Y2K Planning Yields Long-Term Cooperation

September 16, 1999

SEARCH THE GAZETTE

HARVARD GAZETTE ARCHIVES

When the calendar rolls over to 2000, Harvard’s Y2K Project Coordinators Elizabeth Eagan and Scott Bradner will breath a sigh of relief that the computer bug’s trigger date is behind them.

But even as the Y2K bug – a software problem that causes computers to act as if the date is 1900 instead of 2000 – fades into the past, it will leave behind a legacy of new cooperation among departments, as well as a contingency planning process that will be ready to face the next challenge.

With January 2000 still ahead, though, contingency planning is under way, as local Y2K coordinators attempt to anticipate possible system failures or delays, and devise ways to work around them.

The contingency planning process, expected to be completed in early October, has opened lines of communication between Y2K planners and those who operate University and School systems and utilities.

University Operations Services Associate Vice President Thomas Vautin, who convened meetings between the Schools’ building managers, facilities representatives, and Y2K teams, jointly with the University coordinators, said those lines of communication ought to stay open even after Y2K is a memory.

"Y2K ought not be the sole reason for contingency planning," Vautin said. "This is a valuable activity to conduct periodically and to keep updated as the University changes over time and buildings are expanded or renovated."

The Y2K and facilities group convened by Vautin and the coordinators quickly realized that contingency plans should address not just the systems most likely to be affected by a Y2K error but also other events that have the potential to disrupt teaching and research at Harvard.

That expanded effort required both consistency in approach and resources, and flexibility to accommodate input and variations necessary at various Schools and departments. As the planning effort proceeded, representatives from Marsh & McLennan, Harvard’s insurance broker, joined the process, bringing their expertise on risk-based issues.

The group’s first order of business, however, was to help the University get past potential problems that could crop up on Jan. 1. To do this, the group put together Contingency Workshops, facilitated by the Marsh & McLennan experts, and made them available to Y2K planners at Harvard’s various Schools. The workshops’ goal is to provide consistency across the University, as well as a personalized focus on issues unique to each school.

"Workshops have been held in three areas and were seen as a great benefit in helping managers design their contingency plans," said Annemarie Thomas, Harvard’s insurance director.

Eagan and Bradner also invited University central services providers such as Vautin, Systems Analyst Mike Rowe from University Information Systems-Telecommunications, Jay Tumas, Harvard Data Network Operations Manager, and Harvard University Police Chief Francis Riley to address Y2K coordinators from the different Schools and departments at their July meeting.

The July session emphasized that University-wide plans are ready for critical electric, gas, water, public safety, and communication services. The session went further to say that those plans should be incorporated into Y2K plans at the Schools and departments. The group will be working with the local coordinators to provide guidelines for implementation at the departmental level.

An important theme of the session was the need for regular information exchange between local Y2K coordinators, the Schools’ building managers, and the central service providers.

It also became clear that emergency response procedures should be updated regularly and that plans for New Year’s events on campus that might affect staffing or other coverage plans should be shared with central service providers such as University Operations Services and the Harvard University Police Department.

The University Y2K coordinators will publish these recommendations along with the contingency plans for the University’s infrastructure services in September as part of a Year 2000 reference. A set of basic local preparation guidelines will be published in October.

As January 2000 nears, Eagan said, the thinking and planning happening now in the Schools and departments should become a thoughtful and clearly defined set of activities that can be easily understood in a crisis. It is important that the right individuals be identified locally, she said, and that people know who to contact for information and guidance over the holiday weekend. Local coordinators should be working with these individuals, so that they can communicate any specific recommendations for their school or department.

The Y2K team’s efforts are focused on that goal, and it is clear that there are many others working to ensure that sensible planning takes place, not just for New Year’s Eve, but for many new years to come.

For more information about the Y2K Project Team or questions on preparations efforts, contact Eagan or Bradner or any local coordinator listed on the Y2K Website: http://www.uis.harvard.edu/year2000.