Educause October 29, 2001 Top-Down or Bottom-Up?: Strategic IT Planning Avi J. Cohen, Assoc. Professor - Department of Economics [email protected] Bob

EducauseOctober 29, 2001

Top-Down or Bottom-Up?:Strategic IT Planning

Avi J. Cohen, Assoc. Professor - Department of [email protected]

Bob Gagné, Executive Director - Information Technology [email protected]

Copyright Bob Gagne and Avi Cohen, 2001. This work is the intellectual property ofthe 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.


Strategic I.T. Planning

About York University and I.T. at York

I.T. Strategy Project Scope and Process

Review and Assessment

I.T. Strategy Starter Kit

Questions

Agenda


A diverse academic community …

a city of 40,000 people and growing

About York University



Student/Faculty/Staff Profile

Student Profile • 35,000 Undergraduate students (full- and part-time)• 4,000 Graduate students (full- and part-time)• predominantly “commuter” students

Faculty and Staff Profile (all unionized)• 1,100 full-time faculty • 2,000 contract faculty and teaching assistants • 1,800 full-time support staff

• 36 professional librarians


In the heart of the Greater Toronto Area

2 main campuses in the City of Toronto



10 Faculties offering 5,000 courses per year

• Arts • Atkinson Faculty of Liberal and Professional Studies • Education • Environmental Studies • Fine Arts • Glendon (bilingual French/English)• Graduate Studies • Osgoode Hall Law School • Pure and Applied Science

• Schulich School of Business



Organization of I.T. Resources

• Decentralized in the early 1990’s

• ~ 20 Information technology support units on campus• Computing and Network Services• Information Technology Services• Student Information Services• Faculty and departmental support units

• Over 250 staff



Computing and Network Services

• Our role ...• Provide I.T. leadership and coordination in areas that

have broad organizational impact• Build and support the university information infrastructure• Provide common, widely used technology services and

support

• Two key customer groups ...• Individual students, faculty and staff• University I.T. support units



Some technology highlights ...

• 13,000 network drops (offices, classrooms, residences)

• Almost 5,000 computer workstations

• 300+ servers

• Total I.T. expenditures about 7% of University budget



The Need for an I.T. Strategy

Rapid technological change

Growing importance of I.T.

Significant institutional resource

Pan-University Strategy

Resource restrictions


I.T. Strategy Background

1998 - President’s Consultation

• Artificial distinction between administrative and academic

computing

• Better, faster access and training

• Reduce overlap and redundant systems and services

• Too many committees and too little information

• More clarity and training around pedagogical use of technology

• Proposal for “CNS Strategic Policy Paper”

• 1999 CNS restructuring


University Academic Plan - July 2000

“Computers are now a pervasive medium of informationexchange and an indispensable feature of almost all aspects of our teaching, research and academic administration.”



Challenges ...

• Academic traditions of decentralization and consultative

decision-making

• Multiple stakeholders

• Unknown endpoints due to fast-changing technology

• Taking an institutional view

• Centralization vs decentralized I.T.



How did York do it?

• “Long March” vs “Quick Strike”

• Balancing consultation with realistic timeframes

• Executive support and sponsorship

• Focused community involvement

• “Constitution” vs a detailed project list

I.T. Strategy Process and Scope



The goal ...

To develop a plan for the next three to five years that will determine how we are going to use and effectively manage information technology to contribute to the success of the University in achieving its goals.


• Examine the current state of IT at York and key factors influencing its direction

• Articulate an institution-wide vision for the role of IT

• Define the context for operational planning - set out general directions and objectives, not detailed action plans


In scope ...


• Make recommendations related to:

• organizational roles and responsibilities

• processes and structures for IT management and

decision-making

• priorities for application and infrastructure technologies

• funding processes

• approaches to implementation


In scope ...


• Create a detailed project list

• Specify implementation costs and timelines

• Recommend changes to institutional or academic direction


Out of scope ...



Organizational StateStrategy, Goals, Values

“Environmental”Trends

Technology StateInfrastructure, App, Mgmt

• Key Directions

• Organization

• Management Framework

• Technology Architecture and

Application Priorities

Information Technology Strategy


The Process

Discovery

Where are we?

• How we use I.T.• Current resources

and management• External trends• York Strategy

Visioning

Where do we want to be?

• 3 to 5 year view• Supporting University

mission and strategy• A “picture” of where

we are going

Direction

What must we do to get there?

• Key recommendations and actions

• Guidance on implementation

• Measures of progress and success

IT Strategy Development at York


Consultation and Development

Community

ConsultationStrategy Roundtable

Participation Working Group

Production

IT Strategy Development at York


• Facilitate the process

• Assist with “Discovery” information about external trends

• External view

• Can’t be seen to lead or drive the project


Using Consultants ...


Timetable ...

I.T. Strategy Process and ScopeActivity Planned Actual

Project Initiation September 2000 September 2000

Discovery October - December 2000 October - December 2000Roundtable Meeting Dec 13

Visioning January - March 2001 January - April 2001Focus Groups MarchRoundtable Meetings April 5-7

Direction April - May 2001 April - June 2001Roundtable Meeting May 24

Project Completion June 2001 June - September 2001Board Approval September 28

Timetable ...



Our vision for technology at York is to embrace the communications revolution - to create a connected campus and through it develop a connected community.

The connected campus will extend what we do within the physical campus providing a vital environment for discovery, investigation and interaction, all freed from the bounds of time and place.

I.T. Strategy Outcomes

The vision ...



1. Assess implications of technology in teaching and learning,

ensure support and improve access for faculty.

2. Enhance academic and management information

resources.

3. Increase and integrate service delivery via the Web.

4. Put in place an information technology environment that is

accessible, sustainable and adaptable.

5. Modify information technology organizations structures,

funding, policies and planning processes.

Recommendations and Actions -


What worked -

• Senior level support (need to know that it will make a difference)

• Clear and firm scope

• Role of the consultants

• Get the working group right (people and stakeholders)

• Anticipate the politics of consultation and dissenting voices

• Focused consultation

• Single voice in the document



Improvements -

• Dedicated support staff (half time full academic year)

• Shorter (fit to academic year)

• Launch the project at the end of discovery

• More work on the process design up front (use consultants)

• Increase communications – engaging the roundtable and

the community



Selected Articles and Books -


McCredie, J.W. (2000), “Planning for IT in Higher Education: It’s Not an Oxymoron,” EDUCAUSE Quarterly, 23(4)

Barone, C.A., et. al. (2000), Information Technology, Systems, and Services in Higher Education: A Primer, NACUBO.

Broadbent, M. and P. Weill (1998), Leveraging the New Infrastructure, Harvard Business School Press.

Shurman, M. and D. Wershler-Henry (2000), Commonspace: Beyond Virtual Community, FT.com Financial Times.


York Project Documents -


• Project Description

• Vision Phase Description

• Focus Group Agenda

• Vision Exercise


Questions

This presentation, including the Starter Kit documents are at

http://www.yorku.ca/bgagne/

Avi J. Cohen, Assoc. Professor - Department of [email protected]

Bob Gagné, Executive Director - Information Technology [email protected]