SITS Developer
Period of Employment
8th November 2016 to 30th March 2017
Employer
University of Winchester
Team / Department
Corporate Systems
Notes
A visual overview of all the projects undertaken throughout this contract can be seen here - https://goo.gl/hCtVb6 (opens new window).
Projects
SITS Upgrade
Project Duration
November 2016Project Summary
Supported the upgrade process for several SITS environments, assisting the university in moving to a newer software version.Project Details
Provided consultation and testing during the SITS upgrade process. While many issues were identified and resolved during testing, some challenges only became apparent after the production environment upgrade. These experiences helped improve future upgrade practices.
Mini projects
Not quite a full-blown project, a mini project is a significant piece of work scoped, tested and implemented using normal software development methodology. A mini project will typically be an improvement to a business process, introducing efficiencies and reducing complexity where possible.
Conversion of SRL to HTML format
Project Duration
February 2017 to March 2017Project Summary
Redesigned an existing SRL into an HTML5 / CSS3-compliant format to improve flexibility and presentation.Project Details
Investigated and addressed issues with a legacy 'Letter' type SRL that was printed on headed notepaper and required formatting across two sides of A4 paper. Developed a new HTML5/CSS3 version of the SRL, incorporating placeholders for logos, addresses, and footer content consistent with the headed notepaper. This approach enabled enhanced styling and formatting options not available in the previous format. Additionally, created a generic template SRL with comprehensive notes to support customization for various scenarios.
Reference 1602-01396
Default 'Information Page' appearing in Paperless portal
Project Duration
January 2017 to March 2017Project Summary
Resolved an unexpected information page appearing during student interview outcome updates within the university's student management systemProject Details
Investigated a complex issue caused by a trigger within the system's bulk update process for student interview outcomes. The trigger, intended to activate during specific bulk changes, was inadvertently firing during other related updates, causing administrative tasks to close prematurely and display an unintended information page in the user interface. The resolution involved modifying the task workflow to include a unique flag, adjusting the trigger conditions to check this flag before activation, updating field labels for clarity, and correcting configuration errors within the task’s final processing step.
References 1701-01971 and 00317304.
Issue with CAP_RLYN field
Project Duration
March 2017Project Summary
Identified and worked around a software issue affecting the student information system following an upgrade.Project Details
After a system upgrade, a vendor acknowledged a bug affecting core functionality. I developed a workaround to maintain critical processes until an official fix was released.
References 1703-00492 and 00331076
Automated process for withdrawn students
Project Duration
December 2016 to March 2017Project Summary
Reviewed and resolved issues related to the automatic removal of withdrawn students from the document management in-tray system.Project Details
Following an upgrade to the student information system, a process intended to remove students marked as 'withdrawn' from the document management in-tray was reported as malfunctioning. Investigation uncovered several issues, including a misnamed processing stage, incorrect task trigger settings, and conflicting legacy processes. These problems were identified and corrected, restoring the intended automated workflow.
References 1612-01116 and 00307720
Document Upload Issue (#1)
Project Duration
November 2016 to February 2017Project Summary
Resolved an issue preventing automatic creation of document records during applicant assessment.Project Details
Staff using the document management in-tray to assess applicants and upload supporting evidence encountered a problem where automated processes were not triggering correctly to generate necessary document records. The issue was resolved by modifying the relevant system template to ensure both document and associated record creation occurred as intended.
References 1611-01287 and 00294383.
Document Upload Issue (#2)
Project Duration
January 2017 to February 2017Project Summary
Resolved an issue affecting document uploads in a non-production student information system environment.Project Details
An issue was identified in one of the test environments where document uploads were failing due to a configuration inconsistency. Investigation revealed a misconfigured assignment file that differed from other environments. The problem was resolved by correcting the configuration and restarting the relevant system services.
