Planning and Resources Framework
IT Strategy
Author: Graham Hill, Director of IT Services Version: v1.5 September 2010
A new IT Strategy for 2009-14
1. Executive Summary
This strategy replaces the previous Information and Communications Technology (IT) strategy and is an integral part of the overall change management program being implemented by the new IT Services (ITS) at the University of Bradford. The purpose of this strategy is to ensure alignment with the University’s Corporate Plan (2009-14), with the Information Strategy1, and with the requirement to build on and continually improve IT services at the University of Bradford.
The Information Strategy Committee (ISC) members have said: “keep it simple”: they want to see realistic, noticeable, measurable and incremental improvements in service delivery, rather than a grand design. They also want IT to offer a “service” not just computer systems, which includes working with others outside of traditional “silos” to ensure that process review, support, training, documentation, expertise and use of systems is part of the package.
This new IT Strategy will inform our day-to-day decisions because we need:
To demonstrate that it is aligned with our new corporate plan
To make long-term technology choices which are wise and sustainable
To adapt the service environment and culture to reflect the digitised way that services are accessed and used
To maintain order in an era of rising consumerism e.g. planning for the trend towards individually owned and highly functional devices2.
To ensure the appropriateness of financial, technology and people resources
To continue to work collaboratively with other service providers, including Academic Schools, Corporate Services and third-party suppliers.
To effectively communicate what we are doing and why we are doing it.
The Context for the strategy includes the external and internal environment. It is clear that the financial context will impact in a number of ways, at a time when we are seeking to enhance the student
experience. There are increasing expectations from students and staff on IT provision which reflect the technology changes in our day-to-day lives. We will seek the appropriate levels of investment to deliver this strategy, and those business cases will include investment in people and process review.
The strategy is presented so that the link with the Corporate Objective is clear. It describes how this strategy will help deliver each of those objectives, including the measurable outcomes and milestones.
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http://www.brad.ac.uk/admin/planning/strpla/12-06-07.pdf
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2. Context – external environment
Funding and Economic Environment
Public sector finances have entered a period of significant constraint. Both domestic funding and the global economic environment make it imperative for Universities to further improve efficiency and cut costs. The recent fall of the pound relative to the euro and the dollar has a related impact on
procurement of technology-related goods and services. The government’s review of Higher Education and the review of student fees could lead to a significant change in the funding model. These changes represent a significant challenge to all in the sector and to the University of Bradford in particular. There are a number of ways that IT strategy can continue to contribute to solutions through efficiency,
effectiveness and innovation. IT Services will seek to be an internal partner for IT-enabled solutions.
Education Environment
A significant driver is the changing expectations of our students. Our student population is diverse, often working and studying part-time, and there can be significant variations in IT literacy. The University of Bradford intends to increase its delivery of part-time and distance learning, in response to caps in further growth of the traditional student base. Students have become customers of our services. This places new demands on us to provide more flexible and personalised learning, and smart administration, making full use of the internet and technology-enabled learning and teaching. Students expect an IT
infrastructure which is more flexible, with innovative learning environments and creative spaces, as well as traditional learning and face-to-face contact. Students also expect a high level of on-line learner support in extended hours evenings and weekends. The administration and support services need to be professional and efficient. Effective use of IT is part of the solution.
Technology Environment
IT is a fast moving area, continually developing and changing. In many cases, these developments offer promising opportunities to improve productivity, quality and value for money. Social networking through so called Web 2.0 technologies such as wikis, skype, youtube, facebook, blogs, twitter, are being adopted by some staff and many students. However, the full potential of social networking is still being realised – including their potential to recruit, retain and enhance the student experience. Increasingly educational resources are available anytime, anywhere on the internet. “Cloud computing” offers IT resources over the internet on demand, including a growing range of products and services. Linked to the concept of sharing services, there is potential to exploit both research and administrative applications. However, information access and security are key issues and need to be carefully considered. As mobile devices become more powerful, affordable and transient, they are increasingly expected to integrate with University systems. And that integration means increasing emphasis on access management and authentication of individuals – increasingly vital to enable access to online resources and applications. New technologies and innovation are part of the solution.
