The University's Strategic Plan articulates our priorities on student programming, breaking down silos, inspiring cross-campus collaboration, and process improvement. With an effective event scheduling tool, the SF State community can seamlessly collaborate, coordinate, and execute campus events, thereby fostering a vibrant campus experience. Our implementation timeline outlines the development, testing, deployment, and ongoing refinement of the tool, with a focus on enhancing accessibility and user experience. Through these initiatives, our team is committed to enhancing the University experience for all SF State stakeholders.
Project Status
QA will coordinate with the campus stakeholders to gather the required data and critical details for the database expansion. The objective is to capture the current event location inventory, resource requirements such as equipment, catering, and venue specifications, and the individuals/organizations involved in the event request process. This structured approach not only enhances organization but will also enable the seamless coordination and execution of events of any scale.
QA worked alongside the 25Live Services Consultant to address concerns raised by Academic Resources during the on-site consultation. This collaborative effort involved identifying key issues, developing targeted solutions, and creating demonstrations to showcase specific system functionalities such as Object Security, Security Groups, and Assignment Policy. The detailed demonstrations highlighted system settings and configurations, and workflow adjustments were discussed to ensure the system met the department's and campus's needs. This approach not only addressed immediate concerns but also aimed to enhance the overall effectiveness of the 25Live system, ultimately contributing to a more efficient and user-friendly experience.
The first of two in-person consultation sessions was scheduled for June 2024. The session was held on-site and attended by the Core Project team.
The primary objective was to gather comprehensive data on the University's event scheduling business processes, essential for the database buildout. Our focus lies in delving into the event scheduling workflow and ensuring alignment between our database and the intricate nuances of our processes. Below are the topics covered in each session.
Session Title | Session Topics | Session Date |
---|---|---|
Session 1 | Service Overview | Monday, June 17, 2024 |
Session 2 |
|
Monday, June 17, 2024 |
Session 3 |
|
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 |
Session 4 |
|
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 |
Session 5 | Review and Define master definitions for database | Thursday, June 20, 2024 |
Session 6 |
|
Thursday, June 20, 2024 |
A Project Kickoff Meeting was held on May 2024.
In this meeting, the team brought together key campus stakeholders, including project managers and team members, to outline project goals, objectives, and timelines. The team also introduced the different teams and clarified roles and responsibilities. The meeting aimed to foster alignment among stakeholders, promote collaboration, and set the project on a path to success.
A campus representative has been identified for each building or department. This individual serves as the main contact for coordinating events and scheduling processes within their respective areas. Their knowledge on event scheduling procedures, guidelines, layouts, and inquiries is essential for the successful implementation of a unified event scheduling tool.
Following SF State Procurement's recommendation, Quality Assurance (QA) utilized the Informal Request for Proposal (IRFP) to select the campus’ event scheduling vendor. The Scope of Work (SOW) for this project was devised with the following items in mind:
- Consultations with Information Technology Services leadership,
- Referencing past research efforts, and
- Engagements university members affected by these operations.
In February 2024, QA solicited proposals from three vendors for event scheduling and management services. Evaluating these proposals involved a 204-point ranking system that QA created based on factors from the 2017 needs assessment, SOW, and insights from successful event scheduling software implementations at sister campuses. CollegeNET ranked as the leading choice with 184 points, offering competitive pricing of $38,000 in ongoing costs and unlimited licenses. Considering its low cost, high scores, and proven track record in higher education, CollegeNET was chosen as the official event scheduling vendor. QA finalized the informal solicitation process in March 2024 and secured 25Live consulting and implementation services from CollegeNET.
This page will continue to be updated as we progress with the event scheduling implementation.