EASE Web Site Refactor
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Project Brief

Document Sign-off

Name

Role

Date signed off

Graeme Wood

Project Sponsor

Service Owner

25/05/2017

Maurice Franceschi

Programme Manager

13/04/2017

Jon March

Project Manager

13/04/2017

Kenneth MacDonald

Senior Supplier

25/05/2017

 

Background

This project is required to maintain the integrity and reduce the costs of running the EASE authentication service.  The EASE authentication service is overdue a software, management process refresh.

 

This project will:

  • Encrypt data at rest in the database, reduce the risk of unauthorised access to that data.
  • Host the EASE service on a Linux platform, our platform of choice.
  • Produce the application using best practise management methods, e.g. source code version control and appropriate development environments, and thus reduce effort, complexity and risk when making improvements and bug fixes.
  • Apply EdGel themes to User Interface

 

This project may:

  • Move documentation from www.ease.ed.ac.uk to EdWeb.
  • Use LDAP groups for authorisation to web applications, and eliminate the need to manually maintain local files on each server.
  • Split COSIGN login service from other user facing utilities, and enable future automation of COSIGN service registration process.

 

Scope

The new EASE service will:

  • Host all technical components of the EASE service on the virtual hosting service
  • Be ported from Solaris to Linux
  • Be themed with EdGEL
  • Encrypt sensitive data in a Galera database cluster

 

Authorisation

  • Utility web applications may authorise computing officers via the Central Authorisation service, using LDAP.

 

Documentation

  • User documentation may be reviewed and published on EdWeb.
  • System administrator documentation may be moved to a new EASE space on the Central Wiki.

 

Development

  • Locally developed or patched third party source code, will be in version control, and deployed as RPMs.
  • New system will be load tested.

 

Out of Scope

The project / re-implemented services will not:

  • Change the user registration experience when joining the University
  • Change the roles of LIVE, TEST and DEV EASE
  • Change the operation of the Kerberos KDCs
  • Change the EASE Friend facility
  • Change the EASE the structure database tables (beyond encrypting sensitive data)
  • Require changes to other EASE protected web services
  • Re-implementation of round robin DNS management scripts
  • Re-implementation of GeoIP log analysis

 

Potential future work

COSIGN service:

  • Registration process improvements to enable future automation
  • Registration web application re-implementing using the Django framework

 

Objectives and Deliverables and Success Criteria

Unless otherwise indicated, the deliverables are a success when accepted when accepted by the Project Sponsor  and Service Owner.

 

Description of the Objective

Success Criteria

Objective 1

Modern Database

 

Deliverable 1.1

Galera Cluster

 

Deliverable 1.2

Migrate Data

 

Deliverable 1.3

Add Encryption

 

Objective 1

Move Documentation

 

Deliverable 2.1

EdWeb Pages

 

Deliverable 2.1.1

Investigate embedded apps in EdWeb

 

Deliverable 2.2

Wiki Space

 

Objective 3

Use Central Authorisation

 

Deliverable 3.1

Design Strategy

 

Deliverable 3.1

LDAP Groups

 

Deliverable 3.2

Apache Configuration

 

Objective 4

Migrate to Linux

 

Deliverable 4.1

Web App RPM(s)

 

Deliverable 4.2

Utility RPM(s)

 

Deliverable 4.3

Cosign Server RPM

 

Deliverable 4.4

Web App Service

 

Deliverable 4.5

Cosign Service

 

Deliverable 4.6

New VMs

 

Deliverable 4.7

GeoIP

 

Deliverable 4.8

DNS scripts

 

Objective 5

Deploy Like for Like

 

Deliverable 5.1

Re-develop without EdGel

 

Deliverable 5.2

Test in Proj-EASE

 

Deliverable 5.3

Deploy to Dev-EASE

 

Deliverable 5.4

Deploy to Test EASE

In June 2017

Deliverable 5.5

Load Test

In June and July 2017

Deliverable 5.6

Deploy to Live EASE

We will have ported the current EASE service from Solaris to Linux by in August 2017.

