Background: 

Why has IT Services moved to formal project and portfolio management? 

• To better align our resources and priorities with university goals and objectives 

• To make the process for project and proposal work more transparent  

• To provide sufficient time to complete the work we do with quality and efficiency 

How will IT Services define a project? 

• “A project is a collection of tasks, involving multiple individuals, organized to deliver well-defined products (deliverables) within a defined period of time.” 

• Projects may bring new services or broad feature enhancements to existing services; may include extensive upgrades to existing services (e.g., Oracle 8 Upgrades); May repeat at cyclic intervals (e.g., Summer Computer Lab Refreshes).  

• Some projects will be IT-internal or “Keep the lights on” (KTLO) projects; others will originate from university departments, SUNY/NYS/Federal Compliance mandates.  

 

The Process: 

Proposal Submission: 

All new project proposals requiring resources from IT SERVICES must be submitted via the “ITS Project Proposal” .  Each proposal should include: 

• Requestor Name: The individual submitting the proposal. Begin typing to search and select from existing names. 

• Executive Sponsor: The person who "owns" the proposal on behalf of the organization. This individual has overall responsibility and authority to initiate the work. 

• Department: The organizational unit under which this proposal falls (e.g., ITS Systems and Solutions). 

• Proposal Name: A clear, concise, and descriptive title for the proposed work. 

• Proposal Description 
  A detailed explanation of the proposed work, including purpose, scope, and key components. How will the service function after the proposed work is complete?  

• Current state definition: How is the work done today?  How long does the work take xx people to complete today?  Which staff members are responsible for the work today? How much does the current solution cost the university?   

• Desired Timeframe 
  The preferred timeline for the proposal’s initiation and completion. Please note that realistic timeframes start at least six months in the future. 

• Business Process Impact 
  Indicate whether the proposal replaces, refines, or introduces a new business process. Describe how the process is currently handled and by whom. 

• Vendor Involvement 
  If applicable, provide vendor contact information, website, and documentation such as HECVAT and VPAT. Otherwise, enter N/A. 

• Strategic Goal Alignment 
  State whether the proposal supports one or more strategic goals at the university, division, or department level. 

• Strategic Goal Explanation 
  Explain how the proposal supports the identified strategic goals. 

• Customer Interaction Impact 
  Describe how the proposal will change the way customers interact with the business or university. 

• Process Automation and Efficiency 
  Explain how the proposal will enhance automation and improve operational efficiency. 

• Operational Issue or Pain Point 
  Select and describe the key operational issue or challenge the proposal addresses. 

• Customer Visibility 
  Explain how the proposal will affect visibility with customers (e.g., transparency, communication, access). 

• Implementation Complexity 
  Describe the complexity of the proposed work and how it supports ease of implementation. 

• Compliance or End-of-Life Issue 
  Explain how the proposal addresses compliance requirements or replaces end-of-life systems or processes. 

• Cost Containment Certainty 
  Assess and explain the level of certainty in managing and containing proposal costs. 

• Departmental Capacity 
  Describe whether and how your department can absorb the additional work required by the proposal. 

• Innovation Level 
  Explain the degree of innovation the proposal introduces to your area. 

• Urgency 
  Describe the urgency of the proposed work, including any opportunities that may be lost if not acted upon promptly. 

 

Proposal Review Process: 

• The ITS Leadership Team will conduct an initial review of the proposal to determine if more information needs to be added to the business case. At that time an interview may be requested with one of our Solutions Specialists to gather additional information.   

• The business case will be submitted via Team Dynamix for review by the ITS Project Management Steering Committee (ITSPMSC) 

• The ITS PMSC will score each proposal using the following criteria: 

  • Strategic Alignment:  

    • Support 1 or more FM Goal(s) 

  • Customer Satisfaction: 

    • Impacts how customers interact with the business 

    • Visibility with customers 

  • Operational Alignment: 

    • Address a key operational issue or pain point 

    • Address a key compliance issue or end-of-life issue 

  • Feasibility: 

    • The University has a clear ability to execute and sustain 

    • IT has availability of staff with the required skillsets to execute the project during the estimated timeframe 

    • The Department has the clear ability to sustain the cost, effort/staff time, or both 

    • The level of project complexity  

  • Financial: 

    • Certainty of cost containment (e.g., approved funding plan and/or identified availability of funds) 

  • Transformation/Innovation 

  • Urgency: 
    • A critical opportunity that will be lost if not acted upon 

  • Business Process: 

    • The proposed work will improve process automation or efficiency 

• Once scored, the proposal will be either approved and moved to an on-hold Project: or rejected and closed.   

• The requestor will be notified via Team Dynamix. 

  • If a proposal is approved, a project manager from IT Services will contact the project sponsor(s)/key stakeholder(s) when resources become available to begin project planning activities.   

  • If a proposal is rejected, the requestor can re-work their proposal and resubmit during the next open cycle.   

The People: 

• ITS PMSC Membership: 

  • Chief information Officer 

  • Director, Networking & Telecommunications 

  • Director, Customer Support 

  • Director, IT Security & Client Computing 

  • Director, Enterprise Application Services 

  • Director, Systems & Solutions 

  • Senior Developer, Enterprise Application Services 

  • Senior Solutions Specialists, Solutions Specialists 

Project Proposal Review: 

• The ITS PMSC will review submitted proposals and provide a decision to the requestor within 3 months. Please consider that project lead time should be six months to one year AFTER proposal approval (depending on project complexity).  All projects are contingent upon funding and the available resources.