epixtech Acquisitions Site Visit[March 8, 2002] Deb Novosad of epixtech spent three days with DALNET member libraries to document our major problems with Horizon Acquisitions. Following a kick off meeting Deb did sites visits to Detroit Public Library, MCC, OCC, Walsh, and WSU. UD Mercy said they were happy with the way Horizon works for them and did not require a site visit, so they participated in the initial meeting only. Deb did what she termed a contextual interview. This is one in which she serves as the apprentice or learner and the acquisitions staff member servers as the master or teacher. The key point is for the staff to show her where Horizon does not address the libraries' needs. In her visits, she clarified what cannot be fixed now Deb indicated that she learned a lot from the whole day she spent with DPL. They were able to fix one problem in which the accounts were showing differing amounts between the budget record and the budget summary. She also got an overview of problems at WSU. WSU presented a new development requirement dealing with credit memos that apply to a different fiscal year than original invoice. Deb recognizes that Horizon does not handle standing orders well, that the process is very labor intensive. This is a significant problem for both WSU and DPL. Deb also observed that while DALNET libraries may be from different organizational and cultural models, they have the same, shared concerns. The smaller libraries make do with the system. They do not use the systems to the full extent – mainly due to manpower. Deb noted that the design needs to incorporate strategies for simple use of more elaborate components because full implementation is too much work for smaller organizations. Deb noted the need to insure that the system can handle JT autoentry or some kind of repetitive keystroke macros. She recognizes that this is essential to acquisitions functionality for productivity. She wants to make sure that Horizon can accommodate different tool sets on different workstations per individual workflow and job responsibilities. She noted that different sites have customized Horizon for their local needs. Much of what Deb observed reconfirmed her previous findings. There are a lot of development issues for this module. There are also some legacy problems due to previous upgrade problems with Horizon releases. She indicated she received considerable affirmation from the DALNET site visits. Deb also described the need for extensive training in Horizon Acquisitions in order to learn the full functionality. She felt that there was a need at least two days of acquisitions training. She indicated that Canadian office previously did customized training for large customers, based on their workflow. Deb has more sites to visit in the US, Canada, and England. Primarily, she is meeting with academic and public libraries. Once her site visits are done, she will work with Acquisitions team and Infrastructure team to identify key pieces and insure that they work together. A new underlying structure is required to correctly store the data. Most of the problems identified to date should be solved in the new design. The major problems relate to current underpinnings and structure of Horizon. Next, a JAD (Joint Application Development) team will be formed. That is where a group of customers review the functionality, as the module is developed, rather than waiting for it to be completed. Most of this functionality will come in Horizon 8.0 and beyond, which will be 2003 at the earliest. In closing Deb declared her commitment to seeing this module redesigned and enhanced to meet the needs she has identified. |
