation, and replacement exercise with someone else; or
	Begin staged replacement.

Guiding Principles

Time is now of the essence.

Avoid investing in repair of legacy systems.

Purchase systems rather than develop them whenever possible.

Simplicity is crucial:

	Emphasize base level functionality in new systems, even if the system can address other objectives.
	Marginal benefit decreases significantly beyond the base.
	Marginal cost increases significantly beyond the base.

Establish and comply with institutional standards.

These issues are an institutional priority, not an isolated priority of IST or any other single unit.

Recommendations

Assess probable impact of Year 2000.

Develop feasible compromises by December 1996 to do business in Spring 1999.

Purchase PeopleSoft HR/Payroll. (Done)

Evaluate and purchase PeopleSoft SAS in conjunction with some custom development (This recommendation is still under review).

Begin staged replacement of telephone system. A letter of intent has been sent to Bell.

Begin detailed planning and cost sharing on other critical information systems.

These recommendations cannot be carried out in time unless we use a more effective, institution-wide, project management style, in conjunction with appropriate fiscal and human resources.

Appendix

Preliminary Information Systems Assessment:

	Technical environment
	Information systems inventory and project scopes
	Other issues

J. P. Black (jpblack@uwaterloo.ca), 1996.10.16

Business 1999 Report (Version 1.1)