Ken, Wow this is a huge question. As briefly as possible, to reflect on this question, I would consider the differences in how technology was planned for and delivered on campuses in the past vs. how I would argue it should be today: the centralized “mainframe” that delivered your “ERP solution” vs. a distributed SOA environment, respectively.
It reminds me of an old Wendy's ad (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CaMUfxVJVQ ) where the tag line states, “Having a choice is more fun.” Think of your ERP 10 years ago (even today). As expectations (dare I say needs?) in functionality by end-users grow from what was once simply access by a few to a centralized data store used for record keeping, to very business specific functionality available to many people, ERP has struggled to keep up. Think of your student information service (in my case Banner), what was once only student records, has grown to include, finance, financial aid, alumni, human resources, etc., now even the Luminis Portal. But consider your actual portal options, Academus, Oracle Portal, uPortal, SharePoint, WebSphere etc. From an ERP approach, as a Banner school, I should be adopting Luminis for SUNY Delhi. But wait, we also run Blackboard (WebCT), maybe I should consider Blackboard's portal?
IF IT decides which portal to provide, our decision would probably be based on currently supported technology infrastructure (our ERP and supporting technologies). If faculty
decide they would probably choose Blackboard's portal as it is probably seen as a logical extension of the currently deployed LMS.
I guess I would stop and ask, “Why do we want a portal.”
- So the first “skill” needed is the ability to work with end-users to draw out functional requirements, define usability to develop use cases, manage development (not just deployment), etc. This might mean that a CIO/IT Director should have a development skill-set rather than a procurement skill-set, or even a business skill-set. It's use cases vs. surveys, it's agile methods vs. serial processes, it's iteration vs. planning, it's integration vs. installation, it's facilitate vs. mandate, should I go on?
However there are other skills as well . . .
- The actual technical understanding and skills around integration and interoperability of Service Oriented Architecture that a traditional department may not be accustomed to in an ERP environment. After all, installing the next module in a homogeneous ERP environment is much different then integrating two disparate applications.
- The political savvy to gain buy-in from; your IT department that will require new practices, your faculty who will no longer be able to work with a “solutions first” approach, your colleagues in business offices and the faculty that will be required to provide dedicated _Product Managers_ to constantly assess and define functionality and usability and work as a compliment to IT's “Project Managers,” and finally, your administration who will need to provide better answers to, “Why do we need a portal or an LMS, etc.”
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