Objective 6

Apply EdGEL

 

Deliverable 6.1

(Place holder)

 

Deliverable 6.2

Re-develop with EdGel

 

Deliverable 6.3

Deploy to Dev-EASE

 

Deliverable 6.4

Deploy to Test EASE

In June 2017

Deliverable 6.5

Load Test

In June and July 2017

Deliverable 6.6

Deploy to Live EASE

We will have ported the current EASE service from Solaris to Linux and themed it with EdGEL by the in August 2017.

Objective 7

Communications

 

 

Requirements

Requirements are aligned with objectives and deliverables, and also the opportunity to realise the benefits.

 

 

MoSCoW

Set By

Requirement 1

Encrypt data at rest in the database

M

PS, SO

Requirement 2

Move documentation from www.ease.ed.ac.uk to EdWeb

S

PS, SO

Requirement 3

Use LDAP groups for authorisation to web applications

C

PS, SO

Requirement 4.1

Host the EASE service on a Linux platform

M

SA

Requirement 4.2

Split COSIGN login service from other user facing utilities

C

PS, SO

Requirement 5

Produce the application and manage source code using best practise management methods

M

PS, SO

Requirement 6

Apply EdGel themes to User Interface

M

PS, SO

 

Benefits

The project will realise the following benefits:

  1. Reduce cost of making changes to the EASE service in response to business requirements.
  2. Reduce risk of sensitive data breaches.
  3. Improved consistency of the EASE service with the rest of the University website.
  4. Simplification of business continuity planning for the EASE service.

 

Governance

Portfolio Governance

Role

Name

Division / Group / Team / College / School and Title

Project Sponsor

Graeme Wood

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Manager

Programme Owner

Tony Weir

IS / ITI, Director of

Programme Manager

Maurice Franceschi

IS / ITI / Programmes Management, Portfolio Manager

Portfolio Owner

Tony Weir

IS / ITI, Director of

Portfolio Manager

Maurice Franceschi

IS / ITI / Programmes Management, Portfolio Manager

Service Owner

Graeme Wood

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Manager

 

Project Board

Role

Name

Division / Group / Team / College / School and Title

Project Sponsor

Graeme Wood

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Manager

Service Owner

Graeme Wood

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Manager

Project Manager

Jon March

IS / Apps / Proj Svcs, Project Manager

Senior Supplier

Kenneth MacDonald

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Computing Officer

Solution Architect

Kenneth MacDonald

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Computing Officer

Senior User

Hugh Brown

IS / Apps / Production Management

Senior User

Neil Bruce

IS / User Services / Operational Services

 

Tolerances

To be delivered by early to mid August or in December 2017.

 

Resources Skills and Cost

 

Budget

Applications, Project Services                       - 20 days

ITI / Enterprise Services                                   - as required, expected to be 70 days

User Services                                                       - 10 days

Applications, Production Management    - 3 days

Applications, Development Services          - 5 days

 

Priority and Funding

Priority       - 1 (Top)

Funding      - 20 days (for Project Management)

 

Project Team

Role

Name

Division / Group / Team / College / School and Title

Project Manager

Jon March

IS / Apps / Proj Svcs, Project Manager

Senior Supplier,

Solution Architect,

Solution Development,

Application Support

Kenneth MacDonald

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Computing Officer

Solution Development,

Application Support

Mark Cairney

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Computing Officer

Solution Development,

Application Support

Gavin Gray

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Computing Officer

Operational Docs, IS Website update, Is Helpdesk briefing

Gavin Anderson

Is / User Svcs / Ops Svcs / User Supp (Helpdesk), Asst Computing Officer

 

 

 

For info only

Graham Newton

ITI / Desktop Services

Virtual hosting service provision

Martin Campbell (few hours)

IS / ITI / Enterprise Services, Computing Officer

Solution consultant

Toby Blake (few hours)

CSE / Informatics

Senior User, Contributor

Hugh Brown

IS / Applications / Production Management

 

 

 

Senior User

Test main applications (which ones?)

