Dear Faculty and Staff Colleagues,
I write to update you on the IRIS project, which, with the support of the Board, I decided to place on pause in June. We paused the projects to allow us better to understand the status of key initiatives and assess the viability of each project, as well as to ensure that the path forward is clearly defined.
We have welcomed new leadership, with Marie-Laure stepping in as our CFO, replacing Valérie Fodé, and Michael Boehm joining as our Interim CIO, following Bob Johnson's departure. We were also pleased to have Hannah Westley continue as Provost, following her successful tenure as Interim Provost. Given these transitions, we felt this was the right moment to pause, assess, and allow Marie-Laure, Hannah and Michael the necessary time to familiarize themselves with the current state of the many projects under the broad umbrella of IRIS, and to be confident enough in the progress made to co-lead critical initiatives in collaboration with their colleagues and project champions in the future.
Following the decision to place two key projects on pause—Unit4 (Financial Information System, FIS) and Creatrix (Student Information System, SIS)—we worked closely with our partners (Unit 4, G7, and Anubavam (Creatrix)) to assess these systems, our progress in implementing them, and their long-term viability, with an eye, too, following the concerns expressed by colleagues closest to the work, to reevaluating the suitability of these products for AUP at their current stage of development. Many things changed over the course of this project, some of them completely beyond our control or impossible to foresee (transitions in the companies we partnered with; changes to the scope of their product; development and availability of other, perhaps more suitable, offerings).
Following broad consultations with stakeholders across the University, several external reviews, engagement with our vendors (including a “health check” on an FIS system built for us), and in-depth discussions with the Board of Trustees and its Digital Transformation committee, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the implementation of both Unit 4 and Creatrix. In taking this action, we have not abandoned the critical development of a contemporary FIS and SIS, but instead focused on the impact of this work on colleagues, their urgent technology needs, and those of our community, while evaluating the product range that has become available since the IRIS project was launched in 2019 and vendors confirmed in 2021-22.
We have seen some success in this period, notably in the implementation of Slate for Admissions, PowerFAIDS for financial aid, and in the expansion of technology solutions (ADP) in Human Resources. We know that, when the systems meet our needs and are successfully implemented, these solutions make a significant difference in the effectiveness of our work and in the professional satisfaction of our colleagues, as well as in the service we are able to provide to our students.
To address the immediate issues and limitations of our existing software, then—software that has not been updated since 2009, incurring significant technical debt—the the team has now developed an approach in three phases.
This approach seeks, first, to secure current operations, before launching the search for new, more viable solutions for AUP:
Phase 1: Address our existing technology debt
Both our legacy systems—Microsoft AX (FIS) and CAMS (SIS) —have not been upgraded in several years. We will therefore prioritize migrating our existing legacy system to the current technology stack and software versions. This will allow us to obtain vendor support and address various usability issues. This will not add any new features or functionality and user involvement will be limited to testing and validation of the upgraded systems.
Phase 2: Upgrade existing systems where possible
We will explore any features or functionality that might exist within these updated legacy systems that can provide immediate value while we identify and implement a new system. If those features exist and are considered to add significant value (for reasonable investment of time), we will implement them in collaboration with software stakeholders and users.
Phase 3: Start a new project to implement FIS and SIS
During the final phase, we will investigate, evaluate, select, and implement a new system to support the FIS and SIS and effectively commence a new project that runs alongside the University’s Strategic Plan and a new technology roadmap for the University. The new project’s core will be either one system that handles all transactions (FIS and SIS), or two separate systems that will interact with each other and share data.
Marie-Laure, Hannah and Michael are working closely together and with me and the current IRIS Core Team to outline a roadmap that includes clear project timelines, milestones, and deliverables, and we will be sharing more detailed updates in the new year, following meetings with the Board of Trustees in early February.
I want to extend my gratitude to those colleagues who have devoted considerable time and effort to advancing these projects—that work has been valuable and will serve us well in each of the three phases described above. I ask you, and all members of our community, for your patience, understanding, and continued support as we move forward with clarity and unwavering commitment to this vision for AUP and its digital transformation.
With my renewed thanks to all involved and in anticipation of the future,
Sonya