[183] in I/T Delivery
FY 1998 Prsident's Report
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Robert Ferrara)
Wed Jul 22 13:22:21 1998
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 13:20:23 -0400
To: dania@MIT.EDU
From: Robert Ferrara <rferrara@MIT.EDU>
Cc: delivery@MIT.EDU
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Dania, attached is an RTF document of the FY 1998 President's Report for
Delivery.
Delivery Folks, if you notice something you believe is inaccurate, please
let me know since whatever Dani has on Thursday is the final submission.
Cheers from Chicago, Bob
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I/T Delivery Process
As the second of the five work processes, the I/T Delivery Process exists so
that MIT and its schools, departments, laboratories, and centers can realize
business value as rapidly as possible from the implementation of new
information technology products and services. Delivery work is organized
exclusively into projects. Each Delivery project typically is launched after
a Discovery project has qualified the business case and determined a
technical approach. Currently there are sixteen active Delivery projects;
eleven others were successfully completed in FY1998 and one more was
terminated due to a reorganization. Here are some of this past year's
highlights.
Web-based applications. This past year saw a continuation of the trend
toward Web-based applications. The SAPweb effort, which allows web access to
SAP purchasing data, was enhanced with the inclusion of accounting data for
purchasing transactions. Its use grew past a thousand accesses per week,
while the Purchasing Office has seen time-consuming telephone inquiries
almost disappear. The web conferencing package Web Crossing was installed
and is now in beta test for the Alumni Office and for selected academic
departments. This versatile software will enable secure conferencing for the
extended MIT community. Customers needing assistance from I/S's Help Desk or
a growing array of other providers now can register, track, and close their
own cases via a convenient web front end. A third Electronic Catalog (ECAT)
vendor , BOC Gases, was added to MIT's initial web-based electronic commerce
system. Work was also begun on ECAT2, a more sophisticated , standards-based
successor. The initial ECAT2 vendor is NECX, the third largest computer
retailer in the country. ECAT2 employs industry standard X.509 Digital
Certificates for user identification, the new OBI (Open Buying Interface)
specification for "shopping basket" information, and industry standard EDI
transactions for exchange of ordering and invoice data with vendors.
Rollout98. Much Delivery effort has been devoted to support the rollout of
SAP and related activities as part of Rollout98. In total, IS is deeply
involved in sixteen of these initiatives. Besides the web projects mentioned
above, contributions were made to the successful pilot of the MIT credit
card, where processing was integrated into SAP, and to the initial
implementation of the IXOS imaging system. IXOS is now used to store images
of vendor invoices, but is planned for much wider application after
installation of its next release. The Physical Plant conversion to SAP is
now fully underway, with separate conversions planned for each of the major
business areas. The largest single Rollout98 project is expansion of the MIT
Data Warehouse. The Warehouse now stores data from SAP, OSP, Personnel, and
several MIT sources, permitting cross-system reporting on a scale never
before possible. Similarly, the ROLES database is now becoming the
cross-application authorization system of record for SAP and other central
systems. ROLES simplifies the process of maintaining approvals, replacing
the VAPS signature file and other application specific files.
Legacy System Upgrades. The legacy system landscape is undergoing a massive
"sea change", which will require considerable IS assistance to weather.
Three factors have converged to cause the change - SAP becoming MIT's system
of record, the conversion to the new financial architecture, and the
inevitable coming of the year 2000. A Discovery Team has just completed an
assessment of MIT's Year 2000 exposure and a Delivery Team is being formed
to inform and work with the community. One tool will be a recently-completed
survey of 143 legacy computer applications. A significant subset of these
applications, plus many other MIT forms and procedures, will need to be
modified to handle the larger account numbers by the target date of early
calendar 1999. Much work has already been done and a formal project
overseeing progress has begun. From architecture standpoint, this is also
the time to retool data feeds to bypass older legacy systems and go directly
to/from SAP and the MIT Data Warehouse. Again a lot of work has been done
but several projects are also in process, like the conversion of the
Telecommunications feed to go directly into SAP.
