Updates on JF Redesign, Software Library, YaleSites, and more at August IT LT Meeting

John kicked off the meeting by thanking the team for their contributions to the July 14 strategy session and mentioned that the results of those discussions would support the forthcoming FY23-28 strategy.

The following topics were discussed at the July 27 IT Leadership team meeting:

Job Family Redesign Pilot Update

Blanche Temple provided an update on the status of the Job Family Redesign Pilot, including the next steps.

In July, progress included:

• All ITS M&P staff members were advised of their new job titles and career level.
• Four training sessions were held–two for managers and two for staff—and feedback from those sessions will be utilized for upcoming phases of the project.
• Resource materials were made available on Teams, and managers were invited to join a “JF Redesign for Manager’s” Channel to submit questions or share thoughts related to the rollout.

Blanche also reviewed the rationale for Position Description Templates and encouraged managers to share it with their staff. These templates were developed to align each staff member to their title and career level and serve multiple purposes. For example, education and years of experience were not primary drivers for the assigned title or career level. These qualifiers represent the minimum threshold ITS will use when a position is posted. Duties are a better reflection of the assigned career level and role.

She also shared an update on the reconsideration process. This process will be used if an employee feels that their role is not aligned with the title and career level. If a reconsideration is requested by the employee (and/or manager), it must be received between August 15-26. Instructions and a request form will be available on the IT at Yale Teams site by August 12. Reconsideration requests will require manager review and sign-off. All requests will be reviewed by the SLT, and their decisions following this review will be considered final.

Everyone is encouraged to visit the Job Family Redesign Team’s tab for an updated schedule, which includes important reminders such as scheduling individual meetings with M&P staff by August 12.

Software Library Demo

Courtlandt Stretton and Katherine Simonetti provided a quick overview of their progress in developing an updated Software Library.

Thus far, they have successfully transitioned Adobe to the new platform, which Courtlandt described as “no small feat” and required the support of many individuals across ITS. As part of this effort, two new ServiceNow forms were created to request new software listings and make changes to existing listings. They conducted feedback sessions with select members of ITSAC. They also sent out a communication to Faculty and Staff about how to access the new platform. Lastly, they set definitions for what it means to be a “Software Sponsor” and why that is important.

Moving forward, they will retire the “old” software library, finish the redesign of the service page, and form a Software Governance board to help ITS make decisions as to what should be listed in the Software Library and/or funded by ITS.

The project timeline includes:

• Spring 2022: Work to configure and implement remaining requirements and incorporate changes based on ITSAC feedback.
• Summer 2022: Formally launch the new Software Library, begin working to standardize the workflow for new requests and edits to listings, and build partnerships with other IT units (i.e., Library).
• Fall 2022: Petition members for a Software Library Governance Committee and establish a Software Sponsor for each software listing.
• Winter 2022: Establish standard procedures and workflow for both software trials and reclaiming licenses, and make additional refinements to the workflow.

Following Courtlandt’s overview, Katherine provided a demo of the new Software Library, which is integrated into the Service Portal and includes a series of forms accessible via the Portal. The forms are highly detailed and include requests for software expiration dates, funding sources, and more.

YaleSites Project Update

Michelle Morgan shared an update on the YaleSites upgrade project, sponsored by Nathaniel Nickerson in OPAC and intended to “help make Yale-branded websites better”. The project is currently nearing the end of the build phase, which represents two out of a total of three project workstreams.

The new platform will be more modern and easier to use and will simplify the user experience for building and maintaining sites, make it easier to meet accessibility requirements, upgrade the architecture from Drupal 7 to 9 (to keep up with the industry standard), and ensure that Yale sites are consistent in meeting Yale identity standards.

To keep the community informed and engaged, the team (including professionals from the outside agency OHO and Change Management) has been utilizing surveys, conducting administrator and stakeholder meetings, meeting with individuals across the university—including Lead Administrators and others, and hosting monthly and quarterly advisory committee meetings. They have also partnered with an outside firm to conduct accessibility testing and with individuals with disabilities, to ensure that we are compliant. In the coming months, they will be meeting with site stakeholders (approximately 80 meetings are expected to be held) to discuss impacts on their units.

Resources are being developed for the community in partnership with OHO and will include workshops, webinars, videos, worksheets, and more. These resources will be tailored to three key target audiences, including communicators, site administrators, and others.

When the new platform launches, site owners will take one of four pathways to facilitate the upgrade: self-service, supported build, vendor-supported, and archive. Following an audit of nearly 1,100 sites, the team was able to anticipate which pathway each of those sites would need to take. However, following the launch, a new roadmap will be developed, and a campaign will be held to encourage individuals who did not upgrade to move to Drupal 9. An advisory board will be engaged to support these efforts.

Vincent Massaro shared a preview of the component library that is being developed to represent a single source of truth or “blueprint” for how YaleSites will be developed and built. Alyssa DeChiaro followed with a demonstration of how to utilize the “behind-the-scenes” administrator tools, such as dragging and dropping components, adding media, adjusting alt text, styling text, and more. She also unveiled an accessibility checker called Editorially, which provides tools within Drupal to maintain accessible content.

Additional project updates will be provided as the project progresses.

Ask John Anything

In the absence of questions, John provided a few brief updates:

• We will be sharing the results of your feedback from the July 14 strategy session within the next few weeks.
• Based on recent conversations, it looks like we will see changes to testing protocols and methodology for the fall. The direction we’re heading appears to be positive, but this may need adjusting if health conditions change.
• I am sensitive to the fact that the Job Family rollout is hard. The important thing to focus on is the rationale for why we’re conducting this redesign: career progression, equity, and other reasons that were driven by ITS staff feedback in the Workplace Survey.
• Discussions continue related to software contracts, such as the contract for Adobe, and we are trying to implement new processes and more regular discussions with vendors to facilitate smoother negotiations moving forward.

The next meeting will take place on August 31.