A Queen’s Project Portfolio Office-led partnership aimed at increasing collaboration between institutions that use the PeopleSoft administration systems recently earned recognition from chief information officers across Canadian universities.

The Ontario PeopleSoft Shared Responsibility Initiative (OPSRI) was a finalist for a new award launched this year by the Canadian University Council of Chief Information Officers (CUCCIO). The award recognizes initiatives that promote collaboration within the higher education information technology sector.

OPSRI was developed with support from the Government of Ontario’s Productivity and Innovation Fund in late 2013. The partner institutions have studied ways they could work together to improve the operation of the finance, human resources and student administration systems.

“Being selected as a finalist will help significantly increase the visibility and awareness of the collaborative project and hopefully lead to more institutions participating,” says Bo Wandschneider, Queen’s Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice-Principal (Information Technology Services).

To support the collaboration efforts, eight institutions are developing the Knowledge Content Centre (KCC). Nick Graham, Knowledge Content Coordinator, is also acting as the project manager for the KCC, which will launch this fall.

“The KCC is a first step toward increased collaboration amongst institutions as it allows for a better understanding of our similarities and identification of areas where we can most effectively work together,” Mr. Graham says. “Institutions will be able to easily share relevant information, documentation and materials using the web-based platform. Furthermore, we are incorporating elements into the KCC that facilitate improved interaction between staff members across institutions.”

Mr. Graham notes that the project group has already seen considerable interest in expanding the centre to include non-PeopleSoft content. “It’s exciting that our current partners and even other institutions are beginning to see the potential in the KCC,” he says.

If you would like more information about the Knowledge Content Centre and Ontario PeopleSoft Shared Responsibility Initiative, you can email the ITS Project Portfolio Office.