Alain Forrester (few hours, not day)

ITI / ??? / CPanel, web hosting service

Pre-deployment checks (infrastructure)

Heather Larnach (few days)

ITI / Apps / Prod Mngt / Technology Management

Test main applications (which ones?), Pre-deployment checks (application)

Various SOs, SOMs or nominated testers

IS / …

Other website sysadmin(s)

Ask for volunteers

Via a mailing list: ease-admins@mlist.is.ed.ac.uk

 

 

 

Support integration testing with new Cosign infrastructure.

Mark Lang

ITI / Apps / Dev Svcs / Dev Tech

Load testing

Defeng Ma

ITI / Apps / Dev Svcs

EdGel consultant

Mairi Fraser

ITI / Apps / Dev Svcs

Senior User?

EdGel knowledge, user side?

UoE website svc owner

Stratos Filiathis

CSG / Learning Teaching and Web (LTW, “The  Web Team)

 

 

 

Communications Assistance

Chris Kant

IS, User Svcs, IT Consultancy

 

Quality of Project and Deliverables / Key Project Milestones

 

Milestone

Sign-Off means

Date of Milestone

Who signs-off (Accountability)

Start of Project

Project can begin, is in line with Programme and Portfolio priority, has resource

15 Mar

Sponsor, Programme Manager

End of Planning

Project Brief, Plan, Estimated Budget, Risks, Communication Plan - all approved. Project has resource approved by section head for the estimated effort. Project has funding for effort for other costs.

24 May

Sponsor, PM, Programme Manager, Section Head(s)

End of Analysis

quality and completeness of analysis

3 Mar

Technical lead

End of Design

quality and completeness of design

3 Mar

Technical lead

End of Build

quality and completeness of build

30 Jun

technical lead / senior supplier/ PM

Security QA

deliverable satisfies security

30 Jun

Section Head

Delivery, Like for Like

Change to Service can proceed

7 Aug

Sponsor, PM

service owner/ service operations manager (helpline)

End of UI Design

quality of UI - to show we have designed an interface that is usable, accessible, promotes equality and diversity

30 May

technical lead / senior supplier/ business lead / senior user

Branding QA

for new, upgraded services, sign-off that branding guidelines for ISG, University, school/college has been followed by the project team

30 Jun

PM / and as appropriate ...

UoE C&M, college C&M and (pending) ISG Branding Team

Design UI QA

to show we have built an interface that is usable, accessible, promotes equality and diversity

30 Jun

Sponsor and Service Owner

EqIA

For new services or services undergoing substantial change, there must be an Equality Impact Assessment completed, validated by equality office and deposited on EqIA website

30 Jun

PM / Service Owner / Equality Officer

PIA

Check if your project needs to undergo a Privacy Impact Assessment

30 Jun

PM / Service Owner / CISO

Acceptance

overall quality of deliverable, UAT has been passed, Integration testing successful, all components technically checked  - fit for delivery to live service

4 Aug

technical lead / senior supplier /business lead / senior user /business analyst /PM

 

Delivery, Applied EdGel

Change to Service can proceed

7 Aug

Sponsor, PM

service owner/ service operations manager (helpline)

Handover to Support

support can take over running of the Service

8 Aug

service owner/ service operations manager (helpline)

Closure

Project can close

15 Aug

Sponsor, PM

 

Assumptions

None.

 

Constraints

None.

 

Risks

  • Insufficient resources available to deliver to milestone dates.
  • Insufficient testing may lead lack of confidence and thus delay deployment beyond August 2017.
  • Insufficient testing may lead University wide services being unavailable after deployment
  • Increased helpdesk incidents due to end users reporting unexpected change to authentication presentation

 

Issues

None.

