As well as running existing systems such as EDDA and COMET, ICS have resources for developing new systems to support the Department’s needs, and for adjusting and extending existing systems. We may be able to handle small requests straightforwardly as part of our core service; larger proposals for new development will be assessed formally, and in discussion with key customer groups in the Department. This page outlines that process.
Making a suggestion
You can begin by e-mailing helpdesk@eng.cam.ac.uk, or by talking to a member of IT staff. If there is something already available that meets your needs, we will let you know about it, and help you to start using it. Or, if you can do what you need with a system that you already use, we will help you to do that.
If there is nothing already available, but what you want can be done quickly and without disruption, we will do it. However, if it will require significant work, or if there would be knock-on effects for other people or systems, we will need to discuss your suggestion with you and then take it forward for more detailed assessment as a project proposal.
To help us to do that, we will discuss your suggestion with you to develop an outline proposal – to understand its benefits, when it is needed, and so on.
What happens next
The outline proposal will be taken to the next meeting with the appropriate stakeholder group in the Department. That group will discuss the proposal in more detail, as well as the wider context and the importance attached to it by the proposer.
If the stakeholder group wishes to proceed with a project, there may be more discussion and investigation to understand what would be involved. Once we have gathered enough information, the proposal will be evaluated based on its benefits, costs, risks and other factors, including the resources available. Depending on the outcome, a proposal may be accepted, rejected, or there may be a proposal for a phased or amended version – in which case, there may be further rounds of discussion required.
If a project is accepted, it will be ranked against other accepted projects and added to the queue. Projects in the queue are scheduled as resources become available, and according to their ranking in the queue.
Projects in progress
You can read more about ongoing work on projects in the blogs on this site.