IT Strategic Plan
Open House 2: March 26th
Dave Wallace, CIO,
Andrea Chappell
and The Team
The IT Strategic Plan Project
(Dave)
To create an Information Technology (IT)
Strategic Plan to advance the state of IT
to meet the opportunities for University of
Waterloo over the next 5 years.
Today’s agenda
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Summary of activities
The updated Strategy Map
Emerging IT directions
Some emerging priority initiatives
How IT “happens” at Waterloo
Next steps
Phase 1: Consult, consolidate
(Andrea)
September:
Kick-off
orientation
meetings
November:
Consultation
with
Stakeholders
October:
Gather
"what we
already
know"
January:
More
consultation,
Draft writing
December:
consultation
Phase 2: Consolidate, prioritize,
review … The Plan
Jan/Feb: Draft
document;
feedback from
governing
groups
March:
Amalgamate
feedback for
Plan
Feb: Draft
Report
communication
End April: IT
Directions
Plan
April:
Approval
by
governing
groups
December 5th open house
• The IT Strategic Plan project governance
• The Strategy Map – overview of how it
was built, what it means
• Samples of early findings – what we heard
in consultations in Nov/early Dec
• Prioritization – what is important to
consider?
(Updated) Strategy Map (Dave)
• Visually represents strategy elements:
– Mission, Vision, Values
– Strategic Objectives (where you want to go,
how you want to be)
• 6 strategic objectives for initial focus
• Definitions exist for values and strategic
objectives
V6.4 Draft Waterloo
IT Community
Together, we enable
Our Purpose (Mission):
Enable an exceptional, innovative IT environment through
engagement, creativity, and impact.
Our Goal for 2018 (Vision 2018):
Enable the University’s mission through exceptional
learning, teaching and research environments.
Our Promise to Our Users: Inspiring and supporting the University of Waterloo through technology leadership and excellence.
U2 - Enable the achievement of
research and scholarship objectives
Our Users
U3 - Enable the achievement of teaching and
student life-learning objectives
RM1
Make
the
necessary
OC4
Build
collaborative
IP2 - Define IT accountabilities,
IP1
Understand
OC2
Take
an
Universitytechnology
infrastructure
responsibilities
and
authorities,
U1
Empower
and
relationships withusers
ouravailable
users
resources,
and supports,
andusers
clearly
the
needs
of
our
wide
perspective
to
IT
and
resource
investments
optimize
their
experience
and
each
other
communicate these to our users
U4 - Enable the optimization of
administrative processes across campuses
U1 - Empower users and optimize their
experience
U5 - Enable University
outreach activities
IP11 - Be easy to do business with
IP9 - Exchange high quality data and information when, where, and how it’s needed
Internal
Process
IP8 - Maintain a secure, reliable, and useable information
and technology environment
IP5 - Continuously improve
and optimize IT processes,
workflow, and platforms
IP2 - Define IT accountabilities, responsibilities and
authorities, available resources, and supports, and
clearly communicate these to our users
Organizational
Capabilities
CORE VALUES
IP10 - Enable timely access to the right integrated,
cutting-edge information technologies
IP6 - Ensure data
security, integrity, and
privacy
IP1 - Understand
the needs of our users
IP7 - Take a structured approach to
IT development and implementation
IP3 - Provide knowledgeable,
pro-active insights, advice,
and solutions through
effective governance
IP4 - Understand, foster and
leverage trends and
innovations in information
technologies
OC1 - Build a culture of pro-active
support and technology leadership
OC2 - Take an University-wide perspective
to IT
RM1 - Make the necessary technology
infrastructure and resource investments
OC3 - Build a cohesive, knowledgeable
IT community across the campus
OC4 - Build collaborative relationships
with our users and each other
RM2 - Optimize the allocation and use of our
financial, technology, and human resources
Service
Openness and Collaboration
Knowledge and Creativity
Resource
Management
Operational Excellence
Emerging IT directions (Andrea)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Address usability of core systems
Provide modern info/business mgmt tools
Advance student IT environment
Grow technology enabled learning environ
Create integrated, service-oriented helpdesks
Help improve communications
Define governance and federated model
Emerging initiatives
• Started process of prioritizing initiatives
• Map to strategic objectives
• Following items are examples
– Many details to be worked out, need to work
with partner groups
– More work to be done
• Looking for your feedback and input
Usability initiatives
• Need to work on our core systems, e.g.:
– Financial reporting (FORE) critical for researchers, but
not intuitive for infrequent use (see Info Mgmt)
– Grad admissions review, improved workflow; next,
determine enhanced features
• Usability team?
– Human-computer interface experts, others specializing
in design – how to tap into this?
– Product usability tool kit (e.g., UPK for PeopleSoft)
Student IT environ initiatives
• Pilot with AHS for remote access (“virtual
desktop”) to SAS/SPSS from home, Lib,
anywhere
• Mobile app framework investigation
• Jobmine replacement (IT support to CECA)
• Cell service improvement and Wifi upgrades
• Portal (demo of prototype during session)
Information and business
mgmt initiatives
• Called Enterprise Business Intelligence, much of
our report/inquiry will be redesigned and rebuilt
• Improved usability, consistency, service levels
• Will provide information and access layers to
feed …
– Open Data, portal and mobile development, etc.
• Also, info system behind FORE reports
Tech enabled learning
• Many trends affecting us, e.g.,
– Massively Open Online Courses (MOOC), open
courseware, fully online courses between universities
• Live collaboration tools introduced
– Videoconferencing infrastructure with Mech Eng
– Centralizing web collab software, begun in ManSci
• Working with Desire2Learn
– Integrate Maple TA into LEARN
– LEARN upgrade in April
– And, stability of hosted site!
Service-oriented helpdesks
• Collaborations and integrations
– Extended helpdesk hours (with Housing and
Library)
– Shared support for core services
• Industry best practice (e.g., ITIL: Info Tech
Infrastructure Lib)
• New request system (with knowledge-base)
• Better use of social media
Communication/collaboration
• Need better tools to help people stay upto-date and collaborate
• Drupal (our web content management
system software) add-on (in development)
• Tech enabled learning tools
• Better, concerted use of social software
And many more …
IT Directions and SOs (samples)
• Usability
• Info/business mgmt
• Student IT
• Governance,
federated model
• U1 Empower users
• U3 - Enable achievement of
student life-learning
• IP1 Understand needs
• IP9 - Quality data/info when,
where, how needed
• IP2 IT accountability
• IP4 – Leverage, foster
trends, innovations
• OC2 U-wide perspective
• OC4 Collab relationships
• RM1 Tech investments
IT Directions and SOs (samples)
• Usability
• Info/business mgmt
• Student IT
• Governance,
federated model
• U1 Empower users
• U3 - Enable achievement of
student life-learning
• IP1 Understand needs
• IP9 - Quality data/info when,
where, how needed
• IP2 IT accountability
• IP4 – Leverage, foster
trends, innovations
• OC2 U-wide perspective
• OC4 Collab relationships
• RM1 Tech investments
IT Directions and SOs (samples)
• Usability
• Info/business mgmt
• Student IT
• Governance,
federated model
• U1 Empower users
• U3 - Enable achievement of
student life-learning
• IP1 Understand needs
• IP9 - Quality data/info when,
where, how needed
• IP2 IT accountability
• IP4 – Leverage, foster
trends, innovations
• OC2 U-wide perspective
• OC4 Collab relationships
• RM1 Tech investments
Demo of portal
By Pavol Chvala
Activity: Feedback
Consider the sample list of IT Directions and
example Initiatives. Do they seem to hit the
mark?
1. Your feedback on the IT Directions?
2. Your feedback on the example Initiatives?
Emerging IT directions:
Feedback?
•
•
•
•
•
•
usability of core systems
modern info/business mgmt tools
student IT environment
technology enabled learning environ
integrated, service-oriented helpdesks
communications
Sample initiatives: Feedback?
