Project Brief

Document Sign-off  

Working draft should be version 0.x and 1.x Draft sent for Approval/Review should be version 2.x Approved Project brief should be 3.0 Post-approval changes should be change controlled via Issue Log and Scope Change Page, and version 3.x

Background

Schools in the College of Science and Engineering, extensively deliver specialist software and platform training to UG and PGT programmes with over 6,000 hours of software teaching, delivered through 287 courses in AY 2019/20. This has primarily been serviced via school resourced computing labs and in recent years in some ISG open access labs when there is insufficient capacity in school spaces (either timetable contention or student numbers which breach locally available room capacity).

Due to the global pandemic and the restrictions on both students and staff movement locally and internationally, it was necessary to shift all teaching and support services online and ISG initiated and delivered the ITI204 Enterprise Remote Desktop project. This project looked to provide access for students and staff to virtualised applications available in the open access labs, via the Apps@ED AppsEd (Citrix Based virtual desktops) and Windows Virtual Desktop services for the 2020/21 AY. This allowed for asynchronous access to teaching software. Staff were advised against synchronous teaching using Apps@Ed and WVD, as neither had planned capacity to support medium to large classes synchronously. Currently, large classes need to be ‘chunked up’ to groups of, say, 30 to allow virtual desktops.

The College of Science and Engineering requested during the initiation stages of project ITI204 that the current teaching commitments for software teaching be considered in scope but consequently agreed the greatest priority was virtualisation of apps for September 2020.

Increasingly, and especially with Covid restrictions still in place, the physical space offered by Computing and Open Access Labs is unable to cope with capacity and a Virtual Solution is required.

Therefore, as we move to 2021-22 and with a need for further Hybridisation of Teaching and Learning, we require a service to allow simultaneous Virtual Teaching for large groups of students (with numbers as high as 350 identified) attending classes via Computing Labs and Open Access Labs. CSE would like to propose a partnership project with ITI Desktop services to develop a remote software large scale synchronous teaching service. The college has through necessity over the last year embraced the digital shift in teaching and has recognised some of the benefits to remote teaching for both students and staff as positive and are seeking to expand upon this opportunity.

Conversations with CAHSS and CMVM have established that there is the potential for use in CAHSS, and CMVM wish to be considered key stakeholders whilst they evaluate its applicability for their teaching practises. Both CAHSS and CMVM are happy to let CSE lead on requirements and the pilot of the new technology.

Scope

Offer a virtualised experience of attending classes via college/school Computing Laboratory teaching spaces or ISG Open Access Labs.

The proposed service would deliver synchronous teaching capability for medium to large classes (quantification of this definition to be agreed) which would allow staff to remotely deliver software teaching for students both on and off campus, without impacting on the experience of users reliant on the existing Apps@ed/ WVD services to support self-study and assessment activities.

The new service is not intended to fully replace school computing labs, but to allow for a gradual shift to more flexible teaching practises. Additionally, it allows the university to build service resiliency into this essential element of teaching whilst reducing the impact of growing student numbers and limited capacity in the physical computing lab estate.

The new service will leverage student device so they can attend class anywhere on campus

The Virtual Environment will support only Applications that run on Windows – though we can access via any device (including Mac and Linux).

We assume that the solution will leverage the current experience and infrastructure already in place for Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly known as Windows Virtual Desktop). Service owner is ITI Desktop.  The project timeline is based on this assumption.

Note that this is not restricted to the current AVD solution – there may be other solutions within the broad Azure framework that provide solutions to needs such as Azure Labs for power-hungry apps.

Out of Scope

The Virtual Environment will not support Applications that run only on Macs.

The Virtual Environment will not support Applications that run only on Linux.

The Virtual Environment will be accessible by Mac and Linux devices.

Objectives and Deliverables and Success Criteria

Unless otherwise indicated, the deliverables are a success when accepted by the Project Sponsor and the Service Owner.

This table can be used through Business and Technical Analysis, Design, Build, and Testing/UAT as a Traceability Matrix to ensure the project brief project objectives and deliverables are followed through.

Requirements

Benefits

The benefits that the deliverables will enable or act as a catalyst in making happen. These benefits may be immediate or may be realised after the project has closed.

1.       A student experience using virtualised applications that matches learning on machines in Computing Labs and Open Access Labs 2.       In the longer term, we can look to a reduction in overall study spaces and machines 3.            A general use best practice guide to Hybrid Teaching

Governance

Project will have these governance roles by default. Delete/Add/Change as appropriate.

Portfolio Governance

Project Board

Tolerances

For medium and large projects, state any tolerances for budget/timeline/scope beyond which point the Project Manager must request approval of the change from the Sponsor and / or the Board. For all projects, check if there is a tolerance on budget/timeline/quality for escalating to programme/portfolio manager.

