enterprise directory services: project planning a. michael berman, vp, instr. & info tech, cal....

Enterprise Directory Services:Enterprise Directory Services:Project PlanningProject Planning

A. Michael Berman, VP, Instr. & Info Tech,

Cal. Poly, Pomona

Keith Hazelton, Sr. IT Architect

University of Wisconsin

CAMP Directory Workshop Feb 3-6, 2004

TopicsTopics

Enterprise Directory Implementation Roadmap– Business Case

– Project planning


Tech and Policy TracksTech and Policy Tracks


QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.


Project Planning, Preparation Project Planning, Preparation and Requirementsand Requirements

Policy/Management Develop Business Case & Secure Support Develop Project Plan Assemble Resources Strategize for success in policy matters


Planning: The Biz Case Planning: The Biz Case

Educate yourself and organization on need for middleware

Assemble drivers for campus Assess strengths, weaknesses, and

critical success factors Develop business case Secure support


Educate yourself and others…Educate yourself and others…

You’re here Materials on CD Excellent articles in Educause publications

– Written for a range of audiences

You don’t have to invent from scratch, but…

You will have to tailor for your campus


Assemble Business DriversAssemble Business Drivers

You need to know why you’re undertaking this effort

It’s probably bigger than you think Focus on outcomes Outcomes need to be meaningful for your

target audience – who needs to support the project to make it a success on your campus?


Drivers for Directory Drivers for Directory ImplementationImplementation

Technology Drivers– Improved service– Reduced costs

Positive business drivers– Enable new applications– Support better collaboration, sharing resources

Negative business drivers– Improved security and protection of confidential

information


Technology Drivers – Technology Drivers – Improved servicesImproved services

Account provision – speed, accuracy Providing identity information to non-

central “customers” Customer self-service WebISO Better integration for portals, ERP systems


Technology Drivers – Technology Drivers – reduced costsreduced costs

Server consolidation Reduce help-desk calls Simplify implementation of new

applications Reduce/eliminate proxy servers


Positive Business DriversPositive Business Drivers

Enterprise course management Collaboration tools – calendaring, email

lists based on roles, video conferencing Resource sharing, distribution Workflow PKI


Negative Business DriversNegative Business Drivers

Use directory to consolidate, control access to sensitive information

Tie to SSN access control Reduce risk

– Auditing risk – e.g. password control– Compliance risk– Liability risk


Assess Strengths, Weaknesses, Assess Strengths, Weaknesses, and Critical Success Factorsand Critical Success Factors

Do key campus and IT leaders have a good understanding of purpose and role of Enterprise Directory?

Do key technical staff members have good understanding of core middleware and directory technologies?

Have you identified campus business drivers that are compelling & linked to strategic needs of the campus?


Assessing…Assessing…

Have you identified an executive sponsor or champion with enough clout?

Do you know who are the stakeholders outside the IT organization?

Do you know who the “data owners” are, and can you get their support?

Do you have project management expertise available?



Does your campus have appropriate policies for ownership and management of the information you will put in your directory?

Can you make changes in policies if necessary?

Have potential roadblocks – organizational, political, legal, procedural – been identified?



Is the core campus IT infrastructure in a stable configuration that can support the directory?

Is there continuity in IT and campus leadership sufficient to sustain the effort required by the project?

Do you have communications expertise available to you?


Developing a Business CaseDeveloping a Business Case

Depending on the size, complexity, and cost of project and campus environment, may need to develop a more-or-less formal business case

Purposes:– To focus your own thinking– To gain executive buy-in– To rally campus support


Potential elements of a directory Potential elements of a directory project business caseproject business case

Most important – explain the need or drivers for the directory project, and how the project will address the need

If possible, explicitly tie to the strategic objectives of the institution

Typically includes a rough cut of project timeline and budget – address funding strategy

Most important: executive summary


Can you do a “stealth” directories Can you do a “stealth” directories project?project?

May be possible for the first pass or as a prototype

Current focus on protection of confidential information increases risk of stealth project

Good strategy in some cases – embed within a larger project, e.g. ERP


Secure SupportSecure Support

Stakeholders Champion Funding Sources Business and Policy Process


Planning: Develop Project PlanPlanning: Develop Project Plan

Do implementation groundwork on strategy, timing, and organizational approach

Develop communications and PR plan Discuss with stakeholders when

appropriate Develop project plan


Implementation GroundworkImplementation Groundwork

Clarifying relationships between individuals & institution. When does admitted student become a student able to access online library resources? Are they “students” for all purposes?

Determining who manages, who can update and who can see common data. How does an address get changed? Who is responsible for its accuracy?


