FY2015 Annual Planning Memorandum for EITS

Dr. Timothy M. ChesterVice President forInformation Technology

The University of GeorgiaOffice of the Vice President for Information Technology

171 Boyd Graduate Studies200 DW Brooks DriveAthens, Georgia 30602Telephone 706-542-3145Fax [email protected]/vpit

May 6, 2014

MEMORANDUM

TO: A l l E ITS Employees

FROM: Timothy M. Chester, Vice President for Information Technology

RE: . EITS Annual Planning Memorandum for FY15

This will be my third annual planning memorandum to each of you, the employees in EnterpriseInformation Technology Services (EITS), since I began my tenure at the University of Georgia in2011. The goal of this annual memorandum is to highlight for the record our successes over thepast year, discuss our progress towards our strategic goals, present our organizational prioritiesfor the next year, and share my thoughts on challenges and opportunities that I see along theway.

We have scheduled an all EITS staff meeting for the afternoon of May 9, 2014 at 3 p.m. todiscuss these plans. The meeting will be held in room 329 of the Boyd Graduate Studies center. Ilook forward to the opportunity to discuss the contents of this planning memorandum with youand to answer your questions. I hope to see you there.

As I look across the EITS of today, I see a dramatically different organization than I saw twoyears ago. We are an organization whose reputation and credibility have grown, owing to ourinvestment of both time and effort in strengthening relationships across the University ofGeorgia. I see an organization that delivers stronger technical solutions - or better yet, one thatleverages others to deliver the technology while we focus on working with our students, faculty,and staff to make better use of the technology. Two years ago, we announced new programs incommunications, planning, and staff training and I believe those investments are producingresults today.

As I review our technical operations, I see IT services that are less prone to glitches or outages;and I see a core stack of IT infrastructure that is on par with that of any peer or aspirationalinstitution that we routinely compare ourselves to. Our focus over the past twenty-four monthson implementing best practices in change management, upgrading our network infrastructureand capacity, and developing a better defined approach for estimating project requirements andcost have been crucial to our enhanced reputation for stronger service performance anddelivering value. The best evidence of this can be found in the growth of our cost-recovery linesof businesses. We are now contracting for cost recovery sendees with some Units that wouldhave never considered EITS before.

EITS Annual Planning Memorandum for FY15

An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution

Our annual TechQual+ survey also shows strong IT service performance, particularly amongstudents. This year, our survey once again shows that students have a positive perception of 12of the 13 core IT services covered on the survey. These findings are statistically significant.Perceptions of IT service quality of faculty and staff are not nearly as strong. This year I will askour Assessment and Advisory committee to focus its efforts on identifying ways University ITgroups can improve IT services for these vital constituencies (more on this subject later).

We have made considerable progress towards the strategic directions and goals outlined in theUniversity's 2012 Long-term Plan for Information Technology (ITMP). Last year, my officeconvened a series of focus groups to discuss progress towards these goals and discuss challengesthat could arise over the next five years. The focus groups also conducted a SWOT (Strengths,Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis regarding their respective domains.

To date, EITS has engaged in activities focused on over 80% of the goals and initiatives outlinedin the master plan, including: Implementation of the Banner student information system andthe Desire2Learn learning management system; major investments in personnel, connectivity,and hardware and storage for research computing; new investments in EITS staff training andprofessional development resources; and implementation of the ArchPass, a multi-factorauthentication system protecting University information systems containing sensitive andpersonally identifiable information. Far from being a static document sitting on a shelf, ourstrategic plan is a living, breathing document that has guided our previous goal setting and willcontinue to influence our planning in the future.

