Completion Report

Project Summary:

Background

SAC052, a collaboration between Student Systems and the IS Web Integration Team, focussed on opportunities to improve the digital experience for the applicant to student journey for online distance learners.

The project had four strands:

1. Improving communications to ODL applicants and students sent by central services to ensure the communications are relevant to ODL programmes and consistent with the messages communicated by the Schools and Colleges.
2. Updating the MyEd layouts to ensure relevance to ODL students and developing a prototype to visualise the applicant to student journey as a workflow in MyEd to help applicants and new students better understand the actions required of them as they progress towards fully matriculated student.
3. Developing a proposal and determining requirements for integrating programme, School and College specific messages / information  to applicants and students into MyEd.
4. Developing a plan to allow the prototype to be implemented to the Live environment in the first instance for ODL applicants/students and secondly for ALL applicants/students. This plan will include tasks which will be required to be undertaken and resourcing required and which team this needs to come from.

Were the project goals met?  Yes

Were the project deliverables fully or partially accomplished? 

The project deliverables were partially accomplished. Full details of the outcome of each strand and details of further development opportunities arising from the project are availabale at https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/sac052/page.

Deliverables achieved

Strand 1 - Communications

• Review and update communications from EUCLID to ensure relevance to ODL and consistency with messages from Schools
• Look for opportunities to improve communications from other teams, for example Card Services, to ensure relevance for ODL students

Strand 2 - MyEd update and workflow prototype

• Refresh the MyEd layouts for ODL applicants and students, which will aim to replace the current MyEd layout for ODL and will only show options applicable to ODL
• Present the applicant to student journey as a workflow in MyEd using EUCLID data
• Develop prototype for web service and flexible data schema for data exchange between services
• Tailor MyEd based on data available from EUGEX via the data exchange prototype
• Create access points for Applicant Student to complete the signposted tasks
• Investigate options for allowing School and College staff to view the applicant and student views of MyEd
• Develop proposal, including resourcing requirements, to move the MyEd workflow prototype to production
• Produce a layout which can be used on a mobile device

Strand 4 - Proposal to move from prototype to live service

• Developing a plan to allow the prototype to be implemented to the Live environment in the first instance for ODL applicants/students and secondly for ALL applicants/students.

Deliverables not delivered

Strand 2 – MyEd prototype

Develop a new MyEd layout for UF offer holders prior to matriculation or phase in services shown to offer holders in the student view of MyEd

• Complexities in identifying UF applicants and the impact this would have on other services were much greater than anticipated. This should be taken forward as part of a wider discussion about when an applicant is a ‘student’ and what services they are entitled to at each stage.

Strand 3 - School data integration

There was insufficient evidence for progressing strand 3, requirements for integrating School data into MyEd. Details are available in the Strand 3 section below.

Did the project deliver a solution to the problems being addressed?

Yes

What are the benefits for the business? How did it impact the business?

Per the project brief, only strand 2 -  communication improvements was deployed to live. The communication improvements delivered improved clarity and relevance for distance learners.

The prototype delivered a model and a framework that can be extended and rolled out to all students, as well as other workflows.

Does the Project Sponsor agree that this project can be closed at this time?

Yes

Cost Summary

Analysis of Resource Usage:

Staff Usage Estimate: 1 days

Staff Usage Actual: 1 days

Staff Usage Variance: 0%

Other Resource Estimate: 1 days

Other Resource Actual: 1 days

Other Resource Variance: 0%

Explanation for variance:

.Less effort was spent on usability testing than expected. The testing that was carried out was sufficient for assessing the prototype and further effort was not required.

Key Learning Points:

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What went well

• The project was a collaboration between Student Systems and IS LTW and benefited from the co-sponsorship arrangements
• The behaviour driven development approach meant the project had the user’s perspective at the forefront and helped ensure the project team were on the same page
• The Schools involved were very supportive of the project and keen to get the prototype developed moved to live service

What didn’t go so well

• Conflicting operational priorities and unplanned leave caused several delays during the course of the project
• The original project manager was seconded to a new role and left the project midway through
• Trying to define what services a UF applicant should see in MyEd proved more complicated than anticipated. The project did not have the resources to fully address the complexities of the issue.

Outstanding issues:

Details of further development opportunities arising from the project are availabale at https://www.projects.ed.ac.uk/project/sac052/page