 

Previous Lessons Learned

None applicable.

 

Dependencies

None.

 

Communication

The project/change is internally driven with Stakeholders across Information Systems (IS) who are also contributors or directly managing contributing resources.

Project Team meetings will be held as required.  These are not scheduled as the team is already engaged and the team members will have had plenty of experience of working with each other.

A communications plan covering engagement with the wider community of computing stakeholders, i.e. EASE admins, will be developed to fit with service rollout. 

There will also be a “for your information” communication associated with the application of EdGel themes to the EASE service.

 

Run / Grow / Transform

Runs / Transforms the existing EASE authentication.

 

Alignment with Strategic Vision  

The elements of the IS Strategic Vision that this projects contributes to have a commentary.

Student Experience

Commentary

Student experience and the unique Edinburgh offer

EASE consistent with our EdGEL standards.  Improved end user documentation.

Online and distance learning leaders

  

Library national and international leadership

  
   

Research and Innovation

  

Research IT and Data Sciences

  

Innovation

  

Collaborative leadership  and social responsibility

  
   

Service Excellence

  

Process improvement, efficiency, quality and best practice

Improve service efficiency, reduce cost of future changes to the EASE authentication service: use of central Authorisation, software version control, automation.

Long‐term IS strategic planning and linked professional services

Standardised Linux OS

Information Security

Reduce risk of sensitive data breaches.  Use of Encrypted store for sensitive data, up to date software.

 

University's Strategic Vision for 2025 the main elements of the vision that this projects contributes to are highlighted in bold.

Vision Themes

Commentary

A unique Edinburgh offer for all of our students

  

• all of our undergraduates developed as student/ researchers with clear, supported pathways through to Masters and PhD

  

• all our students offered the opportunity to draw from deep expertise outside their core discipline

  

• a highly satisfied student body with a strong sense of community.

  
   

Strong and vibrant communities within and beyond the University – making the most of our unique offer of world-leading thinking and learning within one of the world’s most attractive cities

  
   

A larger, more international staff who feel valued and supported in a University that is a great and collegial place to work, develop and progress

  
   

More postgraduate students – underpinned by the best support in the sector to ensure we attract the brightest and best regardless of ability to pay

  
   

A strong culture of philanthropic support focussed especially on our students and on outstanding research capabilities.

  
   

Many more students benefiting from the Edinburgh experience (largely or entirely) in their own country – supported by deep international partnerships and world- leading online distance learning

  
   

Sustained world leading reputation for the breadth, depth and interdisciplinary of our research supported by strong growth in research funding and strong international partnerships – drawing from well-established and less well developed sources

  
   

An estate that matches expectations, responds flexibly to changing student and staff needs, and showcases the University

The project delivers a service that members, visitors and prospective students would expect the University to provide
   

A deeper and earlier collaboration with industry, the public sector and the third sector – in terms of research; knowledge exchange; and in giving our students the best possible set of skills for their future

  
   

 

Digital Transformation

Commentary

Describe how the changes this project delivers will contribute to the digital transformation of the Service

Future changes to the EASE authentication and registration processes will carry less risk and be efficiently developed and deployed.

 

 

IS Change Programme - How will this project's Deliverables and Benefits promote the Themes  

IS Change Programme Theme

How the project deliverables and benefits contribute to change

Project Management

 

Working Together

Engaging with the Website and Communications section

Standards and Technical Leadership

Improves EASE authentication by implementing a best practise technical solution and associated service, developed with the Local Software Lifecycle.

Staff Learning and Development

  

Service Based Culture

Improved user documentation

Equality and Diversity

  

Partnerships and Philanthropy

  

Flexible Resourcing

  

Communication and Branding

Consistent EdGEL theme

 

Service Excellence - Information and Security

The EASE service is to be refactored into standard builds onto the virtual hosting service.  The data is to be stored in the standard Galera database cluster with sensitive data encrypted.  Source code is to be version controlled.

