Harlow College

“We had expectations of what we needed, and we have not been disappointed. Using Vicon/B&IT may not have been the cheapest solution, but it was certainly effective -we can’t put a value on what Simon has achieved for the College in a short space of time. We are continuing to work together on a number of other infrastructure developments because we know he will deliver long term solutions whilst providing quality and value.” – Pat Hay, Deputy Principle

HARLOW COLLEGE CASE STUDY

BRIEF:

To cover the following aspects of the organisation’s work at Harlow College:

. Attitude/culture

. Value for money

. Management advice

. Team management skills

. Communication skills

. Approach

. Staffing structure and aptitude

 

CASE STUDY

Based on an interview with Pat Hay, Deputy Principal, and Bill Bryden, Assistant Principal (Finance/IT), both of Harlow College, 9th July 2008.

 

At the beginning of 2007, Harlow College identified significant issues with its IT infrastructure in the widest sense, affecting its ability to provide adequate computing resources to its student body and to support staff. Problems with accessing reliable and timely data, storage capacity and web access were also having a major impact on course delivery, teaching and administration staff, as well as on costs.

Deputy Principal Pat Hay, looking back at that period, commented: “We knew we had some serious issues at that stage, but we needed external competence to help us understand the scale and scope of the problems. As well as developing solutions to the immediate concerns, it was critical to embed more flexibility and resilience within our infrastructure and to restore the College’s reputation for excellence.”

Taking over responsibility for the College’s IT at this point was Assistant Principal, Bill Bryden, whose decision to bring in Simon Fice of Vicon/B&IT was based on the realistic, accurate and speedy assessment of the scale of the issues Simon undertook. “Unlike many consultants, Simon was prepared to put his money where his mouth is; rather than sending us a large invoice to tell us what was wrong, he was prepared to work alongside us to develop and implement a measurable remedial programme,” commented Bill. “His professionalism, energy and drive were convincing in themselves, but what impressed us most was that he seemed to care passionately about finding a solution that was right for the College.”

As with any long-established organisation, the challenges extended beyond the purely systems based issues. With 23 teams of staff within 4 faculties and an incumbent IT department as well as over 6000 full and part time students, there was a significant need for research into actual needs, and for a communications and change management programme. Bill Bryden described Simon’s approach:

“Simon proved very much up to the mark; working with students, teaching staff and the administration at every stage to ensure the project met needs through user-group consultations. He also took over management of the existing IT team, and was not afraid to challenge resistance to change or poor practice in his drive to ensure effective delivery of the improvements. During the time he has worked with us, he achieved complete buy-in and full support for the project, as well as the respect of everyone with whom he has come into contact.”

The resulting improvements have been dramatic. In summing up Vicon/B&IT’s achievements, Pat described the difference between the College’s Student Council meetings in 2007 as always dominated by the IT issues, but now: “Not a single comment on IT. This is a huge accolade in itself – and a strong indication that our systems are now once more fit for purpose. We now have a stable platform from which to continue to develop the College’s activities backed by flexible, efficient networks providing the computing access students need as well as timely, accurate management data for the delivery teams and administration.”

Concluding the interview, Deputy Principal Pat Hay spoke about the service he feels Harlow College has received from Vicon/B&IT: “We had expectations of what we needed, and we have not been disappointed. Using Vicon/B&IT may not have been the cheapest solution, but it was certainly effective -we can’t put a value on what Simon has achieved for the College in a short space of time. We are continuing to work together on a number of other infrastructure developments because we know he will deliver long term solutions whilst providing quality and value.”

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