Dear Colleagues,
We are writing to follow up on our earlier communication regarding the work of the Scheduling System Task Force (http://president.umw.edu/presidential-committees/scheduling-system-task-force/) and to invite your input to the process. The task force has three subcommittees that have been gathering information on available enterprise scheduling systems, contacting other institutions to learn about systems currently in use, and developing a list of system needs.
As we prepare to move forward in developing the list of needs for a scheduling system, the task force would like to hear from the members of the UMW community. Below are two lists for your consideration (both in priority order):
LIST OF NEEDS
This list represents the REQUIRED ELEMENTS that a new system must meet. These are the “jobs” the new enterprise scheduling software system needs to do.
- Schedule spaces for classes
- Create a wide variety of reports/inventories about ALL spaces, their characteristics, capacities, features, uses, etc.
- Schedule spaces for meetings, events, and conferences (scheduling them in academic as well as public spaces)
- Provide automated confirmations and notifications of room schedule approvals
- Support ALL business process related to events scheduling.
- Integrate with Banner system
LIST OF PRODUCT SELECTION CRITERIA
This list represents the PREFERRED ELEMENTS of any new system. These are the “desired characteristics” of the system we would like to employ at UMW.
- Simplicity of system use for end users
- Granularity of system setup (ability to control a wide range of factors in how spaces are to be scheduled, employ a wide range of factors in scheduling equations, ability to designate priority or restricted uses for certain spaces, etc.)
- Ease of system implementation (in terms of time, difficulty, and impact on staff)
- Cost effectiveness (in base cost and upgrade/customization charges)
- Training and support offered by vendor
- Remote hosting of system (or ability to easily integrate with and be managed by UMW IT systems and personnel if hosted locally)
- A single system that meets all needs, or multiple systems that integrate with one another to meet all needs
Note that both lists are fairly high-order in nature and, as the task force continues to work toward actually soliciting a system, we will develop much greater specificity and detail in terms of what we are looking for. However, at this point, we would ask you to consider the lists and provide your feedback to help ensure that there are no glaring omissions.
Please provide your comments by Friday, October 4, 2013 by clicking here. Thank you for your assistance.
Jeffrey W. McClurken
Martin A. Wilder, Jr.
Scheduling Task Force Co-Chairs
