Keene State College

Information Technology

Working Plan

Implementation of a long-range plan for information technology projects, both tactical and operational, requires campus collaboration. To support functional collaboration, CITC has developed a working plan process for IT project implementation.

The working plan process includes three phases:

Identification of IT projects

Prioritization of project list

Implementation of projects

The working plan is a process and set of worksheets that provides a framework for planning, prioritizing, and project tracking. This working plan is always underway and in progress - it will add/drop initiatives throughout the next few years and will provide the mechanism for selecting projects to make real our long-range plan goals. The working plan process allows for informed decision-making and incorporates both the operational and strategic goals of the college.

Phase 1. Identification of IT projects

Keene State College IT budgets are fixed, while the demand for technology services and infrastructure continues to grow at exponential rates. The current list of potential initiatives includes projects from a number of individuals, departments, and/or campus groups. The intention is to keep this working plan as a continued engagement of prioritization, planning, and project tracking as we move through the next years. The list is created through needs assessment and/or staff, faculty, or departmental identification. The universal Campus Initiative Proposal template is used to submit proposals. This template captures the criteria used by the College for evaluation and prioritization purposes. Responsible project leaders also play a role in identifying and fostering initiatives. Project leaders (from across the college) advance project definition and scope, leverage resources and partners, and link initiatives to college goals and priorities. New projects will be added to the IT plan via consultations at the department level. This process will occur each fall semester in coordination with other campus wide planning processes. For more information on how to propose an Enterprise Information System initiative...

Phase 2. Prioritization of project list

A prioritization process includes the mechanism for selecting, funding, and staffing a group of initiatives. A yearly IT planning process aligns IT priorities prior to the budget planning process. For example, aligning the IT plan with capital projects (i.e. Residence Halls renovations) allows for optimization and maximizing of technology investments. This defined approach will assure that our IT initiatives are aligned with the college's strategic goals. IT budgeting and decision-making flows through Keene State's Chief Information Officer (CIO), the Planning Council, the Principal Administrators, and the President.

Each year the CIO will present the operational project list worksheets to the Principal Administrators for prioritization and approval. Additionally, the CIO will advise the Planning Council regarding IT Strategic proposals that are submitted through the campus planning processes. . The worksheets serve as a tool to facilitate the IT project implementation decision process. A prioritization matrix includes a distinct set of evaluative criteria. These criteria are derived from the values as defined in this IT Plan and campus strategic goals. Each project is evaluated against the following strategic and technical criteria:

Strategic criteria:

Academic Excellence (enhances the quality of our academic programs and the academic achievements of our faculty and students)

Communication (clearly & continuously communicates our mission and values and fosters a strong sense of community on campus in pursuit of academic excellence.

Leadership Development (invests in faculty and staff)

Student Service Learning (actively engages our students in a learning process that is grounded in service, citizenship and ethical awareness

Affordable & Accessible Academic Programs (contributes to high quality academic programs that are affordable and accessible to a wide range of learners)

Risk Reduction (legal, liability, reputation risk, and federal and state compliance.

Technical criteria:

Intra- or Inter- dependencies (synergies between parallel projects)

Campus Prioritization (resource commitment, executive sponsorship)

Architecture & Infrastructure Dependencies (integration, interoperability, computing devices, network)

Funding sources for IT projects will be identified and assigned by the Principal Administrators in coordination with the Budget Resource Council. The CIO is responsible for recommending project teams, further defining project scope, and project implementation as delegated by the Principle Administrators. This process occurs during the college budget planning period which typically occurs in the spring semester.

The College Information Technology Committee (CITC) has a representation role as well as an advisory role in the working plan process. CITC provides oversight for the campus IT Planning Process, making recommendations to Planning Council regarding strategic initiative proposals that involve Information Technology. Additionally, CITC provides recommendations to Principal Administrators' for dedicated resources currently allocated for IT. CITC members are constituency-based representatives and also serve in an advice-giving role for voicing interest and/or concern over project implementations, IT operations, and campus communications.

Phase 3. Implementation of projects

The third phase, project tracking allows the IT Group to communicate out with project status and to work collaboratively across campus groups. The IT Group has the responsibility for effectively managing projects through disciplined project management structures.