Application Development and Data Management

Application Development and Data Management provides quality information technology in support of administrative computing requirements for student, research, instruction, and financial management processes throughout the University of Georgia.

ADDM is involved in a number of mission-critical and process improvement initiatives which are aimed at improving student web experience, core systems architecture, security, automation and consolidation of business processes. Following is a summary on some of these major initiatives:

Administrative Systems Architecture Upgrade	Degree Works
Social Security Number (SSN) Removal from Business Process	Housing
Student Portal	Southern Association for Colleges and Schools (SACS)
E-Procurement	Faculty Activity Repository (FAR)
Identity Management	Kronos

Implement a data management and integration strategy to support a service-oriented architecture by replacing the hierarchy based administrative systems’ data structure (IMS) with a relational one (DB2) that embraces industry standards and greatly enhances our ability to integrate data with other systems across campus. Additional benefits include: improve real time data processing; reduce data duplication; implementation of a common data dictionary; increase accessibility for administrative data and interoperability with other systems.

Formulate and implement a strategy to address security, collection, usage, storage and displays of the SSN, hence facilitating secure interactions among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and other constituents, and strengthening our ability to comply with security requirements from the BoR, FERPA, HIPAA and HOPE. Cornerstone of our strategy is the elimination of unnecessary reliance on the SSN for identity purposes with the introduction of a non-SSN unique identifier. Of equal importance is the incorporation of this non-SSN unique identifier into systems that offer services which require authorization based affiliation with the University.

The portal enables students to define a unique and personal view of the campus Web. It sets a building block for future community tools aimed at building relationships among campus constituencies, and integration with other Student related applications. Primary goal for this initiative is to develop an extensible and best of the breed student portal supported by highly available, reliable and faster performing infrastructure architecture. Some of the functional features include: single sign on, channel layout, content management, customization and personalization.

ADDM is collaborating with the Controller’s Office to implement a Procurement system (Higher Markets from SciQuest) which will enable the electronic procurement of goods and services by University of Georgia requisitioners in accordance with University of Georgia policies. The System will also stratify potential vendors and will display available and current contract pricing. The Accounts Payable function will also be streamlined by enabling the receipt of electronic invoices from a targeted group of suppliers.

Institution-wide initiative focused on the analysis, design, development and implementation of an effective and efficient mechanism for managing users and their access to systems, applications and services throughout the University of Georgia. The primary project goals are: improve the effectiveness, efficiency, security and user experience with respect to creating and managing users’ identities during their affiliation with the University of Georgia; improve the process for securely collecting, storing and managing the Social Security Numbers and their use throughout the University.

Implement a highly available and reliable web-based system that will assist undergraduate students and advisors in monitoring the students’ progress toward degree completion and provide real time information for academic advising and degree audits. Implementation will be conducted in a phased approach: Franklin College of Arts & Science undergraduate programs will be the first implementers of Degree Works; the second phase will complete the roll out to the remaining fifteen colleges of the University of Georgia. Planned benefits include: Streamline the graduation process, intuitive navigation to internal features and external systems, reduce paperwork and manual processes for advisors and provide real-time analysis for ‘what-if’ graduation program scenarios.

ADDM is collaborating with the University Housing to create a new integrated housing application which will include improved functionality like single log-in for various modules, real time processing and increased web based user interface presence, while continuing to provide housing clients with current automated functionalities (assignments, billing, check-in, check-out processes, etc). The end result will be a client driven, customizable, unified application structure with a web-based and portal like environment.

Project goal is to facilitate the SACS reaffirmation process by providing electronic access to the University of Georgia’s compliance report, quality enhancement plan, and other supporting documentation. An additional goal is to provide electronic access to instructors on teaching records and credentials, faculty CV and course syllabus for Fall 2009 & Spring 2010. Additional artifacts will include outcome-based assessments from the institution via Assurance for Learning from Digital Measures. The ‘instructor of record credentialing’ and ‘outcomes-based assessment’ are continuous improvement processes and will become an integral part of the University of Georgia.

