Communication is a critical success factor on any project involving the implementation of a large, complex, centralized computing system. For the STARS project (System for Tracking Administrative Records for Students), communication is generally targeted toward four audience groups: the project team, advisory groups, end users, and the Cornell community. “Project team” communications are shared among members of the STARS team only, involving work tasks, plans, and issues relating to the internal team members. “Advisory group” communication involves stakeholders, such as project workgroups (e.g. college registrars) and collaborators (e.g. bursar). “End user” communications provide instruction and support in using the new system (e.g. faculty, staff, and students). The “Cornell community” receives general information from the project team about the project itself and its progress toward implementation.
The CPMM (Cornell Project Management Methodology) documentation defines a stakeholder as “a group, unit, individual, or organization who is impacted by, or who can impact the outcomes of a project.” Key stakeholders are defined as a “subset of stakeholders who, if their support were to be withdrawn, would cause the project to fail.”
Project Team communications will follow the CPMM (Cornell Project Management Methodology) Communication Plan model, a highly structured system of meetings, documents, and reviews with the purpose of keeping stakeholders and key stakeholders informed about and involved in the project. Updates on project status from project management and summaries of decisions made will be provided to the entire project team on a regular basis. Because much of the work of the project involves collaboration, the project team will endeavor to organize effective meetings with clear agendas and active issue logs, which will play an important role in sharing information and sustaining project momentum. It will also be important to encourage and ensure participation, involvement, and representation in meetings from those who have a stake in the outcomes. Project planning activities that reach beyond the student data arena will need to include stakeholders from other areas of the university (e.g. Campus Community).
The STARS project includes several different advisory groups, such as the AADs (Associate and Assistant Deans Workgroup), the CRW (College Registrar Workgroup), and the UAAG (University Admissions Advisory Group). As key stakeholders, members of advisory groups will receive ongoing communications from the project team in a variety of formats, such as proposals, issue logs, informational documents, status reports, presentations, demonstrations, and meeting minutes.
The Training, Documentation, and Support (TDS) group, a subset of the STARS project team, will provide communications to end users before, during, and after the implementation of the new system. Communications to end users are primarily focused on providing instruction on using new business processes, functionality, and reports within the context of a new system. In-depth technical documentation also serves as the project team’s record of procedures for setting up the system for users. Examples of end user communications include training guides, technical documentation, and job aids. Because end user communications document how to use the system, they are crucial to the success of the implementation.
Because there are few, if any, members of the Cornell community who are not impacted by the implementation of a new system for student data administration, the STARS project must provide communications to the broader campus community. The content of these communications will provide general information and updates on the project before, during, and after the implementation.
Communication activities on the STARS project should inform, educate, persuade, warn, and support identified stakeholders. The first objective is to identify what the work of communication for the project will involve. Providing communication support involves:
One of the main objectives of project team communications will be to facilitate an understanding of the work that is being completed in each area and the impact of that work on all aspects of the implementation project. Timely and clear communication of key project management decisions, changes in scope, and implementation timeline status will be important for maintaining this shared understanding. Another objective will be for project team members to reach and promote a common understanding of how shared areas of the system will be used with the teams who have already implemented it in other areas of the university, such as Human Resources, Payroll, and Alumni Affairs and Development.
The goal of advisory group communications will be to support their main activities, which primarily involve defining priorities, making decisions, and learning about the new system and business processes. The main objective of end user communication is to provide instruction and support in using the new system. For communications with both advisory groups and end users, it will also be vital to focus on building acceptance, support, involvement, and commitment.
The chief objectives of communications distributed across the university will be to increase awareness of the project itself, provide updates on the status of the implementation, and prepare the campus for the implementation of a new system.
A variety of communication formats are available for the STARS project to use to deliver information, such as paper publications, e-mail, and the web site. The main goal is to implement the best communication mechanism for the task at hand. As communication requirements are identified, the best mechanisms for communication will be implemented. To provide ongoing communications support to an advisory group, for instance, an e-mail list for the members of the workgroup and a section of the project web site will be provided specifically to distribute and document information generated by the workgroup. Among the many communication formats the STARS project will use are CPMM templates, proposals, e-mail lists, instructor-led training, technical documentation, presentations, demonstrations, news and updates, training materials, job aids, white papers, presentations, online tutorials, and reports.
