IWMW 2004: Using your Ayes and Noes: Creating a Business Case for an Institutional Portal (A4)

University of Leeds Academic ServicesUniversity of Leeds Academic Services

Using your Ayes and Noes:Creating a Business Case for an

Institutional Portal

Bo MiddletonInstitutional Web Management Workshop 2004


• Group discussion• Report back• Leeds experiences

• x 3


Group discussion 1

• Who/What are your Ayes and Noes? (include those external to institution).

• How can you identify Ayes and Noes and get feedback from them?


Ayes and Noes at UoL 1

Ayes

Bleeding edge– Other HE implementors – Portal anoraks– Open source communities

Us and them Peddlers

– Portal, CMS, process management suppliers

Paper promises– Strategy documents

Web– JISC projects– Commercial portals

Noes

People– Academic freedom fighters– Technology freaks– Web wizards– Dinosaurs

Systems Paper promises

– Operational plans Purse strings


Ayes and Noes at UoL 2 Other HE institutions JISC projects Commercial portals Open source communities

Students

Suppliers

Strategy docs and operational plans

Staff Committees

Web – type in ‘portal’– Bristol links– JISC– Structured meetings

Student union/ student services/ intranet/ user groups/ mailing lists

– Web survey (Hull)– Focus groups (incentive)

Web - review of portal products/contacts with current suppliers

– Functionality, ROI and benefits docs– Presentations

Map strategy points against portal benefits

Staff Calendar/mailing lists/ newsletters

– Roadshow– Structured meetings– Committee round – presentations

focussed on appropriate area


Group discussion 2

• What are the reasons given by 'Ayes' and 'Noes' for/against a portal?

– Suppliers/bleeding edge – list the functionality/benefits of a portal– Strategy docs – list the strategic aims which could be fulfilled by

portal implementation– What ‘systems’ on campus have overlapping functionality with a

portal or will need to ‘integrate’ into the portal?– Imagine the detractor’s arguments

• Academic freedom fighters• Technology freaks• Web wizards• Dinosaurs• Purse strings

– Potential users – what do users want?


Ayes at UoL

Strategic aims

Improve efficiency of teaching processes

Improve efficiency of administrative processes

Improve student experience Improve cross-education links Maximise ROI of corporate

systems Need to adapt teaching and

working styles to suit the individual

Deliver collaborative systems and tools

Implement a web interface which aggregates all web-enabled services

Functionality/benefits of a portal

Provides presentation layer Eases access to information,

reduces overload and simplifies Provides a common and

consistent user interface Allows aggregation across

systems Delivers ubiquitous access Provides:

– simplified sign-on – communication and

collaboration tools


Noes at UoL

Detractor’s arguments

Academic freedom fighters– do things their own way– damn standardisation

Technology freaks– not invented here; not the right

OS; not my choice– portals should work with every

browser possible Web wizards

– frames are what matter – content is nothing to do with us– we can just have web links

Dinosaurs

Current systems

VLE Communication apps Collaboration tools Identity Services Content Management Web-enabled services Enterprise apps


Users at UoL 1 Student

rating Staff rating

Access University email account 1st 2nd Search the library catalogue 2nd 8th Access up-to-date telephone/email directory for University staff

13th 1st

Search University web pages/intranet 11th 3rd Check your library account (view reservations/books on loan etc)

4th 11th

Renew library books 3rd 15th Place/remove library book 'holds' (reserving an item)

7th 19th

Perform an internet search - using the Google search engine or similar:

10th 16th

Access course/department/University handbook: 17th 10th Access institutional calendar - keep track of University events:

20th 9th

Search your favourite library e-resources or web sites:

14th 20th


Users at UoL 2 I seem to be missing the point. Why would I

want an additional item on my PC when I already have all the things being offered here? Windows, with its related software isn't great, but it does offer a relatively predictable and manageable environment where I can do all the things I need to do. Forcing some things (like email) through a web browser tends to reduce their utility, so I definitely wouldn't want that. I already have a specialised rss news feed service relevant to my own area of interest (education) and that works very well. Internet Explorer gives me very rapid access (assisted by experience, Google and my own favourites folder) to all the available information I need. A portal of this general type looks to me like a complete waste of time and money. Words like "seamless" "customisable" "channel" and "tailored" are just marketing rubbish. A readily searchable University web site is all I want. I certainly don't want to spend a lot of time configuring a personal portal page. The portal idea seems to imply closure, and the subordination of the tasks I have to perform to more general University concerns. I guess I'll learn to make the most of it while nostalgically remembering the good old days when it was possible to find things within a couple of seconds

There are some great ideas on this form. The idea of a portal that can dispense as much information as is listed in the survey is very, very interesting.

Most of things listed sound wonderful. Obviously the academic ones would be my priority.

I really like the idea of a portal, having all important information in one area.


Group discussion 3

• How can you use the for and against arguments to compile your business case?

– Start with a high level strategic business case – what functionality does your portal need and how can that functionality support strategic aims?

– Then identify key areas which may be used to drive out ROI in a full business case

– Functionality/benefits of a portal– Strategic aims which could be fulfilled by portal implementation– Systems overview– Detractor’s arguments– User requirements


Deriving the business case at UoL

User requirements -> functionality specification for your portal

Map required portal functionality against current systems and identify the gap that a portal product could fill

Map portal benefits against strategic aims Ensure that the business case addresses all the

detractors’ comments Strategic Business Case = overall portal vision +

purpose of the portal + benefits of the portal + do nothing option


Final slide - summarise and thanks

Produce a clear statement of the portal vision

Identify sponsors and stakeholders. Build alliances

Map specific strategic aims to portal benefits

Survey stakeholders and collect evidence of user requirements – use this to derive a functionality specification for your portal.

Map required portal functionality against current systems and identify the gap that a portal product should fill

Strategic Business Case = overall portal vision + purpose of the portal + benefits of the portal + do nothing option

Education

IWMW 2004: Using your Ayes and Noes: Creating a Business Case for an Institutional Portal (A4)