EIS News Release 17 April 07
CONTACT: Kathy Kyne
(650) 949-8571
kynekathy@deanza.edu
April 17, 2007
DISTRICT KICKS OFF CRITICAL FIRST PHASE OF EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION
SYSTEM PROJECT
Innovative Web-based tool will help capture user needs
Faculty and staff of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District
have a window of opportunity to help design a new Educational
Information System by saying what they want and need from it.
Ideas about the new system will be captured through a Web-based tool
called DecisionDirector, which allows project planners to efficiently
tap into the collective intelligence and knowledge base of district
employees. The information will be used to develop a blueprint for a
new software system, which vendors will then bid to build.
The new Educational Information System, or EIS, will replace the
district's aging management information systems. The EIS will be
purchased with Measure C bond funds.
The critical stage of information gathering will last through the
summer and is expected to yield 5,000 or more specific requirements
that potential vendors will be asked to meet. DecisionDirector also
will be used to evaluate how well vendors' bids stack up against the
district's EIS specifications.
To help design the new information system, DecisionDirector asks
campus and Central Services employees to answer such questions as:
* What would you like a new system to do that the present system does
not currently do?
* What types of self-service functions should we offer that we cannot
provide today?
* What ancillary systems do you currently utilize? What function(s)
does each perform?
* As you think about this project, what are your areas of greatest
concern? What can
we do to address those concerns?
The broader the participation, the more thorough the analysis will be.
"We've been anticipating changes to our information system since the
early 1980s,'' said Chancellor Martha Kanter. "We're looking forward
to having many faculty, staff and administrators provide us with
feedback to build a system that is up-to-date, fully functional and
truly user-friendly.''
Kanter expressed confidence in the team spearheading the ambitious
replacement effort, led by Fred Sherman, vice chancellor of
technology.
"This initiative will bring us an efficient, 21st century system
that will be designed to better serve our students and meet our
educational needs,'' she said.
The Educational Information System will give the district greater
capacity and flexibility in managing student, financial and human
resources information, Sherman said in a presentation to district
trustees. The new system should make it easier for students to
interact with the district and also enhance teaching and learning.
Kathy Kyne, longtime De Anza dean of admissions and records, has
returned as a consultant to manage the project's first phase. She is
working with Chien Shih, Foothill-De Anza's new director of
information systems, who will oversee the project.
The information-gathering process kicked off March 14 with training
on DecisionDirector for key employees. These point people come from
all areas of the campuses and Central Services. Called "functional
sponsors" and "functional and technical leads," they will have
day-to-day responsibility for representing their areas in the EIS
project.
They also are charged with persuading their colleagues to check out
and contribute their specific knowledge and expertise to
DecisionDirector (www.decisiondirector.com). The software tool has
been employed by universities including Purdue, The University of
Toledo and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
In addition to posing questions, DecisionDirector allows district
participants to post or link to supporting material, and respond to
comments made by colleagues.
The information and comments collected from employees through
DecisionDirector will be used to create a "project charter,''
essentially a comprehensive document addressing users' needs, ideas,
hopes and concerns. The charter will contain critical guideposts for
the EIS project.
DecisionDirector also provides the district with an efficient way to
complete other steps in the process, including conducting a business
process review and a functional assessment, validating the system
requirements and evaluating vendor proposals.
Participants throughout the district have been organized info eight
teams: Human Resources, Finance, Admissions, Outreach, Records,
Facilities and Operations, Technical, Faculty/Staff. Those who are
interested in participating should email program manager Kathy Kyne
(kynekathy@deanza.edu) for a user name and password to sign on to
Decision Director. Please include your full name and areas of
interest in your email request.
"For those of us who have done paper-based requirements gathering for
a legacy system, DecisionDirector makes the process simpler, easier
and more comprehensive,'' Kyne said.
Project organizers expect to be able to recommend a vendor to
trustees before the end of this year. Once a vendor is chosen, the
task of implementing the new system would begin.
Sherman said completing the EIS project will take six years, and that
it will be at least four years before it's time to "go live'' with it.
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