March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
1
Copyright Sunny Donenfeld, 2006. 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.
The IT Managers Council at Cornell University Improving Communication and Coordination Between Central and Local IT Staff and Operations
NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
March 21, 2006
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
3
A Decentralized Environment
Only a third of IT staff and operations at Cornell located centrally Central IT FTEs: 297/822: 36% of total IT Central IT Budget*: $25.4/68.9M: 37% of total IT
Cultural gap between Cornell’s central and local IT Pedestrians vs. drivers
* Does not include benefits
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
4
Cultural and Organizational Context Current, historical communication and
coordination issues across IT at Cornell Gap between central and local IT
“CIT is isolated from the schools seemingly by institutional design.”
Mutual respect at the individual level Distrust at the organizational level
But, relationships are changing
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
5
Effects of the Gap
Ineffective purchasing Duplicate technologies Additional staffing Impact beyond IT
Administrative Systems
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
6
How to Bridge the Gap?
Fundamentally change the relationship between central and local IT Central IT must better understand units Units must articulate needs and constraints Align expectations Build communities of communication Develop and promote standards
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
7
IT “Workforce Planning” History
2001-02 University hiring freeze; beginning of WFP Goal: $20M/year to the academic side
2003 IT WFP surveys: who and how many? External Team Review for Administrative
Computing IT WFP Recommendations Gartner Estimates
No staff targets
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
8
Critical Outcome: IT Managers Council Recommendation Improve communication
Intra-unit Across IT units
Share information Plan together Help CIT and units become less isolated from
each other
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
9
Critical Outcome: IT WFP Unit Plan Reviews
Unit response to the IT WFP recommendations Purpose: Alignment on roles and responsibilities Process: Meeting with Dean/VP, Business Officer,
and ITMC representative Next Steps
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
10
ITMC Structure
One representative from each major college, administrative unit, and CIT area A large, eclectic group You’re not “you”, you’re your unit Theoretically, all Cornell IT is in the room
A note on positive side effects…
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
11
ITMC Goals
Collaborate on substantive issues that will benefit Cornell as a whole Improve software and hardware acquisition Promote career development, advancement, and
training Recommend standards Build connections with HR, Purchasing, others
The ITMC will compel units to “take responsibility for the success of their programs as well as improve the likelihood that their
needs are met.”
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
12
ITMC Challenges
The makeup of the group Various levels of authority within the units Different sized units
The size of the council Intra-unit communication
Don’t count on it!
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
13
ITMC in Action: Disaster Recovery Planning Board of Trustees query: Cornell
preparedness for a Tulane-like disaster Original response from central IT Task force set up Charge
Backup software and off-site copies Cold site Quick-ship
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
14
ITMC in Action: Help Desk Issue Tracking System Central system replacement Identification by ITMC Best Practices
Committee Collaborative project
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
15
Recent Issue: E-Mail Client
Central neglected to inform campus Local abstained from the blame game How and when to leverage the ITMC?
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
16
ITMC Committee Evolution: Focus on Tangible Change
ITMC Operational Procedures IT Professional Development Software Acquisition IT Proven Practices
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
17
Operational Procedures Committee Responsible for developing a set of
structures and procedures that enhance the effectiveness of the ITMC and thereby maximize the contribution of this council.
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
18
Operational Procedures Challenges Size and makeup of the ITMC
36 Campus IT Leaders 12 Central 15 Academic Units 9 Administrative Units
Managing discussion at monthly, 90 minute meetings
Building trust despite history
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
19
Professional Development Committee
Responsible for exploring and recommending optimal strategies to facilitate the development of IT professionals in alignment with Workforce Planning and other university initiatives.
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
20
Professional Development Initiatives
IT professional training Professional development conference Cross-divisional job exploration
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
21
Software Acquisition Committee Responsible for exploring and
recommending optimal strategies for the campus-wide acquisition of computer software. Develop and recommend policies for software
acquisition that maximize efficient and cost-effective software purchase and use and that minimize university risk
Work to ensure good communication of software purchase choices and trade-offs throughout the Cornell community
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
22
Software Acquisition: Current Discussions
Improving communication between CIT Software Licensing and the rest of campus
Advising the Purchasing Office and CIT's central software acquisition team on policies and strategic directions
Exploring whether cost savings created by central licensing are accurately reflected in funding
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
23
Proven Practices Committee
Committee’s charge is to collect and document internal IT practices in order to: promote their use when they would help increase
IT effectiveness and efficiency facilitate inter-unit communication and
collaboration establish and promote Cornell standard best
practices identify and prioritize technical areas in need of
campus-wide solutions
March 21, 2006 NERCOMP 2006 Worcester, Massachusetts
24
Best Practices Initiatives
Focus on desktop support University-wide help desk system Departmental IT policy library
Job description library