Managing Migration

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Managing Migration

• From Best Practices to How Things Really Get Done

Andrew K. Pace Head, Systems NCSU
Libraries andrew_pace_at_ncsu.edu
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The 10 Stages of System Migration

• Elation
• Panic
• Distancing (a.k.a. Vendor Bashing)
• Hard Work
• Denial

• Inertia
• Angst
• Beatification of the Old System
• Panic (again)
• Relief

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1. ELATION

• Committee Deliverables
• timetable for implementation
• planning vendor project manager visit
• planning vendor and staff-delivered training for
  Libraries staff
• migration from Classic to Unicorn by February 1,
  2003

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2. PANIC

• The Infamous Committee
• 10 staff named to the
• committee led by 3 Assoc. Directors
• Functional sub-groups formed
• Acquisitions / Serials
• Cataloging
• Circulation / Reserves
• OPAC
• Reports / Statistics
• Training

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Website

• Charge
• Members
• Meeting Minutes
• Links to other sites
• Message Posting
• Working Documents
• Timeline
• Policy Files
• Vendor-supplied documentation

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3. DISTANCING

• Communication is key
• Ensure staff communication
• Put everything in writing
• Follow-up all vendor phone
• calls with email / fax

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4. HARD WORK

• Timelines
• Data preparation
• Workflow adjustment

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5. DENIAL

• Fight the old sytemll hold us
• for a while mentality
• Stay on target
• Keep staff interested and involved

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6. INERTIA

• Auto pilot
• Seeking distraction

• Keep planning
• Marketing and publicity
• System integration

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7. ANGST

• Time is running out
• Reality sets in
• System downtime
• Workflow disruption
• Unhappy customers

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8. BEATIFICATION

• Use reason when comparing
• the old system to the new system
• An important distinction

Is it that I dont want to learn the new
system? Or Is it that I dont want to un-learn
the old one?
IN
OUT
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9. PANIC
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10. RELIEF

• I feel more like I do now
• than when I first got here.

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Thank you.
Andrew K. Pace Head, Systems North Carolina State
University Libraries andrew_pace_at_ncsu.edu http//w
ww.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/pace