Stage 2: Information Needs

This stage formed the major part of the development of the Information Strategy and involved establishing the methodology, project planning, collecting and analysing data on information needs and prioritising needs. In addition, this stage of the process had a significant impact on the spread of awareness of the essence of the Information Strategy and its significance for individual members of the institution. It was during this part of the process that attitudes towards information were considered and the changes required began to happen.

The Methodology

The Guidelines suggested following three possible methodologies for identifying information needs and the issues arising:

• Information Analysis - top-down analysis of the functions/processes starting at the highest level of division of the institution activities (e.g. Teaching and Learning, Research, Management) which then breaks down each successively into sub processes and identifies the information needs and outputs from them (Glamorgan)
• Life-Cycle Analysis, most usefully used in connection with all stages of the student's or staff's relationship with the institution e.g. Student Lifecycle from Attraction to Alumni. (Writtle)
• Information Initiatives - building on information projects already in process and investing in them the Information Strategy emphasis on information (Glasgow, Leeds)

Although these were outlined in the Guidelines they were not considered to be exclusive and several Pilot/Exemplar sites used other similar techniques. It was not the techniques that were important but the process they supported.

Process based approach worked well. Process analysis was a very good formative approach - it didn't matter which techniques where used - the process created opportunities/events for creative thinking

Participant in JISI, interviewed 2008

The information needs analysis

The size and area selected for initial investigation would be dependent on the institutional priorities that had been identified at the scoping stage. The methodology for collecting the data involved a range of data collection and recording techniques. These included: analysis of documents, process mapping, workshops, interviews, and questionnaires. An agreed process for recording of the data was particularly important to make the analysis easier.

The decision as to which people to involve was dependent on the scope and selected area but they needed to be a wide representative group, possibly including people with influence in the organisation, people with particular expertise, people who it was politically important to consult and people who were enthusiasts.

All the Pilot/Exemplar sites approached this in different ways to suit their individual requirement. However they all used a specific methodology for information collection and process mapping which involved a wide cross section of the community in 'strategic conversations' about their information needs. Some examples are:

Bath Spa identified four information groups - Teaching and Learning, Research, Management and Administration and held facilitated workshops with the groups using meta-plan technique which involved groups thinking about their roles and responsibilities and then about all the information they needed in order to fulfil that role and those responsibilities, regardless of whether or not that information was currently or easily available.

Glamorgan, identified their priorities as Teaching and Learning and Partnerships and focused on the information needs of two very different academic departments. They used the information analysis and process mapping techniques with focus groups and workshops involving a cross section of staff and students from the two departments.

The information needs analysis was a benevolent less threatening process which looked at organisational resources through the prism of Information. There was a link between Information flow and resource usage and business processes but it wasn't called business process re-engineering and didn't directly threaten roles and responsibilities and so it was non-threatening organisational change

Participant in JISI, interviewed 2008

Belfast sampled the information needs of two academic departments, a Faculty Office and the Research Unit to get the views of a cross section of people across the university. They also drew on information already collected within the University (MAC initiative, Library survey and HEFCE returns etc.). The information gathering was undertaken by post-graduate students on the Information Management course

Glasgow and Leeds worked through existing information initiatives and involved a wide cross section of the community through these projects.

Hull used a business process mapping technique called Open Frameworks and identified 12 key processes but then focused initially on its Corporate Information System. This involved consultation 'for the first time not only with relevant sections of administration but also Schools and Departments'

North London focused on the Assessment Process and tried a toolkit approach, with Information Audit Questionnaires as the basis for structured interviews. They also used an external consultant to interview the Steering Group members to facilitate frank and open discussion.