Swansea University

Information Services & Systems

Management Information Strategy

2012-17

Author: Steve Owen, Head of Corporate Information Systems

Distribution: Management Information Systems (Task & Finish) Group

Version: 1.0

History: Version Comment Date Initials

Draf Initial draf November 2011 SGO
1.0 Endorsed by SMT 21.12.2011 December 2011 SGO

Contents: Foreword
Definition & Scope
Introduction
Challenges
Objectives
Foreword
Swansea University aims to provide an environment that delivers research excellence and
outstanding student experience. These aims, along with the commitment from staff and students will
be a powerhouse for growth in the regional economy, and will greatly enrich the community and
cultural life of Wales.

Our continual investment into our staff and facilities is reflected in the need for high quality
information technology and information systems to support the academic ambitions, where
dependency on robust, reliable, timely and secure information is becoming increasingly important
for both students and staff.

The Management Information Strategy is a key document that underpins the Universitys strategy.
Its primary focus is to develop, deliver and support information systems to ensure that Swansea
University is a current, enhanced and attractive place to work and study.

Professor Ian Cluckie

Pro Vice Chancellor

Definition & Scope

For the purposes of this strategy document, the term Management Information System, ofen
referred to as MIS, is defined as:

The class of system designed to support the organizational, administrative and decision making
activities of the university.

The strategy addresses the changing landscape of MIS through this definition, and is one component
in a set of strategies covering Research, Student Experience, Knowledge Economy, and the
overarching Information Strategy.

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Introduction
In the current economic and funding climate staff face increasing pressures to do more for less, and
rely heavily on the universitys systems infrastructure in achieving this.

The proposed Science and Innovation campus poses significant challenges as it aims to double the
number of students in the STEM disciplines.

Each new intake of first-year undergraduates brings with it an increasingly demanding and
knowledgeable cohort of students, who expect fully integrated services that are robust, mobile, and
always on.

The recent White Paper, Students at the Heart of the System 1, puts the focus on providing better
assessment and feedback to students, and the Welsh Governments For Our Future 2 strategy for HE
in Wales sets out key aspirations in respect of flexible, accessible, and learner centred provision.

In responding to these complex challenges the expectations and demands of information consumers
and providers must be managed in a controlled and planned manner through the auspices of a new
Management Information Strategy.

Swansea University is presented with an opportunity to significantly improve the systems and
processes that deal with the management of information across the institution, within both the
student and staff domains. In addition, this opportunity also extends to developing systems that
provide valuable and timely information to our external stakeholders, partners and governing bodies.

With such opportunities come significant challenges, including the:

increasing demands of technically savvy students,
expectations of robust and fully integrated provision of services,
convergence in digital content and social media via the web,
reliance on connected and mobile devices,
development of the second campus,
reduction in Government funding and pressures to do more for less,
influx of growth and complexity of information that the university captures and
disseminates,
creation of information silos within departments and Colleges,
cultural issues and norms that are embedded within the organisation creating issues of
ownership and collaboration.

This strategy aims to:

service students by fulfilling their rapidly changing requirements,
empower staff by providing the appropriate tools and training to navigate the information
landscape,
improve the efficiency and effectiveness of technology and processes in providing that
landscape.

A rolling plan of action is provided in the MIS Roadmap 2012-17, which adopts an integrated
approach to improving the information systems and tools that enable staff of the university to deliver
upon the key business drivers as set out in the Strategic plan 2009-143.

1 Students at the Heart of the System, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, June 2011,
http://c561635.r35.cf2.rackcdn.com/11-944-WP-students-at-heart.pdf
2 For Our Future The 21st Century Higher Education Strategy and Plan for Wales, 2009, Welsh Government,
http://wales.gov.uk/docs/dcells/publications/091214hestrategyen.pdf
3 Strategic plan 2009-14 http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/media,40519,en.pdf
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It also updates and incorporates elements of the Information Strategy 2009-11 4, reflecting the
changing conditions, requirements and expectations of staff and especially students in the post-fee-
plan era, and is underpinned by the ICT Strategic Plan 2008-10 5 which is currently being revised and
updated.

