Carnegie Mellon University

The Office of Research Systems and Operations

The Office of Research Systems and Operations (ORSO) will be responsible for developing and maintaining systems and processes that support the entire Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR).

ORSO's organization consists of business process specialists, systems analysts and help desk support personnel who will be maintaining existing research administration systems such as SPARCS, developing new systems and processes for supporting and streamlining the entire research enterprise and providing a range of services described below.

1. BUSINESS APPLICATIONS & PROCESS AUTOMATION

  • Manage the conceptualization, development, integration, deployment, maintenance, data migration, and upgrades for the various business applications (SPARCS, Share Point, etc.) to support the research enterprise
  • Assist in streamlining internal processes that support faculty as they pursue new areas of research with traditional and non-traditional sponsors.

2. DATA SERVICES & BUSINESS REPORTING

  • Manage the collection, abstraction, analysis, presentation and distribution of data in the various systems used by all relevant stakeholders for both operational support and decision making in a timely manner.

3. TRAINING & COMMUNICATION

  • Provide training on the SPARCS application, other departmental systems/applications (including SharePoint, etc.), and processes that support the research enterprise using a mix of delivery channels that are measurably effective for the targeted audience.
  • Communicate updates to the executives, business managers and other members of the campus research community.

4. HELP & SUPPORT

  • Desktop support / Technical Assistance
  • Accounts – Commissioning and decommissioning system access
  • Software installation
  • Systems administration & configuration
  • Office productivity applications (including SharePoint)