The Digital Transformation team are currently working on a variety of tactical, operational and strategic projects.
Some of these include:
| Project | Description | Technical Lead | Project Manager/Business Analyst | Project Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Academic Appeals |
The academic appeals project aims to transform the way students access and manage their appeals by developing a centralised, user-friendly portal. This portal will replace outdated email and SharePoint processes with automated and digitised systems, significantly improving efficiency and enhancing the user experience. By ensuring the timely and consistent release of appeals across all schools and faculties, the project will improve administrative efficiency and reduce the manual handling of result dissemination. Enhanced communication and transparency regarding appeal release timelines and processes will be a key focus, providing students with a seamless experience and access to information and support when they need it. The system will be secure, scalable, and easily maintainable, allowing students to track the progress of their appeals and receive notifications and reminders as necessary. Additionally, staff will benefit from real-time analysis through dashboards and business intelligence reports. |
Rachael Tuaim | Marie Teague | Pilot |
|
Degree Classification |
The Degree Classification project aims to identify and address the current challenges and time-consuming processes faced by schools in preparing degree classifications. Currently in the early stages of information gathering, this project seeks to standardise and digitise the degree classification process, enhancing efficiency and consistency across all schools. | Rachael Tuaim | Liam Maguire | Discovery Phase |
|
Queen's Portal - Applicant Management System (AMS) |
The Applicant Management System (AMS) project is one of the key projects that form the University's Digital Transformation Roadmap. It aims to deliver a new online direct applications portal providing prospective students with an enhanced experience when applying to Queen's University and allowing staff to process applications more efficiently, offering a consistently high level of service. | Michelle McGaughey | Claire Lindsay | Please review the AMS project page. |
|
Queen's Portal - Student Admin Processes (SAP) |
The SAP project involves the creation of a case management system that can support service providers to log and manage responses to queries raised by students, helping to deliver a seamless service irrespective of the initial point of enquiry whether that be academic department, accommodation, tutor or the Student Centre. | Rachael Tuaim | Liam Maguire | Please review the SAP project page. |
|
Applicant Appeals and Complaints |
Digitisation of the Admissions and Access Service scope of procedure for applicant appeals and complaints. | Michelle McGaughey | Claire Lindsay | Requirements Analysis |
|
Developer Handbook |
The development of a Developer Handbook/Common Framework for developers within D&IS to ensure consistency, efficiency, scalability, maintainability, collaboration and quality control when delivering projects within the University. A skills matrix will be devised to map and evaluate skills and competencies to provide a clear visualisation of workforce capabilities and help identify skill gaps.
|
Liam Maguire | Liam Maguire/Marie Teague | In development. |
|
AI Chatbot |
An AI-driven chatbot, empowered by Microsoft Copilot, that offers modern customer support by integrating with various sources of information such as websites and documents. Operating round the clock, the chatbot delivers real-time user assistance to common queries while also facilitating live agent support for more complex issues. | Peter Hassard | Liam Maguire | Pilot |
|
Library Queries App |
The Library Queries App enables QUB Library staff to log student queries efficiently, with queries appearing as buttons on the screen that, when pressed, are stored in a list along with their type, the library, and the floor they were logged at. A Power BI report provides statistics on query types and commonly asked questions, helping customer experience managers identify common issues brought up by students in the library. |
Joe Murray | Peter Hassard | Pilot |
|
Events Team App |
The Events Automation App empowers the Events Team to efficiently manage and send multiple emails for various university events throughout the year. Built using PowerApps and SharePoint lists (Canvas PowerApp), the app offers features such as creating and testing emails, detailing event descriptions, handling email contact lists, and maintaining records of sent emails.