Challenges
Integrated management of single-source information
Many of the management information systems being used by the university were introduced in to
the university in the mid/late 1990's. Each system was chosen as a 'best of breed' solution in line
with best practice at that time, and adopted from a function-centric viewpoint, resulting in
information that is held in silos, being inaccessible to the people who need access most, and in a
timely manner. Considerable effort has been expended over the years to knit these systems together
in an effort to integrate the data stores and present information in a unified and coherent way. The
concept of a single authoritative source for each item of information needs to be established in order
to avoid the duplication of data and processes across all campus operations.

Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of MIS

With the outstanding results of the 2008 RAE and subsequent growth of the university, demand for
information has grown until it has outstripped the capacity of the university to adequately resource
the increasingly complex requirements. This lack of capacity has resulted in schools, and now
colleges, plugging the gaps by creating disparate, local systems and data stores that satisfy their
own immediate needs, but duplicate effort across campus.

Enable a culture of self-service

In the intervening decade or so since the MIS systems were procured technology has progressed at
an astounding rate; computational power increases, storage costs decrease and the WWW has
become a ubiquitous tool in the workplace. There has been a remarkable change of attitude and
skills as people have adapted to, and adopted, the frequent use of technology in both their personal
and professional lives. Most crucially, the commercial market place has moved on at a pace,
providing solutions that were unthinkable a decade ago. Systems have become more user-centric, in
growing recognition of the need to exploit the expertise of staff at all levels, and with it to enable
staff to work effectively and reduce unnecessary bureaucracy.

Establish thorough and transparent MIS governance

It is now recognised that the universitys existing systems are becoming increasingly unfit for
purpose, are causing operational difficulties and are holding the university back from realising its full
potential. A rolling programme of renewal and rejuvenation is needed to modernise the universitys
systems and processes, and manage the turmoil that change inevitably brings with it.

4 Information Strategy 2009-11 http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/media,39708,en.doc

5 ICT Strategic plan 2008-10 http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/media,25027,en.doc
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Building Collaboration and Partnership
The paper The Future Shape of the HE Sector in Wales 6 published in December 2010 by HEFCW
sets out an ambitious timetable for the reduction of the number of institutions in Wales from 11 to
six by 2013. This structural change will be met, in part, by the collaboration and integration of MIS in
the sector and through commercial means.

Objectives
The MIS strategy sets out to address these challenges under the following objectives.

MIS 1. Integrated management of single-source information

Information needs to be made more widely available and treated as a shared resource.

Projects across campus must collaborate fully to ensure that the maximum benefit is derived from
work being undertaken, and that the needs of the user come first.

Information should be made freely available to those who need it in an appropriate manner, i.e. right
time, right place, right format, in line with the universitys Information Security policy 7.

Appropriate standards and protocols need to be established to minimise the potential for
unnecessary bureaucracy, and enable the information owner to update information in a timely
fashion.

The open provision of information will itself engender improved data quality, resulting in more
reliable information and hence better informed decision making capability.

MIS 2. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of MIS

Information should be captured once as a result of routine activity and used many times.

Through the prudent enhancement of MIS the university will improve efficiency, and hence reduce
costs, by re-designing business processes and optimising the use of systems or replacing them where
they fall short.

The procurement of commercially available solutions will be pursued in preference to building in-
house systems where available and appropriate. However it is recognised that no commercial
product will fulfil every need of the university and that provision for bespoke developments will
continue to be supported.

Priority resource and funding will be given to business areas such as the Department of Research and
Innovation (DRI) that urgently need MIS capability to manage the growing portfolio of research
grants, and Payroll as there is significant risk that it may fail in the near future.

6 The future shape of higher education in Wales,

http://www.hefcw.ac.uk/documents/news/press_releases/2010 Press Releases/Full Statement on the Future
Shape of the Sector 211210.pdf
7 Information Security policy 2011-2012 http://www.swansea.ac.uk/media/InformationSecurityPolicy%20June
%202011.docx
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In such procurements cognizance will be taken of the need to ensure that information flow and
integration will be seamless with current and future purchases in areas such as HR and Finance.

MIS 3. Enable a culture of self-service

The university will empower and enable authorised users (human and computer) to obtain or update
information and perform qualified transactions from enterprise databases without depending on
human interactions8.

