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University of Maryland System
The Challenge
Five campuses within the University of Maryland System needed a new Student Information System. A major software vendor
offered them the opportunity to work with Santa Barbara City College, Skidmore College, SUNY Binghamton, and Tulane
University to jointly design the a system that would meet the needs of each local campus and the Maryland consortium.
“The software vendor wanted us to put together a set of specifications for four major student information system modules
during three rounds of input in just over two months’ time,” said Stan Jakubik, Project Manager, University of Maryland.
He added, “At first, I said, ‘It simply can’t be done in that short a time.’ Our campuses are 200 miles apart. That’s when
I was told about Advantiv and its Internet-based application.”
The Advantiv Solution
The team used Advantiv’s™ existing Student Information System KnowledgePack to jumpstart the project. KnowledgePacks
are databases of core business requirements for the proposed type of system. Ann Henderson, the Registrar at Skidmore
College commented, “To us, it was very helpful to have Advantiv’s KnowledgePack with many, many options available for
us to respond to and use to prioritize. Without Advantiv and DecisionDirector 3.0, we would have had to start the project
with a blank page when we began the process of identifying our ERP system requirements.”
The KnowledgePack was loaded into DecisionDirector 3.0 collaboration platform where over 250 participants via the
web-based assessed their current capabilities and defined future requirements. Because of the web-based platform,
participants were able to contribute when and from where it was convenient. John Kilmarx, Student System Team Leader,
State University of New York at Binghamton, explained further that, “we were able to capture ideas and priorities and
vision across the campus at all levels, from faculty to administrative offices to vice presidents.”
The third component of the solution was the best-practice process maps built into the DecisionDirector 3.0 platform that
guided participants through pre-defined steps, “That moved the process along quickly,” explained Jakubik.
Advantiv provided:
- A vendor-neutral Administrative System KnowledgePack™. This is a best-practice collection of topical knowledge and information that can be used as a starting point for decision analysis. The Administrative Systems KnowledgePack includes information about finance, human resources, fundraising, student information and alumni information software modules.
- An efficient mechanism for gathering the requirements for a new Administrative Software System.
- Participant progress reports at key points during the project.
- Numerous analysis reports.
The Results
The team met the original goal of gathering requirements from nine campuses in roughly two months. “It’s a simple
fact that without Advantiv, we could not have identified the specs within the time frame presented. Advantiv’s
DecisionDirector 3.0 allowed us to do the job without having to gather 250 people in the same room,” attested Jakubik.
Summary
Advantiv understands the complex acquisition and selection process for mission-critical software systems needed by
private businesses, academic institutions and publicly held companies. Through innovative, comprehensive, leading-edge
software technology and process methodology, Advantiv can help organizations accelerate the decision-making process,
reduce project overhead and select the vendor best suited to their needs.
References:
Stan Jakubik, Project Manager, University of Maryland
John Kilmarx, Student System Team Leader, State University of New York at Binghamton
Ann Henderson, Registrar and Director of Institutional Research, Skidmore College
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Research
"ERP projects are composed of people, processes and technologies. Often, the people dimension has the
greatest impact on project success."
How to Implement a Successful ERP II Project
Gartner, 25 September 2002
Note Number: IGG-09252002-02
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