Communicate to Collaborate ! Standardizing Printing Campus Computer Labs: A Game of Strategy NMC Summer Conference 2010

What to Expect Today? Introductions: – John Staley, Student Technology Services Coordinator – Cathy O’Bryan, Director of User Services Background and Rules Small-Group Game of Strategic Communication Large Group Discussion The Real Result!

Background Lab Coordination – Influence without Direct Authority – Consortium Governance – Distributed Funding – Autonomous management Printing – Multiple Methods to Pay-for-Print – 3 in a Single Location – Range of High to Low Tech Solutions – Home-grown, vendor-based and combination

Challenges Abound! Need to influence without authority! Disparate and competing computer lab needs. Lack of inter-departmental understanding & cooperation. Varied levels of technical expertise and staff resources. Diverse and incompatible technical solutions. Funding model needed. Identify campus partners. Coordination of Printing RFB (Request for Bid) with a new and unidentified E-Commerce vendor RFB. Mistrust of Central I.T.

Game Rules Do not begin until told. Asset Card Deck represents potential assets and strategies for developing committed collaboration to a single Pay-for- Print system for the computer labs. Road of Trials Card Deck (RTC) represents potential events that can impact your project positively or negatively. Work as a team to construct a program with each member contributing a certain number of cards per turn to the Project Deck. Do not look at the Asset or RTC Card Decks; but draw from there only when told. Can look at each other’s Hands but cannot exchange them.

Introductions Form groups of 3 – Introduce Yourself – Discuss and Identify 3 elements that would be essential to building a commitment to collaboration on a single Pay-for-Print System Feel free to ask Questions of John & Cathy

First Goal Decide upon and select your core assets and strategies using cards. (10 minutes) What to do: 1.Open envelope and place deck face down. NO peaking! 2.Each member draws 5 cards from deck. 3.Each member contributes 2 cards from their hand.

The Road of Trials: Get Ready! Conflicts Opportunities Set-Backs Learning

Take That! (3 minutes) What happened: Effect on Your Project: Blocked By:

4 Road of Trials on Your Own What happened: Effect on Your Project: Blocked By:

Recovery Each member draws 2 more cards from deck for a total of 5 in hand. Re-Strategize Replenish and re-fortify your program – Each team member contributes 1 more card to the Project Deck. Await the next trial. minutes

Take That: Final Trials! (3 minutes) What happened: Effect on Your Project: Blocked By:

Take That: Final Trials! (3 minutes) What happened: Effect on Your Project: Blocked By:

Achieving the Goal? Or Not? What happened? Did you successfully build computer lab collaboration to achieve commitment to a common Pay-for-Print solution? Were the right resources available to successfully implement a solution? What did your team do well? What would you do differently next time? 5 minutes

Reflect and Apply Lessons Learned Work with team and select 9 cards which represent the core elements of an ideal program. 5 minutes

What Actually Worked! Community: Build Mutual Understanding to Reach Consensus Ask and Listen to Each Other Committee of Vested Stakeholders Staff (Assessment Team) Functional requirements identified & prioritized (I.e. Must, Nice, Out of Scope) Communicate Often and in Many Directions Vendor presentations Focus groups

The Game Continues! Next Steps – Integration with campus wide E-Commerce vendor – Phasing out old pay-for-print systems – Integration with departmental printing systems needed (e.g. grants, quotas, etc.) – Expansion of system to all campus? New, unknown needs? Communicate or ……. You’ll Never Know What You Don’t!

Special Thanks! University of Wisconsin Madison’s “Simulation and Games Program : GameQuest: Creating an Educational Game for Higher Education” by Kathy Christoph and Steve Ackerman. Copyright: 2008 Board of Regents University of Wisconsin System

Contact Information John Staley, InfoLab Coordinator Division of Information Technology (DoIT) University of Wisconsin – Madison Cathy O’Bryan, Director of User Services Division of Information Technology (DoIT) University of Wisconsin – Madison