IDT 739/839

Reflection # 1

Due February 17th, 2016 7pm EST

  1. By now, you have identified an organization that you’ll be working with to conduct a needs assessment this semester. What involvement have you had with this organization?

I’m an internal needs analysis consultant on this project, and have a good understanding of the internal structure of Distance Learning and Academic Technology Services (ATS). On this project, I’m directly impacted by the gap between the information the organization needs and the information the organization is able to actively communicate. I haven’t scheduled discussion yet, though in previous conversations, especially in the context of Banner related data, staff have expresses frustration with the accuracy and availability of event information.

I do have some concern that I may be too close to this situation, especially after our assessment or evaluation questionnaire activity in class. I was too focused on learning more about the existing systems and not focused enough on the needed properties of a new, future system. During discussion with Level 1, 2, & 3 staff I’ll have to be sure to focus on what their needs are, and less on what the current system is or is not doing.

  1. What preconceptions do you have regarding working with this organizational client?

Most staff will recognize, or already recognize, the need to share event information with each other. However, for some staff who work on isolated projects, they will/may not recognize the need to consolidate systems. The project will need their support to be ultimately successful, and so I may need to strategize a way to communicate the importance of a future consolidated system. These staff may not be helpful early in the needs assessment and analysis process.

I have a preconceived concern that the ability to consolidate systems and calendars is technically feasible, though I’m concerned that the resources that we’d need to invest in an ultimate solution will be too much. The efficiency may not yet be worth the cost of implementation. Though a needs assessment and analysis will be required to make this conclusion.

I have another preconceived concern that the scope of this needs assessment and analysis will tend to cross into a need to also replace our project management and technical ticketing systems, as all three processes are related. To keep this project within the scope of a feasible class project, and in the scope of a semester, I’ll have to be careful to focus discussions on calendars and not trouble tickets and project management processes.

  1. In regards to project management, what challenges, if any, do you anticipate?

In terms of project management, I’m concerned about the time to successfully schedule at least three focus groups (corresponding to the three DL/ATS departments, I don’t want to exclude anyone so this will be about 20 individuals), as well as interviews with at least six individuals who are at the nexus of the “know about the problem + care about the problem + can do something about the problem” diagram. Plus, I think I’d need another group meeting before or during data analysis and pre-assessment to collect further data and possibly discuss the directions of potential solutions. Initial focus groups have to be scheduled first, then interviews, then post-data analysis/post assessment meetings.

I think it will also be a challenge as I describe that the object of this project will be to gather and investigate needs, the solution to those needs will be a separate follow-up initiative at a later point, possibly over the Summer. I’ll have to manage expectations at all three Levels.

  1. What steps can you put in place to alleviate these challenges?

I can schedule the focus groups as early as reasonable in the project timeline, to give myself time to reschedule these as needed. I’d like to conduct the focus groups first, then use information from these meetings to inform discussion during interviews. So scheduling these meetings first and soon will be important.

Part of the initial conversation at the beginning of each focus group meeting will be a description of the objectives and briefly the project scope, and that the potential solutions to these needs will be a separate set of discussions later in the semester.

  1. If you do not perceive there to be able challenges, provide rationale as to why?

I do perceive there to be challenges, though initially I think the first challenges will be the logistics of getting group meetings scheduled. Thankfully, most staff recognize this as a need that should be addressed (and probably should have been addressed already), and so most will be relatively eager to be part of a solution that may make their lives easier. Though with any project there will be challenges that haven’t yet been anticipated.

  1. What are your next steps regarding your project?

I can begin assessing and analyzing our existing calendars and systems, identifying commonalities and ways data can be imported or exported, I do this while I’m scheduling focus group discussions. I can also begin creating my initial open-ended starter questions to begin our discussion in the department focus groups. Maybe half a dozen or so, something along the lines of “if you could redesign the system, how would a future shared calendar meet your needs?”and “how important is it that a new system do XXXX?” I want to be careful to word the questions to focus on the needs of a potential new system, not an evaluation of the existing system (we already know the exiting systems are not ideal).

  1. What assistance, if any, do you need from me?

Not yet, though I may need to have some help with the scope in the post-assessment phase, with our projects becoming more complex we also need a more versatile project management system (the calendar pick up sticks moving other connected system sticks), though that is a much larger and complicated project that would take longer to assess and analysis, would involve a larger team with members from CLT and ITS, and probably take longer than a semester.