A Provincial Ministry of Education and Training: Coordination of the Design, Development and Implementation of a New Information System

1. The Situation

The organization needed to update the IT capability of the delivery agencies across the province who were providing the program to end users. Specifically they needed to design, develop and implement an enterprise-wide software application that would be user-friendly and acceptable to  agency and  ministry staff.

The project included contract management for the systems consultants retained  for the project, securing internal approvals and commitment, developing and executing a strategic communications plan and ensuring smooth project roll-out.

2. The Approach

This involved a complex process of building and  maintaining commitment to the initiative from all the stakeholders involved around achieving the project objectives on time and within budget including:

  • Reaching agreement among management and stakeholders on the overall purpose of the system — which was intended to develop enhanced competency in information technology and information  management for users;
  • developing and confirming overall objectives which included developing a system to share data and statistics electronically, as well as  developing  the skills, attitudes and behaviours that would support a “culture of connectivity” allowing users to exploit  the more sophisticated conferencing capabilities of the technology for improved management and service delivery outcomes;
  • designing the overall project architecture including project components, outcomes, time frames and phases, identifying key stakeholders, expertise required on the project, roles of ministry and other professional staff, overall budget, selecting suppliers, managing contracting arrangements and providing ongoing contract management ;
  • coordinating with other stakeholders across the enterprise around issues related to developing the corporate data mart and data warehouse;
  • developing strategic communications and engagement strategies to build commitment to the project, and continuing to negotiate and manage stakeholder relations throughout the project;
  • ensuring appropriate messaging and training tools were used to engage stakeholders throughout the phases of development, piloting and implementation and evaluation of the project.

3. Results

This was a large innovative project, with significant implications for the ministry, ministry clients and tax-payers. It was enormously challenging in terms of demanding  skills in creativity, negotiation, conflict management, political know-how, and patience.

The project was completed on time, within budget, with significant commitment to the system from users and other stakeholders.

The client was selected to receive the most prestigious organizational award for their improvements  to service quality achieved as result of this project.