IT Services
Technology Group Charters
BARScg

Maximizing the value of Lane's Administrative Information System

The LASR Project, a major effort undertaken by the college to upgrade administrative systems that support the college's business, is largely completed. The college is fully operational in Banner for transactional processing. However, the Banner product will continue to evolve over time; the Banner product five years from now will be significantly different than the product today. Additionally, there is currently available functionality that has not yet been implemented, which may be useful to the college. This document identifies strategies and specific steps the college needs to put in place in order to maintain the currency of Banner and related systems over time. The responsibility for ensuring the success of this plan rests with the Associate Vice-President for Information Technology and the Banner and Related Systems (BARS) coordinating group.

Tactic 1: Ensure that the college is aware of current Banner functionality and issues. Regularly review information provided by SCT and the user community related to the Banner product available today.

• Educate the campus community to evaluate Banner functionality first to support work processes not currently supported by Banner and to provide the technology infrastructure for new college initiatives.
• Technical and functional staff subscribe to and regularly review postings to the following SCT lists:
  • Finance: BFINANCE,
  • Human Resources:
  • Student: BSTUDENT, BAR
  • Financial Aid: BFINAID
  • DBA and/or self-service programmer: BORACLE, BGENERAL, BPOST, BINFO (self-service), BANNOUNCE

During the 2005-2006 year, the following lists will be added for regular review:

• BGENERAL (all modules), BEXTENDERSOLUTIONS (Student and Student Financial Services)
• BARScg will develop a plan for routing information from the BINFO list (reviewed by Information Technology staff) to functional areas that use the self-service products.
• Information Technology staff assigned to support functional areas will serve as contacts for assistance with the SCT Action Web.
• The DBA will monitor and draw down documentation postings from SCT for appropriate distribution/storage at Lane.
• The Lane technical staff will participate in the Oregon Banner Information Technology (ORBIT) group.
• Functional areas will explore the feasibility and advisability of establishing state-wide functional Banner user groups. The results of these inquiries may vary from one functional area to another.

• For the next five years, technical and functional staff in core offices will attend Summit/SETA conferences annually.
  • Finance:
  • Human Resources: 1 or 2 attendees
  • Student: 2 or 3 attendees
  • Financial Aid: 2 attendees
  • Technical: 1 or 2 attendees (one for Student system)
• Core functional office and technical staff will monitor SCT information sources regarding new version and upgrade plans.
• The BARScg will consider additional SCT products for possible implementation at Lane (Luminis, for example).
• Management staff will keep abreast of SCT planning for new partnerships.

• The college will develop and deploy staff training related to Banner and related systems using formal classroom settings, drop-in labs and self-training materials. The Information Technology technical trainer will coordinate all training and will develop an integrated structure for providing information about technical training that includes training related to Banner and related systems.
• The college will provide system documentation . . . . . . .
• Where appropriate, core offices will use the local help feature of Internet Native Banner to provide system documentation for staff.
• Evaluate the need for additional SCT consulting services for core offices to support new functionality or the implementation of existing functionality not yet implemented. Examples are:
  • Finance: reconciling the A/R account between the Student system and Finance system.
  • Human Resources:
  • Student: Two weeks per year - not tied to major upgrade.
  • Financial Aid: No current need. May be required as a result of significant changes in U. S. Department of Education processes, significant new Banner functionality or implementation of functionality in other areas (Student, for example) that impacts Financial Aid.

Tactic 4 : Regularly review Banner functionality not yet implemented for possible use at Lane.

At the end of the 2004 calendar year, BARScg identified the following Banner functionality that has not yet been implemented.

• System-wide:
• Workflow
• ODS
• Local help
• Banner Extender Solutions
• Finance
• Fixed Assets
• Index Codes
• Bookstore to Banner feed
• Loading data without intervention of a programmer (such as bank reconciliation or P-card information)
• Human Resources
• Electronic PAFs and PTSOAs
• Additional employee self-service functionality (benefits)
• Faculty certification
• Recruitment
• Applicant tracking
• Letter generation
• Student
  • Cooperative Education
  • Disability Services
  • Student Support Services
  • Recruitment
  • SEVIS
  • Web Admissions
  • Electronic Grade Book
  • Open Learning
  • Additional self-service functionality (CAPP)
  • Appointment System
  • Faculty web functionality not yet implemented
  • Syllabus
  • Faculty Assignments
  • Outside Billing
  • Student Directory
  • Letter Generation
• Financial Aid
  All functionality has been implemented.

Tactic 5: Anticipate and plan for routine upgrading of skills for the technical staff through training, networking and participation in user group activities.

It is expected that changing technology will result in a need for continuing upgrading of skills for the technical staff. BARScg recommends ensuring a budget to support these needs.