Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13

Text in italics is provided for guidance - please delete when proposal is complete
PROJECT NAME
Moodle Upgrade
Sponsor USD Bryan MacGregor
Programme Distance Education Initiative
Programme Owner Bryan MacGregor
IS Programme Manager Maurice Franceschi
At!ors "#siness$ Fiona Littleton / Anne-Marie Scott
At!ors "IS$ Maurice Franceschi / Ti Gray
Date !anuary "#$"
Section One % PROJECT O&ER&IE'
%e are esta&lishing an instance o' the Moodle (LE in "#$$/$" in order to su))ort an identi'ied set o'
online distance &ased )rograes *around + )rograes at )resent,- %e are i)leenting Moodle
version "-"
This )ro.ect is to ensure that this instance is /e)t u) to date 0ith so't0are releases 'ro Moodle in
"#$"/$1-
2eleases 'ro Moodle are tie-&ased3 0ith releases t0ice a year in !une and Dece&er- 4ur
e5)erience 0ith Moodle so 'ar is that )lug-ins develo)ed &y third )arties are not necessarily ready
0ith the ne0 release o' the )ro.ect3 so 0e &elieve it a/es sense to ta/e the second-last release o'
Moodle as a general rule-
Moodle "-1 is due out in !une "#$"
Moodle "-6 is due out in Dece&er "#$"
Moodle "-+ is due out in !une "#$1
At this stage 0e &elieve that 0e should &e u)grading to Moodle "-1 'ro around August "#$"3 0ith a
vie0 to releasing at 7hristas "#$"3 0hen Moodle v"-1 0ill &e 8 onths old and ho)e'ully ost
)lugins 0ill &e availa&le-
%e &elieve that there ay &e 'eatures in Moodle "-1 that 0ill allo0 us to ta/e 'or0ard soe o' the
enhanceents 0e 0ant to achieve in "#$"/$1 that ean 0e have to ta/e Moodle "-1 'irst and deliver
our se)arate enhanceents )ro.ect on that )lat'or- This is o)en 'or de&ate as the Moodle roada)
'or v"-1 &ecoes clearer- I)ortantly3 the Moodle "-1 roada) is targeting a solution 'or ulti-
tenancy su))ort *allo0ing a nu&er o' 9virtual Moodle sites9 to run on one installation, 0hich could
&e critical in ters o' ho0 0e develo) Moodle going 'or0ards-
In'oration is availa&le in the Moodle roada) 'or Moodle "-13 &ut at this stage there is no
in'oration availa&le 'or Moodle "-6
In'oration a&out the Moodle roada) is online at: htt)://docs-oodle-org/dev/2oada)
In'oration a&out u)grading Moodle is online at: htt)://docs-oodle-org/""/en/U)grading
Since Moodle is an o)en source syste3 0e 0ill rely heavily on the su))ort o' the user counity 'or
assistance and also 'or third )arty )lugins- Moodle;s end o' li'e )olicy is as 'ollo0s:
%e 0or/ on the ne5t version <"-1= &ut don>t )rovide )roduction su))ort
%e su))ort the ost recent sta&le version 0ith constant &ug 'i5es <"-"=
%e su))ort the )revious recent sta&le version3 &ut ostly only serious &ugs and security
issues <"-$=
%e don>t su))ort versions &e'ore that <$-?-5@=
*htt)://oodle-org/od/'oru/discuss-)h)AdB$8C#"$,
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Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13
Section Two % PROJECT DETAI(S
)*+ #siness O,-ectives
Clearly state the objectives of the project in terms of the business requirements to be addressed. An
objective should be a statement describing what the project is trying to achieve. Each objective
should be written so that it can be evaluated at the conclusion of the project. A well-formed objective
will be Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable, Realistic and Timebound !"A#$%.
No* Description
$ Deliver i)roved user e5)erience to teachers/learners through i)roved 'unctionality
" Deliver i)roved a&ility to 0iden user &ase to ne0 DEI )rograes through i)roved
'unctionality
1 Maintain user counity su))ort &y staying on Fain strea; release
6
8
)*) Pro-ect Delivera,les
&eliverables are the things that the project has to produce to meet the business objectives. Consider
how each deliverable can be tested or otherwise shown to meet the business objectives. $ypical
project deliverables may include'
(ew or changed business process or service
(ew or changed )$ service or infrastructure
*rocurement and implementation of a business solution from a third party supplier
&ocumentation and training
+usiness case or other reports recommending change
!tate any scope limitations against individual deliverables where these apply, e.g. parts of the
solution will only be available to certain sta,eholders or functionality provided will be limited to a
particular aspect of the business.
