Stage 2: Engagement in the process

A series of seven consultative workshops were then held to discuss the documents and to test their validity. These workshops involved a wide range of academic, academic-related and administrative staff of the University, and were extremely successful as a means of involving the University community generally. The discussions produced some valuable additional information, and there was general endorsement both of the analyses presented of the current situation and of the proposals for remodelling. The workshops had two practical outcomes. First, a set of recommendations for procedural changes was produced. Second, a prioritised set of user requirement statements were generated that fed into the planning of the redevelopment of the actual Student Record System.

Hull Case study

The workshops were the most successful aspect of the process for getting wider engagement and embedding and understanding of the information strategy process and sometimes for solving problems and achieving 'quick wins'. The following are a combination of experiences highlighted by people at some of the pilot/exemplar sites:

'In particular, the use of workshops with staff and students has provided an opportunity to discuss common difficulties and for colleagues to learn from one another; an opportunity to consider information needs - what do you get that you don't need, and what don't you get that you need? And perhaps most importantly to consider attitudes towards information - why isn't what you need made available to you, and possibly, why don't you feel comfortable allowing wider access to information for which you feel 'responsible'?' (JISC Circular 5/98)

'In some cases, difficulties were actually solved within the workshop situation - for example information not being available when required because it was incomplete - but incomplete information would have done! Again, most institutions had examples of different departments doing things differently. Bringing people together enabled them to see that what was a problem for them was not a problem for their colleagues because they do something differently.' (JISC Circular 5/98)

It was unusual in 1997 to use focus groups (including students). The process identified information black holes and loop holes. It was a change catalyst - getting people to talk together in multidisciplinary teams exchanging problems and solutions. Students included in the focus groups gave a different perspective. (Participant in the pilot/exemplar interviewed 2008)

The Information Strategy development has given the Institute an opportunity to introduce new methods of consultation and decision making (focus groups, slice groups, all staff summaries, widespread committee consultation). Some of these methods have subsequently been used by others trying to introduce strategic changes within the organisation. (Roehampton Case Study)

Analysis of the data

Analysis of the data collected from the various sources helped to identify the issues and problems, gaps and inconsistencies with information. This was an iterative process, as some of the outcomes needed to be validated with workshops etc. It was also useful to identify who raised which issue and how many people would benefit from resolving it.

This was also the point at which 'quick wins' could be identified along with a list of issues and possible opportunities for change projects.