References 1701-01154 and 00308737
Performance Monitoring / Benchmarking
Project Duration
November 2016 to February 2017Project Summary
Conducted performance benchmarking across multiple student information system environments to support system upgrades and hardware improvements.Project Details
Utilised benchmarking tools over an extended period to evaluate both production and test environments of the student information system. Collected performance data was analysed to inform recommendations for system optimisation and hardware enhancements.
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SLC Import Problem
Project Duration
December 2016 to February 2017Project Summary
Managed the identification and resolution of a software bug affecting data processing after a system upgrade.Project Details
After the student information system was upgraded, the matching process for certain data files ceased functioning correctly. The issue was reported to the software supplier, who acknowledged it as a high-priority bug and provided hotfixes to resolve it. My responsibilities included raising the issue with the supplier, communicating progress to users, and implementing the fixes.
References 1612-00561 and 00295819
Kinetics Interface
Project Duration
December 2016 to January 2017Project Summary
Developed and implemented enhancements to the interface between SITS and Kinetics based on user feedback.Project Details
Gathered input from key users of the Kinetics system and produced a detailed specification outlining necessary interface improvements between SITS and Kinetics. Implemented several of these enhancements and provided guidance and instructions for completing the remaining changes. Additionally, trained staff on using the interface to transfer student data efficiently between the systems.
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Customising SITS:Vision Toolbar
Project Duration
January 2017Project Summary
Restored and documented university-wide customisations to the SITS:Vision toolbar following a system upgrade.Project Details
After a system upgrade, university-wide customisations to the SITS:Vision toolbar were removed. I reinstated the previous toolbar configuration and created documentation to guide users on applying customisations on an individual basis.
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References 1701-00069 and 00297273.
Resolved stability issues in SITS e:Vision
Project Duration
January 2017Project Summary
Resolved configuration inconsistencies across load-balanced web servers supporting the student information system.Project Details
During the migration of live web servers to a new load-balanced setup, inconsistencies were identified in a configuration file related to password hashing. This discrepancy caused the logical definition of the password hash to differ between servers. The issue was resolved by synchronising the configuration file to ensure consistency across all web servers.
References 1701-00044, 1701-00062, 1701-00149 and 00302540.
PDF Configuration
Project Duration
November 2016 to January 2017Project Summary
Configured and implemented a PDF printing component to enable document generation within the university’s systems.Project Details
Following the university’s acquisition of a PDF component, I addressed outstanding configuration issues preventing its use. After verifying that users could successfully create and view PDF documents, I deployed the solution into the production environment.
References 1507-00265 and 1507-00265.
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Deployment of a new component to support programme rankings and waiting lists
Project Duration
January 2017Project Summary
Installed and configured a new component to manage programme rankings and waiting lists within the student information system.Project Details
Completed the installation of a new system component designed to support programme rankings and waiting list management. Following installation, user permissions were updated to grant appropriate access to designated user groups.
Reference 1701-00138
Resolved session timeout issues in SITS:Vision
Project Duration
December 2016Project Summary
Resolved user session timeout issues affecting the student information system interface.Project Details
Several users experienced unexpected session closures during use of the student information system interface. Investigation identified the cause as a session timeout configuration that changed following a system upgrade. The issue was resolved by adjusting the configuration and restarting the relevant system services to restore expected session behaviour.
References 1612-01115 and 00297323.
Email Whitelist
Project Duration
November 2016Project Summary
Addressed inconsistencies in email whitelist configurations across production and test environments.Project Details
Following a system upgrade, discrepancies were identified in the email whitelist settings between production and non-production environments. Adjustments were made to all test environments to ensure that email communications were restricted to staff members only, preventing emails from being sent to students.
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Investigation and resolution of a trigger error in the admissions process
Project Duration
November 2016Project Summary
Conducted a focused investigation into a failure within the admissions process. The issue was traced to a typographical error in the trigger conditions, which was corrected to restore proper functionality.Project Details
Not applicable - see project summary.
Reference 1610-02117.