Library installation of Houston ISD
Houston ISD
The Independent School Districts of Houston switched their library software and gave a major overhaul of their library network in the summer of 2000. The new software, Alexandria, allowed internet access to the libraries from the general population and inter-district library communication over a central server. I led the teams who: converted their data, installed the software, and trained the staff on using it.
The Scope
- Houston ISD has 300 schools and 200,000 students
My role
- Project Manager
There was a team of about 30 people from Companion Corporation and around 10 people on Houston ISD's technical support group with which I interfaced with regularly throughout the process. My teams of trainers conducted training sessions on a regular basis and I managed the technical support teams which provided the district with continuous support.
What would I have done differently?
We had learned a great deal from a similar project we did the year before in San Antonio. We did a much better job of disbursing our resources and bringing it all together. However, this large of a project had some significant communication problems. We were limited by technology at the time but had I to do it over, I would have used a Project Management Software package to keep us all on the same page.
Similar projects included; Jackson County Schools, Ottawa District, and many others. However, Houston and San Antonio were the first districts with the new software. They required I personally attend the installations. The others were done under my remote supervision