3. Background – Internal Environment
Information and Communications Technology (IT), is a crucial enabler of the University’s Corporate Vision. Teaching and Learning, Research and Knowledge Transfer, Student Recruitment and Retention, and other business processes of the University are all dependent on IT in one form or another. Our students and staff have an expectation that the services we provide will respond to their needs, rather than meet the needs of “The University” or its service providers. We are nearing universal access to desktop/laptop computers among our students3 and staff, while there is accelerating ownership of sophisticated mobile and wireless devices such as laptops, netbooks, PDAs, smartphones and networked gaming machines.
The last decade has seen a significant investment in IT by education institutions across the globe – and our customers have become more discerning technology consumers. Internet access is almost
ubiquitous in UK primary and secondary schools and in student and staff homes. In the UK, the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) program is investing billions of pounds in development of new and
refurbished school buildings with a particular focus on IT in order to ensure that students learn in “21st century facilities”. In Bradford, the BSF initiative is delivering one of the largest Sunray (thin client) deployments in the World. Other technology examples include electronic whiteboards, flexible learning spaces with low maintenance sustainable computing and mobile technologies.
We also recognise that IT requires professional and customer-focused management to fully deliver its capabilities. Our investment in technology will be supported by a focus on developing our people, to ensure that we have the appropriate skills to deliver this strategy.
4. Corporate Aims and Objectives which relate to IT
Corporate Aim C6
To deliver professional and customer-focused services and an appropriate and supportive infrastructure which communicates, guides and governs effectively.
Corporate Objective C17
By investing in the development of the University estate and infrastructure through sound and sustainable financial management.
The IT Service will manage the financial aspects of this IT Strategy by delivering its services within the budgets allocated, based on the concept of total cost of ownership, not just the initial cost of a service. This approach will require priority setting of annual IT Service plans, and support for the annual
investment in IT and network infrastructure to maintain the core services. It will include a responsibility for
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managing the University investment in IT – through presentation and approval of budget and plans including those of Schools and Directorates via the University Committee Structure (e.g. ISC).
How we will deliver the Objective: funding and sustainable resourcing
Driver:
The University needs to make savings and deliver efficiencies in light of the current uncertainty about the impact of the worldwide recession on the UK and on the Higher Education sector. However, this also represents an opportunity for service departments to innovate and technology can be used as a driver for change and to enable improvements in processes and the overall student experience. In general, it is becoming increasingly difficult for IT Services to obtain the appropriate levels of funding to deliver all of the services required by the Institution. The ongoing support and upgrade costs of many essential items of software, together with currency fluctuations and increasing staff costs are contributing factors.
Recent strategic investment in IT through e-strategy, must also provide the ongoing resources needed to secure the long term future of such investments.
What we will do:
IT Services will seek appropriate levels of investment and will pro-actively manage expectations so that it matches the resources being made available to deliver services.
It is just as important that IT Services engages at the project approval stages to ensure that the benefits of IT investments are defined and also delivered.
The true cost (total cost of ownership) of IT services will be developed during this period, to enable the Institution to engage in informed and mature decision making on which services should be provided and which should be terminated, shared or potentially outsourced.
How we will do it:
Prepare transparent budgets and plans for the IT Service, supporting investment and business cases involving internal and externally generated funding sources.
Integrate e-strategy projects into a single development plan comprising all significant IT-related projects and programmes
Work effectively with Academic Schools and Directorates to ensure that there is two-way communication of projects and priorities with an IT component.
Key Milestones:
Monthly review of operating budget within IT Services management team.
Regular review of e-strategy projects and investments through 2012.
Overall planning and budget approval via Information Systems Committee (ISC).
Projects managed via the Bradford Method or Bradford Method Lite when appropriate.
Consolidated operating expenditure within budget - reported to LSS Board.
IT project and programme activity published in a regular performance tracker via ISC.
Corporate Objective C18
By providing robust, innovative and supportive IT and administrative systems alongside processes which support and enable flexible modes of learning and working.
The IT strategy will focus on services not systems, and will manage and monitor those services through introduction (new and replacement services), operations (day to day reliability, performance and business continuity) and retirement (exit and end of life). This approach will lead to the adoption of service levels for the key IT Services, and the introduction of service management concepts.
