[308] in iswork
Update on IS work database
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Robert Ferrara)
Sun Aug 24 17:54:33 2003
Message-Id: <5.2.1.1.0.20030820095820.017c5de8@po9.mit.edu>
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2003 17:54:26 -0400
To: itlt@mit.edu
From: Robert Ferrara <rferrara@MIT.EDU>
Cc: "Joanne M. Hallisey" <hallisey@mit.edu>, iswork@mit.edu, thg@mit.edu,
ljr@mit.edu
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Dear ITLT,
This email is an update re: IS-Work changes as a result of working with FSS, along with some questions/action items for ITLT. In your role as stakeholders of the IS-Work database, your response and attention to the questions/actions items is requested by Sept 9.
As you know, Joanne Hallisey and I have been working with Bob Mehrez and a team from FSS to see if we can adapt the IS Work database to suit their needs also. This is a summary of current plans.
1. There will be one database, with two views. It will be renamed IT-work. The look and feel will change slightly (so it is not an exclusively IS system). No retraining is required.
2. FSS had a need for more fields and values in pick lists. So we reviewed the entire schema and came up with a common proposal that we will give to Kevin Cunningham after he completes his current EH&S work. Almost all fields are common to both IS and FSS, but a few are unique to each organization. Copies of the proposed revisions are available upon request. One key addition resulted from FSS's desire for an ability to track pending requests, and it turns out this is very useful to Joanne and the Discovery Council also.
3. The expectation now is that Kevin can begin work on the changes in early September. The changes are not major, so our target now is convert from ISwork to ITwork on September 17th. All historical data will be converted the evening before. People can continue to update the current ISwork until otherwise notified. We will be meeting again on September 2nd and will provide an update soon after.
This exercise affords a time to reassess how we use ISwork. Several people feel, as I do, that it serves a good purpose for formal project work. I realize we are not always consistent in what is declared a formal project, but nonetheless for formal projects this database is where they are tallied. We have not had a "clean up day" in a while but much of the project material is still reasonably up to date. The "Activities" side has never really caught on, however. Also, it is important that this system be well supported. Especially given that we will now be sharing this database, I'd also propose the following:
A. Each Director should review and update their projects by September 9. Joanne and I are happy to help.
B. Consider dropping the Activities. If no one objects, I propose we simply don't covert them to the new ITwork.
C. Convert this system from "custom" to standard support using EAST, ASST, etc and budget accordingly. We've spoken of putting our internal systems on a more routine, production basis. This is an excellent candidate for this process.
Your comments are most welcome, especially on A,B, and C. Also, if you'd like to be involved with the mini-project team following this through, please join us by September 2nd.
Cheers, Bob