The university will provision a self-service culture through the continued adoption of web-based
technology that improves information flow and availability, provides timelier and better quality
services, and frees-up scarce resources to focus on providing better value.

The university will move towards the adoption of a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for the
procurement and development of all MIS systems, providing not just an architecture of services seen
from a technical perspective, but the policies, practices, and frameworks by which the university
ensures that the right services are provided and consumed.

In order to fully exploit the wealth of data available in MIS systems the university will adopt a
Business Intelligence suite that will facilitate self-service reporting and analysis that turns raw data
into valuable information, such as Key Performance Indicators and User Dashboards.

While the Web, wireless technology, and portable computers transformed the way students can
access information, mobile devices can take those tools a step farther 9. The unprecedented evolution
of mobiles continues to generate great interest. As new devices continue to enter the market, new
features and new capabilities are appearing at an accelerated pace. One recent feature, the ability to
run third-party applications, represents a fundamental change in the way we regard mobiles and
opens the door to myriad uses for education, entertainment, productivity, and social interaction 10.

The university will seek to adopt an enterprise-level mobile platform to support the array of
sophisticated mobile devices which the young regard as essential tools for carrying out a range of
tasks, including learning11, to enhance the staff and student experience.

MIS 4. Establish thorough and transparent MIS governance

A Management Information Systems (Task and Finish) Group, (T&F), was established in June 2011 to
produce this Management Information Strategy document, bringing together representatives from
the Colleges of Engineering and Science, the Department of research and Innovation (DRI), Finance,
Human Resources (HR), the Planning and Strategic Projects Unit (PSPU), and Information Services
and Systems (ISS).

A permanent MIS steering group, chaired by a member of SMT, will be established in place of the
T&F group to ensure that project initiatives are considered with, and adhere to, the strategy herein.

8 Implementing Self-Service Technology, Chang-tseh Hesih http://www.iima.org/CIIMA/CIIMA

%205.1%2077%20Hsieh-9.pdf
9 William Rankin, Inside Higher Ed, http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/09/21/iphones
10 2009 Horizon Report (abridged), http://wp.nmc.org/horizon2009/chapters/mobiles/
11 Anderson, P. & Blackwood, A., 2004. Mobile and PDA technologies and their future use in education,
November 2004. JISC Technology and Standards Watch: 04-03,
www.jisc.ac.uk/media/documents/techwatch/acf11ae.doc
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It will be responsible for ensuring that priorities are clear and unambiguous, that projects do not
conflict with one-another and that the associated risks are registered and managed effectively.

A sub-committee will be formed that orchestrates the realisation of the strategy as determined by
the steering group, marshalling the necessary resources as and when needed. Membership of this
group will vary, dependent upon the work in hand.

Buy in at the senior level across all Colleges, departments, and administrative areas is essential,
recognising that by working collaboratively far more can be achieved than through individual,
uncoordinated efforts.

MIS 5. Building Collaboration and Partnership

The university will seek out opportunities to work collaboratively with fellow HE institutions in Wales,
adopting best practice and existing MIS models where an equivalent solution has been adopted by
another institution. For example, as Bangor has implemented HR and Payroll, and Aberystwyth has
implemented HR and Finance from the same vendor, Swansea will examine the potential to adopt
the same solution, cutting development risks, costs and timescales dramatically.

The potential of shared services will be explored, whether they are institutionally-based, cloud-
based, or a combination thereof.

The increasing scale of Knowledge Economy activity across the Colleges poses significant challenges
in the efficient management of external partners and drives the need for full adoption of CRM across
campus.

A much greater level of partnership with the commercial sector will be established to take advantage
of sector expertise and powerful specialist systems. Options for adopting fully integrated, campus-
wide solutions from single suppliers will be chosen in preference to those from disparate and
disconnected vendors. Opportunities will be sought to fully exploit the potential of existing vendor
relationships.

The adoption of SharePoint as the preferred tool for collaborating with external partners has already
been established, and the university will seek to enhance and upgrade the service to encompass the
requirements of the forthcoming Internal Communication strategy.

In its ambition to increase capacity and foster growth, the university will strengthen strategic
commercial partnerships with existing ICT vendors such as IBM, HPC, Fujitsu, and UNIT4, whilst
seeking out opportunities for partnership with new organisations.