One of the most important goals of this master plan remains the development of our mostimportant asset - the employees of EITS. Since 2011, we have made it a priority every year tospend no less than 3% of our annual budget on training and professional development activities.This amounts to just over $1 million in training and professional development experiences toensure that EITS staff have the opportunity to participate in events that strengthen their skillsand competencies required in order to be successful. What is equally impressive is that theseinvestments are stewarded at the grassroots level by our Training Council. Composed of early- tomid-career professionals within EITS, this council, in my view, has made wise and prudentinvestment decisions over the past three years and will continue to do so as the Universityembarks on several new initiatives, such as the replacement of our HR and Finance informationsystems, as well as developing new analytics capabilities for student and faculty data systems.Developing a pool of strong and capable leaders for EITS will remain one of my most importantpersonal goals in the coming years.

Goals and Priorities for the Past Year

Last year, this memorandum set out five strategic goals for EITS. Let's review our progresstowards these goals over the past 12 months.

1. Successfully complete the major academic system overhauls for student information(Banner) and learning management (Desire2Leam), hitting milestones for both time andbudget while minimizing to the degree possible the disruptive effects of technological andprocess change required by these implementations (ITMP Strategic Direction 3, Goal 1,2,3 , 4 l

Current Status: These projects are on time, on budget, and have been successful inminimizing the possible disruptive effects that these implementations have caused at other


institutions. The Desire2Learn (D2L) system became the University's official LearningManagement System (LMS) in January of 2014, replacing the previous Blackboard Vistasystem. As of today, the admissions, registrar, and financial aid modules of Banner are livefor the processing of Fall 2014 academic data and we have registered over 20,000 studentsfor Fall 2014 courses using the Banner Web system for the first time at the University ofGeorgia. When you combine both of these implementations, hundreds of thousands of hoursof effort have gone into the planning, implementation, communication, and trainingactivities required for these successful implementations. When you talk to our students, theywill tell you that both these systems are providing them with improved access to informationand services that make their work much easier. Kudos to all involved in these projects.

2. Continue bringing student computing services into the next generation by supportingcloud-based services for accessing student computing labs, printing, and othertechnologies at any time, from anyplace, and on any device. Begin developing a set ofoperating principles for supporting University processes for students and employees fromtheir individually owned computing devices (i.e., BYOD support) (ITMP Strategic Direction2, Goal 1,2).

Current Status: These initiatives have been completed successfully. Last fall, we observedthe 10th anniversary of the Miller Learning Center and each of the computers within thatfacility have been replaced with our new vLab technology that allows students to connect toour computer lab resources from any place at any time. Additionally, EITS has installed over25 cloud-based printing kiosks across the University, which affords students theconvenience of printing documents from any place at any time and retrieving them from oneof these convenient locations. We have delivered a set of services that disconnects thephysical computer lab from the wide variety of computing resources EITS provides students.By doing so, we now allow them to access these services at any time, from any place, and onany device. We have now brought our student computing services in line with the latesttechnological advancements, while also working within our present budget constraints andwithout expending additional university resources.

3. Successfully complete two required upgrades of the campus email platform, as Microsoftmigrates its systems from Live@EDU to Office 365. As the second phase completessometime in 2014, begin implementing a shared portal and storage effort using Sharepointand OneDrive Professional, which are aimed at reducing the need for and dependence ondistributed file servers across the University supported by decentralized units. In doing so,lay the groundwork for a future initiative to consolidate servers across the University(ITMP Strategic Direction 6, Goal 1,2,3).

Current Status: This project has been completed successfully and I believe that it serves asEITS's finest moment since I have been at the University of Georgia. This was an incrediblycomplex and potentially expensive project, but the teams responded to the challenge toidentify less complex and less costly solutions for this migration and it was completed withminimal impact on our students, faculty, and staff. It simply could not have gone better thanit did. Please know that I am impressed with the way our leadership brought the teamstogether around this challenge and the way they all delivered. Beginning this summer, wewill commence the next phase of this project to make expanded services, such as Office 365ProPlus through the Microsoft Student Advantage program and OneDrive Pro available toour community.


