The practicalities of transforming Abertay University’s stand-alone systems into fully integrated and flexible systems

Abstract

This paper will discuss the critical decisions, challenges and issues associated with transforming the University’s Corporate Information Systems (CIS) from stand-alone systems into a suite of agile, fully integrated and flexible systems. The paper covers our practical experience with the pre-procurement phase of the transformation project, including stakeholder engagement and challenges and issues encountered with developing specifications and balancing business requirements with functional requirements. This practical experience is reflected upon, from a standpoint of not disengaging critical stakeholders –that is producing a final specification that is acceptable to all stakeholders.