Stage 2 (roll-out, web self-service pilot, management reporting, recruitment & workflow)

· The first phase of the rollout project (that to roll out the facilities which have already been implemented centrally) continues to progress well. Heads of department and support services, IT support staff and senior administrative staff have been briefed, staff are being trained and the system is being rolled out in a controlled, phased way.

· The web self-service pilot project team concluded that the web self-service modules aimed at managers & employees are currently too limited to warrant a full trial this year & roll-out next year. Consequently, CIS will keep a watching brief on developments with a view to running a full trial at a later date.

· The management reporting project aims to give expert users in the central service departments access to a reporting tool (Business Objects) which will allow them to write their own reports without CIS assistance & to make such reports available to others over the intranet. The tool is now in use within CIS and several reports have been developed.

· The recruitment project is focussing on Ordinance 6 recruitment & is considering which of the package’s recruitment facilities should be adopted.

· The workflow project, which is to consider how workflow facilities within the system might be used, has now commenced work. Training has been undertaken & a pilot application selected.

2. Major Technical Upgrade Programme

· Work on the implementation of the new Oracle database & development environment is well underway & work is just starting on the major upgrade of all in-house systems & a review of our disaster recovery plans (we expect to make a major leap forward by having database & system “shadows” in Haslegrave & at Holywell Park).

· We expect the upgrade of in-house systems to be very onerous so expect this programme to continue into 2004-5. Whilst the system upgrades will provide a few technical enhancements which are beneficial to the business (web-enablement & improved security), the programme will largely replace like with like.

3. The New, Part-funded Projects

· We embarked on all of the 5 projects for which we were granted additional resource via the budget process but have had difficulties resourcing the management of them (we weren’t granted the project manager we requested to cover all 5).

· Student-re-development programme

Although this started & has established a better understanding in me of problems with the database design of the existing systems, it has proved difficult to progress because of the lack of a dedicated project manager. I plan to give this highest priority of all our development projects next year.

· Finance:cost-effective enhancements

The work prioritised by Finance (on aged debt) has now been completed.

· Student accommodation system re-development

This project came to a halt because of a member of staff’s resignation. It remains on hold.

· CAA

This project is about moving the CAA system from the status of L&TD pilot unsupported by the supplier to corporate production system properly supported by central services. The project continues to progress well.

· Estates

We have done as much as we can technically to facilitate the Estates’ department’s implementation of a new package but have now handed over responsibility to Estates to progress their own implementation project. Providing that the latter project progresses well, we’ll need to undertake some further work before the system can go live.