| |
The Challenge
The Draper Approach
Results Realized
The Challenge
In 2004, State law mandated changes in the methodology used to calculate high school GPAs relative to eligibility to receive the HOPE Scholarship. This change in law required that the Georgia Student Finance Commission (GSFC) be the agency responsible for collecting high school senior grades and performing the necessary calculations. In it's current environment, GSFC did not possess the systems or processes for fulfilling this mandate.
The leaders at GSFC released a RFP seeking a system that could accommodate the Transcript Exchange component as well as serve as a mentor system that would allow student to research careers, choose a college, apply for college and acquire financial aid. This system represented a major shift in how the Commission would interact and communicate with their constituents throughout the State. XAP Corporation based in California was selected as the vendor as they currently had implementations of mentor systems throughout the country.
The GSFC executives had an vision of a significantly customized version of the mentor system tailored to the needs of Georgia students and an aggressive timeline for implementation. Given Draper & Associates track record of delivering projects on-time, on-budget and exceeding expectations at the Commission, the President of the Commission engaged Draper to project manage the implementation.
The Draper Approach
The planning and implementation mentor system (later named GAcollege411) representing an extremely complex project with project team members located throughout the State representing a diverse group of organization. Additionally, the project entailed multiple risks including budget, technology, resources. Project stakeholders included:
- Georgia High School Students
- Georgia High School Counselors
- Georgia's Public and Private Colleges and Universities
- The Governor's Office
- State agencies such as the Department of Education, The Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education, and the Board of Regents
The Draper & Associates consultant assigned to this engagement applied the industry project management tools and techniques to ensure project success. Some of the tasks accomplished by the Draper consultant include:
- Developed the Work Breakdown Structure to define all the tasks required to deliver the project.
- Defined and organized the project team, required committees, and advisory groups.
- Developed and managed the overall project plan.
- Adjusted project plan to accommodate early launch mandated by executive management.
- Developed status reports and presentations for senior management, Board, and Governor's office.
- Facilitated weekly project team meetings and managed the status of all project tasks.
- Developed the strategic plan for the incorporation of the new function into the current organizational structure.
- Developed the marketing plan including the 5-year marketing budget, metrics for success and strategies for reaching target markets.
- Tracked status and coordinated the deliverable required of the technology provider.
- Developed and conducted detailed testing program with users throughout the state and incorporated feedback into the design and content.
- Developed training programs and implementation plan to ensure that all high school counselors throughout the State were capable of using the site with students.
- Organized focus groups throughout the State and facilitated meetings to gather requirements from a diverse group of stakeholders.
- Developed the overall architecture of the site and crafted much of the required content.
Results Realized
In February 2005, the GAcollege411.org site was launched with a press conference by the Governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue. The site was launched on-time and on-budget and has exceeded all expectations for users and hits. Stakeholders from around the State have applauded this project as an example of how cross-agency initiatives should work but rarely do.
Following the full-launch of the site, Draper & Associates was responsible for developing the transition plan to move the site from a project to an ongoing operation within the Commission. Draper developed the organizational structure and the job descriptions used to hire full-time staff to ensure that the site continued to provide a high level of service to stakeholders throughout the State.
Within the first year of operations, the site has had:
- 62,426 accounts created
- 5,655 college applications submitted electronically through the site
- 648,502 extended site visits
GAcollege411 has been a key tool for high school students to plan, apply and pay for college. The project management approach and methodology applied by Draper & Associates was key to ensuring the delivery of this successful project.
"Following a thorough and comprehensive review of our organization, Draper & Associates was of great assistance in helping the Georgia Student Finance Commission determine the level of service and the corresponding mix of resources needed to administer the financial aid programs for which GSFC is responsible. Their analytical work allowed us to more clearly define and quantify our financial aid requirements and enhance customer service. Their integrated approach to organizational and program planning helped position GSFC to gain synergies across projects ranging from establishing a HOPE invoicing system to standardizing the application process to developing the GAcollege411 website. As a result, GSFC is better positioned to support the financial aid requirements and better serve our students and the citizens of the State of Georgia ."
Shelley Nickel
Former President
Georgia Student Finance Commission |
|
