It's the Enterprise, Dude

1. It's the Enterprise, Dude Barry Walsh Indiana University

2. The increase in electronic information and service delivery to our constituents is drawing into sharp focus how we can make interaction with enterprise services a delightful rather than a frustrating experience. But it's not just about the technology. The cultural issues, silos and other, are the greater stumbling block. The work that is being done in the community source initiatives is helping create that delightful experience for our users but with it comes new governance and collaboration imperatives. This session will explore this new and exciting world where policy, requirements, and technology meet. JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

3. Google earth JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

4. On the Other Hand Students……….Faculty………..Staff………..Alumni JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

5. Several Forces at Work in our Institutions • Rapidly expanding user bases; • ERP vendor systems; • Open Source movement; • Portals; • SOAP  Web Services; They’re not necessarily unrelated! JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

6. Typical Experience Until Recently • Users logged on to systems and navigated to find information or perform processes. • training • Individual apps • different sign-ons • Poor/non-existent user interface standards • Or worse still, the system sent printed output to them through snail-mail The point is they usually had to overtly seek outthe information in disparate systems* JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

7. Gartner on Network Enabled Components—aka Web Services • Servers at the core of the network will increasingly act as "facilitators" by guiding procedure calls to the locations where they can be most efficiently executed. • Given such capabilities, the emphasis of software development shifts to re-architecting business functions into modular, network-enabled components spread across a highly-distributed computing infrastructure. This evolution, more than anything else, is the fundamental driving force behind the Web Services architecture. JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

8. Future? Today’s Integrated Suite Course Catalog Personal Database Standards Based Core Technologies WS; SOA; Workflow Degree Advising Financial Aid Regs/Processing Registration for Classes Admissions Bursar Transcripts. Goal: ZDU (Zero Disruptive Upgrades)

9. It’s Raining Technology!! MOM SOA ESB Web 2.0 Directory Workflow Notification AJAX JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

10. Options • More likely you will end up building, buying and assembling • Loosely coupled systems are more and more the future and that’s why integration is key • Customization takes on a new form • Based on what and who I am….driven by a directory. • Role based view; not everybody needs the entire SIS or whatever • Speaks to a functional component model JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

11. What might this look like ? • A more proactive push process to deliver in one place all information and processes I may need…the information finds me. • The ‘official’ place to which the organization would send stuff it wanted you to address. • Single sign-on; • Seamless transport between and among back office and other systems • Sounds like a portal to me JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

12. So…what is an enterprise web portal? A web-based framework consisting of a role based, but personalized view of an integrated set of services which provide easy access to information, applications, processes and people.

13. Some caveats and disclaimers • We in IT and the back office units are not the primary target audience for enterprise portals • Students (and their parents); • Faculty; • Staff; • Alums; • Not all of them are technically savvy; • Neither IT nor the service providers will drive the services in the portal….see Rule 1 above • IT providing a service delivery framework and several specific ‘utility’ services JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

14. Enterprise Portals (EPs) and SOA “To implement a service-oriented architecture, companies must consider what steps and technologies are involved. Portals represent a logical first step in the process.The portal can be a logical and appropriate first step toward SOA implementation because its fundamental nature lends itself to SOA approaches. --The portal uses service-oriented concepts; --It leverages Web services extensively; --It leverages portlets, which consume services or communicate to provide orchestrated flows and on-the-glass composite applications.” Gene Phifer:  (Gartner’s leading analyst on EPs) 22 September 2005 JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

15. Enterprise Portals (EPs) and SOA “To implement a service-oriented architecture, companies must consider what steps and technologies are involved. Portals represent a logical first step in the process.The portal can be a logical and appropriate first step toward SOA implementation because its fundamental nature lends itself to SOA approaches. --The portal uses service-oriented concepts; --It leverages Web services extensively; --It leverages portlets, which consume services or communicate to provide orchestrated flows and on-the-glass composite applications.” Gene Phifer:  (Gartner’s leading analyst on EPs) 22 September 2005 JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

16. Technology and Silo Culture in Portals Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox, March 31, 2003:“Basically, buying software won't get you a good portal unless you also manage internal company politics. Technology accounts for roughly one-third of the work in launching a good portal; The real challenge is to get contributors from individual departments to comply with the portal rules, enter decent meta-data, and refrain from fielding maverick intranet servers outside the portal's scope. Intranet portals aim to replace the wild Web model with a tool metaphor, where a company's content and services work together instead of undermining each other.” internal processes account for the rest. JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

17. Gartner: The Big Challenge in Portals • Every Website is a potential new silo • Silo’d service delivery units • Changing people’s habits • Existing methods have to stay in place during transition • That allows those resistant to change to linger • A long term commitment is required to get through the transition JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

18. Some ‘Source ‘ Definitions Open Community JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

19. Pure Commercial Software Communication between Stakeholders and Shareholders is in the form of large checks. • Shareholders • Goal to maximize profit • Developer priority profit • Stakeholders • Expect indemnification • allows for a good night’s sleep? • Users feel they have the best product that money can buy • Can calibrate end-user demands for change • Commercial Developers • Revenue and paycheck! • stability of software • Do not even know stakeholders = Most Powerful in Structure Attribution to Chuck Severance at U Mich

