Reporter 16/1/02: Cambridge Student Information System (CamSIS), Project Definition Study: Notice

Cambridge Student Information System (CamSIS), Project Definition Study: Notice

In November 1999 the Student Data Model Working Party issued a consultative document regarding the data needed to support a new student information system for the University and Colleges. Further progress on this project was suspended following the problems encountered with CAPSA. Following a meeting of the Information Strategy Group, at which concern was expressed at the lack of progress with a common student records system, the Group recommended that a Project Definition Study (PDS) should be undertaken to establish the criteria for implementing such a system. The undertaking of a PDS is in accordance with the Finkelstein and Shattock recommendations on future information technology project management within the University. The Council have now agreed that a PDS should take place between January and April 2002. The main project would not proceed until the results of the PDS had been fully digested and plans for proceeding with a replacement student information system carefully examined and discussed.

The purpose of the PDS will be to define clearly the objectives of a CamSIS project. It will include a review of the results of the Student Data Model Specification; a Business Process Analysis (BPA) of existing processes, with recommendations as to any strategic change needed before any new system could be implemented; the preparation of proposals for the organization and management of a full project; a specification for procuring software and hardware; and budgetary estimates.

The Director of the CamSIS PDS Project will be Mr D. Barrington-Light (e-mail dbl21@cam.ac.uk) who will be seconded from his post as Head of Student Records and Statistics and University Data Protection Officer from 1 January 2002 for the duration of the project. Mr Barrington-Light will be reporting directly to the Registrary. During his secondment the joint acting Heads of Student Records and Statistics will be Mr A. P. Cox (Records) and Miss R. Shapton (Statistics and acting University Data Protection Officer).

The project will be managed by a Management Team, which will report to the Information Strategy Group. The members of the Management Team are: Mr D. Barrington-Light (Project Director and Chairman), Dr G. Dixon (Churchill College), Mr J. Matheson (Department of Engineering), Mr A. Rogers (Pembroke College and the Colleges Administrative Software Consortium), Mr D. Sandham (Management Information Services Division), Mrs P. Stewart (University Computing Service), Mr N. Tippler (Board of Graduate Studies), and Mr J. Kenworthy (Consultant and Secretary).

As part of the BPA, special interest groups will be set up to interact with the consultants undertaking this task. To ensure the widest possible representation on these groups the Management Team invite expressions of interest in participating from University and College staff. The Project website at http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/go/camsis/ contains details of the topics to be covered together with a form for those interested in applying that should be submitted to the Project Director by 31 January 2002.

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