Spring/Summer 2000 - Vol. 51, No. 1
Upgrade It? Replace It? Or Start a Revolution? An Adventure Story from the University of Arkansas Barbara G. Taylor, Ph.D. and Thomas O. Dorre, M.B.A. |
The University of Arkansas managed to turn its tale of IT woe into a tale of process re-engineering by choosing the road less traveled. (Did we say less? We mean hardly ever.) The gamble paid off, but from the beginning the university had perceived it to be far less risky than the usual alternativesand its rewards to be much sweeter.
What does a university do when the manufacturer of its aging human resources and financial software package goes out of business, leaving applications unsupported, local modifications unstable, and the whole system unsuited to for any change or challenge? That was the question facing the University of Arkansas in the early 1990s. An unusual answer would take its Division of Finance and Administration, including the HR staff, on a journey that was to be longer, more interesting, and ultimately far more satisfying than any of its initial participants could ever have imagined. |
|
||
Barbara G. Taylor, Ph.D., is associate vice chancellor for Human Resources at the University of Arkansas. She can be reached at btaylor@uark.edu. | Thomas O. Dorre, M.B.A., is associate vice chancellor for Finance at the University of Arkansas. He can be reached at todorre@uark.edu. | ||
Next Page |