The “STARS” project identity plays an important role in supporting the project’s communication objectives. Using STARS visual identity elements in all paper-based and online media, such as the STARS logo, gives the project a consistent visual reference point. Whether it’s a training guide, the web site, or a presentation, consistent use of STARS project identity will facilitate connections among participants in our project and with the rest of the campus community. One project with one identity promotes unity within the project, encourages and rewards project participation, provides a clear and simple reference point for the campus community, establishes the project’s presence, facilitates education and the exchange of ideas, and builds project acceptance and confidence.
For Project Team communications, the main tools will be the templates and structure provided by the CPMM. In addition, the project team will communicate through a variety of mechanisms, such as issue logs, e-mail, documents, proposals, the web site, meetings, demonstrations, and presentations. To document the business processes identified, functional analysts will use the Business Process Guide (BPG) templates provided by the CedarCrestone consulting group. Key communication deliverables from the project team will include the functional specifications for Cornell’s business processes for student data administration in the new system, as well as technical specifications for modifications or interfaces the new system may require to support those business processes.
Advisory groups will employ a variety of communication mechanisms during their participation in the project, such as e-mail, meetings, issue logs, and proposals. Communication deliverables from advisory groups will document their work, which primarily involves providing expertise, guidance, and decisions to support the implementation of the new system.
Media that provide instruction and support for using the new system will be the essential communication tools for end users. The most important deliverable for end user communication is knowledge. End users must be competent, accurate, and effective when they use the new system. Change management activities also will support communication with end users by addressing their apprehension about changes to individual job tasks and responsibilities that may occur as a result of the implementation.
Members of the Cornell community will be kept up-to-date on the project through e-mail lists, the project web site, presentations, demonstrations, and information-sharing sessions. The key deliverables of communications to the campus will be project acceptance, support, understanding, and confidence.
The main assumption (which is also inherently a risk) for communication for the STARS project is that the project team will identify all stakeholders and will provide them with all the communications they need before, during, and after the implementation of the new system. Another important assumption (and conversely a risk) is that communications will remain valid, once delivered. Deploying a new, large-scale administrative computing system requires planning, collaboration, and coordination with many groups across the entire organization. A variety of complex tasks must be completed, often with tight deadlines. The potential for communications to become invalidated by change is a significant risk due to the volatile nature of the project.
Functional analysts on the project team will be responsible for working with the CedarCrestone consulting group to develop and maintain Business Process Guides (BPGs) for the implementation. BPGs document each new business process as it will be performed by end users in the new system. CedarCrestone consultants also will prepare an IDP Book (Interactive Design Prototype), which is a compilation of CedarCrestone’s own pre-existing documentation that is tailored for Cornell’s implementation.
Developers and programmers on the project team will review business process requirements, then formulate specifications for technical aspects of the system implementation to support those business processes, such as modifications and interfaces.
Project management will be responsible for using the CPMM structure to communicate with the project team and stakeholders. These tools will be used to organize and share information, gather ideas, refine plans and strategies, monitor project status, and document decisions.
Advisory groups will be responsible for providing expertise, guidance, and decision-making support before, during, and after the implementation. In addition, they will be expected to keep their constituencies informed about the project by sharing what they have learned from various project team communications. Specifically, their role is to stay involved, ask questions, make timely decisions, and keep their offices/colleges/schools informed on the status of the project.
The Training, Documentation, and Support group is responsible for providing a variety of communications for end users to support their need to use the new system, such as training modules, technical documentation, presentations, demonstrations, job aids, tutorials, and news. As communications are developed, functional area subject matter experts on the project team will provide guidance and expertise in new business processes, using the new system, and student data administration. End-user communication support is closely integrated with other TDS activities, namely helpdesk support, change management, and training. For instance, a news update may arise out of a question repeatedly addressed by the help desk, or training materials may be adapted into standalone technical documentation for a particular task or activity in the system. Information gathered through change management activities will assist in the development of communications that best suit the needs of different groups of users. Managing the balance among these services will be critical in providing useful and effective end-user support.