Guest: Mike Roy, Dean of Library
Agenda:
- Overview of the IT governance process (Mike)
- The role of the academic portfolio group (Mike)
- Discussion: Questions we need to answer:
- what projects would we consider? which are too small? which are too big?
- how do we ensure that the projects are vetted both in terms of their technical feasibility and their degree of ‘strategicness’?
- what should be the relationship between this new group and the ACTT?
- what should be the membership of the group to cover the entire institution, and ensure proper vetting (see item b)
1. Overview of the broad governance process
Mike Roy and Jonathan Maddix are overseeing the Academic/Digital Tech & Learning “Portfolio team” which is one of a number of departmental and project groups designed to inform the ITS Advisory and STeering Committee groups within the new governance structure.
External consultant organization, *CIO Sensei helped to prepare new governance framework based on external review process in 2016. Mike referenced a deck of slides outlining the governance structure.
*Some discussion of CIO Sensei findings (not everyone had shared background knowledge)
- External review of ITS looked into project load, efficiencies, decision-making
- Create a structure that helps to align stakeholders in needs assessment and infrastructure that can scale across the institution
Proposed ITS Operating Model & Processes are informed by mission aligned strategy:
- Governance
- Organization
- Processes and practices
- Performance management
…to realize academic mission and create value across the institution
ITS is currently undertaking workforce planning which may influence future staffing and organization.
ITS Governance Objectives
- Customer driven
- Understand risk
- Representation across the institution
- Clarify capacity and resource allocation – “no” as an option
- Improved communication and transparency
- Ongoing participatory process
- Proactive monitoring of demand and challenges
- Connection between IT and institutional mission and deeper planning process
Governance Flow / Levels – bi-directional flow of information and activity
- ITS Steering Committee
- High level, priority setting, funding, staffing, risk, evaluation and validation of strategy implementation
- ITS Advisory Team
- Cross-institutional, review of portfolio teams, programs, institutional demand, risk balancing
- Portfolio Teams* Mike and Jon charged with support of one of these teams
- Determine departmental needs and priorities, anticipate requirements, identify opportunities and risks, approve new projects, review programs, etc…
The role of the academic portfolio group vis a vis ACTT
“All Things Digital” Portfolio Team
Questions
a) what projects would we consider? which are too small? which are too big?
- Example projects discussed as cases for review; e.g. Canvas, Zoom, Panopto, current review of WordPress MU instances (Middlebury, MIIS)
b) how do we ensure that the projects are vetted both in terms of their technical feasibility and their degree of ‘strategicness’?
- Suggestion that ACTT could serve as the recommender for the portfolio team
- c) what should be the relationship between this new group and the ACTT?
- Is this portfolio team a distinct group or is it a slight expansion of the current ACTT model; need to articulate the key roles of the two groups and determine whether the roles are distinctive or overlap within the new governance structure [unresolved]
- Strategic goals and cross-institutional planning may help to make the relationships between portfolio team and upper levels of governance [Mike suggested he would bring this back to Advisory Team for clarification]
Additional Discussion
Potential scenarios for portfolio and ACTT:
- Continue as two separate teams (ACTT and a Portfolio team)
- Integrate of ACTT and portfolio team into dual purpose group
- Disband ACTT, take best of and bring to portfolio team
ACTT currently serves a particular purpose in reviewing cyberinfrastructure systems and platforms. It seems a Portfolio team would have a more governance focused role; the way it works now, is stakeholders present a need, and ACTT tests it out and helps to draft a recommendation…
Middlebury Space / Facilities Committee might offer a model for Portfolio team – this committee convenes people together at certain times during the academic year to share needs, projects so that there is awareness of what people are looking to accomplish; the committee then initiates process of prioritizing needs to draft recommendations and potential impact on budget
In this model, the separate Portfolio Team would engage programs to understand directions and needs; refer cyberinfrastructure projects to ACTT for research, review, recommend – help upper levels prioritize based on strategy
Concerns
Current ACTT Core members are on numerous teams and committees – it would be difficult to be called to participate on an additional committee
- d) what should be the membership of the group to cover the entire institution, and ensure proper vetting (see item b) [unresolved]
Additional questions
- How does portfolio team’s project review work connect with the budget planning process? [unresolved]
- Frequency of meeting (suggested bi-weekly)? [unresolved]
Action Items
- Clarification and decision on unresolved questions, especially whether the discussed Portfolio team is a distinct group or whether there is clear overlap of ACTT and Portfolio group purpose [Mike and Jon – Portfolio Team Conveners]