Contents

• This report is based on the following case study -
• Background to the Case Study
• The case study provided below is based on a real organisation, Central Queensland University.  Be aware that the case outline below is relatively brief. This has been done on purpose as links have been provided that give you some history to begin your research from. You need to research and investigate the case as thoroughly as possible in order to mount and justify your arguments and choices in your report. You should find the web useful in this regard however you are also encouraged to investigate other sources. As any good writer of a report will do – do your homework and be sure of the facts.
• The Case
• Central Queensland University has a complex history when it comes to Enterprise Systems implementation. CQU originally maintained a mix of legacy “in-house” systems combined with commercial products.  After the failure of a syndicate approach to the development of specialised Student, Finance and HR systems, the university came to a decision to seek an external solution.  Follow initial planning and the completion of the RFP process, a successful tender was announced: 
• http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/109261/andersen_consulting_secures_14m_cqu_deal/
• The university took the decision to implement the Student, Human Resource and Finance modules of the PeopleSoft ERP (now Oracle PeopleSoft).  After $20 million dollars and two years, the Finance and Student systems were delivered – over budget and over schedule.  A number of scholarly works have been based on studies relating to the implementation, however a useful summary for this assignment is provided by Oliver and Van Dyke (2005):
• http://www.igi-global.com/gateway/chapter/full-text-pdf/28248
• Since the implementation project, the support and maintenance of the Oracle PeopleSoft systems have led to significant ongoing costs including regular hardware and software updates.  Major upgrades have needed to occur approximately every 5 years and have often cost in excess of ten million dollars per occurrence:  the majority of this cost is from human resources such as programmers and functional analysts.   One key issue driving these costs is the substantial level of customisation to the ERP to meet the organisation’s unique needs.  While efforts have been made to rationalise these customisations, their presence complicates ongoing maintenance and upgrade activities.
• The announcement of the merger with CQTAFE has led to an examination of the university’s current and future Enterprise System needs.  This has resulted in an announcement to shift to a new Student Management system from Australia-based vendor TechnologyOne:
• http://www.cqu.edu.au/cquninews/stories/general-category/2013/qld-based-vendor-selected-to-deliver-new-student-management-system
• http://technologydecisions.com.au/content/it-management/article/cquniversity-selects-new-student-management-software-supplier-88249641
• While this will initially be restricted to VET (ex-TAFE) operations, the plan is to roll the StudentOne product out over the wider university, replacing the existing Oracle PeopleSoft student system.  No announcement has been made in relation to the future of the Finance (currently Oracle PeopleSoft) and Human Resource (currently Talent2’s Alesco product) systems.
• It should be noted that the new system implementation is not without risk or controversy as the recent Victoria TAFE implementation has demonstrated:
• http://www.itnews.com.au/News/168430,technology-one-wins-vic-tafe-deal.aspx
• http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/30m-tafe-blowout-adds-to-it-woes-20130824-2sir3.html
• It should be noted that the links provided for this case are only a sample of the information available to you regarding the CQU Oracle PeopleSoft and the history of TechnologyOne implementations:  you will benefit from undertaking broader research and Reading.

Description

Your Task
Study the past if you would define the future - Confucius
The purpose of this assignment is to identify and report on the risks facing the new StudentOne Enterprise System implementation by reflecting on the history of Enterprise Systems at CQU.  You need to think about what happened in the past, why it happened and ask yourself is it likely to be an issue in the current StudentOne implementation context.  You need to examine what is known about the StudentOne product and look at recent implementations in order to identify any issues or risks pertinent to the CQU context.  From this, you are to identify, explain and justify risks.  Following this you need to identify, explain and justify recommendations that will avoid or mitigate some or all of the risks you have previously identified.
You are required to use academic literature to support and illustrate your report.  It is important that you look at how issues and potential problems inter-relate and explain the linkages in order to present the risks.  DO NOT just create a “shopping list” of risks based simply on problems identified in the Oliver and Van Dyke paper (if you do, you will not pass the assignment).  The problems that occurred then may not be relevant now, and many of them can be linked together to form meta-themes (or root-cause problems).  It is up to you to explain and justify why the risks you identify may be a problem in the new implementation.  It is also important to situate them in terms of the literature on causes of Enterprise Systems failure.  Use this literature to develop your recommendations for strategies or actions that can avoid or mitigate the risks.  Be aware that it may not be possible to avoid or mitigate all risks.
Your audience are non-technical (think university executives) however you can assume your readers are intelligent people who understand business arguments. 
Remember that there is no single right answer that will address all risks and recommendations.  It is your task to present a persuasive piece of writing that clearly identifies risks that are evidently real and directly related to the current StudentOne implementation.  It is your choice to nominate which of the risks you believe are the most critical and up to you to select the most appropriate mitigation strategies for your recommendations.  You will be assessed on your ability to persuade the reader, so it is essential you develop factual and logical arguments in your risk and recommendation justifications.