Stage 3: Project Implementation

This was the point at which the Information Strategy Framework Document was drafted with a consolidation of all the work that had gone before e.g. the objectives, priorities, identified needs and attitudes required. This also provided an opportunity to review progress and confirm or amend priorities, to define information principles, standards, procedures and policies and to establish a programme of projects. Once the Information Strategy Framework document had been drafted with its dependent activities it needed senior management approval and the draft document was circulated for consultation. In addition, resources to undertake the prioritised projects and change management programme needed to be committed.

There was a danger that at this point the focus of the strategy became the 'document' rather than activities.

Roehampton Institute London may be seen as an example of an institution which became overly preoccupied with the detail of drafting an information strategy framework document, with less emphasis being placed on early implementation. Attitudinal changes have been brought about through thorough consultation, but may have been strengthened if members of the Institute had also been able to see the benefits resulting from implementation projects earlier.

Roehampton Case Study

The pilot sites identified a range of information issues and projects dependent on their specific information analysis and priorities. Overall they all addressed some of the following themes (JISC Circular 5/98):

• Meeting information needs - such as information for students and staff, information about students, a module database, strategic management information
• Developing Policies and Procedures - in areas such as standards, security, management of information on the internet, management of electronic documents
• Widening Awareness - for example seminars, embedding the process in other institutional routines, further information analyses
• Teaching information - innovation in learning and teaching, standards for bibliographies, IT as a teaching, learning and assessment resource
• Staff and student development - Information handling skills
• Communication and marketing strategies

Although the focus was information many of the projects proposed were related to the use of information technology and systems. There is very little information in the case studies about how the organisational and cultural aspects of the 'management of change' were approached, although it was cited as a significant issue in the evaluation of JISI (JISC 2001) and the Co-ordination team organized several change management workshops.