20. Pure Open Source Software • Open Source Developers • Type 1: Passionate individual • Type 2: Paid consultants • Teams formed based on personal time and motivation or a commercial venture with a short-term agenda • Effort level can ebb and flow • Cool features and programming chops rule the day (and night) • Stakeholders • Love “free” stuff. • Hate that there is no one to call - “if it breaks you get to keep both pieces” • Hate that there is no one to sue • Must self-indemnify by keeping lots of staff “in case” something goes wrong. • Once open source is chosen, may find it hard to sleep at night. Virtually no communication at all between Stakeholders and Developers Attribution to Chuck Severance at U Mich Attribution to Joseph Hardin at U Mich

21. Community Source • Secondary Stakeholders • Look to Core developers for reliability/performance • The Core developers have a boss! • Pay money to Core to get “indemnification”? • Can contribute to the Core “in kind”? • Can join the core with enough commitment • Can pay Commercial Support for “extra indemnification”. • Commercial Support • Can contribute in several ways • Can make money from secondary stakeholders • Core Stakeholders • May represent a significant pool of resources • If they pooled resources, they would be instantly larger than many small commercial R&D operations. • Tired of writing big checks, and begging for features • Form coalition of the “committed” • Must learn that this is harder than it looks - must gain company-like skills. • Actually responsible for both the development and production of the software. • Core Developers • Work for the stakeholders so they want to make the Stakeholders happy: • By, of and for HE! • Open Source Developers • Limited ways to play in this game Attribution to Chuck Severance at U Mich JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

22. Community Source Projects “Community source describes a model for the purposeful coordinating of work in a community. It is based on many of the principles of open source development efforts, but community source efforts rely more explicitly on defined roles, responsibilities, and funded commitments by community members than some open source development models.” …. from www.sakaiproject.org Attribution to Joseph Hardin at U Mich JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

23. Community Source Projects “Community source describes a model for the purposeful coordinating of work in a community. It is based on many of the principles of open source development efforts, but community source efforts rely more explicitly on defined roles, responsibilities, and funded commitments by community members than some open source development models.” …. from www.sakaiproject.org Attribution to Joseph Hardin at U Mich JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

24. Three Critical Stages Formation Funding Harmonious Execution Ongoing Support Scope Governance JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

25. Formation: Formation JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

26. Formation: Choose Partners Judiciously • Like-minded Institutions • Shared vision • Functionally • Technically • Ya gotta WANNA!! • Synchronized institutional clocks • Within reason • Long term commitment: • Beyond Project? • Tolerance for ambiguity JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

27. Formation: Participants’ Volunteer Modes So Where’s uPortal? Institutional uPortal Institutional/Individual Individual JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

28. Formation: Creating the resources • Defined Contributions • Cash or Tendered Resources • Tendered to Board • For Duration of Project • Qualified Resources • As Judged by Peers • Functional • Technical • Grants JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

29. Harmonious Execution Harmonious Execution JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

30. Harmonious Execution: Personal • Good behavior begets good behavior. • If you seed the core development team with good, well behaved people... they attract good, well behaved people. • The weaklings and bullies just don't fit in and don't hang around. • Likewise, well-behaved commercial partners set high bar for future behavior of commercial partners. …Carl Jacobson JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

31. Harmonious Execution: Logistical • Co-location is optimal but unlikely • Don’t skimp on the F2F opportunities • Always-on Video • Virtual-Meeting Software • Webex, Breeze, LiveMeeting, etc. • Prototype sharing/demonstration • Collaborative Software • Sakai, JIRA, Confluence etc. • Time Zones!!! • Animal House!! JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

32. Harmonious Execution: Overhead • Remote sites • Team makeup/leadership • Work Allocation • Time-Zones JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

33. Ongoing Support Funding Ongoing Support Scope Governance JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

34. Ongoing Support: Funding • Community Source Requires Defined, Tendered Resources • Commercial partners  A good thing • Long term sustenance? • A "grant-funded project" is different from an "open source" project. JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

35. Ongoing Support: Scope • Scope Creep • A grant is a contract and an agreement to accomplish something. • If the grant money was received to "paint it red" and the community wants to "paint it white"... it will be red as long as the grant is driving the bus. • When the community process kicks in, they can paint it white. …Carl Jacobson JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

36. Ongoing Support: Scope--The Rules of the Game You May Pick Any Two Time Scope The Reality Triangle I Get the Other ☺ Resources JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

37. Ongoing Support: Governance • Strong community is more valuable than strong governance. • Early stages: a little more hands-on? • Later: Zen? • "Inclusive" is better than "exclusive“ • largest possible community; • accept free-riders; • welcome commercial partners; • Open-open licensing encourages inclusion and therefore the largest possible community. …Carl Jacobson JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

38. Ongoing Support: Governance • Founding Investors: • uPortal • UDel, Princeton, Andrew W. Mellon, JA-SIG, etc. • Sakai: • U Mich, Stanford, MIT, Indiana, Andrew W. Mellon • Kuali: • UA, UH, CU, SJD, MSU, IU, NACUBO, Andrew W. Mellon;rSmart • FEDORA: • UVa, CU, Andrew W. Mellon JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta

39. In the end, it’s all about the Community JA-SIG 2006: Atlanta