|
Joe Murray | Peter Hassard | First prototype before Easter |
|
Health Assessment OSCE |
The Health Assessment OSCE (Objective Structured Clinical Examination) is facilitated by School of Nursing and Midwifery, which takes place with volunteers acting as simulated patients. The assessment comprises of a number of stations, each with a different score, as well as some components requiring a minimum score. The OSCE facilitators currently have to collect physical score sheets and manually calculate scores so that verbal feedback is provided to students on the same day. By automating the OSCE scoresheet process, the SNAM can improve operational efficiency, ensure assessment accuracy, enhance both staff and student experience, and reduce administrative burden, ultimately creating a more streamlined and reliable examination system. |
Kiera McGill | Kiera McGill | Analysis |
|
Recognised Teachers and Supervisors |
Academic staff who teach and/or supervise on validated, franchised or joint programmes which lead to a Queen’s award, or who are providing joint PhD supervision as part of a Collaborative Research Degree Programme (CRDP), must be ‘recognised’ by the University. This is to ensure that they have the appropriate qualifications and experience to teach or supervise on a Queen’s award. Currently, applications for recognition are made by completing a downloaded application form from the Queen’s website. This project will rebuild the existing application form using Microsoft Forms, and integrate with SharePoint lists for more effective and secure communication and maintenance of application information. |
Suzie Burns | Claire Lindsay | Development |
| Microsoft Teams Telephony project | The objective is to move telephony natively into MS Teams to leverage the tighter integration options within the Microsoft stack. This will allow a Teams client to make and receive traditional phone calls without additional software. The telephony will be embedded in MS Teams. It will take users off OpenScape phones and thus reduce the need for support from OpenScape. | Jed Boal | Marie Teague | Completion |
| International Visiting Scholar Nominations | Phase 2 Visiting Scholar nomination process for international applicants to include extra workflows to enable review by International Staff team (P&C) and Research and Enterprise. Phase 1 is currently under development by IS. | Suzie Burns | Kiera McGill | Requirements Analysis |
| Student Placement GP Availability | This project will develop an online process for GP practices across Northern Ireland to confirm their availability for medical student placements, using a Canvas app and guest accounts. The data collected will be processed by staff in the Centre for Medical Education via a model-driven app, with embedded Power BI dashboards for real-time reporting. | Michelle McGaughey | Kiera McGill | Completion |
| Fire Safety and First Aid | A streamlined payment management system for fire safety & first aid staff, staff are added to the system via a form that's completed by their faculty/directorate/school's specific nominator. | Jessica Nelson/Connor McCaffrey | Connor McCaffrey | Completion |
| PG Studentship Forms | Digitisation of the PG Studentship Form (.doc) into a Canvas app to improve data collection and tracking. Automated workflows will direct the form to the relevant approval areas, and authorised users will be able to track whereabouts the form is in the approval process. Approval Areas include Schools, Research Finance, Research Finance and PG Awards. | Kiera McGill | Marie Teague | Live in all Schools - Monitoring Phase |
| Virtual Servers Deployment | When a new Virtual Machine request is submitted it will pass through a number of Approvals from Line Manager, VM Team Approval for Resources, VM Team Approval and VM Requestor Approval in that order for the VM Request to be complete at the end of this process if all requests are approved. | John McAllister | Dermot Donaldson | Completion |
| Student International Travel Risk Assessment | Digitisation of the International Travel Risk Assessment Form (.doc) into an MS Form with automated workflows and a SharePoint List. Workflows direct the form to the student’s Director of Research for a decision, with functionality to return the form to the student for amendment, onwards to Global Opportunities to inform them of an approved travel request. | Kiera McGill | Kiera McGill | Completion |
| VC Action Tracking | A system that allows specific groups to log and manage actions that have been motioned in their meetings. | Connor McCaffrey | Dermot Donaldson | Completion |
| Neighbourhood Engagement | The development of a model-driven app to manage the residential property complaints process. | Michelle McGaughey | Marie Teague | User Acceptance Testing |
| APC System application | Modernising the APC payment process by the development of a Canvas App, SharePoint Lists and flows | Christopher Gibson | Kiera McGill | Completion |