Skip to main content
Library IT

Project Process

Process for UX/UI and Software Engineering Teams

Project work has the following general phases:

  • Discovery
    • Initial project request and evaluation
    • Research
    • Prototyping
  • Delivery
    • Detailed design work
    • Building
    • Soft launch
    • Official release
    • Post-release support

As new projects and features are requested for consideration, each project will be evaluated primarily based on two criteria: impact and effort. The impact and effort scores are then used to help prioritize which projects will be worked on and in what order. An initial evaluation will happen prior to a project entering the Research and Discovery phase. The IT Product Manager will work with stakeholders to determine impact and will work with the Design and Engineering teams to determine effort/complexity.

Impact refers to the positive outcomes that a project produces.
Impact is based on the following criteria:

  • Impact on people
  • Impact on collections
  • Impact on compliance and standards
  • Impact on Library processes and services

Impact is measured as low, medium, and high.

Effort is based on the cost, time, and energy a project requires to be completed and supported. Effort is measured as low, medium, and high.

Prioritization
LIT seeks to understand how each proposed project aligns with the library strategic objectives. The stronger the alignment with one or more strategic objectives the higher priority the project will receive.
In general, LIT strives to prioritize projects that have a high impact on library patrons and employees. Projects with low impact are less likely to be approved.
There are various other factors that affect the prioritization and timing of when a project is worked on, things like team availability, security concerns, changes in external systems or environments, library annual priorities, etc.

As potential solutions are considered, a number of factors will be evaluated, things like: is this a known and solved problem, 3rd party products, cost, support needs, and compliance with security standards. Generally speaking, 3rd party applications are more cost effective while custom built software is more expensive. Also, 3rd party solutions tend to solve more common issues while custom built software will provide a more tailored fit.

The purpose of this process is to help address a number of challenges:

  • Provide a consistent process for evaluating and prioritizing work
  • Provide focus for the IT teams by working on one project per development team at a time
  • Faster delivery of solutions once a project is started
  • Greater consistency
  • Reduce costs

There will always be more things that we could do than we have the capacity to do. This process helps us to focus on the most impactful things that could be done.

As of October 2023 LIT started meeting with Administrative Council every other month to review the list of requests. If at any point anyone feels that their project request is incorrectly prioritized or denied, please talk with the Product Manager or your AUL. LIT is happy to have further discussions with those requesting projects and their line leadership to ensure we all have a shared understanding of the impact and effort of a proposed project.