ZIMS Four-Stage Release Plan

ZIMS will be released in four stages, each stage adding in more functionality. This strategy permits a focused, streamlined process in building and testing, and should allow more rapid training and rollout. ZIMS is a huge and complex application. ISIS’s new development process will work on discreet sections at a time, making sure that each section is complete, tested and functional before moving on. “Early Adopter” institutions will still test ZIMS as in the previous work plan, but the massive outlay of time by hundreds of testers at dozens of institutions will be reduced drastically, saving everyone time, money, and stress.

The four ZIMS releases
ISIS is in the process of choosing the new vendor - the actual company that will write the code for ZIMS under direct supervision from ISIS and our experts. We’ve interviewed over a dozen firms with available .NET programming teams, and are now down to a couple of excellent companies. After the new vendor has formally begun work on ZIMS, the four releases are as follows:

ZIMS Animal Management for Zoos and Aquariums
Release date: 18 months from vendor start
This release will contain all core animal inventory functionality needed by zoos. This ZIMS release will serve most ISIS members’ daily needs. In addition, it includes groups, life support systems and water management for aquariums. For the first time, ISIS software will fully welcome aquariums into the ISIS global community.

ZIMS for Veterinary Medicine
Release date TBA
This release will include most of the functionality needed by veterinarians, (considerably more than ISIS MedARKS), including basic stored sample management. Advanced stored sample features will be in release 4.

ZIMS Studbooks
Release Date: TBA

ZIMS Plans, Protocols, Tasks and Request (PPTR)
Release date: TBA
This release will include plans, protocols, tasks, and requests, giving managers at ISIS member institutions the kind of “workflow” tools that are becoming common in large corporations.

The ZIMS Development Process

Release date takes precedence
Each of the four development phases will be “time-boxed.” This means that after refining our project plan with the new vendor, we set a deadline for that release and work first on “mission-critical functionality” – what is absolutely necessary for people to do their jobs. When that functionality is complete, we will begin to add in the more specialized wishes gathered by the ISIS community over the past few years. We will include as many of these wishes as possible in each release, but the release deadline will take precedence over the inclusion of every “bell and whistle.” When the deadline is reached, that version will be released. Remaining good ideas on the wish list will be carefully held for future inclusion in subsequent ZIMS updates.

User friendliness is fundamental
It is important to know that UI (User Interface or “User Friendliness”) is a critical function for ZIMS. We will begin the new development of ZIMS with a template designed by a UI expert and every ZIMS screen will be based on that template. It cannot be overestimated how different – and better - this approach will be than the process previously used. As finishing ZIMS proceeds, user friendliness will win over competing priorities.

SMEs close to the process
We always knew ZIMS was complex and unique. We have learned from the previous development process that there is simply no way to develop this application without having subject matter experts (SMEs) and ISIS staff in close contact with the people writing the code. It is likely that much of ZIMS will be developed in India, because of the availability of programming teams with the needed skills. To be close to the process means we will be sending SMEs and ISIS staff to the vendor’s base (India) multiple times and some will stay for extended periods.

Questions? Comments? Send them to Jaime Meyer jmeyer@isis.org .


Q & A

Why aren’t the dates listed for the ZIMS Veterinary, Studbook and PPTR releases?
All of us are sensitive to missed deadlines in the past. In announcing these dates ISIS must strike the balance between promising the soonest release date possible and planning for inevitable setbacks and unforeseen challenges. After we are on solid footing with the new vendor and the new development process, we will be able to announce dates for the other three ZIMS releases.

When will the new vendor start?
We are being extremely careful to make sure that this new vendor is a good match for the demands of building a very complex ZIMS with a process that includes close interaction by ISIS and subject matter experts. We expect to have the vendor hired by September.

Can ISIS get this job done?
Yes. ISIS has extraordinary technical savvy inside ISIS - a staff with the deep experience and creativity to do this job. When ISIS stepped into the ZIMS project, it began a steady organizational transformation into a leading edge information management company. ISIS remains a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the membership and this is why the fees we charge for our software and services are quite modest by marketplace standards. But there is simply no way to be a global information company today without being a cutting edge, sophisticated organization. And that is what ISIS has become and will continue to mature into.

The ISIS board recognizes that this is a critical time to be prudent and clear-eyed in regard to ISIS organizational capacity. Over the next two to three months, ISIS board and staff will be working with outside assessment firm(s) to assess ISIS organizational capacity, and make adjustments to ensure that ISIS has the necessary staff and approach to manage an immense ZIMS project while also providing routine, current services to its members. The assessment will also focus on the needs for deployment of ZIMS, which has shifted because the time line has changed and because the way ZIMS will be finished will change the way it is deployed. This assessment will take place while the new ZIMS development process continues to move forward.
Questions? Comments? Send them to Jaime Meyer jmeyer@isis.org