IT Governance Processes
If IT committees are the building blocks of IT governance, processes are the mortar that holds them together. Processes include formal review and approval of IT projects.
IT Governance Process Definition
In the past, UT Arlington project prioritization and approval has been informal in nature and typically focused on departmental needs or specific project requirements rather than institution-wide goals and objectives. The new governance model will focus on creating an effective model for identifying and collaborating on future technology initiatives that would result in institution-wide cost savings, support institutional strategic objectives, and advance the overall mission of the institution.
Project Guidelines:
- Anyone can request a project
- Every project request that takes more than 4 hours of work will require an IT measurement tool analysis before being presented for consideration.
IT Resources:
- OIT will reserve a baseline of operational hours for managing day-to-day operations outside of the scope of IT Governance projects (small projects, problem resolution, helpdesk/desktop requests, meetings, vacation, training, etc).
- UT Arlington’s Executive Committee will annually define the amount of available resources to be available for large and medium projects. If multiple large projects are approved, the number of resources available for medium sized projects may be diminished. The reverse is also true.
The four levels of the IT governance model (communities of practice, advisory committees, ITGC, and EC) enable the generation of IT-related ideas, issues, and actions from a broad university community, their evaluation by a pertinent advisory committee, and their sanctions by an IT Governing Committee and Executive Committee. Throughout the entire process, the Project Management Office (PMO) will be actively participative and supportive, thereby enhancing the process and its efficiency. The general process is described below:
A community of practice, possibly in concert with another area, develops an idea for a project. The group presents the concept to the most relevant advisory group, which considers its merits against a criteria of viable resources, degree of project maturity, and prioritization of issues in that particular area.
If a project is deemed to support institutional objectives, the project sponsor (with help from the PMO if needed) writes a formal proposal that complies with the project management framework guidelines. The proposal should clearly state key project information, including objectives, scope, scope issues, project assumptions as well as benefits, and the business value to the university linked to success criteria and risks.
Upon formal submission, the PMO will review the proposal accordingly and refer it to the AIAC to evaluate the impact of the project on the IT infrastructure. If the project is found compliant, the appropriate Advisory Committee will include the proposal in its recommendation and prioritization of its projects to the ITGC based on the best value proposition for advancing UT Arlington’s mission and goals, taking into account financial costs and benefits.