ProACT : High Tech, High Touch Prospect and Communication Tracking System CUMREC 2004 “Spicing Up Technology” Austin, Texas May 17, 2004 Van Follette Washington.

ProACT:

High Tech, High Touch Prospect and

Communication Tracking System

CUMREC 2004“Spicing Up Technology”

Austin, Texas

May 17, 2004

Van Follette

Washington State UniversityInformation Technology ServicesCopyright Donovan Follette 2004. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Presentation Outline

• About Washington State University

• Business Problems and Opportunity

• Project Objectives

• Design Issues and Solutions

• User Experience

• Observations

• Future Possibilities

• Questions?

•Land-grant university•Research I status •22,000 students •Four campuses•Distance education program•Multiple learning centers

Washington State University

Pullman

Tri-CitiesVancouver

Spokane~DDP~

Business Problems

• Central campus PC-based enrollment management system was not scalable for use university-wide

• Recruiting units had own disparate communication and tracking mechanisms

• Recruiting units needed automated communication planning and tracking

• Data and business processes were not integrated

High Touch, but No Tech

Ima Student

High Touch, but No Tech

Ima Student

Business Opportunity

A strategic University initiative to increase quantity, quality,

and diversity of students

Project Objectives

• University-wide recruitment solution

• Integration with administrative systems

• Common data repository with “flexibility”

• Single comprehensive view of a prospect accessible to all recruiting agents

• Framework for a robust communication delivery mechanism

• Centralized data and technical support

Design Issues and Solutions

• Buy or build?

• Best technologies and design patterns? Principle-driven design and developmenti.e. extensibility, scalability, and reuse• N-tier client/server, enterprise-level, desktop

application• Programming language• Robust authentication/authorization• ‘Near’ zero tolerance for data duplication

• Client Executable(ProACT)

• Business RegistryInfo

• COM+• Business modules• Data access modules• SourceSafe

• SQL Server 7.0• Stored Procedures

Application Server

Database Server

Client

Win2K Win2K

Prospect and Communication Tracking System

Architecture

• Client Executable(ProACT)

• Business RegistryInfo

• COM+• Business modules• Data access modules• SourceSafe

• SQL Server 7.0• Stored Procedures

Application Server

Database Server

Client

Win2K Win2K

Prospect and Communication Tracking System

Architecture

• Client Executable(ProACT)

• Business RegistryInfo

• NCRYPT

• COM+• Business modules• Data access modules• SourceSafe• NCRYPT• NetCrusader

• SQL Server 7.0• Stored Procedures

Application Server

Database Server

Client

Win2K Win2K

DCE• Authentication• Authorization

Prospect and Communication Tracking System

Architecture

• Client Executable(ProACT)

• Business RegistryInfo

• NCRYPT

• COM+• Business modules• Data access modules• SourceSafe• NCRYPT• NetCrusader

• SQL Server 7.0• Stored Procedures

Application Server

Database Server

Client

Win2K Win2K

DCE• Authentication• Authorization

Prospect and Communication Tracking System

Architecture

Prospect and Communication Tracking System

• Client Executable(ProACT)

• Business RegistryInfo

• NCRYPT

• COM+• Business modules• Data access modules• SourceSafe• NCRYPT• NetCrusader• Attunity Connect

• SQL Server 7.0• Stored Procedures• Attunity Connect

Application Server

Database Server

MVS

Client

Win2K Win2K

NaturalAdabas

DCE• Authentication• Authorization

• Attunity Connect-Application Connector-Attunity SQL

Architecture

Design Issues and Solutions

• User-Interface design? Intuitive screens Hide data and processing complexities Logical flow for communication design and

delivery

User Experience• “Communication profiles can be as detailed or as

broad as needed.”

• “Our data is much cleaner.”

• “We are able to report clean data to the community colleges, and … the exchange of data between us and the community colleges is crucial.”

• “My favorite feature is the history. We are using this data to examine our marketing strategies and the types of materials we develop.”

“If I’d only known then …”

Minus

User Involvement

Working Relationshipswithin IT Services

Learning curve for newtechnologies

ImplementationTimeline

UnderstaffedProject Methodology

Plus

Administrative Support

High Tech Firsts for WSU

• First secure authentication to non-web environment

• First WSU-built, enterprise-wide, n-tier,client-server desktop application

• First application to implement cross-platform database joins with the institutional legacy database

• First non-MVS application to leverage WSU’s sophisticated associate match-create software via RPC

High Tech Firsts for WSU (cont’d)

• First application to use an external authorization service to control user access-level permissions

• First application to fully employ a prototype-and-build methodology

• First non-MVS source code management, programming quality standards, and quality assurance procedures

Future Possibilities

• Robust communication delivery mechanism

• Web-based request for information support

• Enhancements to include central campus

• Travel and Event Master Schedule

• Telecounseling Management

• Event Participation

• Recruiting Partner Management

Questions?

For further information …

Donovan Follette [email protected]

Lynn Hulett [email protected]

Susan Osiensky [email protected]

The End