Successes
Accreditation Self-Study Technology Assessment and Ramp-Up
Seattle University needed to conduct an institutional self-study as part of its decennial accreditation renewal by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. We performed a feasibility assessment around the use of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) to handle complex data and document management tasks associated with performing the self-study.
After completing the assessment, we helped implement a forms-based data collection solution based on MOSS and InfoPath 2007.
The solution was used by the Seattle University Office of Planning to gather self-study responses from more than 200 organizational units across campus.
SharePoint Leave Request System
The existing leave request process for a large department at the University of Washington Medical Center relied upon email exchanges to submit and review time-off requests. With a dispersed workforce of part-time and hourly employees, the process was time consuming and lacked decision traceability – exposing the department to legal risk.
We worked with the department administrator to build a Leave Request site using Microsoft SharePoint that used role-based views, a customized content type and a custom workflow to reduce the number of emails and capture approval decisions. The Leave Request site also allows managers to view a team leave calendar before approving leave so job coverage is ensured.
The solution was built without custom code using out-of-the-box SharePoint and SharePoint Designer functionality.
We chronicled our experiences building this solution at Microsoft's Get the Point blog for SharePoint end users.
Service Catalog Hierarchy and Process Definition
As part of a long-term effort to help plan its service portfolio and begin a path toward structured service management, we helped the University of Washington's central information technology division develop an initial customer-facing service catalog.
This included building a hierarchy of service families and descriptions. It also meant defining maintenance processes, the data structure, staff roles and a communications plan around how the effort would help guide customer input around future service development.
Our work spanned 10 weeks. Organizational leadership adopted the service definitions for other planning efforts around financial cost allocation and internal tool alignment.
Partnership Building Initiative
Growing customer demands for the latest Microsoft collaboration technologies required a quick response – and a new way of working for the University of Washington’s central information technology department. As Program Manager and Service Manager of the Microsoft Collaborative Applications Initiative, we built a collaboration model that integrated customers into project teams and service definition efforts while delivering two enterprise-level products within one year.
We introduced new ways of partnering with stakeholders and users through formal governance mechanisms as well as informal events and forums. We also established and fostered a community support structure so that best practices could be developed and shared by those closest to the tools.
Customer-Focused Service Framework
A University of Washington manager faced a common dilemma after a recent round of layoffs and reorganizations: how to integrate two very different teams, address staff reductions, and still provide the level of service customers required.
We worked with the manager to formulate a team vision and build a framework that translated the organization’s strategic objectives into staff roles and a functional model that she could begin to implement immediately.
The framework was then adopted at the senior leadership level, and continues to serve as a blueprint for role definition and process improvement efforts.
Experts in Higher Education
Our recent customers include the University of Washington and Seattle University.