Successful Intercampus IT Collaboration
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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!!!
Central States Blackboard Users Group (CSBUG)
Inaugural Meeting
Tomorrow 3:30pm – 5:20pmSheraton Hotel – Hampton B
Shameless Plug….
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