Value & Excitement

University Technology Services Oakland University

Information Technology Strategic PlanningTheresa Rowe October 2004

Copyright Theresa Rowe 2004. 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

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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: http://www.oakland.edu/uts/strategicplan/20042007.pdf