DTI007-EdGEL as a Service – Final version

Background

A review of the online student experience, conducted by Headscape in the spring of 2016, highlighted many examples of poor user experience (UX) arising from a lack of user-centred design, inconsistent standards, and lack of integration between services. The insight provided by the study showed that the overall online experience provided by the University is substantially below student expectations.

A significant contributing factor to the current situation is the lack of user experience-related skills and processes with the University’s planning and development practices.

The Digital Transformation programme will raise the level of skills and awareness of UX practices among staff across all disciplines involved in software procurement, development and service management, both within IS and across all areas of the University that collaborate in the provision of a digital experience.

Scope

  • This project will outline the requirements for defining the process around extending the existing EdGEL to support all users with a cohesive experience of Edinburgh University as a Digital Entity. It will investigate and communicate the benefits and opportunities for using the GEL and will engage users across the University.It should be noted that engagement will not stop with this project but will continue in other projects.
  • This project is about understanding the gaps between what exists in EdGEL as it currently stands and what will be needed to extend the service throughout the University.
  • It will review the current EdGEL website with proposals for improvement
  • The outcomes of this project will feed into DTI008

Not in scope

  • The actual delivery of a process. We are only defining processes in this project.

Objectives and deliverables

The deliverables are prioritised using the MoSCoW prioritisation method:

M=Must Have; S=Should Have; C=Could Have; W=Want

  • (M= has to be satisfied for the final solution to be acceptable in terms of delivery dates, compliance, viability etc.
  • S= high-priority requirement that should be included if possible -workarounds may be available
  • C= a nice-to-have requirement
  • W= want but will not be part of this project)

Objectives and Deliverables / Priority / Owner
O1To define a framework for delivering EdGEL as a Service(EaaS) for the University
D1. A defined EdGEL process / M / Karl Smith
D2. EdGEL Website Update review and proposal / M / Karl Smith
D3. EdGEL Website Update / S / UWP – Billy Wardrop
D4. An EdGEL Interaction Style Guide 1.0 / M / Karl Smith
O2 To create an engagement strategy which will investigate and communicate the benefits and opportunities of EdGEL
D1. Insights report / S / Karl Smith
D2. EdGEL adoption strategy backlog document / M / Karl Smith
O3 To make the case for continuing EdGELfor BAU funding
D1. Initial recommendations for a Service Management model including plans, processes and estimates of ongoing BAU costs to feed into DTI008 / M / Karl Smith
D2. Gap Analysis / M / Karl Smith
ISG Dev
D3. Feed initial recommendations into DTI008 for further development / M / Karl Smith

Benefits

The benefits from this project will be:

  • We will be able to make initial recommendations on how to move forward with delivering EdGEL as a Service
  • We will have raised awareness around the University of the benefits and opportunities that come from using EdGEL
  • We will have delivered reusable engagement support tools, not just engagement itself

Success criteria

  • The development of a framework that identifies the gaps to be filled in order to introduce the EdGEL service throughout the University.
  • The EdGEL Website has been reviewed with proposals for change.
  • Initial engagement with the University communities through workshops and stakeholder engagement, giving us a baseline from where we can introduce measurement.
  • A first draft of process guidance materials are available for use. These guidance materials will be taken forward and developed further through future iterations outwith this project.
  • Recommendations have been made making the case for BAU funding.
  • Adoption strategy backlog created

Milestones

Planning / 17-Mar-17
Recommendations to continue EdGEL / 28-Apr-17
Framework for delivering EdGEL / 23-Jun-17
Engagement strategy initiation / 7-Jul-17
Delivery – all tasks completed / 17-Jul-17
Close / 26-Jul-17

Impact

Priority and Funding

  • This is a Priority 1 project and is sponsor funded by Digital Transformation
  • The Digital Design consultants time (Karl Smith) is funded by the Student Experience Fund under the remit of Melissa Highton
  • The UX consultants time (Magdalena Tsiobanelis) is funded by the Digital Transformation fund

Impact and dependencies

  • The results of this project will feed into DTI008 and DTI009
  • The EdGEL process has a dependency on the work carried out in DTI009 and DTI010

Risks

Risk Description / Impact / Probability / Risk Management Approach – Actions / Contingency / Risk Owner
May be unable to deliver scope within the available budget / High / Low / Retain - Monitor
  • Revisit project scope and budget after planning and at each milestone
/ If this risk occurs we will need to either reduce the scope or secure additional funds / Stratos Filalithis
As understanding of the approach/ proposed solution develops, requirements for the project may change / Medium / Medium / Retain –
  • Monitor and review after each workshop
/ Review new requirements and agree revised scope with all key stakeholders / Stratos Filalithis
Failure to sufficiently engage end users in the project so they do not realise the benefits of EdGEL / High / Medium / Reduce –
  • Workshops being set up to demonstrate benefits and opportunities of EdGEL to user base
  • Framework being set up to describe processes that should be used
/ Stratos Filalithis
Project team see risk and issue management primarily as an administrative functions managed by IS / Medium / Medium / Reduce –
  • Project Manager will discuss the importance of risk management with project sponsor and team
  • Risks to be reviewedregularly by the project team
/ Stratos Filalithis
Availability of Project Manager / Medium / Low / Retain –
  • Programme Manager will cover any short term unavailability
  • Circulate who should be contacted in PM absence
/ Long term new PM appointed / Alison Armstrong
Availability of Consultancy staff / Medium / Low /
  • Retain – Consultant on contract so risk is low.
  • Consultant drawing up list of what work will not be completed to take forward to next year
/ Long term new consultant appointed / Stratos Filalithis
Availability of LTW staff / Medium / Low / Retain –
  • Ensure detailed plans to help with LTW resourcing
/ If we could not get the resource then we would have to delay until suitable resource was available / Stratos Filalithis
Availability of IS Development staff / Medium / Low / Retain –
  • Plan resource in appropriately
  • Is P1 project so should not have to conflict. However if we did then this would be done in accordance with the formal IS Apps resource conflict process
/ If we could not get the resource then we would have to delay until suitable resource was available / Dev resource manager

