Users get a ‘sneak peek’ at Concordia’s new Student Information System
A major stage in the roll-out process, User Acceptance Testing provides an “early gain in familiarity” for members of the user community. | Photo by Concordia University
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is here, marking a key step toward the new Student Information System’s launch date in January 2015.
What is UAT? “People describe it different ways — kicking the tires, taking a test drive,” says Uche Mgbemena, change management lead for the SIS project. “In our case, UAT is about getting new drivers behind the wheel, giving them a map and a destination.”
UAT is for familiarity
A major stage in the roll-out process, UAT provides an “early gain in familiarity” for members of the user community, says Terry Too, the SIS project director.
“It lets people see exactly what the SIS looks like, on the screen, so they can feel comfortable as soon as possible,” Mgbemena adds.
UAT is conducted with the SIS project team to provide support. It comes on the heels of integration testing, which involved debugging the processes associated with running an institution-wide system. SIS team members stood in for students, staff and faculty to test most of the system’s processes and business functions at Concordia.
Targeting staff and peer trainers
For this phase of testing, designated staff within the Concordia community will use set scenario scripts designed by the project team. More specifically, UAT introduces the SIS to some users — staff and peer trainers — who who will act as representatives for the various user areas.
“Additionally, UAT provides another round of testing to make sure the system is functional,” says Too, who put in place a strategy to handle feedback from users. “It’s another chance for us to get feedback from the testers, which will also be useful for the training group.”
Testing starts November 10
The first UAT session is scheduled for November 10 to November 21, 2014, while the second round is set for November 24 to December 5, 2014. After the first UAT session is complete, the SIS team will determine whether the second session is required.
Staff involved in UAT do not necessarily have to relocate to the Montefiore Building on a full-time basis for the two-week training period. In some scenarios, it may take as little as a few hours for individuals to participate.
An institution-wide transformation
Excitement continues to build over the many improvements that the SIS provides. It supports virtually all key business functions and processes across the university, including recruitment, admissions, enrolment, academic advising, registration, course and exam scheduling, student accounts, graduation, government reporting for funding purposes and invoicing. As the system implementation progresses, watch for updates on how different components of the SIS will benefit faculty, staff and students.
About the SIS Renewal Project
The business case for implementing a new Student Information System at Concordia was approved by the university’s Board of Governors in November 2012.
Deloitte Consulting LLP was hired as the integration partner after a rigorous bidding process, and based on its successful track record of implementing the chosen system at other North American universities. The project implementation is on time and on budget.
Visit the SIS Renewal Hub on Cspace.