To be confirmed by the Board

Resources Skills and Cost

Budget  

To be confirmed by the Board

The costs for providing the virtualised environment still to be estimated and will be driven by the data provided as art of analysis.

Priority and Funding  

Priority is Highest To be confirmed by the Board

Project Team

The project team : who manages the team, lead and other technical people, business analysts, lead and other representatives, people in other areas of the University who will be involved in analysis, testing, acceptance and service handover.  

Quality of Project and Deliverables / Key Project Milestones  

Other Milestones as Appropriate – move into Milestones above is pertinent

Assumptions

What are the key underlying assumptions for the project that underpin the planning? For example, that the requirements we have outlined are complete, that all our stakeholders have been identified, that the software we are using is ready and configured, that we have a ready to use TEST environment.

That project timeline is assuming that the solution will be provided by the AVD framework

Constraints

Are there constraints on this project? For example, specialist skills are needed, having to deliver in certain windows through the academic year, we need to share a TEST environment with other developers?

Currently, DataStore is not accessible to AVD  

Risks

The project manager will ensure that the project team will review the risk log at every team meeting, and project owners update their risks at least once a month or more as appropriate to the project.

• Solution may be very expensive or disproportionally expensive for some courses
• There may be applications that cannot be virtualised due to licensing, technical reasons, Mac or Linux specific
• Policy of Datastore access may not be changed so a different technical solution is required
• Total dependency on 3^rd Party
• Uptake of AVD has been lower than expected .... even during Covid - so scaling down may be more likely  

Issues

The project manager will ensure all changes to cost/timeline/scope must be recorded in the issue log, and reflected in miletones log, budget and estimations, and the project Scope Change log.

• Currently, DataStore is not accessible to AVD
• Solution is Windows based – any Applications running only on Mac or Linux cannot be virtualised
• Latency - to reduce latency for students accessing from certain areas of the world we could explore the user of AVD’s use regional datacentres for the AVD service
• Can we timetable a virtual room - so students can indicate which mode they'll be in- to be explored
• There may be courses where we want to advise students to download apps rather than use the Service

Previous Lessons Learned

The understanding of which applications are to be in use and by how many students simultaneously will be critical in determining the best technology to provide the service and for cost estimations and budgeting – ITI204 already provides some useful information on this and also on applications that cannot (easily) be virtualised.

Dependencies

No dependency as such but awareness of ongoing IDR305 Azure Tenancy project as there may be overlap 

Communication

Via College Heads of IT and CPAGS

Run / Grow / Transform

GROW  

Alignment with 2030 Strategic Vision 

Project Sponsor – Project Responsibilities

The sign-off milestones are associated with specific responsibilities of the Sponsor role.

This sets out the Sponsor responsibilities on this project - please review and amend as appropriate for this project and agree with Sponsor

Start of project – Explicitly Included in the Initiation Milestones Sign-Off

1. Negotiates and confirms funding for the project
2. Ensures the project is in line with organisational strategy and priorities
3. Chairs the project board, appoints its members and ensures they are effective
4. Advises the project manager of protocols, political risks, issues and sensitivities
5. Makes the project visible within the organisation 

End of Planning – Explicitly Included in the Planning Milestone Sign-Off

1. Works with the project manager to develop the Project Brief
2. Ensures a realistic project plan is produced
3. Sets tolerance levels for escalation to themselves and to the project board
4. Ensures that project team have representation and engagement from users and suppliers
5. Helps identify Stakeholders
6. Approves Communication Plan
7. Agrees on frequency of meetings with Project Manager
8. Agrees of frequency of meetings with Project Team
9. Agrees on milestones and who signs-off

Development / Execution – ongoing

1. Provides strategic direction and guidance to the project manager as directed by the Board
2. Approves changes to plans, priorities, deliverables, schedule
3. Encourages stakeholder involvement and maintains their ongoing commitment
4. Chief risk taker
5. Makes go/no-go decisions
6. Communicates change in organisational structure, priorities, business benefits or funding
7. Helps the project manager in conflict resolution
8. Helps resolve inter project boundary issues
9. Gains agreement among stakeholders when differences of opinion occur
10. Assists the project by exerting organisational authority and the ability to influence

Delivery – Explicitly Included in the Delivery Sign-Off

1. Ensures that Service is ready for change

Closure - Explicitly Included in the Closure Milestone Sign-Off

1. Helps with publicity for the change delivered
2. Ensure that benefits will be managed, measured and realised post-project
3. Evaluates the project’s success upon completion