SIG’s project management services enable colleges and universities to complete major initiatives on time, within budget, and according to scope. In addition, SIG’s assistance helps clients reduce frustration, risk, false starts, confusion, and pitfalls.
Below, are some of the characteristics that distinguish SIG’s approach to project management:
- A focus on success
- Using senior consultants who have extraordinary experience and expertise
- Listening to clients and being responsive to their needs
- Communicating effectively
- Anticipating events and taking proactive action
- Effective monitoring of budgets, tasks, etc.
- Ensuring predictable outcomes
- Using systematic project management techniques that are customized to meet the unique needs of each client
- Ensuring a continuous sense of momentum and accomplishment
Increasingly, colleges and universities are faced with information technology projects that involve substantial cost and complexity. Moreover, the initiatives frequently entail critical systems/services for students, faculty, and staff. It is important to have effective management that can drive the success of information technology projects.
SIG helps clients cut through the obstacles and uncertainties. In addition, SIG’s guidance and industry knowledge can enable significant cost savings. Although SIG customizes its solution for each client, many engagements include the following components:
- Review of institutional objectives and the impetus behind the project
- Development of project plans, milestones, budgets, communications vehicles, vendor management routines, and work assignments
- Business process mapping workshops to understand major opportunities for improvement
Creation of change management strategies
- Implementation of project management tools to help monitor tasks, budgets, etc.
- Development of cross-functional work teams and advisory committees
- Vendor management
- Implementation and configuration of hardware, software, enterprise infrastructure, and support services
- Review of applicable policies and procedures
- Organizational development
- Functional consulting and user training
- Readiness assessments
SIG’s consultants have broad experience and expertise. They understand higher education and how information technology is best utilized to serve students, faculty, and staff. SIG’s consultants have worked as faculty members, registrars, financial aid directors, controllers, CIOs, etc.; they know how to help colleges and universities with academic and administrative systems.
All of SIG’s services have been developed to ensure alignment with an institution’s; the focus is on helping clients understand how their projects will unfold. SIG’s consultants work side-by-side with the client’s staff to ensure knowledge transfer.
SIG is vendor neutral. It does not sell hardware or software. It does not promote products or services from any particular company. Instead, SIG helps clients determine the right blend of tools and resources to meet the institution’s needs.
SIG works effectively with a variety of vendors in the higher education marketplace, including Datatel, Oracle, PeopleSoft, SAP, Sigma Systems, SunGard SCT, Microsoft, Jenzabar, Blackboard, WebCT, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Cisco.
Please let us know how SIG can help you with your project management needs. We are pleased to offer assistance.
