Guidance Notes - Reference Groups (E&CM Project)
The following guidance notes have been prepared to assist in the selection of Reference Group participants for
the Enquiry & Contact Management Project.
Detail on the scope of each Reference Group, outcomes and planned approach (including estimated time
commitment where possible) is provided to help identify a suitable participant in terms of their capability and
capacity to participate.
Establishment
When:
July 2014
For what period:
July - December 2014
Title:
Reference Groups – Enquiry & Contact Management Project
Document Purpose:
The purpose of this document is to detail the role and responsibilities of the
Reference Groups in relation to the definition, configuration, testing and
deployment of University wide processes that will be deployed via the Oracle
Right Now Cloud Service.
Objectives, Approach and
Scope
Objectives:
The Reference Group(s) provide consultative forum(s) that include
representatives from the stakeholder groups that will be affected by the
outcomes of the Enquiry and Contact Management Project – Phase 1.
The remit of each Reference Group is to:
Approach:

Guide the definition of the University-wide processes that are within
the scope of the Project (via review and validation of proposed
processes)

Provide guidance on the local impact of the proposed changes (incl.
perceived pros and cons)

Assist in the definition of test cases, testing of the solution and
attendance at pilot training, as required (providing feedback for
improvement)

Support end users within their team after “Go Live”
The definition of the University wide processes will involve:

Documentation of a proposed process by the Project Team based on
the existing functionality of the Oracle Right Now Cloud Service (i.e.
“out of the box” functionality) and the experience of other Universities
and providers to the higher education sector.

Review and validation of the proposed high-level process by the
Reference Group in a workshop format. The Reference Group will be
asked to focus on the fundamental and common needs across the
University and “How can we make this work?” to eliminate or
minimise any requirement for solution customisation.

Reference Group participants may review the workshop outcomes
with their own stakeholder groups and provide feedback to the
Project Team.

The implications of the new processes for local teams will be
reviewed by the Reference Group participant and Change Manager
(in consultation with relevant Managers) as input into appropriate
communication and change management plans
Information regarding the testing plan and training and development plan will
be provided in due course.
Scope:
The processes that will be addressed by the E&CM Project will include the
following functional and technical areas of work:

Knowledgebase: Improving self-service capability by developing
and deploying a University knowledgebase, accessed via the
internet and intranet that provides customers with the information
they seek. The access, style, scope and framework of the
knowledgebase will be considered to ensure it meet customers’
needs, interests and preferences. The process by which
knowledgebase articles are developed and maintained will be
defined to ensure it has a consistent look and feel, is accurate and
kept up to date. Consideration will also be given to the
decommissioning of current website content and how the
knowledgebase may be used by staff.
Additional time is expected from those involved in the
Knowledgebase implementation. This will require more time to
review/develop, rationalise/harmonise and transfer content. The
time commitment required from each participant to coordinate the
work within their stakeholder group cannot be estimated because we
don’t yet know how many articles are required to “Go Live” and how
much work will be required to update/produce the content given
what currently exists. Someone in each stakeholder group will need
to review old content, draft new information and review and approve
the draft articles written for the Knowledgebase. Once a definitive
scope of what needs to be done is complete a target date for the
creation of the Knowledgebase content will be set.

Contact & Incident Management: The scope and detail of contact
to be recorded will be determined. A process by which enquiries are
answered promptly and accurately, via any channels (i.e. email,
phone, face to face) will be defined. This includes provision of a
“single view” of contact with individuals across the University and all
communication channels. Consideration will be given to work
management and reporting to support the appropriate and efficient
use of resources (i.e. allocation of work via queues and reporting
against service standards).

Prospective Student Lead Management: Processes to capture
and manage all prospective student leads for undergraduate and
post-graduate by course-work will be defined (incl. those that are
received directly or via parents or third parties). Appropriate contact
management with schools and international agents will also be
considered. The student lifecycle, segmentation and value
proposition for prospective Students are important aspects of this
work.

