Intercampus Collaboration At The University Of Missouri

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Successful Intercampus IT
Collaboration
University of Missouri
Blackboard Intercampus
Collaboration (BbIC)
Collaboration
… companies that value internal
communication between departments and
teams show increased agility, resilience
and customer satisfaction.
http://www.optimizemag.com/disciplines/collaborative-strategies/
Background
• 3 Campuses Running 3 Different Versions Of Blackboard
• UMKC
– Moved From WebCT To Bb On Windows
– Interested In Moving To Community System
– Needed Process Automation
• UMR
– Older Version Of Bb Running On Aging Equipment
– Wanted To Increase Campus Adoption Of Bb (ROI)
– Needed To Upgrade Hardware To Meet Storage Requirements
• UMSL
– Bb Is Mission Critical/Portal
– Usage Continuing To Grow
– Needed To Upgrade Hardware To Meet Load Demands
• CIOs Were Looking For Areas Where Collaboration Made Sense
Project Objectives
• Develop A Successful Intercampus Collaboration
Model
• Leverage Expertise And Resources From Each
Campus
• Provide A Unified CMS With A Portal User
Experience
• Increase Overall Value Of The Collective UM
Investment In Blackboard
• Provide A More Robust Environment And Stronger
Support Model For This Mission Critical
Application
Approach
• Evaluate Current Campus Environments
• Identify Potential Collaborative Scenarios
• Evaluate Each Scenario
– Cost / Benefit
– Risks & Mitigating Factors
• Define A Phased Approach And Timeline
• Evaluate, Select And Propose A Solution Scenario
• Obtain CIO Approval And GO!!!
Areas Of Collaboration
• Administration
– Streamlining Processes Can Save Time/Resources
• Support
– More Resources To Address Problems
– Share Support Materials To Reduce Redundant Work
• Hardware
– Provide A More Robust Environment For The Money
– Fully Redundant Development Hardware Possible
• Training
– Share Materials, Knowledge And Trainers
Phase One
Phase Two
• One Hardware Environment
With Fully Redundant
Development Hardware
• Moved From 3 OSs & 2 Bb
Versions To 1 OS (Solaris)
& 1 Bb Version (7.1)
• Coordinated 3rd Tier Support
• Coordinated Training And
User Support Efforts (UMSL
Trainers Went To UMR)
• Standardized Naming
Conventions And Data
Feeds
• Governance Structure
(Moved To Phase 2)
• Develop Memorandum Of
Understanding (MOU) And
SLAs
• Governance Structure
• Change Management
• Deliver Single Sign On (SSO)
Integration To UMKC
• Revise Snapshot Scripts To
Update Hourly
• UMKC Developing Integrated
Request System Similar To
UMSL’s
• Developing Collaborative
Training And Support Model
Scenario Options
• Scenario 1 – Distributed: 3 Campus
Hardware Environments With A Single
Shared Development Environment
• Scenario 2 – Unified: Flexible Unified
Implementation Infrastructure Hosted At
One Campus
• Scenario 3 – Blackboard ASP: Offsite
Hosted Solution
Scenario 2: Unified
Scenario 2 – Unified (Detail)
Why Scenario 2?
• Best Use Of Staffing Resources
– Leveraged Expertise From Each Campus
• Best Value
– Able To Purchase Better, Scalable Hardware To
Meet Growth
– Able To Purchase Fully Redundant Development
Environment
• More Collaboration
– Develop Model For Future Projects
Top 10 Challenges
•
•
•
•
Campus Cultural Differences
Fear Of Loss Of Control
Scarce Resources (Staffing)
Communication Challenges (Face To
Face vs. Email vs. Conference Calls)
• Geographical Distance Between
Campuses
Top 10 Challenges (Cont.)
•
•
•
•
•
Blackboard Version 7.1
New Sun Hardware
Migration From LAN To WAN Dependency
Source Data Differences
3 Different Upgrade Paths
– Solaris 6.3
– Linux 6.1
– Windows 6.3
Top 11 Elements Of Success
• Hard Work Of All Team Members
• Honesty Of Participants – No Hidden Agendas
Promoted Trust
• Good Communication
• Management Buy-In
• Short Time Frame Forced Quick Decisions And
Actions
• Good Understanding Of Each Campus’ Policies And
Procedures
• Everyone Had A Willingness To Compromise For The
Good Of The Project
Top 11 Elements Of Success (Cont.)
• Project Management Approach (With A Good Project
Manager)
– Define Goals And Roles
– Establish Project Plan (Tasks And Timeline)
– Mitigate, Mediate Or Escalate Project Issues
• SharePoint For Document Repository And Electronic
Collaboration (Tracking Task Lists, Issues, etc.)
• Weekly Campus Leads Conference Calls
– Small Numbers
– Open, Frank And Honest Conversations
– Kept Project Focused On Goals
• Establishment Of High Level Sponsorship
Collaborative Model
• Provides More Opportunities
• Get Better Designed And More
Scalable System For The Money
• Leverage With Vendors
• Power In Collaboration
Important Documents
•
•
•
•
Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU)
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Governance Structure
Processes And Procedures
– Backup And Restore
– Data Flow
– Issue Tracking And Handling
– Etc.
Project Team Members
• Tony Kay Schutz – Campus Lead (UMKC)
• Kyle Collins – Campus Lead (UMSL)
• Kelly Crone-Willis – System Administrator Expert
(UMSL)
• Meg Brady – Project Manager (UMR)
• Allen Flerlage – Campus Lead (UMR)
• And Many More!!!
Thank You For Attending
BbIC
bbictier3support@missouri.edu
Shameless Plug….
Central States Blackboard Users Group
(CSBUG)
Inaugural Meeting
Tomorrow 3:30pm – 5:20pm
Sheraton Hotel – Hampton B
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