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The Maze of Building or Buying an ERA System

The Maze of Building or Buying an ERA System. More questions than you can shake a stick at. Defining the problem. Computers and networks are now used to store, transmit and manage proposals and grants (duh!).

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The Maze of Building or Buying an ERA System

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  1. The Maze of Building or Buying an ERA System More questions than you can shake a stick at

  2. Defining the problem • Computers and networks are now used to store, transmit and manage proposals and grants (duh!). • The total number of problems involved in using computers for the above purpose has increased, not decreased. • Computer applications and hardware require increasingly educated specialists to create, install and maintain them.

  3. Where are we headed? • Pre Award • Proposal Clearance – Electronic Routing • Grants.gov • System – to – System • Adobe Acrobat • Other funding sources • Post Award • Increased frequency and severity of audits • Both Sides • Management and reporting

  4. Let’s build a system!Let’s buy a system! Do we build or do we buy? Do we buy or do we build? There is no right answer, and the answer today will change over time

  5. We have to buy You will appear to be a visionary if you build in one era and buy in the next Five Years Later We have to build

  6. Where is the mandate coming from? • From above ? • Concern with institutional performance • Directly linked to funding and FTE changes • From your SRO staff? • Are you churning thru staff? • Overworked & concerned about web based systems? • From your PI’s • Do they perceive problems with your Pre or Post Award activities? • From your Grant Administrators? • Do your departments have sufficient staff with access to the information they need to manage proposals and awards? • From your Business Office? • Are there problems getting contracts signed? Purchases made? Payments executed?

  7. 1st: Analysis How are we handling things now? What do we do? • Roles we play • Proposal Preparation? • Reporting? • Auditing? What is our institutional culture? Pre-Award, Post-Award, Both? How do we currently get technical support?

  8. Both Build Buy 2nd: Options & Constraints Build or Buy • How am I handling it now? • What’s my volume? • How many proposals, how many awards, what else? • Start over or enhance an existing system • Who should help me answer this question?

  9. Computing Dept Vendor Contractor 3rd: Technical Support Support Home Grown Dept IT Professional External IT Professional End User Computer Support Network Support Application Support Training

  10. 4th: Something to move the electrons about Hardware Workstations Dept Based Servers Computing Center Servers Vender Based Servers • Where will the information be hosted? • How will it be accessed? • Who is responsible for it’s integrity?

  11. Our Decision Trees 2 4 Support Product Home Grown Department IT Professional External IT Professional Developed Both Purchased 3 Hardware Dept Based Servers Computing Center Servers Vender Based Servers Workstations

  12. Support (1/3) • Home Grown • Advantages • Person knows your business • Personal familiarity • Disadvantages • Person may not have skills to develop complex system • Multi-tasking will dilute effort

  13. Support (2/3) • Department IT Professional • Wildcard • The candidate you hire may not be the person who winds up working for you • Advantages • Depending on the skill level requested, person may have sufficient skills to plan, design and implement systems • New thoughts, new perspective • Disadvantages • Does not know your business or language • Break in period • May want an occasional holiday, vacation or sick leave; requires occasional care and feeding (Jolt Cola & Twinkies)

  14. Support (3/3) • Institutional Support • Dedicated or shared • Staff or students • Independent Contract • Network Management • Application Design • Vendor Support • Hardware and network support for their applications

  15. Support – What should you expect? Phase One: Design a web based proposal preparation, submission and award management system. Time: 6 minutes

  16. Support – Questions to look at • What do you need done? • Network Management • Server (web/e-mail/database) administrator • Workstation setup and maintenance, user assistance • Application Development • Start fresh • Integrate or expand existing systems • Maintain a purchased vendor system • Both Evaluate the communication skills of the people you are considering. Can you understand them? Can they understand you?

  17. Support – Questions to look at • Based on the duties you expect to be performed, what level of education, expertise and skills do you require? • How much should you pay? • How many positions do we need? • Resources for assistance: • Your institution’s computing department • Other local businesses that employ IT professionals

  18. Hardware - Where will your information be hosted? • What methods of access to your information are required? • Web • Desktop • Paper Reports • Do you need secure access? • Who will be responsible for the integrity of the data? • And yes, you do have to anticipate having computer problems

  19. Workstations Dept Based Servers Computing Dept Servers Vender Based Solutions Hardware Options Low cost ($$$ - $1,$$$) Low volume access LAN access at best, Uploading to sponsor web servers easily Easy access to raw data in different formats Moderate Cost ($3-4,$$$) IT Personnel STRONGLY recommended Moderate traffic, web is a reality Moderately easy access to (read only) raw data High cost, but it may be ‘funny money’ ($$,$$$) Lack of control, service issues High volume access Difficult to modify Can you get access to the raw data so you can run your own reports or use spreadsheets to analyze? Moderate to High Cost ($$,$$$ - $$$,$$$) High volume access Modifications may be worse than tooth extraction without anesthesia* Can you get access to the raw data so you can run your own reports or use spreadsheets to analyze?

  20. Build, Buy or Both? • NCURA has been presenting a build or buy experience session at conferences for more than the last decade • The sessions feature either an institution that built, or one that bought. Some featured vendors, others developers • Boxing gloves were optional

  21. Build, Buy or Both? • There is no one right answer • Neither is cheap • Build – continuous expense • Buy – high upfront, somewhat lower ongoing • If Buying • Solicit advice from those who have purchased before • Include Grants.gov S-2-S modifications in your contract • How close is the vendors solution to the way you do business today or are you willing to change your way of doing business to accommodate the software? • Gap Analysis – Can the system be modified to your method of business? • If Building • Are you patient and prepared to make mistakes? • Get a long term vision together before starting • Both? • If you have a developer, consider buying the framework of a system with the source code, then modify it for your institution

  22. Ever Changing Grants.gov • Three Two Options • PureEdge (phased out) • Adobe Acrobat (now supports V10 & X) • System to System • Vendor System • Requires $$$,$$$ up front and $$,$$$ maintenance • May requires IT support for maintenance and customizations • Home Grown System • Requires Application Developers, SRO Time + $$$,$$$ • Grants.gov publishes assistance on web site

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