SOFTWARE UPDATES: bringing it and end users together

1. SOFTWARE UPDATES: bringing it and end userstogether Joan Bowen Celeste McCormick Lewis-Clark State College Nwdug 2012

2. ABOUT YOUR PRESENTERS Joan Bowen Application Specialist Registrar’s Office Lewis-Clark State College 500 8th Ave Lewiston ID 83501 208-792-2806 jebowen@lcsc.edu Celeste McCormick Manager of Administrative Computing Information Technology Lewis-Clark State College 500 8th Ave Lewiston ID 83501 208-792-2888 cmmccormick@lcsc.edu

3. HISTORICAL background • R13 to R 16 conversion • Mock Registration • Creation of Datatel Advisory Committee (DAC) • Need for better communication between IT and Users • No ‘Us’ versus ‘Them’ • Major Stakeholders • Application Specialists’ roles • Admission Office • Registrar’s Office • Financial Aid Office • Controller’s Office (Business Office)

4. THEN COMES R18... • Opportunity: New protocol for IT • New tools for downloading software updates • New emphasis on IT research before loading updates • Goal: IT preparedness • Anticipate potential impact to the system • Recommend specific testing by end users • Address any custom impact

5. SOFTWARE UPDATE CYCLE • Two month cycle • Load updates every other month • Standing outage 5-8am every 2nd Friday of the month • Updates retrieved on weekly basis • Updates are NOT installed yet • Research can be conducted in smaller, more manageable batches • IT and end users are constantly aware of what updates are coming next • IT researches the updates & publishes info about them for the end user

6. Reasons for the spreadsheet • Notify users about what updates are coming next and help them understand them better • Keep track of IT’s testing and research • Provide a snapshot of the impact of the full batch of updates • Serve as a roadmap for the programmer responsible for installing the updates Yes, we do hope to automate this

7. DISCLAIMER • IT’s research and recommendations are NOT a substitute for end user research and testing • This disclaimer is posted on both the intranet and the spreadsheet: The information that IT provides in the spreadsheet has two goals: first, to identify and (if necessary) address any impact that the updates will have on customized processes; second, to summarize IT's understanding of its scope and offer recommendations for particular areas to test.  The information that we provide in the spreadsheet is in no way intended to supplant or substitute for the full Answernet documentation and is intended to supplement the full Answernet documentation along with your own assessments and testing.

8. SOFTWARE UPDATE TIMELINE • Weeks 1 through 6 (every Monday): • Latest updates retrieved from Datatel into LPR • Updates are NOT installed • Latest updates are listed in a spreadsheet (including DMI updates) • Latest updates are distributed among programmers for research • Programmers present results of research for last week’s updates • Spreadsheet is posted on the intranet

9. SOFTWARE UPDATE TIMELINE • Week 6 (Monday): Cut-off date • No more updates will be retrieved from Datatel after this date • Week 6 (Friday): Live cloned to Test • Week 7 (Monday): • All updates installed in Development and Test • Testing begins • Week 8 (Thursday): User sign-off • Week 8 (Friday): Updates loaded into Live

10. RETRIEVing UPDATES

11. RESEARCHing updates

12. RESEARCHING DMI UPDATES

13. USER Testing Process • Access to Answernet by Application Specialists to research software updates • Communication via e-mail (reply to all) • Steps involved: • Admission Office • Creates 6-12 records in Test Account • Differing Criteria • Degree vs. Non-Degree • Residency Status • Registrar’s Office • Different scenarios • Full-time vs. part-time • Restrictions (Holds) • “Break all rules”

14. User Testing Process • Financial Aid Office • Import ISIR records • Create Financial Aid packages for students • Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) • Controller’s Office (Business Office) • Billing scenarios • Student Receivables - Financial Aid Transmittal • Notify Registrar’s office for schedule changes affecting billing • Accounts Receivable & Accounts Payable • Sponsored Billing

15. COMMUNICATION WITH it • Report concerns during time that testing is within the individual offices • Showstoppers may require additional meeting time • Get IT involved in finding solutions • Nothing to LIVE until all stakeholders approve • Approval posted on the intranet

16. Other Considerations • WebAdvisor • Test Normal Processes at least once through web • Registration • Grading • Student Information for each office • Changes to WebAdvisor require more extensive testing • Release Highlights • Review before software updates are loaded • Learn new process in Test environment • Create new security classes for new mnemonics delivered in release

17. IT TESTING RESPONSIBILITIES • Test only those updates with information or instructions under “What does IT need to do about it?” • Divide updates among programmers to distribute the testing tasks • Address any custom impact • Assist users as needed

18. Questions? Ask us!