 

Service Excellence - Process Improvement, efficiency, quality and best practice (Social Responsibility and Sustainability)

Not applicable.  Internal process to IS is being improved.

 

Digital Transformation

Not applicable.  A digital solution is being replaced by another similar digital solution.

 

IS Change Programme - How will the execution of this project promote the Themes

IS Change Programme Theme

How the project process will contribute to change

Project Management

  

Working Together

The project team talk to other colleagues across ISG to work towards a consolidated approach to authentication services and thus reduce complexity and associated service management effort.

Standards and Technical Leadership

Refactors service with best practise technology elements.

Staff Learning and Development

 

Service Based Culture

 

Equality and Diversity

 

Partnerships and Philanthropy

 

Flexible Resourcing

Project Manage – contract staff appointed

Solution Architect –service development activity in addition to BAU service management role.

Communication and Branding

Improved consistency of the EASE service with the rest of the University website with application of EdGel themes.

 

Project Sponsor – Project Responsibilities

The sign-off milestones are associated with specific responsibilities of the Sponsor role.

 

DONE = done already

(NR) = not required (will be delete from next draft)

? = discuss

(SP) = to be done by Sponsor

(PB) = project board to do

(PM) = project manager to do

(PT) = project team to do

 

Start of project – Explicitly Included in the Initiation Milestones Sign-Off

  1. DONE Negotiates and confirms funding for the project
  2. (SP) Ensures the project is in line with organisational strategy and priorities
  3. DONE Chairs the project board, appoints its members and ensures they are effective
  4. (NR) Advises the project manager of protocols, political risks, issues and sensitivities
  5. (NR) Makes the project visible within the organisation  

 

End of Planning – Explicitly Included in the Planning Milestone Sign-Off

  1. (SP) Works with the project manager to develop the Project Brief
  2. (PM) Ensures a realistic project plan is produced
  3. ? Sets tolerance levels for escalation to themselves and to the project board
  4. (PM) Ensures that project team have representation and engagement from users and suppliers
  5. (PT) Helps identify Stakeholders
  6. (SP) Approves Communication Plan
  7. (SP) Agrees on frequency of meetings with Project Manager
  8. (SP) Agrees of frequency of meetings with Project Team
  9. (SP) Agrees on milestones and who signs-off

 

Development / Execution – ongoing

  1. DONE Provides strategic direction and guidance to the project manager as directed by the Board
  2. ? (PB) Approves changes to plans, priorities, deliverables, schedule
  3. ? (NR) Encourages stakeholder involvement and maintains their ongoing commitment
  4. ??? Chief risk taker
  5. ? (PB) Makes go/no-go decisions
  6. (NR) Communicates change in organisational structure, priorities, business benefits or funding
  7. (SP) Helps the project manager in conflict resolution
  8. (SP) Helps resolve inter project boundary issues
  9. (SP) Gains agreement among stakeholders when differences of opinion occur
  10. (SP) Assists the project by exerting organisational authority and the ability to influence

 

Delivery – Explicitly Included in the Delivery Sign-Off

  1. (Svc Owner) Ensures that Service is ready for change

 

Closure - Explicitly Included in the Closure Milestone Sign-Off

  1. (NR) Helps with publicity for the change delivered
  2. (NR) (or Svc Owner) Ensure that benefits will be managed, measured and realised post-project
  3. ? (PM) or (Svc Owner) Evaluates the project’s success upon completion

 

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Project Info

Project
EASE Web Site Refactor
Code
ENT021
Programme
ITI - Enterprise Services (ENT)
Management Office
ISG PMO
Project Manager
Jon March
Project Sponsor
Graeme Wood
Current Stage
Close
Status
Closed
Start Date
16-Jan-2017
Planning Date
n/a
Delivery Date
n/a
Close Date
01-Sep-2017
Programme Priority
11
Overall Priority
Higher
Category
Discretionary

Documentation

Plan