Implementation GroundworkImplementation Groundwork

Structuring information access & use rules between departments & central administrative units. What data sets should particular staff positions get automatic custodial permission to use?

Reconciling business rules & practices. Do the existing business practices for new hires support early provisioning of email accounts?


Develop Communication PlansDevelop Communication Plans

Use to help manage expectations Publicize quick wins, a shared vision, support

from the executive levels Use combination of face-to-face

conversations & presentations & web/hard copy communications


Develop Communication PlansDevelop Communication Plans

Tailor message to disparate audiences Keep the overall message consistent. Identify ways to involve stakeholders in

decision and policy making process. Need to reiterate overall goals & business

case many times before directory is deployed & apps are enabled.


Project Plan ConsiderationsProject Plan Considerations

Quick wins early in process to demonstrate value. Identify ways to measure benefits (productivity

gains, self-service) ahead of time. Success enables more success. Make sure later

requests can be accommodated to keep enthusiasm

Over provision first infrastructure to accommodate growth for first applications & addition of new ones.


Project Plan ConsiderationsProject Plan Considerations

Develop overall guidelines for directory & project to help in decision making later

Be prepared to redefine responsibilities of people as workload changes.

Recognize directory as mission-critical infrastructure; provide for life-cycle support & mgmt


Planning: Assemble ResourcesPlanning: Assemble Resources

Decide on funding model and secure funding

Develop technical, policy, executive and organizational project structure

Begin communication plan


FundingFunding

Costs– staff time: in acquiring data, establishing policy, and

implementing the technical infrastructure. – capital and operational costs

Securing Funds; – depends largely on existing staff, their expertise,

available resources for outsourcing, & level of commitment to other production systems.

Funding Options– absorb cost of project into existing initiatives

underway, or within ongoing operational budgets– Submit to mgmt. for funding as a standalone project


Project StructureProject Structure

Project Champion(s)– Ideal is a pair, one IT, one senior admin– Know, communicate value– Negotiate hazards, maintain momentum

Project Manager– Trusted vet; technically acute– Collaborative style– Proactive communicator



Core Team– Small, agile– Represents core functional areas– Detail oriented– Formulates issues, recommendations for

steering group

Big Team– The stakeholders collectively



Steering Team– Smallest, most powerful– Composed of key decision makers– Lays foundation for ongoing Dir. Governance Board

Technical Team– Nuts & bolts of design and deployment– Technical architect, systems developers, database

technologists and app developers


Strategies for Success Strategies for Success in Policy Mattersin Policy Matters

Know your environment Establish core principles


Strategies: Know your environment! Strategies: Know your environment! Guiding questionsGuiding questions

Is campus governance centralized or distributed?

How has central administration demonstrated commitment to policy leadership?

What partnerships are in place to support policy development among, e.g., IT, Legal, internal audit, police, Student Affairs?


Are there best practices already defined for your campus? Processes to create best practices?

Are there existing policies that just need to be interpreted to cover the e-World?

What resources are available to support policy development and implementation?

Strategies: Know your environment!Strategies: Know your environment! Guiding questionsGuiding questions


Strategies: Core principlesStrategies: Core principles

Guiding philosophy of new infrastructure Defined before design and implementation

phases Rooted in view of data as a strategic

resource– Enterprise directory

Link to all people of interest ..and all the needed identity information


Strategies: Core principlesStrategies: Core principles Sample core principles

– Data infrastructure serves more than one institutional application

– Data is protected and requires permission for its use unless declared “public” by the data custodians or owners

– Access to private directory data must be granted for each application and be approved by the data custodians.

– Applications using that data should meet the security and data definition guidelines put forth by the technical service administrators.

– Data will be made available for all valid administrative and educational purposes


Strategies: Core principlesStrategies: Core principles Directory (UDS) Inclusion Guidelines

There should be a process by which new elements of institutional data are proposed, considered and selected or rejected for addition to the UDS collection.

This process should be clear, well publicized and it should handle requests in a timely manner.

Some users and applications will need access to a larger set of institutional data than that available in the UDS. The UDS must provide a way to map between a person entry in the UDS and that person's entry in other participating repositories.


Strategies: Core principlesStrategies: Core principles

Oversight and ownership– Data and technical service may be different– Application and infrastructure may be different– Create, read, update, and delete matrix– On-going legal, source system, and policy

changes Requires business functions to be involved Requires changes in the infrastructure


Begin Communication PlanBegin Communication Plan


Q & AQ & A

enterprise directory services: project planning a. michael berman, vp, instr. & info tech, cal....

Documents

camp directory workshop

campus slide

directory technologies

campus business drivers

enterprise directory

role of enterprise directory

policy tracks slide

key campus