Academic Computing. The Athena infrastructure was significantly improved
this past year. Besides the new 8.1 Athena release for all users, the
Athena-wide file system was also upgraded to Transarc's new 3.4A release.
This in turn made possible the deployment of a new backup system,
incorporating faster and more frequent incremental techniques. Code
maintenance has also been standardized, now further simplified by
encapsulating all logon functions in a separate library. This will simplify
the upcoming Delivery work in the ambitious Pismire project. Pismire purpose
is to permits the porting of almost all Athena functionality to Microsoft's
flagship NT 5.0 operating system, due out next calendar year. Work also
began on a pilot on-line thesis submission and access project. This
initiative draws on the experience of the almost concluded Computer Science
Technical Report project, which is a collaboration of EECS, IS and the
Libraries. Major progress was made this year in stabilizing the CSTR
computing and image storage platforms.
Other Key Delivery Projects . Almost all development work has been completed
on the Office of Sponsored Programs' COEUS system, which will be deployed
later in calendar 19998 to research desktops throughout MIT and kindred
institutions. Oracle Corporation has obtained the rights to market this
application. IS is also involved in the deployment of the new Adonis system
for Alumni, Development, and the Treasurer's Offices. Because of Year 2000
problems which were only recently discovered, the Budget Office has
initiated a "fast track" replacement of its reporting and submission systems.
Several new tools and training opportunities were made available to MIT's
developers working in the Delivery Process. The IS-developed Project
Database now records most IT project work. Training course for SAP and
Windows NT developers were held on campus. Delivery allso worked with the
Competency Group to enroll MIT as Corporate Member of the Project Management
Institute. PMI provides a variety of project resources for interested MIT
employees. In the SAP arena, MIT development and technical documentation
standards were published and distributed. The Delivery web pages
(http://web.mit.edu/is/delivery) have been enhanced . Despite a very
competitive employment market, staffing has increased to almost at full
strength, ensuring that Delivery is certainly "open for business".
Robert V. Ferrara
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\widctlpar \f4\fs20 {\b I/T Delivery Process
\par }
\par \pard \widctlpar As the second of the five work processes, the I/T Delivery Process exists so that MIT and its schools, departments, laboratories, and centers can realize business value as rapidly as possible from the implementation of new information
technology products and services. Delivery work is organized exclusively into projects. Each Delivery project typically is launched after a Discovery project has qualified the business case and determined a technical approach. Currently there are sixteen
active Delivery projects; eleven others were successfully completed in FY1998 and one more was terminated due to a reorganization. Here are some of this past year\rquote s highlights.
\par \pard \widctlpar
\par \pard \widctlpar {\b Web-based applications. }This past year saw a continuation of the trend toward
Web-based applications. The SAPweb effort, which allows web access to SAP purchasing data, was enhanced with the inclusion of accounting data for purchasing transactions. Its use grew past a thousand accesses per week, while the Purchasing Office has see
n time-consuming telephone inquiries almost disappear. The web conferencing package Web Crossing was installed and is now in beta test for the Alumni Office and for selected academic departments. This versatile software will enable secure conferencing for
the extended MIT community. Customers needing assistance from I/S\rquote
s Help Desk or a growing array of other providers now can register, track, and close their own cases via a convenient web front end. A third Electronic Catalog (ECAT) vendor , BOC Gases, was added to MIT\rquote
s initial web-based electronic commerce system. Work was also begun on ECAT2, a more sophisticated , standards-based successor. The initial ECAT2 vendor is NECX, the third largest computer retailer in the country. ECAT2 employs industry standa
rd X.509 Digital Certificates for user identification, the new OBI (Open Buying Interface) specification for \ldblquote shopping basket\rdblquote
information, and industry standard EDI transactions for exchange of ordering and invoice data with vendors.
