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 AttendingBbIC

bbictier3support@missouri.edu

Central States Blackboard Users Group (CSBUG)

Inaugural Meeting

Tomorrow 3:30pm – 5:20pmSheraton Hotel – Hampton B

Shameless Plug….