RAVASMARTSOLUTIONS - TECH TIPS

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1 RAVASMARTSOLUTIONS - TECH TIPS Project Management: SWOT Sample Purpose Before undergoing any strategic planning, it is crucial to conduct an assessment of the current organization that is contemplating a major technology initiative. This is commonly done with a brainstorming session of ideas that answer the following SWOT (Strengths Weaknesses Opportunites Threats). By conducting a SWOT, an organization can identify what assets it has to complete a project and what weaknesses and threats that need to be addressed. The following shows an example of a brainstormed SWOT analysis. The key is open communication without any threats to any member of the team for expressing their candid ideas. It is then tallied up to highlight the most commonly referenced items as the most important items to address. Sample S(Strength)WOT The following is a sample of a brainstorming session to gather all of the strengths of an organization. Strengths Excellent IT Staff (24 Votes) Having students involved with the project (21 Votes) Lots of historical data (21 Votes) Good accessibility (Registering for Courses, Viewing Transcripts and Grades (18 Votes) Willingness to embrace change to a new generation of SIS system (18 Votes) Current system was customized to meet our needs and works well. (17 Votes) We provide a high degree of personalization with current system and services. (17 Votes) Students have ready access to pertinent information (15 Votes) We have the backing of the administration to implement required changes for new SIS (15 Votes) We have a good foundation on which to build. (15 Votes) Faculty have the ability to enter grades 24x7 (15 Votes) Good consultant brought in to assist us with this project (14 Votes) Author: Rick Rava Page 1 of 6 Revised: 1/2/2010

2 Crisis Management IT (13 Votes) Good services for prospective students e.g. Virtual Tour (12 Votes) We currently have minimal systems downtime (10 Votes) Automated Housing Assignments (10 Votes) Ability to get issues resolved quickly with current IT staff (9 Votes) Decentralized access to data (9 Votes) Ability to print and download forms (8 Votes) Current system provides good customer service (8 Votes) Visual interpretation of degree auditing system but not islands (7 Votes) Web-based services are easy to navigate (7 Votes) Elimination of paper processing (5 Votes) Ability to take advantage of leading-edge technology (3 Votes) Sample SW(Weaknesses)OT The following is a sample of a brainstorming session to gather all of the weaknesses of an organization. Weaknesses Unsustainable Infrastructure (25 Votes) Lack of technical and human resources (22 Votes) Reliance on paper forms; no use of electronic signatures (21 Votes) System is not intuitive (21 Votes) Complexity of report writing (21 Votes) Limited flexibility (because of over-burdened IT staff) (21 Votes) Not all students are using IC-assigned addresses; difficult to communicate with them via (21 Votes) ITS staff is over-burdened with requests for enhancements (20 Votes) Inability for people to pay their bills online (20 Votes) Limited ability to access data reports (20 Votes) Using technology to identify a problem and provide interactive guidance for solution online help? FAQ? (20 Votes) Limited services, if any, for graduate students (19 Votes) Author: Rick Rava Page 2 of 6 Revised: 1/2/2010

3 Need single sign-on (19 Votes) Not enough unified web presence (17 Votes) Reliability of systems and servers at times (17 Votes) Lack of Point and Click technology GUI (17 Votes) Limited off-campus access to SIS including Novell (17 Votes) Lack of integration between modules (need full integration) (17 Votes) Limited services for continuing education students (17 Votes) ResNet performance for student access (17 Votes) System is not user-friendly - needs more user interaction (16 Votes) Not enough web presence (16 Votes) Not all systems are web-based (15 Votes) Lack of document imaging (15 Votes) College sometimes makes institution-wide decisions without consulting all departments/customers that are affected. (15 Votes) Lack of technology training for students/faculty/staff (13 Votes) Webmail quotas are over-limiting (13 Votes) Web pages for faculty should be mandatory (13 Votes) Lack of ability to track course demand and add additional sections as needed. (12 Votes) No online distance education program (11 Votes) There are no course titles on Degree Navigator (11 Votes) Important announcements for students should be linked on SIS page (11 Votes) We should have a Welcome link for prospective students on the IC home page (10 Votes) Inconsistency of policies and processes and they re not well-communicated (10 Votes) Improved communication for IT service requests customers want easy access to service request status information (9 Votes) Communication to students re: technology services and how ITS is organized (9 Votes) Lack of software discounts for students and faculty - free for teachers teaching them (9 Votes) Technology Quickguides should be written in simpler, non-technical language (9 Votes) IC home page could be improved (9 Votes) Author: Rick Rava Page 3 of 6 Revised: 1/2/2010