No* Delivera,le (imitation
$ U)graded version o' Moodle
" U)dated user hel) and guidance aterials
1
6
+
8
)*. Pro-ect Timescales % Milestones and Mlti /ear Pro-ects
Milestones - a milestone is a scheduled event signifying the completion of a major project activity.
"ilestones are used as project chec,points to review how the project is progressing and re-evaluate
the wor,. $he most important project milestones should be identified - as a minimum record the
desired start date for the project and the dates for any important deliverables.
Hard Milestones - )f a project milestone has a time dependency, e.g. it must be completed by a
particular date it is referred to as a .hard milestone/. 0sually these milestones will be based on the
0niversity/s business cycle but can also be driven by legislative requirements or availability of
resources. *lease list any hard milestones and the reasons for the dependency, e.g. milestone 1
must be completed in time for start of academic year or milestone 2 must be completed by April 3453
to comply with legislative requirements.
Multi-Year Projects - the 0niversity planning process requires resources to be allocated against an
annual programme. )n some cases projects will not fit conveniently within the 0niversity/s financial
year. $his may be due to timing for a short well defined project e.g. a new service is required for start
of term and wor, has to start in the previous financial year. Alternatively this may a large change
project that will ta,e several years of concerted effort to achieve. 6or multi year projects please
indicate the major stage brea,down of the project by financial year and the timing of outputs. e.g.
deliver business case by &ecember 3453, $ender by April 3457, Choose !upplier by 8ctober 3457,
)mplement system by 9anuary 345: following year, etc.
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Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13
Milestone
Date
Description "inclding reason i0 Milestone Date is !ard$ 1ard "/2N$
August
"#$"
Initiate )ro.ect G
Se)te&er
"#$"
7o)lete &usiness analysis G
4cto&er
"#$"
7o)lete &uild )hase G
Gove&er
"#$"
7o)lete UAT G
Dece&er
"#$"
De)loy to live
%e need to u)date the live service &e'ore the start o' Seester " so that
0e &egin 0or/ing on the enhanceents )ro.ect-
H
3inancial
/ear
#rea4down o0 Pro-ect Stages2Delivera,les ,5 /ear
3455/53 8nly required for projects that need to start early i.e. in the current financial year
3453/57
3457/5:
345:/5;
)*6 Pro-ect Sta4e!older"s$
!ta,eholders are people or organisational units who have an interest in the project. Any groups% of
users that will be affected by the project should be identified as should any other service providers
that will be consulted or have a role to play in delivering the project or subsequent services.
Sta4e!older Description o0 sta4e!older and role in pro-ect In0ormed
/2N
DEI )rograe o0ners Sta'' res)onsi&le 'or develo)ing ne0 DEI 'unded
)rograes 0ho ay 0ish to use Moodle- They 0ould
&e the ain source o' &usiness reIuireents along 0ith
service in'oration gathered &y USD- Sta/eholders 'or
DEI )rograes in "#$1/$6 0ill only &e identi'ied once
the )rograes that are receiving DEI 'unding are
con'ired-
G
IS USD TEL tea Sta'' in USD res)onsi&le 'or su))orting the use o'
technology enhanced learning services- Ultiately the
&usiness o0ners o' the service delivered- %ould &ring
service enhanceents 'ro running the to the &usiness
analysis )hase3 assist 0ith UAT3 in)ut to su))ort odel
'or 'ull service3 and &e the )u&lic 'ace o' the Frollout;-
H
IS USD Jel)line Sta'' in USD res)onsi&le 'or 'ront line su))ort- %ould
have )otentially &e involved in UAT3 and 0ould have
in)ut to su))ort odel 'or the service-
H
IS A))s Sta'' dra0n 'ro all areas o' IS A))s 0ho are
res)onsi&le 'or the develo)ent and delivery the
technology )lat'or to su))ort the service-
H
Gon-IS IT and Learning
Technologist sta''
7olleagues 'ro across the institution 0ho have
e5)erience 0ith Moodle already3 or 0ho are su))orting
)rograes that 0ish to use Moodle- They could &e a
source o' advice and e5)erience in the systes design
)hase3 and 0ould also &e )otentially involved in the
UAT )hase-
G
)*7 Pro-ect Ris4s
#is, is the uncertainty that comes from ma,ing any change - every project involves ris,. A project
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Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13
ris, may or may not happen but if it occurs it will have a material impact on the success of the
project. *roject ris,s often cannot be eliminated but they can be managed. )dentify the most
important ris,s for this project and any management actions required to reduce the negative impact
on the project or the probability of the ris, occurring.
