From Drama to Bums on Seats

Quite a lot of meetings to catch up on, so here's a quick round up.

Friday morning was the Drama Studio User Group, which we effectively disbanded!  Well, in its current form. Rather than try and look at operational issues, management and policy, the group will reform and look at operational issues, becoming a consultative groups for all users of the Drama Studio. There's a wide range of them - academic departments, students, local amateur dramatic groups, and we'll be meeting for some of the time in the evening to make sure all users are represented.

Then on Friday afternoon the Exec spent 2 hours going through our operational plan and prioritising all of the different objectives to present to the Service Strategy Board for their comments. A big job, and interesting to see where we might have different views to the managers who have put it together. In these tight financial times, and where our users want more services than ever, it's important we get this right.

Today I had the first meeting of an important project - we're calling it IT as a Shared Service, and it will be looking at how CiCS and Faculty and departmental IT staff can work more closely together. Lots of benefits to be had if we get this right including better IT support in departments, efficiency, less duplication, better career development for staff.

Then this afternoon it was the Service Strategy Board.  Lots of good discussion. Topics covered included how we're coordinating improvements to the registration process for new students, how we ensure development work done outside of the development team gets the right technical advice and progress on all of our projects. No new projects to approve today, but one "lessons leaned" review which we carry out on all completed projects.

Each month for  the  meeting of the SSB the service manager produces an overview report of their own area - not just projects, but other developments and significant changes. These are invaluable for me and the rest of the team to keep up with everything happening in the department. I can't summarise all seven of them here, so I thought I'd highlight one or two after each meeting. Today it's the turn of  Teaching and Learning, and the following new developments were reported:

• Managed laptop service being piloted to allow departments to use space more flexibly, eg using teaching labs as IT spaces

• New PC availability service (or Bums on Seats as it's affectionately known in the dept) which will graphically show individual PCs on each floor in the IC and display availability status. This will be linked with the PC booking system so you can walk into the building and book a PC on level 0 and it will be ready for you as you reach the higher levels

• Creative media space opening in the IC where students will be able to produce audio and video material

• Laptop loan service in IC being piloted

All good stuff and well done to everyone.

Off to Loughborough tomorrow for the Google Apps for Education UK User Group.

Back to work....

Had a nice relaxing week last week in Sherwood Forest, and now back into the thick of it again - not sure where January went!

Spent yesterday at a University presenting my report on a review on their IT services I've just completed - always interesting to visit other places and act as a "critical friend". We've had the same done to us several times, and although some customer comments can make uncomfortable reading, it helps to focus the mind on priorities and somtimes reveals things that you didn't realise were a problem. I've had the opportunity this week to be a customer of our services and to see ourselves as others see us. I am helping with a production at the Drama Studio - our excellent performance space - working front of house with The Company, who I've been associated with for many years. So, I have to have the fire briefing, know what to do to evacuate the building,  - and sell programmes, refreshments etc. And best of all get to watch most of the performance - Arsenic and Old Lace - great production about two old ladies who make a habit of killing lonely men!  I also had some time between meetings and didn't want to go back to the office so spent an hour working in the Information Commons - very peaceful at the moment as it's exam time and we've increased the number of quiet zones in the buildings. A great place to work on a comfy sofa with my iPad.

Other meetings this week include a meeting with the Faculty of Arts to discuss their strategic plan, and an internal communications group where we agree what corporate communications are going out, in what medium, to whom etc. Lots of discussion today about our new Strategic Plan which has just been published - more on that later.

Common Timetabling

Very short Programme Board this week as no project reports due to Christmas break but we did approve two new projects - one s a continuation of an existing one. Currently we're reviewing our VLE, and once a decision is taken on how to proceed we will have quite a big implementation task, so that's been set up as a new project. The other has been under discussion for some time, but we're finally getting on with it, and this is to implement a common approach to timetabling.

Timetabling is currently based at a departmental level and there is consequently considerable duplication of effort as timetables are created locally. Requests are then made for room bookings centrally, and then often timetablers will transpose the allocated room information back into local systems.

The software we use has the capacity to capture relevant information such as staffing constraints and to automatically produce a scheduled, roomed timetable. We can then produce clash free personal student timetables which can be delivered to students though the portal and Google calendar, and though our mobile application, campusM. This should also save a considerable amount of staff time by reducing duplication of effort, and develop better timetabling expertise at Faculty level. The timetable will be produced earlier allowing for better planning, and we should also be able to utilise our existing rooms better. We intend to have draft timetables produced in this way for our pilot Faculties by this summer.

Another meeting on a similar topic - discussion about the Drama Studio and how we can accommodate everyone who wants to use it, including academic use for our Drama degree which is expanding, the Student Theatre society, other academic departments and external amateur dramatic groups. We have a user group coming up next week where a lot of these issues will be discussed.

One commmittee ends, another starts

Yesterday saw the end of our SAP Programme Board - several years (4?) after it was formed to oversee the implementation of our Finance, HR and Payroll systems - with the go-live of our e-Recruitment system we've finally finished the projects. It's been a long journey, and one that's seen a lot of hard work, team working and cooperation from many areas, including ourselves, Finance, HR and all of the users out there in departments. Of course, no implementation is ever finished - we have ongoing enhancements and development - and just as the Programme Board was winding up, we were setting up a new project group to manage the major upgrade that we'll have to do in the next 18 months. Preparatory work has already started, and we'll be doing a technical upgrade as well as looking at how much new functionality to implement.

