Basecamp accounts in Implementation phase

Legend: not started IN PROGRESS STALLED decided

Recommendation

During the full implementation phase starting in November, grant Basecamp accounts upon request on an as-needed basis. Approval is granted by the requestor’s group chairs or IC. Chairs/IC will request the account from Ex Libris via Basecamp and will inform the account requester of the best practices document.

Reasoning

All campuses will participate in the Implementation phase and good communication about the project will be critical. Chairs and ICs reported some frustration from cohort members and local implementation teams who did not have full access to Basecamp and therefore had to go through others to get the information they needed.

Best Practices

SILS Best Practices document on Basecamp is the place of record document and will be kept current. The best practices below were as of September 23, 2020.

• Before posting your question to Basecamp:

  1. First, pose your question to your SILS group. Your group may know the answer.

  2. Second, search posts in Basecamp to see if your question has already been answered.

  3. Third, search Ex Libris documentation; Google search works well (Ex Libris documentation is indexed by Google.)

  4. If your question is not answered in the first three steps, then proceed to post it to the Basecamp message board.

• Set up your notifications. You may want to consider a daily digest rather than being notified for each new message. Click on your Basecamp avatar in the upper right corner to access notification options.

• Do not check off “To Do” tasks as “done”. Only Ex Libris project managers should do this.

• Archive your messages on the Message Board when they are answered. You will still be able to find archived messages using search. 

• Consider the urgency of your question. Are you asking about something coming in two months or do you have an immediate and urgent need for this information? Ex Libris strives to respond to or acknowledge your post within 1-2 business days.

• Do not use Pings (chat). Read more about why they are not allowed. 

• Read the "message board rules of the road"
 for more information on using message boards.

• Administrators reserve the right to remove accounts.

Background

As we enter the full implementation phase, revisit our policy on limiting Basecamp accounts. Consider opening Basecamp on an as-needed basis to local implementation team members and cohort members. Currently, about 65 people have Basecamp accounts.

Basecamp access was limited during the vanguard phase to:

• Implementation Coordinators (ICs)

• Internal Training members (IT)

• Chairs

• Op Leads: Project managers, Communication leads, SILS Service Manager

Why was access limited?

• To avoid duplication of many people posting questions on the same issue.

• Fewer people with accounts meant it was easier to prioritize time-critical questions.

Why are we revisiting this policy now?

• It’s been challenging for people without accounts to get the detailed information they need on Basecamp. Public links do not let you see the details of tickets.

Dependencies

• Ensure our practices are in alignment with Ex Libris' policies and expectations.

Questions to consider

1. Will adding more people to Basecamp dilute its utility for the core user groups, ICs, PPC, and IT?

2. Will adding more people to Basecamp create too much work in answering questions and troubleshooting problems about Basecamp?

3. What’s the best way to share best practices and what happens if users do not follow them?

4. Limit to only cohort? Include local implementation team members who are not in the cohort? Allow ICs and others chairs to determine who on the local teams should be included?

5. When should access begin? Should it begin immediately to allow new users to get used to Basecamp before Implementation begins or wait until Implementation phase launches on Nov 5?

Action Log