4. Continue current information security efforts related to reduced reliance on the SSN andon the adoption of multi-factor authentication to add an additional layer of protectionaround information systems containing sensitive information. Finish efforts to reprogramlegacy systems for HR and Finance, so the SSN is no longer required as a primaryidentifier, and begin efforts to work with decentralized units to end their dependence on theSSN as well (ITMP Strategic Direction 3, Goal 2,3,4; Strategic Direction 5, Goal 4).

Current Status: These projects have been completed and we are on track for phasing outother legacy applications that depend upon the SSN, such as BigCard. Other units oncampus are working, where possible, to phase out their use of the SSN or place their systemsbehind the ArchPass - our secure network that provides additional protection for thesesystems. Over 1,700 ArchPass tokens have been distributed across the University of Georgiaand each of the five phase 1 systems has been placed behind this additional layer of networkprotection. I am also pleased how we have been able to place other key systems - ones withsensitive or restricted information - behind this system. Several times, Units have come tous proactively to request that we extend this service to protect their systems. Together, theseprojects have allowed us to dramatically reduce the University's risk profile in regards tosensitive information and again, we have completed them using existing resources and havenot required additional investments from the University.

5. Continue to focus on internal reallocation, making steady progress towards the four-yeargoal of reallocating $3.2 million (base) into strategic priorities, including informationsecurity, data center and networking, student computing, the GACRC, professionaldevelopment, and organizational transformation (ITMP Strategic Direction 8, Goal 1, 6).

Current Status: We are ahead of schedule in terms of reaching this goal. As wedecommission the mainframe over the next few years, we will cross the finish line - possiblysooner. As of this year's budget hearing, we have successfully redirected $2,755,877, which is87% of this goal. Focusing on economies of scale, reducing legacy technology debt, andmaintaining day-to-day stewardship have been key factors. These efforts must continue. Ibelieve that our total budget today will remain the high water mark for IT resources at theUniversity of Georgia for many years to come (ITMP Strategic Direction 8, Goal 1, 6).

I am very, very proud of this work. There is so much more that I could mention, if not for thelimits of space. If everyone feels like they are now completing a marathon sprint, they should. In2011, the University set out for us some very big goals, and since then we have worked very hardand we have achieved them. Over the coming months, we should also step back andacknowledge and enjoy these accomplishments. Everyone needs to take a very well deservedvacation from their work this summer, knowing that we have stepped up where we have beenasked to and that we have been successful accomplishing some very difficult things in these pastthree years.

Assessment and Continuous Improvement Activities for Next Year

I believe that we have taken steps towards developing both a nimble and flexible approach tocontinuous improvement, led by our Assessment and Advisory Committee. This committee ischarged with annually analyzing the data from our regular TechQual+ survey and formulatingrecommendations based on this assessment. The work of this committee continues to be veryinfluential on my thinking, along with those of senior leaders across the University, as we mapout our priorities each year. This next year, I will ask our Assessment and Advisory Committeeto focus on these questions.


a) Student perceptions regarding the quality of PAWS-Secure wireless network are muchlower than previous years. Certainly this can be attributable to the fact that Paws-Securecurrently supports twice the number of devices that it did a year ago. But problem areasneed to be identified where student satisfaction with wireless is at its lowest so that currentwireless investments can be redirected to these areas. What are the problem areas on ourcampus that cause the most problems for students and result in poor satisfaction withPAWS-Secure?

b) Student perceptions of the overall quality of campus IT services is very positive. At thesame time, faculty perceptions of the overall quality of campus IT services are extremelynegative. What are the differences in service performance, expectations, or values that leadto these dramatically different evaluations of IT services at the University of Georgia?What steps can be taken to bridge this gap?

c) Employees desire better tools for streamlining and automating business processes, as wellas better tools for more effective collaborations with their colleagues across the University.What tools or investments should the University consider to improve employee perceptionsregarding the core IT services they are provided in order to perform their roles?

d) Most faculty members rely on IT support and services that are provided by their College orUnit. Does this decentralized approach to IT service and support contribute to poor facultyperceptions regarding core IT services? If so, what efforts can be made to standardize andimprove IT service delivery to faculty? What efforts can be made to improve facultyperceptions of the quality ofUGA IT services?

