Reorganization and IT implementation in campus management: The project “PuL” at RWTH Aachen University

Abstract

Managing tasks accruing in the context of the student life cycle in higher education requires effective and transparent organizational processes as well as a powerful information technology (IT) support. Both aspects are the fundamental components of a university-wide project named “PuL” at RWTH Aachen University. Primarily, the project aims at describing optimized processes in examination and teaching management. In this context, elaborated methods of Business Process Modeling (BPM) are used to create comprehensible and realizable process descriptions. These organizational target processes form the basis for the second objective of the project: the introduction of an integrated supporting IT system (Campus Management System). The final process descriptions supply IT system requirements which are edited in a comprehensive catalogue of requirements. The project stages following this aim to find an appropriate software provider in a tendering procedure and to introduce subsequently the IT system into the organization. This paper will expose the main findings of the project “PuL” at RWTH Aachen University and will illustrate the key aspects for a successful project realization. Focal points are the business process modeling and the requirements analysis which are indispensable for the success of introducing new organizational processes and a new Campus Management System.