Prioritize and Make Decisions

Develop a transparent decision-making process and a mature portfolio management framework. Enable collaborative projects across units. Key benefits: Provide strategic direction and alignment with institutional goals Set priorities and maximize investments Leverage expertise of departmental resources across the University

This initiative provides the governance framework necessary to support the other four initiatives. It focuses on developing a transparent governance process for information management and administrative systems (IM/AS) that will enable a cohesive, coordinated, and collaborative approach to prioritization and decision making aligned with institutional priorities.

The initiative will establish a mature portfolio management process that enables the University to align resources and projects with institutional strategic priorities and to maximize investments. To support this effort, the initiative recommends creating a Project Management Office to provide project planning and oversight, portfolio analysis, and to implement project management best practices.

The initiative calls for the development of a predictable and sustainable funding model for IM/AS. Finally, this initiative will put in place the support structures necessary to enable collaboration across units and leverage the expertise of the UW’s development community.

This initiative’s projects fall under five major action areas: Prioritization and Decision Making, Project Intake and Review Process, Staffing, Investment, and Community and Partnership Development. What follows is an overview of proposed projects under each action area.

Prioritization and Decision Making

Projects under this action area include:

• Redefine the role of the Information Management Advisory Committee (I-MAC) to be a strategic advisory committee for IM/AS directions and initiatives. As part of this process, clarify committee roles and responsibilities, clarify relationship with other Technology Advisory Committees, evaluate membership, and determine the resources required to support I-MAC.
• Establish a new project review and oversight committee. To enable I-MAC to focus on strategic issues, establish a new committee to do the more detailed work involved with enterprise-scale project review and oversight (i.e., the current I-MAC proposal process). The committee should consist of key institutional decision makers and be supported by an effective process that facilitates stakeholder input.
• Revise other IM/AS governance priority-setting groups. Evaluate the current system of IM/AS oversight and priority-setting groups and committees to create a cohesive and effective structure that aligns with the overall IM/AS governance structure.

Project Intake and Review Process

Projects under this action area include:

• Evaluate and revise the I-MAC proposal process to make it more streamlined and align it with the Washington State Department of Information Services (DIS) process. This includes streamlining and improving the intake process, reviewing the current 500-hour threshold to evaluate whether to raise it, reviewing the frequency of the proposal cycle and how to address emergent needs, and developing linkages to other IM/AS governance committees.
• Develop a proposal review and governance process for smaller projects to include intake, review, and approvals and an appropriate governance structure.
• Implement portfolio management to support and inform strategic goals and the project review and governance processes. The portfolio should include all IM/AS projects at the UW. Establish a Project Management Office to support the portfolio management process and implement project management best practices.

Staffing

Projects under this action area include:

• Develop an IM/AS workforce management program in partnership with UW Technology HR that includes professional development, staff recruiting, retention and succession planning, and HR consulting.
• Define clear roles and responsibilities for the dual-reporting, or “dotted line,” relationships between unit staff and the Office of Information Management.

Investment

Projects under this action area include:

• The Vice Provost of Information Management/CIO should work with the Provost, Senior Vice President, and Vice Provost for Planning & Budgeting to devise a process for establishing a predictable and sustainable funding model for IM/AS in conjunction with implementing the Roadmap.

Community and Partnership Development

Projects under this action area include:

• Develop the services, processes, structures, administrative support, and technical architecture necessary to enable community-based projects and initiatives.