Campus Financial Systems for the Future

Understanding and Communicating the Selection Process

Given its substantial immersion in the issues surrounding the investigation of a new or upgraded financial information system, the project management team will have developed insight into the technology trends, the capability and resources of the institution, and possible new directions that should be undertaken. Thus, while the project manager may opt to establish a selection team to develop a request for proposals (RFP) and evaluate proposals, the project management team should maintain its management role throughout this process, particularly in the early stages of confirming or recommending an overall strategy for buying, developing in-house, or partnering to develop a system.

The project must now move from an agreed-upon definition of business and technical requirements to a recommendation to the steering committee for the best solution for meeting these requirements. This phase will determine viable alternatives, eliminate alternatives based on predetermined measurements, identify implementation processes, issues, and costs, and develop documentation that will serve as the basis for a signed contract.

No two institutions will embark on the same journey and take the identical path. However, the process outlined here can provide a set of reliable and straightforward guideposts for gathering information, evaluating alternative proposals, and documenting the necessary recommendations.

Up to this point in the project, the analysis and discussions have been at a conceptual or philosophical level. During the selection stage the real impact on the institution will become apparent, generating much debate, potential project land mines, and great opportunities to slow the project down.

As in previous stages of the project, effective internal and external communication is a critical success factor. Communication with the campus community needs to be ongoing during the selection process, not start with the announcement of the decision on project sourcing. The importance of keeping internal and external stakeholders informed during this phase cannot be overemphasized.

The steering committee needs to have a close involvement with project progress and issues to deal with potential political implications. Department managers in business and technical areas need to be clearly versed in the direction and possible issues that can have an impact on staff within their departments. The selection team needs to maintain clear communication with any external suppliers under consideration so that understanding and communication can be managed on an ongoing basis. And this team needs to continually validate any assumptions or measurements that will appear in the RFP document to ensure that the statements represent the work of the originating group, be it strategic, business process, or technological direction.

As in previous phases of the project, effective communication will help to manage institution-wide expectations, as critical at this stage as it was in earlier project activities. This is especially true if a paradigm change is involved, such as a movement from internal development to purchased systems, or where there is an expectation of significant reengineering of business processes. Such changes have a direct impact on individuals, so the communication of factual information at every step of the way will reduce the potential of rumors driving the selection process.

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