Analysis of the TechQual+ data will help yield insights for each of these questions. I amconfident that our annual continuous improvement process will steadily help improve ourorganizational performance and improve IT service delivery across the University of Georgia. Ilook forward to receiving the committee's responses to these questions later this year.

Goals and Priorities for Next Year

Let me lay out for you our most important priorities over the next year, and provide you somecontext for each of them.

Now that we have implemented new academic information systems - Banner, DegreeWorks,Desire2Learn - we have a more standardized base of authoritative information on students,courses, and instruction. Now that we have this type of data, it is time to make better use of it.Over the next 12 - 24 months, I expect that there will be several academic analytics initiatives todo so at the University level. These initiatives will form the next phase of these projects.

1. Support academic areas as they implement better tools to support their decision-making.These will include tools for enhanced reporting, analytics, and longitudinal analysis.Provide implementation support for the new Faculty Activity Report (FAR) system thatwill enhance our faculty member's ability to showcase their work and the University'sability to capture and leverage this information. Provide additional support to other officesas they implement systems to use analytics to improve the time required for ourundergraduates to graduate and analyze productivity data across the University (ITMPStrategic Direction 3, Goal 1,2,3,4).


While the main phase of the Banner project begins to wind down (and cleanup of processes andimplementation of postponed items begins), our attention will turn to planning for theimplementation of new information systems for finance and human resources functions. Both ofthese initiatives will require our full attention in the coming years if the University is to fullyrealize the benefits of these initiatives.

2. Continue to support UGA offices relying on the Banner system to deliver services tostudents. Work within the Banner governance process to prioritize items postponed fromthe previous year while completing the conversion of legacy academic information andbring it fully into Banner. Work to develop project plans, identify required resources, andimplement the Banner enterprise data warehouse (EDW). Support the Vice President forFinance and Administration as a recommendation is prepared and forwarded to theUniversity senior leadership regarding new administrative information systems forfinance and human resources (ITMP Strategic Direction 3, Goal 1,2,3,4)-

While these new initiatives are launched and existing initiatives continue, we must not becomecomplacent when it comes to the protection of the sensitive and personally identifiableinformation of students, faculty, and staff that we maintain on behalf of the University.

3. Work in conjunction with University departments to develop a plan for aggressivelyeliminating departmental systems that contain sensitive or restricted information. Work toidentify processes that currently require SSN data and work to eliminate them unless theSSN is required for regulatory purposes. At the same time, implement the next phase of theArchPass program that will identify systems and processes that require use of the SSN andplace them behind the ArchPass firewall for added network protection (ITMP StrategicDirection 5, Goal 1,4).

We must be continually mindful that success with IT initiatives comes from the expertise,leadership, and hard work of our EITS staff. While we have taken great strides to make muchneeded investments in professional development, we need to take the next step in developingstrong, competency-based career paths that identify to our staff where they are in their careersand the skills and competencies that should be developed in order to take that next step.

4. Work with Human Resources and the EITS Managers and Staff Representative Group toassess our current career progressions and identify the competencies that separate highperformance from low performance for each career progression. Develop rubrics thatdefine progressive mastery of these competencies and align them with the career laddersand make them a part of our annual employee performance review process (ITMPStrategic Direction 10, Goal 1,2,3,4)>

Finally, we need to take the next step in development of the University-wide governanceprocesses for major systems, both administrative and academic. In light of the success of theBanner governance process, this approach should be taken as a model and applied to other ITdomain areas across the University.