Organisation

Work/Task breakdown

O1Todefine a framework for delivering EdGEL as a Service(EaaS) for the University

  • Note that there are 2 processes
  • Overarching process: different elements, audiences
  • Technical process: cyclical process for doing work – different people at different times

Tasks / Who / P / When
O1 D1 /
  • Requirements gathering on developing EdGEL as a service, to be available at a University level
  • Includes initial recommendations for service level change control and future development processes – feeds into DTI008
/ Karl Smith / M / Feb – 31 May
O1 D1 /
  • Workshops and stakeholder engagement focusing on how the EdGEL service should be run
/ Karl Smith
ISG Dev Services / M / Feb – 31 May
O1 D1 /
  • Workshops to communicate how to use EdGEL, focusing on three types of workshops/tutorials (Design & brand based; technical introduction; drop-in to get help with own applications).
/ Karl Smith
ISG Dev Services / M / Feb – 31 May
O1 D1 /
  • Creation of an EdGEL usage process
/ Karl Smith / M / Feb – 31 May
O1 D2 /
  • Review the current EdGEL website documenting proposals for improvement to make it a university wide service
/ Karl Smith / M / 27 Feb-19 May
O1 D3 /
  • Update the EdGEL Website based on the review (D2)
/ UWP-Billy Wardrop / S / 22 May – 2 Jun
O1 D4 /
  • Pull out of existing documentation what is required for an EdGEL Interaction Style Guide and create the first draft
/ Karl Smith / M / 6 Mar – 28 Apr
O1 D4 /
  • Style Guide will includenon-technical Guidance materials (i.e. how we implement principles - UX, IA, Branding guidance etc.)
/ Karl Smith
Magdalena Tsiobanelis / M / 6 Mar – 28 Apr
O1 D4 /
  • Prepare usable engagement materials - these are the technical materials and should include documentation of the training formats developed to support re-use of these as an ongoing communication tool to support users of EdGEL (and ideally supported by short tutorial videos to support users who may need this information when there is no training session available)
/ Karl Smith / M / 15 May – 30 Jun

O2 To create an engagement strategy which will investigate and communicate the benefits and opportunities of EdGEL

Task / Who / P / When
O2 D1 /
  • Create an engagement plan
/ Stratos Filalithis
Karl Smith / M / Feb
O2 D1 /
  • Engagement: Investigate the benefits and opportunities of EdGEL to university communities
/ Karl Smith / M / ongoing
O2 D1 /
  • Engagement: Communicate benefits and opportunitiesto specific university communities through meetings and workshops
/ Karl Smith / M / ongoing
O2 D1 /
  • Create insights reports highlighting Karls findings on creating the processes around the GEL. It can be used for future developments.
/ Karl Smith / S / 20 Feb – 31 Mar
O2 D1 /
  • EdGEL hackathon plan
(Is complete just needs converted into a document) / Karl Smith / M / 27 Feb – 31 May
O2 D2 /
  • Create an adoption strategy backlog document
/ Karl Smith / M / 6 Mar – 31 Mar

O3 To make the case for continuing EdGEL

Task / Who / P / When
O3 D1 /
  • Draw up and prioritise initial recommendations for a service management model including plans, processes and estimates of ongoing BAU costs to feed into DTI008
/ Karl Smith
Magdalena Tsiobanelis / M / Mar- 28 Apr
O3 D2 /
  • Gap Analysis - understanding the gaps in what is supported by EdGEL
(specifically noting the different contexts of use for EdGEL, including an analysis of how far the current version of EdGEL supports related use cases, and what would be needed to fill those gaps)
This will change Dev estimate to 5-7-8 to reflect a bit of consultation work on the use cases
Is subject to further investigation as not enough information at present / Karl Smith
ISG Dev Services / M / Mar -28 Apr
O3 D3 /
  • Feed these initial recommendations into DTI008 for further development
/ Karl Smith / M / Mar- 28 Apr

IS Project Services

Task / Effort
  • Programme Management
/ 2d
  • Project Management
/ 25d
  • Senior Supplier
/ 2d
  • Planning
/ 2d
  • Closing
/ 2d
  • Meetings
/ 2d
  • Unplanned
/ 2d
  • Resourcing –Resource managers
/ 1d
  • Total ISG Dev Services
/ 9d / Workshops and consultation
Gap analysis (not prev included)
Total / 47d / 95% Confidence calculation

Resources, Skills and Costs

Total Digital Design Consultancy / 60d / From Student Experience funding
Total UX Consultancy / 20d / From Digital Transformation funding
Total IS Project Services / 47d / From Digital Transformation funding
Total UWP / 10d / Includes Billy Wardrop’s time which isn’tfrom DTI funding– is purely from UWP
Neil and Stratos time also is from UWP- and calculated separately

Project Governance

The programme owner is Gavin McLachlan and the portfolio owner is Alison Armstrong

The project delivery of the artifacts and benefits will be carried out by the Project Sponsor, Stratos Filalithis, and the project team which consists:

  • Project Manager (Sue Woodger)
  • Business lead (Karl Smith –UX Consultant)
  • User Experience manager (Neil Allison)

There will also be a Portfolio Board – the remit and membership of this group can be found on the Digital Transformation SharePoint site under Governance Board Papers.

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