Provide guidance and support with respect to University data processing systems for their installation, development, enhancement, replacement or retirement as warranted by expected application cost benefit. Develop plans and support services for the assessment, testing, adoption, and migration to new information technologies as warranted by business software and/or systems software business cases.

Some current examples include:

• Administrative systems renewal projects in BMS and student areas
• Exploitation of network-based tools, such as WWW viewers and Oracle forms for access to the University data repository for:

  - more widespread usage of the available data resource

  - elimination of paper and central reporting processes

  - reduction of mailing costs.

• The use of electronic forms to capture information over the Web or through Oracle forms to:

  - perform data capture more accurately by referential integrity checking, hence reducing error correction processes

  - to provide convenience to customers through the possibility of remote data entry

  - reduce the usage of paper

• Investigate opportunities and strategies for easily porting and re-engineering information systems to more cost effective information technology platforms and software systems

Supports one of the three priorities set out by the Board of Governors at the retreat on November 9 in "finding and implementing more effective and efficient distributions of authority, decentralized and simplified managerial structures, new administrative technologies, and eliminating nonessential regulations, and being prepared and willing to change the structure at McMaster if it helps to achieve our goals." Automated administrative systems are a key to realizing benefits through procedural efficiencies across the campus. Not inconceivably, they can also contribute to strategic or competitive advantage. This is significant to the University mission through the potential for enhanced teamwork, and some contribution to workload reductions or re-allocations.

Work with admin customers to update applications as outlined in Directions 3 ( 3.1, 8. 9, 12).

CUSTOMERS:

Customers include administrative staff in all departments, but with particular intensity in the central departments. As network-based computing expands, all faculty, staff, and students are being reached as customers through on-line self-help functions, instead of through paper.

HOW WELL IS IT DONE? HOW DO I MEASURE?

(a) Achievement of Objectives

The measures are:

1. Work of higher value is completed before work of lesser value both in the overall Q and within a strategic business unit Q (BMS, Registrar, HR, ..). "See also Other Activities".
2. Documented annually and quarterly with each business unit Q.

Administrative systems support objectives are determined by consultation with the sponsoring customers for proposed projects. Projects are prioritized using the principles that legislatively demanded work is accommodated first, and that other projects are ranked and selected on a cost/benefit basis.

Fee-for-service work may be undertaken through the use of supplementary resources and the principle of full cost recovery. Selected projects must form a coherent and feasible body of work, having regard to constraints of interdependency, time, and available skills. All hours worked are charged to projects.

(b) Service Level

The service is in transition from mainframe only to more open web-based computing. The demand for, and supply of, new systems are provided in GUI mode increasingly via the WWW and based on proven and scalable mainfram transaction batch delivery software. Resources to support improved internet security and longer hours of system availability are required to bridge this transition gap.

(c) Cost

The cost of this service is at the level of 11 FTEs within Data Services plus other staff from CIS as required.

EXTERNAL LINKAGES

E-commerce e.g. Banks, Vendors, Application Centre, other Universities - EDI .

INTERNAL LINKAGES (other offices)

Some departments have developed their own local systems skills to varying degrees, including notably the Library, Physical Plant, and Human Resources. Linkages concerning the interfacing of applications, the technical standards underlying systems, and data standards are therefore an issue.

The general computing context of office systems found on desktops around campus, and from which access to administrative systems and data resources are demanded, is also an area of internal linkage.

See also Data Services Service level Definition for Applications and Business Process Integration.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Analysis of the existing production application portfolio yields data flow linkages (update, send-to, validate) between the various applications and platforms. These linkages will be significant in planning any re-engineering, application enhancement or continuous quality improvement initiatives.

When documented and maintained, this knowledge and its related subjects becomes a shared lexicon and definitive learning resource. Data and systems management staff (technical and business) will be able to learn and develop a strategy within a common framework (MUVIT). A comprehensive and co-ordinated strategy for managing systems change is the expected result.

Note: MUVIT (McMaster University's Vital Integration Template). Consists of 5 integrated models.

1. Institutional Data Model

2. Business processing Model

3. Authorized Access Model

4. Object Cross Reference Model

5. Component Interaction Model