Revised Project Schedule

With the changed status of Swansea Metropolitan University, the final stages of the JISC Smudie project have been re-scheduled to reflect the new institutional management arrangements and focus. The new merged university will be undertaking major structural changes that will not be complete by the time the Smudie project ends in July 2013. For this reason, the original plan to implement changes in the information management system based on the evaluation findings are no longer realistic. It is therefore proposed that the project outcomes, particularly the planned 'To Be' model, be structured as an advisory input to the discussions about the new institutional information management system. The expectation is that the final report and recommendations be of significant value in that process, and that the outcomes will be of equal value to other institutions in the JISC community planning similar developments. The revised schedule is shown below.

Development of the 'To Be' Model

This week has seen the beginning of a new era for Swansea Metropolitan University as it formally merged with University of Wales Trinity St David. To some extent the JISC Smudie project has been in preparation for this event and will contribute to management information systems planning for the new institution. The next phase of the project will use the conclusions drawn from the 'As Is' phase to develop a 'To Be' model that will seek to implement potential improvements in the new operating environment. The model will be based on information management components and on information management scheduling:

This will lead to the revision of information management workflows designed to deliver efficiencies and improved stakeholder support. In particular it is expected to make recommendations with regard to a single student record system and an institutionally managed student attendance monitoring and reporting system.