4 Reliability of data integrity (8 Votes) Use of WebCT should be mandatory for faculty (7 Votes) Dependence on technology (5 Votes) Better coordination of ITS and Park School technical support (1 Vote) Sample SWO(Opportunities)T The following is a sample of a brainstorming session to gather all of the opportunities of an organization. Opportunities Communication improvement via technology (26 Votes) Improve/increase self-service (26 Votes) Better access of information across departments (25 Votes) Better dissemination of information awareness of what s there (25 Votes) Include/empower neglected constituencies (25 Votes) Reduce reliance on paper (23 Votes) Portal technology personalized homepage combined with single sign-on (23 Votes) Better use of technology for customer service relations management CRM (23 Votes) Improved competitive position re: student recruitment and retention (23 Votes) Improve full system integration (23 Votes) Improve reality and perception of quality of service speed, timeliness, responsiveness (23 Votes) Review policies and procedures and simplify hardware and software, too (22 Votes) Alumni database integrated with SUS (21 Votes) Ability to connect and/or reconnect with alums (21 Votes) Integration of information services with instructional services in support of teaching and learning (20 Votes) Online help to use system (and training) (20 Votes) More automation of typical inquiries (20 Votes) Break the logjam of desired systems improvements (20 Votes) Better faculty/staff/students buy-in (20 Votes) Adopt best business practices (18 Votes) Author: Rick Rava Page 4 of 6 Revised: 1/2/2010

5 Better documentation on how/why things work (18 Votes) To include special populations and offices in development of new SIS (17 Votes) Improved self-assessment (access to data for office evaluation) (17 Votes) Identify priorities for allocation of limited resources (15 Votes) Expand distance-learning capabilities (14 Votes) Keep up-to-date with technology e.g. browser versions, etc. (12 Votes) Online student evaluations of classes (11 Votes) Open lines of communication with different parts of campuses (10 Votes) College-wide software purchases agreement to offer discounts for faculty/staff/students (9 Votes) Cost Savings (6 Votes) Integrated online discussion forum for class evaluation (4 Votes) Sample SWOT(Threats) The following is a sample of a brainstorming session to gather all of the threats of an organization. Threats Constrained financial resources (28 Votes) Limited staffing resource; increased workload (26 Votes) Poor change management (buy-in, publicity, training, communication, info integrity) (23 Votes) Ever-changing technology time consuming (21 Votes) Lack of communication (21 Votes) Forced one size fits all. How to communicate with once and future students (20 Votes) System-dictated policy (19 Votes) Inability to adjust system to deliver customized processes (19 Votes) Losing uniqueness if we go with a 3 rd -party system (17 Votes) Resistance to change (shifting responsibilities) (17 Votes) Lack of office space for project team (17 Votes) Inability to adapt to change (16 Votes) Slipping timeline (16 Votes) Author: Rick Rava Page 5 of 6 Revised: 1/2/2010

6 Creating a more complicated environment leading to parallel processes (paper) (16 Votes) Home-grown or vendor system hard to maintain if necessary resources not available (16 Votes) Inability to define systems requirements (12 Votes) Assumption that technology will solve all problems (12 Votes) Key staff leave (12 Votes) Lose tradition of personalized attention (11 Votes) Instability of software vendor marketplace (10 Votes) Having a system that functions like Parnassus (9 Votes) Decentralization leads to inefficiency knowledge base must increase (6 Votes) Campus bids against 3 rd -party software (5 Votes) Author: Rick Rava Page 6 of 6 Revised: 1/2/2010

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