Project Management

This 24-minute podcast recorded during the EDUCAUSE 2007 Annual Conference features Danny Smith, Senior Director IT Services, Marquette University speaking on Improving IT Governance Through Formal Change Management.

The session abstract:

Changes to complex systems require careful planning and coordination to ensure additional incidents are not created in the production environment. This presentation will detail how Marquette University implemented ITIL-based change management to stabilize the infrastructure, gain visibility of work, and comply with financial audits.

This 25-minute podcast recorded during the EDUCAUSE 2007 Annual Conference features David B. Allen, Assistant Director, Applications and Architecture, University of Rochester and Doug Ryan, Project Manager, University of Rochester speaking on IT Project Management Methodology: How Much Is Too Much? It Depends!

The session abstract:

With focus from leadership and commitment across IT, the University of Rochester has developed and implemented a flexible project management strategy. It helps align projects into manageable programs that support the university's strategic mission. This presentation will highlight the development process, challenges, and implementation of a successful project management methodology.

This 41-minute podcast recorded during the EDUCAUSE 2007 Annual Conference features Geoffrey Corb, Senior Director, Student Information Systems, The Johns Hopkins University and Stephen Hellen, Project Manager, The Johns Hopkins University speaking on Wiki and Project Management.

The session abstract:

This session will introduce wiki concepts and explore their use in project management and in supporting IT systems in higher education. JHU's implementation of a new student information system extensively uses an enterprise wiki, which will be highlighted, along with use cases, examples, and lessons learned.

For many years technology projects at MICA followed a simple formula:  implement tools and services and then get people interesting in using them to improve business.  This approach worked pretty well for us -- as a small, private visual arts college.  People on our campus really respond to things they can see and experience -- particularly when it comes to technology.  So building or upgrading a system first and then showing that what it could provide was an effective approach. 

I spent some time today chatting with a colleague about the process we've been following for what might be called "project ingest" -- specifically, when non-IT groups or individuals come to you and say "I have an idea!"....what's next?

I'm in an Academic Technologies department -- I run our projects group. We get some weird and wonderful stuff, filled with unknowns -- so a flexible and creative process that still qualifies as a process is particularly important. Before these get to me, they pass through some kind of filter -- sometimes, the filter is just "the Senior Director says 'Help this person!'", and sometimes, the filter is a group we call START. They support our course management system, and help faculty with short-term projects, particularly ones that can be fulfilled with existing off the shelf products. If we already have something that fulfills most of what they need, they try to fill it that way.

But if not...well, that's where things get interesting :). 3D Modeling? Custom programming? Experiment with a new software package for teaching? Weird new multimedia installation? Innovative technology extravaganza? Hm..........let's talk.

In this 47-minute recording from the 2006 EDUCAUSE Annual Conference, we'll hear from Jane Bachand, Amy Baker, Pamela Heath-Johnston & Deborah Lauriano in a session entitled Developing COllaborative Project Managers in IT. They share the steps they've taken to change from a traditional organization of technical project managers to an organization with well-rounded project managers who have additional leadership, administrative, analytical, interpersonal, and organizational skills.

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on project communication tools!  As
we have been researching tools and recommendations, the institutional needs
for these systems has started growing.  In addition to project management we
are wondering about how collaboration tools can also meet communication
needs within our department:

• as a repository for documentation (how to install...)
• to provide an overview of what is going on in the department (this
• week...this month)
• as a place where all the bits of information can be brought together into
• a big snapshot

I have no expectations that technology will provide us with the sole
solution to improving communication and workflow, but I¹d really like to
hear more ideas and stories about how other institutions are effectively
using collaboration applications.  We narrowed down our list of possible
solutions to four:  mediaWiki, drupal, typepad and Teams.

And since drupal consolidates many kinds of content (wiki, blog, RSS, etc.)
we felt that it was the product most worth looking at.  Yeah...simple,
right? 

The 2007 NERCOMP Annual Conference, “Connections, Collaborations, and Community,” will be held March 19–21, in Worcester, Massachusetts. View the program and register by February 26 to save money with low, early-bird rates.The conference will focus on the following topic areas:

• Enterprise Services and Administrative Systems
• Leadership, Planning, and Organizational Development
• Library and Research Initiatives
• Policy, Regulations, and Security
• Technology for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment
• Technology Support
• Corporate and Campus Solutions
  

The two keynote speakers are:

• Charles M. Vest, President Emeritus, MIT
• Brewster Kahle, Director and Cofounder, Digital Librarian, and Chairman of the Board, Internet Archive

For the past two weeks I've been trying to identify and assess web based applications that would meet several needs within the broad umbrella of project communication/management:

• provide a quick overview of what's happening on a given project
• have a component that could be used for documentation
• be multi-layered (a public component available without login; a private component for authenticated users only)
• provide distribution components (RSS...)
• standards based
• has a simple and easy-to-use interface
• hosted externally or internally
• provide multiple views of content (via tagging, grouping...)

I've been surprised at how hard it has been to find an application that meets many of these needs. 

I've been playing with SharePoint for a few months but feel that the learning curve to make it an effective and organic tool is significant.  Basecamp is a bit too simple.  I entertained the idea (suggested by our brilliant Director of Administrative Systems, Ted Simpson) of using Educause Connect (but it lacks the overview and cohesive functions we're looking for).
A straight-up wiki application might be the closest thing I've found; yet something is missing (perhaps the calendar/overview features).  I have the feeling that the solution is much simpler and more obvious than is apparent to me.

I went for a bike ride on Saturday and it was a particularly windy day in Baltimore -- gusts between 18-22 mph.  The way to ride in the wind is to lean into the gust in order to keep yourself upright (and to keep from getting blow across the road).  Of course you have to be a bit careful -- as soon as the blast lets up continuing to lean (into the calm) may make you swerve into traffic or someone's mailbox.

Until two years ago I was convinced that riding in the wind was superior to riding in the hills.  An epiphany occured after a time trial on the eastern shore of Maryland where the roads are pancake flat but the wind whips all around the course.  I realized that hills have definite beginnings and ends and the wind does not.  It keeps right on whipping your face or sides -- and you never know when it might start up again (or when it might end).  Unlike climbing, there is no way to plan for recovery.

Riding in the wind, much like riding the hills, does make you stronger (just ask Lance Armstrong).  And it was during my windy ride on Saturday -- as I was leaning into a gust on a downhill -- that I realized the resistance of wind is really no different that the resistance I've encountered leading technolgy initiatives at my institution.