5. Work with major areas across the University to strengthen shared decision-makingregarding major information systems and IT initiatives at the University. As the Bannerproject winds down, ensure that its successful governance process continues unabated.Develop and implement a complementary shared governance process for theimplementation of new finance andHR systems. Work with the Administrative SystemsAdvisory Council (ASAC) to develop new or strengthen existing processes for collaborative


decision-making in regards to major administrative system projects. Continue to supportthe Student Technology Fee Advisory Committee (STFAC) as it proceeds with itstransformation into a more active steward of student technology fee resources (ITMPStrategic Direction 1, Goal 2,3,4,5).

These five strategic goals will require the attention and support of all of us in EITS over the next12 months. While these goals are more external facing and will require extensive engagementwith individuals across the University, I have established several additional priorities for myleadership team for the next year. You should expect to hear more about these initiatives fromthem over the coming months.

Organizational Priority #1: Develop and implement plans to ensure that EITS operations arein full compliance with the University System of Georgia's IT Handbook. While some sectionsof this book are yet to be completed, we have the full opportunity to engage the USG staff tomake sure that compliance with the IT Handbook does not overburden EITS operations. Eachassociate CIO is responsible for ensuring compliance of their operations with the ITHandbook, and that audits should have zero findings. Ensuring compliance should be a groupcollaboration across the different teams within EITS (ITMP Strategic Direction 1, Goal 2;Strategic Direction 5, Goal 1,3). Each Associate CIO is responsible for completing this goalwithin their Unit.

Organizational Priority #2: Develop and implement, in conjunction with the EITS LeadershipCouncil and Manager's Advisory Board, a comprehensive root cause analysis program formajor outages and service delivery issues based on the 5 Why approach. We need to work toensure that defect identification and elimination remains one of the most important values ofthe EITS culture. We should develop a standard process, much like we have with changemanagement, that isolates the 5 why's of each major service issue; includes peer reviewinternally (and, where appropriate, externally to EITS), and documents root causes on acommon template that is forwarded for review, if necessary, by the senior leadership of theUniversity (ITMP Strategic Direction 5, Goal 3). Michael Lucas, Larry Malota, and BrianRivers are responsible for leading efforts regarding this goal.

Organizational Priority #3: Develop a new global model directed at better managing demandfor IT services and keeping work in progress (WIP) at appropriate levels. This will requireworking closely with the EITS Leadership Council and Managers Advisory Board to more fullyunderstand the demands on EITS staff resources, how workflows throughout EITS, and howwe can better visualize and manage the flow of work in order to be assured of solidorganization performance and minimal service disruptions. Developed properly, this willbecome a framework for engaging critical stakeholders across the University in theprioritization of work across EITS (ITMP Strategic Direction 1 Goal 1,2,4; Strategic Direction8, Goal 4). Lynn Wilson is responsible for leading efforts regarding this goal.

Organizational Priority #4: Continue the focus on internal reallocation, making steadyprogress towards the four-year goal of reallocating $3.2 million base budget dollars intostrategic priorities, including information security, data center and networking, the GACRC,professional development, and organizational transformation. Each associate CIO isresponsible for doing more than simply defending the needs of their unit in terms of resources,but should actively think above and beyond their unit to ensure that actions, individually andcollectively, best meet the needs of EITS as a whole. I am asking all Associate CIOs to worktogether over the next 12 months to reduce our collective salary expenses next year by 3% so


that these resources can be further reinvested in strategic activities (ITMP Strategic Direction8, Goal 1,6).

Our success over the past three years has been due to your combined experience, wisdom, andexpertise. These attributes are our most important resource. We will continue to work over thecoming months to reinvent the ways in which we approach our work, the way we plan, the waywe define success, the way we engage our end user community, and the way we hold each otheraccountable. I like what I see each day and I look forward to our continued journey together.

Thank you for all that you do and know that you can call on me at any time when I can be helpfulto you.

Cc: Pamela S. Whitten, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost


Documents

FY2015 Annual Planning Memorandum for EITS