6or )mpact <ow / "edium/ =igh to be agreed between *rogramme "anager and !ponsor
6or *robability <ow > ? 54@, "edium > 54@-;4@ and =igh > A ;4@
Action $ype is typically either'
"onitor - accept the ris, but continue to monitor
!hare - share the ris, with a third party
#educe - ta,e action to reduce the impact or probability
#emove - eliminate the ris, entirely
$ransfer - move the ris, to a third party
and should be supported by a short description of the actions% proposed.
No* Ris4 Description Impact 2
Pro,a,ilit5
Action T5pe and Description
$ Underestiate o' )ro.ect
e''ort and costs due to
un/no0ns in the technology
Mediu Monitor K onitor via noral )ro.ect
)rocess
" 7ontention &et0een Moodle
and Learn ? 'unctionality that
could also )rovide a solution
in this s)ace
Mediu 2eove K the service o0ners in USD 0ill
need to continue to advise on (LE suita&ility
'or sta''3 u)dating their advice and guidance
in the light o' this )ro.ect-
1 Desired enhanceents could
&e desco)ed 'ro Moodle "-1
roada)
Mediu Monitor K continue to onitor the roada)
as v"-1 oves to0ards release-
2educe K there are alternate o)tions 'or
ulti)le instances o' Moodle that are not
)art o' the core )roduct- %e ay have to
i)leent one o' these instead-
Monitor K decide to reverse the order o' this
)ro.ect and our enhanceents )ro.ect and
ad.ust sco)e/)ro.ect &udget accordingly-
6
+
)*8 Ot!er Relevant In0ormation
*rovide other relevant information about project. $his may include'
Additional conteBtual information to supplement details provided in earlier sections
!pecification of business or financial constraints on the solution
!pecification of technical constraints on the solution e.g. must use preferred 0niversity
technologies
!pecification of business or financial constraints on the solution
Accessibility requirements and how these may be addressed
#eferences which will illustrate or clarify the capabilities to be delivered e.g. web resources
or other documents, locations using a similar service, potential service providers etc
Section T!ree % PROJECT CATE9OR/ and STRATE9IC A(I9NMENT
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Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13
.*+ Pro-ect Categor5
8ptions are'
Essential/Compliance (EC) - projects that must be done as they are based on regulatory
compliance or technology obsolescence, e.g. =E!A returns, $aB 2ear-end changes or an
upgrade to the version of the 8racle #&+"!. $o confirm the classification the justification
must include the impact of delaying the project to a later year
Discretionar/!er "mportant (!") projects that business areas really want to do as they
give major benefits or deliver service improvements etc
Pro-ect Categor5

EC
I' 0e do not u)grade to at least Moodle "-1 in "#$"/$13 then &y August "#$1
Moodle "-" 0ill no longer &e su))orted- Any so't0are issues 0e encounter at
that )oint 0ill not have any )atch 'i5 released- %e could underta/e a 'i5 at our
o0n cost ho0ever-
.*) Pro-ect 3nding
)ndicate the funding source for the project. 8ptions are'
Sponsor #unded (S#) - projects whose full costs are being fully funded through an eBternal
grant or by the sponsoring unit themselves. 6or these projects the project sponsor must
confirm that the services will be sustainable after the project is complete
Core $rant #unded (C#) % projects whose )! costs are to be funded from the )! core grant
please note that even with this option additional eBternal costs for hardware, software and
consultancy etc may need to be paid for by the sponsoring unit - these additional costs
should be specified in !ection 7.7 below%
Rin& #enced #undin& (R#) % projects whose )! costs are to be funded from the )! core
grant but ta,en from the a ring fenced resource allocation e.g. funds set aside for College
developments as with this standard option additional eBternal costs for hardware, software
and consultancy etc may need to be paid for by the sponsoring unit - these additional costs
should be specified in !ection 7.7 below% if this funding source is specified please also
specify the ring fenced allocation from which funding is to be drawn
3nding Sorce S3 K to &e 'unded &y the DEI 'unding )rograe- Funding 0ill not &e
con'ired until !une "#$"-
.*. Strategic Alignment and Ot!er Jsti0ication
$he project should be aligned to 0niversity or College/!upport Croup% !trategic Coals, Enablers or
$hemes as detailed in the current 0niversity !trategic *lan published at'
http'//www.ed.ac.u,/schools-departments/governance-strategic-planning/strategic-planning/strategic-
plan-344D-53 8ther important project justifications may include operational efficiency, cost reduction,
income generation and cost reduction.
