Survey Questions
1.
What software package does your institution use? How long have they used it?
We use an integrated package from Computing Options Corporation that we
purchased in December 1995. It includes accounting, purchasing, payroll, human
resources, financial aid, credit & non-credit student records, and capital assets.
(website at www.computingoptions.com)
2.
What software package did your institution use before the current package? Why
did they change? We had a financial package (accounting/payroll) from CEI and
all other software consisted of in-house COBOL & RPG programs. We
recognized a need to increase programming staff in order to upgrade existing
programs (including y2k issues) or pursue outside software. The administration
was also concerned about the institution’s dependence on individuals in Computer
Services to know everything about the system. We were instructed to search for
software that would run on our existing hardware (HP3000) and meet all our
needs through one vendor. (we didn’t find many who met that criteria!)
3.
What personnel do your institution employee to support I.S. functions? What are
their starting salaries? All of Temple College’s I.S. functions are covered in the
positions listed below. Please list your comparable structure and starting salaries.
Director of Information Services
48,255
Assistant Director of I.S. (Systems Programmer)
Senior Programmer
Mainframe Operator
43,505
21,005
16,550
Telecommunications/Network Administrator
Hardware Technician III
Hardware Technician II
35,005
18,800
17,300
Help Center Coordinator
Telephone/Mail Clerk
Computer Lab Assistants (4)
19,505
15,050
14,300
Web Manager
22,505
Associate Dean of Information Services (currently vacant)
Systems Analyst
Systems Analyst (70% time)
Systems Analyst (80% time)
Network Engineer
Computer Operator/Network Administrator
$40,317
$36,105
$25,274
$28,884
$36,105
$28,082
Computer Operator
PC Technician
Computer Support Specialist
Computer Support Specialist/Webmaster (50%)
Secretary/Help Desk
$25,126
$28,082
$28,082
$14,041
$22,170
We have 4.5 Lab assistants who worked in instructional labs and are paid through
instructional budgets. Their starting salary is $25,126.
Note : the part-time systems analysts work part-time at their own request
4.
The only personnel listed above that would be used for a software conversion and
afterward support is the Assistant Director, Senior Programmer, and Mainframe
Operator. What was your institution’s personnel requirement for the conversion
phase? The afterward support? Please include all positions in other
departments that may perform I.S. type duties.
Our conversion involved primarily the systems analysts (there were only 2 at the
time) and the director/associate dean. In our contract with the vendor, we
specified that they would provide the conversion programs to load our existing
data into the new databases because we had such a small staff. The afterward
support is still provided by the systems analysts. Personnel in other departments
use the software, but don’t really perform I.S. type duties.
5.
What were your experiences with the installation and conversion of your software
system?
It would be hard to describe everything. Some things went extremely well and
others did not. Each module had an analyst assigned to work on it and we
implemented one module at a time. We put some thought into what time of year
would be best to do a conversion. For instance, we wanted to bring up payroll
early in the year but after W2’s were finalized so we chose March. We needed to
avoid doing major conversions during peak times like beginning of Fall semester
and end of fiscal year. Since we had the vendor write the conversion programs,
sometimes their idea of adequate conversion differed from ours. We did several
test conversions before we were satisfied with the data. We did use a parallel
system for one month in the financial area and one semester in student records.
6.
Did the software vendor provide training to your staff as well as other college
personnel? Was it adequate? Is it ongoing?
The vendor did provide training on-site to our personnel for $1000 per day. Some
of it was good and some was terrible. We found several items to be very
important. First, you must time the training to closely coincide with the actual
implementation. Several times we had training too early and the users forgot
everything before they could begin to use it. We also found the most helpful
training to include our real data. Working with demo and test data sometimes is
okay, but working with the real stuff helped identify some problems and helped
the users write some of their own “real” documentation that they could use daily.
7.
How is the level of service you receive for user support and system support?
What is the cost for this?