Activity Insight (from Digital Measures) is a web-based application/system that will enable the University of Georgia officials to collect information about institutional outcomes assessment and faculty activity.

Implementation of the first phase will facilitate the SACS reaffirmation process by providing easy access, via web-based reports, to accurate information about faculty teaching and credentials. The reporting system will be used to link faculty data to the UGA SACS website and will be the source for documenting outcomes-based assessment at the institution, college, and program levels. Implementation of the second phase for faculty activity reporting will result in an electronic central repository that records faculty activities in teaching, research, and service. The information will enable department heads, deans and other administrators to measure faculty productivity annually, enable faculty members to document their activities accurately, and serve as useful information for studies and reports on the effectiveness of the institution.

Kronos Workforce Central implementation is a collaborative effort with the Office of the VP for Finance and Administration. Kronos is a time and attendance system that will replace the existing ePayroll Voucher system. Along with replacing ePayroll’s functionality, Kronos adds such features as interfacing with electronic time clocks across campus and tracking compensatory time, and will provide units with a central system for requesting and approving leave.

Administrative support is provided for approximately thirty primary operations and multiple other support service units across the University. Tactical projects annually run from fifty to seventy discreet plans and include enhancements, new development, and regulated maintenance (eg. Payroll and Financial Aid legislated changes).

Given the large number of application/database tactical projects, individual projects will not be listed in this document.

There are 4 groups / teams that each support multiple tactical projects are as follows:

STUDENT: Housing, Graduation, Transcripts, Regents Testing, Certification, SIRS, Course History, Degree Audit, Grade Processing, Honors program, Student Records/Oasis, Graduate Records, Transfer Articulation, Access Card, CIP/Hegis, Faculty Reporting, Facilities Inventory, Course Inventory, Degree/Major, OIR, Course Offerings, Registration/Oasis, Admissions, Graduate Admissions, Recruitment, Oasis Web transition, Health Services, Student Affairs, Elections, Office of the VP of Instruction , Career Services, Office of International Education, Sorority Rush, Student Scoring/AP, Testing Center, Institutional Contact

STUDENT FINANCIALS: Student Financial Aid, Student Accounts, Fee Collection (Replaced; maintained for History), Fee Payment , Loans Processing, Accounts Receivable

HUMAN RESOURCES: Human Resources and Employment Management, Trust Fund Accounting

FINANCIALS: Budgets, Financial Accounting, Contracts and Grants, Physical Plant, Payroll, E-Voucher, Time and Effort, Campaign for Charities, Vouchers, State Audit, Directory Assistance, University Data, E-Leave, Campus Mail, Warehouse Inventory, Central Office Supply, Equipment Inventory, Vehicle Maintenance, Purchasing Campus Entry, Procurement, Central Receiving, Applicant Clearing, Telephone Services, Central Duplicating, Central Research Stores, Minority Services, CITP/AIS project collaboration

The Application Development and Data Management division is lead by the associate CIO for the division. The associate CIO reports to the UGA Chief Information Officer and Associate Provost. [ EITS Organiztional Chart ]

The division has three directors, which lead the following areas:

The division represents the campus administrative operations computing environment as well as enabling data exchanges with de-central application teams that are located at both college and departmental administrative offices. We collaborate with Finance and Administration, the Registrar, and Institutional Research in order to meet Regents reporting requirements on behalf of UGA.

Standards, policies and guidelines are assumed from the EITS set and then further detailed by the department. Development and technology guidelines are developed and stored on a server available to staff. Technology standards to include metadata definitions, best practices, and development and documentation are actively under revision and change.

Opportunities for training are both formal and informal. Every effort is made to leverage no cost training offered through the University's Training and Development department and many have taken advantage of the Element K training offer through the UGA Portal as well as other training offerings that have been introduced around security and Sun system administration. Other training includes: