Information Technology (IT) Governance & Project Portfolio Governance

Transcription

1 Information Technology (IT) Governance & Project Portfolio Governance What is IT Governance and Project Portfolio Governance? IT Governance and Project Portfolio Governance together provide the structures and processes for ensuring that the efforts undertaken by Digital Instruction and Information s (DIIS) meet the needs and priorities of Ithaca College while providing a framework for discussions around policies, processes and priorities. The two go hand-in-hand. IT Governance ensures that stakeholder needs, conditions and options are evaluated to determine balanced, agreed-on enterprise objectives to be achieved; setting direction through prioritization and decision making; and monitoring performance and compliance against agreed-on direction and objectives. ISACA IT Governance Professionals Association Project Portfolio Governance provides a framework to guide the submission, evaluation, and approval of project proposals into the project portfolio. It includes management of the portfolio of projects that have been approved. Combined, IT Governance and Project Portfolio Governance, includes: Structures Committees and Councils Mechanisms Roles, Responsibilities, Pathways Processes Portfolio Management, Agreements, Catalogs Relationships & Participation Collaboration, Partnerships Strategic Context Strategic Dialog, Shared Understanding, Cross-Functional And address: Project Portfolio (i.e. Priorities) IT Processes Data Governance Policy Review and Approval November 2015 Page 1

2 IT Governance IT Governance at Ithaca College will follow a three-tiered model that is common at a number of other institutions: Tier 1 (Top Tier) Tier 2 Tier 3 Institution-wide Strategy and Decision Making Strategy and Planning for Specific Domains or Areas of Focus Operational across Departments or Areas Tier 1: Institution-wide Strategy and Decision Making IT and Advisory Committee (ITSAC) A representative group that provides strategic oversight and planning for IT efforts and initiatives. They review and approve project request, prioritize the project portfolio and recommend it to Institutional Effectiveness and Budget Committee (IEBC) and senior administration. They also provide IT strategic oversight, policy review, and recommendations. Membership: Permanent Members CIO (chair) Vice President of Finance and Administration Associate Provost Non-Voting (as needed) Associate Director of Engagement, Projects and s DIIS Directors and Senior Leadership Administrative Support Rotating Members (2 year-staggered rotation) 1 Vice President / Provost 1 Dean 1 Associate Dean 2 Faculty Members 2 Staff Members 2 Students 2 Associate Vice Presidents (Non-Academic) Meeting Schedule: Meets 3 times per semester and 1 time in the summer. Institutional Effectiveness and Budget Committee (IEBC) The chair of the ITSAC will meet twice-annually with the IEBC once in the fall to present the prioritized list of pending projects to inform the budget building process, and once in the spring to report on current project portfolio statuses and finalize funding plans for the next fiscal year. President s Council (PC) Provide final policy, IT Strategic Plan, and DIIS Project Portfolio review and approval. The Chair of the ITSAC and the Vice President for Finance and Administration will meet with PC as needed, but no less than twice a year, for these purposes. November 2015 Page 2

3 Tier 2: Strategy and Planning for Specific Domains or Areas of Focus Committees Committees are made up of relevant stakeholders and DIIS staff to provide in-depth strategic planning and oversight for the major IT services in a specific domain or area of focus. The Committees are sub committees established by and reporting to the ITSAC. Each Committee is co-chaired by a non-diis member of the ITSAC and the relevant DIIS senior leader for that domain. Committees own the IT solutions in their domain, and act as the governing body for that particular service (oversee the service, plan for and review changes or enhancements, recommend polices). In addition, Committees are charged with maintaining a road map for each of their services, which will be presented annually to the ITSAC for review and approval. Any project proposals for services that fall within a Committee s domain requires that committee s review and approval before the proposal can be formally submitted. At a minimum, there will be at least three Committees: 1. Teaching and Learning 2. Enterprise s 3. Infrastructure and Technical Architecture The ITSAC will review the number of Committees and their areas of focus, and can (with the exception of the above three) establish, redefine, or eliminate Committees as appropriate. It is recommended that for the initial planning period an additional Committee for Data Management and Analytics be established. Membership: Each Committee consists of representative stakeholders (at the director / department chair level), plus 2 faculty and 2 student representatives on a staggered 2-year rotation. As appropriate, mid-level IT staff may be included in meetings as non-voting members. Each committee is cochaired by a non-diis member of the ITSAC and a relevant DIIS senior leader (director or equivalent). Meeting Schedule: Meets at least 3 times per semester, 1 time in the summer. Tier 3: Operational across Departments or Areas Teams teams provide operational coordination across departments or areas. Issues such as coordinating the testing and release of patches or enhancements, data flow, data governance, operational policy recommendations, or problem resolution are handled by coordination teams. Teams generally focus on one or a related set of services, and report up to the appropriate Committee. Each committee is chaired by an appropriate mid-level DIIS staff member. November 2015 Page 3

4 Membership: Appropriate staff and faculty representatives from stakeholder areas. Meeting Schedule: Most will meet bi-weekly or monthly throughout the year, depending on the complexity of the service(s) covered. Diagram A visual representation of the IT Governance Structure: President s Council IT and Advisory Committee IEBC Domain Committee Domain Committee Domain Committee... Tier 3 Tier 1 Tier 2 November 2015 Page 4

5 DIIS Project Portfolio Governance Project Portfolio Governance Components Demand Management From Idea to Decision Intake Management (Idea-to-Submission) Proposal Management (Submission-to-Decision) Portfolio Management From Inclusion to Completion Project Reviews (Decision Gates) Project Releases (Launch Optimization) Project Priorities (Level of Importance) Objectives of Project Portfolio Governance Ensure that projects in the portfolio support the organizations strategic goals Ensure that projects provide an acceptable level of clearly defined benefits for their cost Ensure that prioritization is reflective of the organization s priorities Ensure that prioritization is clear to the organization (i.e., only one project ranked as number one) Link to IT Governance Project Portfolio Management is an element of and closely linked to the overarching IT Governance. The IT Governance Structure determines the workflow and who serves what function in the proposal and portfolio management processes. Regardless of the governance structure, the Associate Director for Engagement, Projects and s will orchestrate the Project Portfolio Management process and ensure that decision makers have information needed to conduct their evaluations. Determining When an Effort Should Be a Project: Project management adds value and management overhead. It is not worthwhile to manage all efforts as projects. The following characteristics are indicators of when it would be prudent to apply the rigors of project management: Efforts with funding estimates above a specified floor Efforts that are mission critical (e.g., a major upgrade to the financial system) Highly visible efforts and ones that are politically sensitive Efforts with a lot of risk Efforts where it is critical that the delivery date be met Efforts involving coordination with multiple areas on campus and/or vendors November 2015 Page 5

6 Demand Management Should we do it? Below is a description of the workflow from the generation of idea or identification of a need project proposal submission to a decision on whether the proposal should be included in the project portfolio. The steps of the process are linked to the IT Governance Structure described earlier. Step Activity Who Description 1 Proposal Generation 2 Proposal Submission 3 Divisional Leadership Sponsorship Individuals, committees, departments, groups across campus Requestor Appropriate Vice President(s) or Provost Proposals will be generated by individuals, committees and groups across campus. The DIIS Engagement, Projects and s (EPS) team will provide a proposal development form and assistance to help guide the collection of needed information. The proposal must provide a first-pass budget estimate to include implementation & ongoing costs. (Timing: Ongoing) The EPS team will serve as the collection point for project proposals. Proposals will be submitted through the DIIS website. The EPS team will identify any project proposals that would not require project level management and oversight, and will submit service requests for these through the DIIS ticketing system and notify all stakeholders. (Timing: Ongoing) EPS team will forward all project proposals at time of receipt to the appropriate Divisional Leadership for verification of support. In the event that the project would involve multiple Divisions, the proposal will be submitted to all Provost or Vice Presidents whose area would be impacted. No further action will be taken with a proposal without the sponsorship of a Vice President or Provost. (Timing: Ongoing) 4 Investigation PMO The EPS team will collect any additional information and clarification that might be needed for an evaluation of the proposal. Results of the investigation, including updated Total Cost of Ownership estimates, will be forwarded to the appropriate Committee. (Timing: Ongoing) 5 Initial Review Appropriate Committee(s) 6 Evaluation & Recommendation ITSAC Each Committee will use a standardized process to determine its fit with the overall strategic direction. The criterion used will be dependent on the Committee s specific area of focus. The criteria used for each Committee will be published on the DIIS website. (Timing: Committees meet seven times per year.) The ITSAC will use a standardized process and criterion to evaluate submitted proposals. If a proposal is rejected November 2015 Page 6

7 for Portfolio Inclusion the EPS team will notify the proposal stakeholders and explain the rational. Recommended proposals will be added to the project portfolio as a Recommended Proposal. (Timing: ITSAC meets seven times per year.) Portfolio Management When do we do it? While, proposal ideas, initial reviews, submission and investigation can occur throughout the year, determination on what is ultimately funded and included in the portfolio occurs once a year as part of the budget building process. Below is a description of the workflow for how the portfolio is managed. The steps of the process are linked to the IT Governance Structure described earlier. Step Activity Who Description 1 Prioritization ITSAC The ITSAC will evaluate all of the pending projects and recommended proposals using a pre-determined set of criteria to establish a prioritized list. This list will be forwarded to the IEBC. (Timing: October Meeting) 2 Funding IEBC The IEBC will review the prioritized list and determine which can be funded in the subsequent year. The budget for each funded project will include a contingency fund. (Timing: November Meeting) 3 PC Review and Endorsement PC 4 Final Approval Board of Trustees 5 Portfolio Status Reports and Updates PMO The Vice President of Finance and Administration and the Associate Vice President of Information Technology s will present the prioritized list and IEBC s recommendations to the President s Council. President s Council will endorse or modify the list, which will be included in the proposed Fiscal Year Budget sent to the Board of Trustees. (Timing: During December Meeting) The Board of Trustees will review the proposed budget and recommended list and produce the final list of projects to be included in the coming Fiscal Year. (Timing: During February Board Meeting) The Associate Director for Engagement, Projects and s will deliver a Status Report (oral and written) on the entire project portfolio to the ITSAC on a routine basis throughout the year. The report will include portfolio level financial information (actual verses budgeted), major schedule discrepancies (actual verses planned), and information on any additional factors of note. (Timing: Frequency TBD) November 2015 Page 7