Campaign Services: Processes by which marketing and email
campaigns are managed, including campaign workflows, creation of
lists, content development and approval and the use of
personalisation and customisation. Particular focus will be given to
the lead generation process for undergraduate, honours and
postgraduate coursework. Consideration will be given to contact
management (incl. responding to customers’ requests to receive/not
receive content), targeted value propositions, measuring and
reporting on campaign effectiveness.

Technical and System Administration: These processes will focus
on identity management, data definition and management, data
migration and data integration. Integration with PeopleSoft and the
export of data to the data warehouse for reporting purposes are
within scope. The development of use cases, configuration
documentation, workspaces/GUIs, testing and deployment
processes will also be completed. The process by which
configuration items are described, reviewed, approved and applied
will be defined to ensure appropriate ownership by the business.
Note: Defining how benefits can be measured in all of the above areas will
be required to ensure improvements are tracked in a meaningful way (e.g. %
enquiries satisfied through self-service)
Role/Terms of Reference
Role:
The Reference Group(s) are responsible for:


Terms of Reference:
Alignment – ensuring that the processes defined can deliver the
essential enquiry and contact management outcomes for the
University and are aligned with the requirements of their
stakeholders.
Advocacy - communicating the rationale and benefits of better
relationship management and how the proposed processes add
value to customers, staff and the University.

Representation – representing the core requirements of their
stakeholders relevant to the processes under consideration, as well
as the opportunities for local benefits and improvement.

Risk management – assisting in defining and scoping process
changes that are practical and achievable and will provide a solid
foundation for further development.

Performance measurement – establishing appropriate measures for
monitoring the ongoing performance of the E&CM solution and
ensuring benefits are realised and meaningful.
The E&CM Reference Group(s) will assist in the following:
1. Ensuring the E&CM processes defined are simple, consistent and
appropriate for use across the University
2. Ensuring the new processes will result in tangible benefits to both
customers and staff at a local and enterprise level
3. Providing input on how proposed changes will impact their
stakeholder group(s)
4. Providing input into the processes to be configured within the Oracle
Right Now Cloud Service (any requirements that require solution
customisation will be escalated to the Project Board)
Reporting line:
The outcomes of any consultation with the Reference Group(s) will be
reviewed at weekly Project Team meetings and the Project Manager will
report progress to the E&CM Project Board on a monthly or ad hoc basis.
After key meetings/workshops, the Project Team and Change Manager will
be responsible for updating the Managers of the Reference Group
participants of the outcomes achieved.
Meetings
Frequency:
A full day Workshop with the Reference Group is scheduled for 26th October
2014. Further Workshops may occur within functional or technical work
streams and/or specific stakeholder groups as required.
Work Stream Leads:
The following members of the E&CM Project Team will lead each work
stream:
Knowledgebase – Ian Thomson
Contact and Incident Management – Siobhan Guy
Prospective Student Lead Management – Natalie Kourtidis
Campaign Services – Anita Berry
System Administration & Integration with PeopleSoft – Steph Brocklehurst
Attendance:
In addition to the reference group participants, the Project Manager/Lead
may invite other attendees whom he/she believes will provide valuable
advice to the reference group in its deliberations.
Communication:
1. Any relevant papers will be distributed to the Reference Group 4 working
days in advance of a meeting.
2. The outcomes/actions from each reference group meeting or workshop
will be documented and circulated to each member of the Reference
Group and their Manager shortly after the meeting
Quorum:
NA. Reference groups are a consultative mechanism and not a decision
making body. As such a quorum is not required, however it is expected that
meetings/workshops will be timed to ensure maximum participation, having
regard to the project time lines.
Proxy:
Reference Group members should endeavour to attend every
workshop/meeting given the short term nature of their engagement. In
exceptional circumstances, a participant who is unable to attend can
nominate a proxy. Where nominated, the proxy needs to be briefed
appropriately to ensure continuity and their ability to make informed
contributions.
Contact Information
Project Sponsor:
Pascale Quester, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President (A)
Project Manager:
Leo Gillette
Change Manager:
Robyn Gifford