Also yesterday was the first meeting of our Drama Studio User group. As I've said before, this is a wonderful venue and great asset to the University. It has a an academic function supporting Drama teaching and research in the School of English, as well as being a performance venue for other departments including Music and some of the language departments. It's used by the Staff Dramatic Society, as well as student society (SUTCO) which is one of the leading student theatre companies in the country and provides an excellent opportunity for students who aren't studying drama to gain theatre experience. In addition to these University users, the Drama Studio provides a venue for many local amateur dramatic societies. Add into this mix the University's objective to expand its academic drama provision, and attract professional companies to the Studio, we have a lot of needs to balance and a lot of users to keep happy. Hence the User Group - a very positive meeting yesterday and a will to work together, as well as some very complimentary remarks about the Studio and the staff who manage it.

Jazz chickens and coughing giraffes...

The University Drama Studio is a jewel of the University estate - but many staff have never been in it. Last night its profile was enhanced as a comedy giant - a certain Mr Eddie Izzard - performed his sell out show Stripped there.

Eddie was a student at the University in the early 80s but "opted out" of his degree course after one year. However, he stayed around Sheffield and spent a lot of time in the Drama Studio and established the Alternative Productions Society in the Union of Students with the aim of promoting fringe-based arts. He is well remembered by the current theatre manager. As part of his current tour Eddie was appearing at the Sheffield Arena, and we were delighted when we were approached by his management who told us that Eddie would like to do a late night gig at the Drama Studio - apparently in his many performances there he had never sold it out, but was fairly certain he could do now!

And of course he was right. On Sunday I saw him at the Arena perform in front of 11,000 people on a huge stage with 3 video screen, an enormous set and 5 trucks parked up outside.

What a difference it was to see him last night perform to 218 people. It was fantastic to see one of his trucks parked outside all lit up, and a searchlight lighting up the sky - I'm fairly certain that the first time that's happened at the Drama Studio. Inside the Studio looked fantastic.

I was involved in some of the hosting of the University guests to the event (including John Prescott) and was lucky enough to meet Eddie in his dressing room. He is a lovely bloke - very chatty and ordinary (in the nicest possible way - not at all prima donna-ish). As some of you know I have a thing about meeting him!

I'd like to thanks the team who worked so hard on this very demanding event - the Drama Studio isn't used to this sort of thing - it was handled extremely professionally, and I'm thinking we should now try to get on the Arena tour list!

Oh, and you had to be there to understand the title of this post! Cough (tiger).

PS - sorry about the quality of the photos - all taken on my iPhone. We hopefully have some professional ones on their way and I will post them as soon as we have them - hope these give you a feel for it though!

Ask the audience

Last week was very quiet - a lot of the University were on holiday. But there were some good networking events. As well as the campus warden's meeting I went to another team meeting and had a question and answer session. Twelve questions had been submitted in advance, one from each member of the team, and I attempted to answer them. I was quite disappointed that despite not phoning a friend or asking the audience I didn't seem to win anything, so I assume I got one wrong. It was a good session for me and I hope the others agreed - it emphasised the need to stay in touch. Other teams out there - feel free to ask me!

We also held an open day for the department in the Drama Studio. I've written about it before - it's an excellent venue, providing facilities both for our own students, those reading drama and those who act as a hobby, and local amateur dramatic groups who can hire it out. It's undergone a bit of a makeover recently with newly decorated dressing rooms and green room, and the installation of screens in all back stage areas as well as front of house so that the stage can be viewed. It was well attended with about 50 of our staff having a look round, most of whom had never been backstage before.

Departmental Drama

The departmental meeting today was in the Drama Studio. Luckily the seats were out of the auditorium, so we were able to have tables and our customary pastries and fruit for breakfast. It was great.


The Drama Studio Manager gave us a very interesting talk about the history and current operation of the theatre. As you can tell from the picture, it used to be a church - Glossop Road Baptist Church to be exact. It was opened in 1871, and became the University Drama Studio in 1970.

Interestingly for a Baptist Church it was very ornate inside, as this picture shows.

Now it is a fully functioning theatre serving the needs of students doing our drama courses, the Student Union Theatre Society, and local amateur dramatic groups (including one I'm involved with - shameless plug here). It has modern sound and lighting systems, a recording studio, media server, rehearsal rooms, and a versatile auditorium that can be set out in a number of ways, including thrust, arena and cabaret style. It's a great asset to the University, and a number of our former students who've performed in it have gone on to do great things, including Stephen Daldry and Eddie Izzard.

Seeing your services as others see them

It isn’t often you get the opportunity to try one of our services as a customer, but last week I was in the Drama Studio as a user. I’ve been working with The Company on and off for about 12 years, originally backstage doing props, moving scenery etc, but now I tend to just do front of house work. Last week they were in The Drama Studio for a week performing The Rover (an excellent production as always), and although I’ve worked there many times before, this was only the second time since the Drama Studio became part of CiCS. Interesting to see it from a different perspective – and to be working for people who, during a normal working day, work for me! It’s a great space, and the staff work incredibly hard, and very long hours. Someone has to be there every Saturday night when the group using the theatre is getting out after their final performance has finished, and on a Sunday to let the new group in and oversee them putting their set up. (Although I did discover on Saturday night that there is a lot of standing about and watching other people carry heavy stuff..) :-)

It's a great way of seeing your services as other people see them - and for poking your nose into as many things as possible.