Strategic 9oal: Ena,ler or T!eme Alignment Description
E5cellence in Teaching and
Learning
The Moodle (LE 0ill allo0 the 'le5i&ility 'or any di''erent
services to &e integrated3 allo0ing innovative use o' non-
centrally su))orted tools to &e integrated 0ith a central (LE-
7ritically the a&ility 'or each course to have ore control over
the )lugins used is /ey to achieving this- Additionally this
Moodle (LE is &eing &uilt 0ith s)eci'ic 4DL reIuireents in
ind so should lead to a Iuality service 'or these students-
Luality Services The )ro.ect 0ill reduce du)lication o' e''ort in local areas 0ho
are develo)ing their o0n Moodle instances theselves at the
oent- By )roviding a central service 0e 0ill also &e a&le to
reduce costs over tie 'or u)grades/aintenance etc
Luality In'rastructure By delivering this )ro.ect centrally3 0e 0ill &e a&le to leverage
e5isting investents in IT in'rastructure3 leading to i)roved
relia&ility and sustaina&ility o' these social s)aces-
Enhancing our Student E5)erience This )ro.ect ais to deliver innovative use o' technology in
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Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13
)ursuit o' Iuality teaching and learning- Being a&le to )resent
this via a single (LE 0here the student can navigate around
and digest 0hat could &e a dis)arate set o' tools is critical to
a/ing this 'eel li/e a Iuality and coherent e5)erience-
Advancing Internationalisation 4nline distance &ased courses are largely targeting students
overseas3 'or 0ho )hysical attendance at the University is
di''icult- Su))orting innovative use o' technology 0ill enhance
the attraction o' our )rograes to overseas students3
enriching our o''erings-
Ot!er Jsti0ication Description
Section 3or % PROJECT #ENE3ITS: COSTS AND PROCUREMENT
RE;UIREMENTS
6*+ #ene0its "over 7 5ears$
*rovide the estimated benefits and costs over a ;-year period on the basis of the information
currently available.
Tan&i'le (ene)its - describe the benefit and the method used to calculate the value e.g. for a time
saving identify how the financial value has been calculated providing details of any assumptions
made regarding the number of staff or students impacted etc.
"ntan&i'le (ene)its - benefits where there is no associated financial saving are intangible, e.g.
increased access to the user community. &escribe intangible benefits and associated assumptions.
(ene)its Realisation - provide details and timing of monitoring to ensure benefits are realised
Tangi,le < Description and &ale Assmptions
+ days )er Moodle instance )er annu a))lying
u)grades-
%ithout this )ro.ect 0e assue that around 1 DEI
)rograes )er year ight o)t 'or their o0n local
service *&ased on nu&ers 'ro the 'irst year o'
DEI 'unded )ro.ects,- %e assue that this 0ill
gro0 &y 1 )rograes each year-
Total + year &ene'it: M883###
Hear $: 1 N+ B $+ N M"E+ B M6$"+
Hear ": 8 N+ B 1# N M"E+ B MC"+#
Hear 1: ? N+ B 6+ N M"E+ B M $"1E+
Hear 6: $" N+ B 8# N M"E+ B M$8+##
2ear ;' 5; E; > F; E G3F; > G34H3;
Intangi,le % Description
#ene0its Realisation
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Applications Division Project Proposal 2012-13
6*) #ene0its and Costs Smmar5 "over 7 5ears$
$his summary and should be ta,en from the &etailed +enefits and Costs Ior,sheet completed to
accompany this proposal.
7 /ear Smmar5 IS CS9 SAS9 Colleges inc
Stdents
E=ternal
Costs
Total
#ene0its M8$3CE+ - M8$3CE+
Costs M1$31+# M"3"## M113++#
#ene0it2Cost Ratio > $-C6
6*. 3nding2Resorce Re?irements
$he project may be dependant on funding which has still to be secured e.g. money for
hardware/software or other eBternal costs and/or to provide additional staff resources to eBecute the
project or provide longer term support. *rovide details below of any additional funding/resource
requirements and confirm whether or not the sponsor has secured the additional funding/resources
required.
Re?irement @&ale 3nding Arrangements and
Provider"s$
Secred
"/2N$
Funding 'or resources M113++# Distance Education Initiative G
6*6 Procrement Re?irements "inclding Otsorcing)
Ihere no eBternal procurement is anticipated this should stated as J(ot ApplicableK. Ihere procurement activity
is required *rocurement 8ffice should be informed as early as possible so that they can assist with cost
estimation and plan any assistance that may be required for project procurement activities.
1ave 5o considered otsorcing as a potential sorce
0or some or all o0 t!e services to ,e delivered ,5 t!is
pro-ectA Please provide details* 9idance on Otsorcing
Total Cost o0
9oods B Services
"over 6 5rs$
Description o0 9oods and Services to ,e procred "All
procrement activit5 mst ,e in accordance wit! t!e rles
laid ot Scottis! Procrement Polic5 1and,oo4*
9idance on Procrement $
Procrement
O00ice
In0ormedA
/es2No
C @7D 4
E @7D 4
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