• Usability
– E.g., Financial reporting
(FORE), Grad admissions
– Usability team and tools
• Student IT environ
–
–
–
–
Remote access to software
Mobile app framework
Jobmine replacement
Cell service and Wifi
upgrades
– Portal
• Improved service helpdesks
• Tech enabled learning
– Address important trends
– Live collaboration tools
– Work with D2L (add-ons,
upgrade, stability)
• Enterprise Business
Intelligence
– Redesign report/inquiry
– Improved usability,
consistency, service levels
– Data access and
provisioning
• Improved communications
Governance and Federations
(Dave)
• How we work together
• How decisions are made
• How the community is informed and
involved
How does IT work at Waterloo?
“Together we enable”: What does it mean?
• IT is distributed
• Central IT (IST)
– Maintains core infrastructure, enterprise
systems, processes to manage, secure, use it
• Faculty and department IT
– Maintain systems and provide services,
including those unique to the area
Towards a federated model
• Benefits of centralized & decentralized IT
– Economies of scale, efficiency
– IT cost visibility and control
– Easier dev/integration of enterprise apps
– Responsive to local needs
• Risk of duplication, overhead challenges
• Requires strong governance and clarity
What does it look like?
• Faculty or department services
– Services specific to local needs
• Shared services (in-sourcing)
– Concentrated expertise ( “Centers of Excellence”)
– Lead group provides to others, maybe cost-share
– Needs collaborating service centres
• Common or utility services
– Centralized services used by everyone (the
infrastructure).
E.g., Federated model between
central IT (IST) and Faculty IT
Research
Faculty IT
IST
Teaching and Learning
Administration
E.g.,Teaching and learning tech
federated model, between IST
and fully online group
Content Creation
Centre for
Extended
Learning
IST
User Support
Application Support
Federations SLAs and OLAs
• Service Level Agreements: provider to client
– Describe IT services being provided,
– Document service targets, and
– Responsibilities of IT service provider and
client.
– A set of agreed upon promises
• Operational-level agreement: responsibilities
of cooperating support groups
E.g. of Federated model between
central IT (IST) and Faculty IT
Research
Faculty IT
SLA/OLAs define
services and
responsibilities
between groups
and users
IST
Teaching and Learning
Administration
E.g. of Federated model between
central IT (IST) and Faculty IT
Research
Faculty IT
Some SLA/OLAs
may look different
from others!
IST
Teaching and Learning
Administration
Federations need
governance. One view?
Key
Advisory/Recommendation Bodies
Strategy and
Policy Body
CIO and Provost
Chairs of Advisory
Recommendation bodies
sit on Strategy and Policy body
Activity: Feedback
Consider what you have seen of federated
models and governance.
1. What does it mean to have success in the
way IT works together at Waterloo?
2. What would it take to get there?
Gov/Fed and SOs
• Usability
• Info/business mgmt
• Student IT
• Governance,
federated model
• U1 Empower users
• U3 - Enable achievement of
student life-learning
• IP1 Understand needs
• IP9 - Quality data/info when,
where, how needed
• IP2 IT accountability
• IP4 – Leverage, foster
trends, innovations
• OC2 U-wide perspective
• OC4 Collab relationships
• RM1 Tech investments
Next steps
• Continue prioritization to define initiatives
and how to make progress
• Continue to align with the evolving
University strategy and directions
• Continue to define indicators that allow us
to measure progress
• End April: 1st IT Strategic Plan!
Thanks to the Team!
The web site lists people working on the
Task Force, UCIST (the Steering
committee), and our Executive Advisory
group.
Thanks to you!
• Your feedback and participation during this
process has made it invigorating, ‘real’,
and meaningful.
• We appreciate your continued input.
How to stay involved
• Contact us:
– dave.wallace@uwaterloo.ca (CIO)
– andrea.chappell@uwaterloo.ca (Project lead)
• Web site:
– https://uwaterloo.ca/it-strategic-plan
• Watch for the Plan at the end of April
The end