Establishing a good project structure at the institution is essential to accomplishing a successful onboarding project. Depending on the scope and scale of the project, the following groups/teams should be considered in the project structure:
- a project team
- a steering group
- a superuser group
Project Team
The project team is responsible for the management of the project: the team manages the day-to-day work of the implementation process such as execution of the communication plan, liaison with all relevant stakeholders of the pilot, ensuring relevant staff are trained, and working on the business changes that will come with implementing a new system. The project team should include representatives from relevant departments to cover the requirements of the project and have a dedicated role:
- Project manager
- Operational manager (e.g. exam/assessment office representative)
- Academic representatives
- IT department
- General Administrative Support (this may depend on the size of the project)
Steering Group
A steering group is made up of decision-makers/senior stakeholders and experts who oversee a project to ensure that it is steered in the right direction. It should monitor progress, escalate issues, offer advice and troubleshoot where necessary. The project team should be able to escalate important decisions and risks to the steering group and the project manager should report to the steering group to ensure collaboration between the two groups. The steering group should include:
- Decision-makers/senior stakeholders from both the customer and UNIwise
- Project Manager
- Onboarding Expert (UNIwise)
- Representatives from academics/senior lecturers
- End-user representatives (students/lecturers/tutors)
Super-User Group
It is vital to dedicate resources to internal superusers who can support and guide other users during the project. The group members will be trained by the onboarding experts from UNIwise so that they can be trainers for the rest of the users in your organisation. All super users might not need to participate in all trainings, it will depend on area of expertise. Group members should include:
- Staff working in different parts of the organisation
- Administration/Exam office
- Academics
- Supporters