Our support is very good concerning questions and reporting problems.
Comparing our current vendor to our previous financial software vendor, our
current one is miles above. For the first few years, we could call and speak
directly to the programmer for a particular module. Most of the time they could
answer the question immediately or fix the problem quickly. During the last year
they have installed a voice mail system that answers most of the time and you
leave messages. They also accept email messages directly to the programmers
and they respond very well. We have given them a dial-up modem number and
security passwords so that they can access our system and check on any issues that
we report. They can also transfer new versions of software over the modem. We
pay about $60,000 per year for support which includes a prepaid maintenance plus
option. This option includes 20 days of on-site training, or 300 hours of custom
programming.
8.
What was the cost of the software package(s)? Is there a cost for each user?
What is the annual maintenance cost?
The original cost for the software was $200,000. Original training costs were
about $60,000, and we paid $42,000 for Computing Options to create TASP/State
reporting programs. As stated above, the current maintenance cost is about
$60,000 including some pre-paid training & custom programming, and about
$40,000 without the prepaid option. We have purchased a few additional modules
since the original purchase.
9.
Does the software vendor provide regular and timely updates? How about for
Federal and State reporting requirements?
We receive at least one update per year for each major module. They have an
annual users conference in the spring which allows users to submit requests for
enhancements. After the conference all users are able to vote for enhancements
and the vendor completes enhancements to the software based on the priorities of
the users. Periodically throughout the year, we receive updates to correct
problems or to address new federal requirements. When we are notified of state
reporting changes, we forward those to our vendor. Since they are based in
Maryland and don’t have many Texas customers, we usually have to explain to
them what changes will need to be made in the software. The programs are
written in Cobol and we do have copies of the source, so we can look at the
program source to recommend changes. So far, these changes have been covered
under our annual maintenance costs. But, we suspect any BIG changes or new
reports would probably bring a quote from our vendor for additional cost.
10.
What hardware platform does your system run on? What is the cost associated
with this?
We run on a Hewlett-Packard 3000 minicomputer with MPE/ix operating system.
We just upgraded our hardware last year at a cost of about $100,000. Users use
their pc or mac machines to access the HP using our network.
11.
Does your software currently allow for Web based access (Application,
Registration, and Payment)?
We installed telephone registration, payment, grade checking, & financial aid
checking over a year ago and are planning to install web-based application and
course inquiry in Spring 2000. Web-based registration is planned for late Fall
2000.
12.
How do you handle security for traffic outside your firewall?
I’m not an expert on this item and we’re not heavily into Internet traffic yet. But,
we do have a couple of people who access our HP through the Internet and go
through our firewall. Currently, we have our system setup to allow certain IP
addresses and they must successfully navigate the logon procedures of our HP
security. The web-based products will run through a NT server.
13.
Comments.
This is a big undertaking. Don’t let administration rush you. Our
administration pushed us to try to implement all modules within six months. That
was totally unrealistic. It actually took almost 2 years to fully implement all parts.
Make sure that everyone on campus understands the changes that will
occur when going from a customized system to a third-party software package.
Your users are used to a system that works exactly the way they want it to. They
will be going to a system that is written to work the way other schools do
business. This may be totally different than the way you have done things in the
past. The users need to be willing to change the way they do things to work
within the new system.
Try to make a concerted effort to not perform customized changes to the
system. It is very difficult to try to keep track of changes you have made when the
vendor sends an upgrade.
Try to get the user areas to take responsibility for their software,
specifically related to table entries. Most third party software relies heavily on
table entries to turn on/off different functions that are wanted by some schools but
not others. It is very helpful for each user area to understand how these table
entries affect the system. This gives them the “power” to make the system work
the way they want it to.
Try to get each area to write their own user guide. Most vendor manuals
are not written on a user level. If there is no user guide, then someone has to train
every new person who is hired.
Don’t get discouraged! The first couple of years will be very stressful, but
then things begin to look up!