Value & Excitement University Technology Services Oakland University Information Technology Strategic Planning Theresa Rowe October 2004 Copyright Theresa Rowe This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non- commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

Vision: Value & Excitement  Does IT add value to the university organization & experience  What IT activities generate excitement about teaching, learning & research  What is the value added at each customer service point  Can IT contribute to successful administration

Vision: Value & Excitement  Emphasize projects providing a competitive edge, while still delivering projects that meet business necessity.  Seek innovation  “Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” - Theodore Levitt

IT Vision: Value & Excitement  New technologies require a willingness to change.  Change must be supported through a process of release, refocus, prioritize and commit steps.  “The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.” - John Maynard Keynes

Create New IT Strategic Plan  Plan based on vision  Committed to 3 year framework  Collaborated with independent constituent groups  No blended single strategic planning committee

Constituent Process  Constituent groups were already established  Constituent groups were already interested in and excited about their technologies  Constituent groups understood the value of technology in their area

Negative History of Strategic Planning Committees  Lack of constituent connection made IT value hard to discern  Difficult to generate excitement about another area’s IT initiative  Focus on “what should be on the plan” and not on value & excitement of IT  Suggested operational plans, not strategic statements and directions

Participating Constituent Groups  Students: Helpdesk student employees, Residence Halls Council, Student Congress, technology-focused classes  Facilities: Capital Planning & Design  General Campus: Facilitated sessions, Employee Suggestion Program, Human Resources Advisory Council, Tuition & Fees Committee

Participating Constituent Groups  Academic: University Senate Academic Computing Committee, Academic Council  Security: IT Security Advisory Committee, Internal Audit  Enterprise Systems: Banner Operating Committee, Shared Data Committee, functional module committees  Technology: Central IT teams, Distributed IT Support Committee

External Constituent Groups  University partners: Community colleges and others academic partnerships  Educause  Government  Vendors  Consultant reports already on file  Professional IT organizations & literature

Leadership Review  Campus leaders  University Strategic Plan: Vision 2010  President, Cabinet  Including funding and priority review

Evaluate Funding  Identify funding sources and levels  Clear understanding of what can be funded with current budgets  Identify sustainable economic models  Review Educause Funding Strategies task force findings

Funding strategies – moving beyond “budget dust”  Prioritizing, Reallocating, Realigning  Setting and enforcing policies  Building awareness for the slide into high reliability  Identify known cost increases, like license costs  “Get in shape, lose weight, increase agility.” – Laurie Antolovic, Indiana University

Varying Processes - SWOT  Process used matched to the constituent group Facilitated extended SWOT session with Helpdesk student staff, central IT teams, Distributed Technology Committee Presentation and limited SWOT session in an open campus forum

Varying Processes – Focus Groups  Open focus group discussions with Residence Halls Council, Student Congress, technology-focused classes

Varying Processes – Incorporating Existing Plans Received plans and wish lists from Human Resources Advisory Council, Tuition & Fees Committee, IT Security Advisory Committee, Internal Audit, Banner committees, Capital Planning & Design, Classroom Improvement Committee

Analyzed External Constituent Group Material  Reviewed partnership agreements and plans  Government: Reviewed status of government mandates  Vendors: Analyzed vendor directions for current implemented product base  Incorporated consultant reports, material from professional IT organizations & literature

Educause  Analyzed Current Issues: Funding strategies, ERP systems, security & identity management, maintaining networks & infrastructure, web-based services, technology culture shifts  Completed analytical comparison to Educause Core Data, peer group strategic plans

Grouped Outcomes  Studied results and grouped into common themes tabled with constituents: Attitude, Initiative & Motivation Communications Knowledge & Skills Organizational Alignment Project Management Resource Management Security & Risk Management Systems & Services

Review  Reviewed grouped outcomes, themes and representative topics with: All constituent groups University Senate Academic Computing Committee Academic Council Campus leadership

Outcomes  Strategic plan separated themes into three areas: Mission: ongoing purpose, responsibilities, principles Core competencies: services, skills, knowledge and areas of expertise Strategic goals: list of initiatives to accomplish

From Here to There  Completed information gathering  Created grouped outcomes  Reviewed with constituents  Developed thematic areas  UTS wrote plan  Annual Goals - Annual goals list tactics aligned with the strategic plan

So Where is Technology Going?  “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” -Peter Drucker  Next steps are to get more detailed planning for academic technologies – an area identified as needing more work through the planning process  What future do we want to create? Our strategic plan is the first step.  Plan: