News
New
I want to thank the TAC 216 Working Group for their outstanding work on the development of the first TAC 216 Companion Guide. While this Companion Guide does not set forth requirements for a member to meet, it does provide a an example of what a quality project management operation looks like and offers a picture of what it means to be compliant with TAC 216. The extra hours invested by the Working Group members have resulted in a Companion Guide that the A&M System is proud to roll out at the TAMUS Technology Summit. If you would like to learn more about the TAC 216 Companion Guide and how to use it, please sign up for the TAMUS Project Management Guide Launch Party pre-conference workshop.
TAC 216 Working Group
Chrissie Cordray (Student Affairs IT, TAMU), Angie Dunn (HSC), Karen Hrncir (Provost IT, TAMU), Carl Ivey (Student Affairs IT, TAMU), Leslie Lenser (TAMUS), Melanie Leggett (TAMU IT), Michelle Ostererholm (TAMU IT), Michael Pace (TAMU IT), Patricia Philipps (TAMUCC), Frank Sanchez (TAMUSA), Meghan Southerland (TAMU College of Engineering IT), Ronnie Vitulli (Finance and Administration IT, TAMU), Alison Winslow (TAMU IT)
BAM Performance – Periscope is providing regular updates on the efforts completed, the efforts underway, and the efforts planned to address BAM performance.
Brad Englert, CIO at the University of Texas at Austin, sent out an email on Friday telling of the success of one of their shared service offerings.
ITS Staff,
ITS Contract Services team provides valuable service to the University’s colleges, schools and units by providing technical solutions when there are internal resources constraints. Available on a cost-recovery, fee-for-service basis, the team brings a deep knowledge and understanding of IT@UT to their work, aligning projects to meet client goals and institutional priorities, while ensuring application security and accessibility standards are met.
In December 2015, the team updated the service website for prospective clients. Included is information about lists of services offered and technologies used, a description of the engagement process, as well as the current rate of $85 per hour, which is calculated for only cost recovery. Please check out the Contract Software and Web Development web page.
Growth trends by billable hours worked is impressive and validating. During Fiscal Year 2013, there were 2,856 hours worked supporting and maintaining existing websites and 7,500 hours invested in developing new sites. Projections for Fiscal Year 2016 are 5,100 hours will be invested supporting existing websites and 10,500 hours will be worked in website development and enhancement. Clearly, a pressing demand is being addressed by this service.
In the coming year, the Contract Services team will continue to improve project estimation tools, migrate sites from the old Web Central platform, transition sites in support of the Digital Experience project, and migrate externally hosted sites that have had cyber-attacks. The team will also be supporting the Administrative Services Modernization Program (ASMP 2.0) by shifting development efforts from custom code to the new, standardized application frameworks.
System-Wide Contracting News
New
The committee scoring the Student Information Systems RFP completed it selection. Contract negotiations have commenced with the winner.
Contract negotiations with the design build finalist for the Dollar Data Center are underway. The selection of the partner has been approved to be on the agenda for the February Board of Regents meeting.
Repeats
Current System-wide Contracts
- Cisco SmartNet (discretionary)
- Diligent provides board portal functionality for all members. (discretionary)
- Hootsuite will enable members to manage social networks, schedule messages and measure social media from a dashboard under a master contract. (discretionary)
- Modo Labs provides mobile application development support for all members. (discretionary)
- Proofpoint email filtering and data loss prevention tools are available for all members. (in annual assessment)
- Siteimprove checks web pages, every five days, for spelling, grammar, broken links and accessibility. The cost is 54 cents per web page per year. Any member interested in adding this service need to contact me directly. (discretionary)
- StealthWatch provides cyber security monitoring for all members. (in annual assessment)
- Syncplicity licensing is available for all members. (in annual assessment)
- WebEx is available to all members. Faculty/administrators can obtain licenses at the low cost of $1.44/month/license. (discretionary)
- WebQA is the TAMUS approved Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) solution for all members. (in annual assessment)
System-wide Contracts Under Development
- Banner COE will enable all members to obtain Banner-related services under a master contract. (discretionary)
- Contract Management COE will provide members with the ability to track, manage and optimize contracts under a master contract. (discretionary)
- Docusign will provide members with electronic signature and related workflow capabilities under a master contract. (discretionary)
Projects
New
Project Helios
- The Project Helios IV&V (Independent Verification & Validation) evaluation team continues contract negotiations with the sole finalist.
- The Vision and Plan Stage is nearing the finish line.
- A recommended scope, go live approach and go live date will be presented to the Executive Advisory Committee on January 27.
- Briefings for the HROs, CFOs, CIOs and CEOs / Presidents are receiving their final touches.
- The team is working to define what Implementation looks like for the A&M System. The functional team is beginning to plan for our next Workday phase, Architect. During this phase, we’ll bring together team members from across the A&M System to take a detailed look at what we need our HR, payroll and benefits processes to do, and we’ll take a look at what information we need Workday to send to our external HR partners.
SCIO Trips/Visits
- Minneapolis, MN (January 25th)