Alma/Primo Enhancement Cycle 2021-2022

Alma NERS Enhancement process and voting (from Alma-L Jan 28 2019)

Tips when submitting new enhancement requests



Alma enhancement timelines

First round Alma Enhancements

When in 2022

What

When in 2022

What

Jan. 23-Feb. 5

New Enhancements to NERS  (2 weeks)

Feb. 6-Mar. 19

Enhancement Team reviews, dedups, scopes, verifies and sets up vote in NERS (6 weeks)

Mar. 20-Apr. 9

First round of voting (3 weeks)

Apr. 10-12

Enhancement Team reviews results, prepares to send to Ex Libris for pointing

Apr. 13

Enhancements to point to Ex Libris

Apr. 14-June 9

Ex Libris pointing work (8 weeks, includes ELUNA meeting)

June 12-25

Second round of voting on pointed enhancements (2 weeks)


Primo enhancement timelines

First round Primo Enhancements

When in 2022

What

When in 2022

What

February 5

Deadline to submit new enhancement requests in NERS (New Enhancements Request System) for the 2022 round

February 6 – March 19

The Primo Enhancements Team* reviews and vets the submissions. This includes dedup’ing, rewrites for clarity, contacting submitters if needed, withdrawing if already in-product, on the Roadmap (if certain) or a bug rather than an enhancement, transferring to Alma and vice versa, and setting up the vote (6 weeks)

Please help us! Check for duplicates before submitting and write a good submission yourself.  See guidelines and examples here

March 20 – April 9

Voting round (3 weeks)

Note: This is a longer period to allow for consideration of the full list of submissions, and avoids the Easter holiday period 15th-18 April

April 10 – April 13

The Enhancements Team reviews the results, and they’re sent to Ex Libris to assign development points

Note: The top 20 are requested to be pointed, per the Product Development Collaboration Agreement, but the full list of results are sent as a good opportunity for Ex Libris to see community interests

April 14 – June 9

Ex Libris assigns development points and the Enhancements Team determines if a second round of voting is needed, such as if there is doubt over community preference with rejected requests or no clean alignment of assigned points for top submissions against available points (8 weeks)

FYI: The development points for Primo have increased to 200 for 2022 (from 150 in previous years), with thanks to the IGeLU and ELUNA Steering Committees for negotiating this increase with Ex Libris

June 12 – June 25

If necessary, a second round of voting takes place (2 weeks), or otherwise we’ll advise of the successful accepted submissions to be delivered

And then?

Ex Libris delivers the accepted enhancements within one year, customarily by the next September

Suggested meeting/decision schedule for campuses



Suggested approx dates

Suggested Steps

Suggested approx dates

Suggested Steps

January-February

IGeLU/ELUNA member campuses should submit all pending enhancement requests to NERS.
Campuses without IGeLU/ELUNA membership can submit enhancement requests to the Chancellor’s Office. Chancellor’s Office to share enhancement requests on Confluence.

early-February

Compile enhancement requests for Alma and Primo & submit requests via NERS (or via the Chancellor’s Office for those without IGeLU/ELUNA membership). 

March-mid-April

Review Alma and Primo enhancements and determine local voting priorities (if IGeLU/ELUNA member). Participate in voting on CSU Chancellor’s Office survey.  

June

Review 2nd round Alma enhancements and determine local voting priorities (if IGeLU/ELUNA member). Participate in voting on CSU Chancellor’s Office survey.

July/August

Submit feedback on the enhancement process to the Chancellor’s Office.