\par \pard \widctlpar
\par \pard \widctlpar {\b Rollout98}
. Much Delivery effort has been devoted to support the rollout of SAP and related activities as part of Rollout98. In total, IS is deeply involved in sixteen of these initiatives. Besides the web projects mentioned above, contributions were made to the su
ccessful p
ilot of the MIT credit card, where processing was integrated into SAP, and to the initial implementation of the IXOS imaging system. IXOS is now used to store images of vendor invoices, but is planned for much wider application after installation of its
next release. The Physical Plant conversion to SAP is now fully underway, with separate conversions planned for each of the major business areas. The largest single Rollout98 project is expansion of the MIT Data Warehouse. The Warehouse now stores data f
ro
m SAP, OSP, Personnel, and several MIT sources, permitting cross-system reporting on a scale never before possible. Similarly, the ROLES database is now becoming the cross-application authorization system of record for SAP and other central systems. ROLES
simplifies the process of maintaining approvals, replacing the VAPS signature file and other application specific files.{\b
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b
\par }\pard \widctlpar {\b Legacy System Upgrades}. .The legacy system landscape is undergoing a massive \ldblquote sea change\rdblquote , which will require considerable IS assista
nce to weather. Three factors have converged to cause the change - SAP becoming MIT\rquote
s system of record, the conversion to the new financial architecture, and the inevitable coming of the year 2000. A Discovery Team has just completed an assessment of MIT\rquote
s Year 2000 exposure and a Delivery Team is being formed to inform and work with the community. One tool will be a recently-completed survey of 143 legacy computer applications. A significant subset of these applications, plus many other MIT forms and pr
oc
edures, will need to be modified to handle the larger account numbers by the target date of early calendar 1999. Much work has already been done and a formal project overseeing progress has begun. From architecture standpoint, this is also the time to ret
ool data feeds to bypass older legacy systems and go directly to/from SAP and the MIT Data Warehouse. Again a lot of work has been done but several projects are also in process, like the conversion of the Telecommunications feed to go directly into SAP.
\par \pard \widctlpar
\par \pard \widctlpar {\b Academic Computing}. The Athena infrastructure was significantly improved this past year. Besides the new 8.1 Athena release for all users, the Athena-wide file system was also upgraded to Transarc\rquote
s new 3.4A release. This in turn made possible the deployment of a new back
up system, incorporating faster and more frequent incremental techniques. Code maintenance has also been standardized, now further simplified by encapsulating all logon functions in a separate library. This will simplify the upcoming Deliver
y work in the ambitious Pismire project. Pismire purpose is to permits the porting of almost all Athena functionality to Microsoft\rquote
s flagship NT 5.0 operating system, due out next calendar year. Work also began on a pilot on-line thesis submission and acc
ess project. This initiative draws on the experience of the almost concluded Computer Science Technical Report project, which is a collaboration of EECS, IS and the Libraries. Major progress was made this year in stabilizing the CSTR computing and image
storage platforms.
\par \pard \widctlpar
\par \pard \widctlpar {\b Other Key Delivery Projects}
. Almost all development work has been completed on the Office of Sponsored Programs' COEUS system, which will be deployed later in calendar 19998 to research desktops throughout MIT and kindred institutions. Oracle Corporation has obtained the rights to
market this application. IS is also involved in the deployment of the new Adonis system for Alumni, Development, and the Treasurer\rquote s Offices. Because of Year 2000 problems which were only recently discovered, the Budget Office has initiated a
\ldblquote fast track\rdblquote replacement of its reporting and submission systems.
\par \pard \widctlpar
\par \pard \widctlpar Several new tools and training opportunities were made available to MIT\rquote
s developers working in the Delivery Process. The IS-developed Project Database now records most IT project work. Training course for SAP and Windows NT developers were held on campus
. Delivery allso worked with the Competency Group to enroll MIT as Corporate Member of the Project Management Institute. PMI provides a variety of project re
sources for interested MIT employees. In the SAP arena, MIT development and technical documentation standards were published and distributed. The Delivery web pages (http://web.mit.edu/is/delivery) have been enhanced . Despite a very competitive employmen
t market, staffing has increased to almost at full strength, ensuring that Delivery is certainly "open for business".
\par \pard \widctlpar
\par Robert V. Ferrara
\par }
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