How we will deliver the objective: Delivery of a customer-focused service
Driver:
There are concerns about the “clunky” nature of interfaces – customer interactions, computer interfaces and also interfaces between our systems. The use of web technologies can assist with some interface issues and Web 2.0 is redefining our staff and student expectations. The reviews of MIS (2007) and IT Services (2008) recommended that good customer relations needed to be developed and maintained, and that there should be named people responsible for processes and services, together with account management/business partner roles.
What we will do:
Produce definitions of IT service quality, service availability and resilience including business continuity
Provide a business case for extended hours (towards 24x7) support
Provide a business case for Unified Communications for staff in terms of clarifying business requirements, tender processes and system selection – potentially covering email, voice, calendaring, instant messaging
For every new system, ensure where appropriate, widespread online delivery of services via the web - working towards mobile computing anytime, anywhere location independent. We will also endeavour to deliver accessibility for all, through standards such as W3C. We will influence the selection of new suppliers who meet or are committed to working towards best practice
standards by actively considering accessibility as part of procurement and risk analysis
processes in liaison with the Disability Service. An example is the support required for Escalate activities (CPD and employer engagement).
Build the necessary resources for approved and controlled pilots of new technologies into resource plans and projects.
Provide projects with appropriate technical support and guidance to meet the requirement to identify a clear pathway from pilot through to full implementation of a service, including analysis and approval of the total cost of ownership.
How we will do it:
Review the membership and composition of the LSS IT Board (an internal LSS forum).
Re-establish an effective and informed IT Services/LSS Customer Services User Forum
Where appropriate we will investigate the use of shared services and facility managed “hosted” solutions for University IT services.
Key Milestones:
Named service owners for all production IT Services through a Service Catalogue
A named account manager/business partner for every Academic School/Directorate
Publication of an annual report for IT services
Key Performance Indicator:
Publication of daily service status information – moving towards real-time information
How we will deliver the objective: Business systems to support the institution
Driver:
The IT strategy needs to support and enable the Institution in the achievement of its strategic objectives. We need to ensure that the wide range of IT activities (such as e-strategy, and academic school
technology plans) are firmly embedded within the rolling IT Service plans. The key driver is managing “supply and demand” - the complex management of our available resources - people, technology and financial budgets. The planning process needs to be flexible and responsive, exhibiting agility when required to meet changing demands.
What we will do:
IT Services will propose the priorities for detailed work streams and identify the competing demands using this strategy framework. Support will be provided for organisational change and process
improvement, rather than simply new system implementation. IT Services has a leadership role in the procurement processes for technology and new systems – to ensure coherence and compatability across the Institution. An example is co-ordinating how IT and business systems will support the development of new and emerging Research Clusters/Centres which form an important part of School delivery plans. Another example is developing customer relationship management services to support a wide range of marketing and communication requirements. These include research and knowledge transfer activity as well as student recruitment.
How we will do it:
An appropriate governance structure will be established to balance the demands of service availability and resilience, with introduction of new services, and the continuing e-strategy investment.
All significant new IT investment will be subject to review of energy efficiency and sustainability (also Objective C17)
Key Milestones:
Built in to the annual planning process for IT Services and Learner Support Services.
Reporting of key projects and service levels to ISC.
Corporate Objective C20
By providing high-quality and responsive student services and spaces which reflect the diversity of our student population and their study and work patterns.
The IT Service will continue to be a pro-active partner in delivering the necessary IT services to support the physical and virtual estate at the University. We aspire to high quality teaching and learning spaces which are equipped with up to date IT and Audio-Visual technologies (including wireless, smartboards etc) and also recognize that the virtual learning environment (including technologies such as the Blackboard VLE, Computer Aided Assessment etc) are equally important to diverse student populations learning at a distance and flexibly, as well as on campus.
How we will deliver the objective: Supporting Learning and Teaching
Environments (University Objectives C17, C18 and C20)
Driver:
New collaborative and interactive technologies have emerged along with similar developments in thinking about how learning spaces work and teaching is delivered. Our students are telling us that they want less physical lectures, more on-line materials and more frequent small group tutorials. In addition, with significant numbers of students on existing distance learning programmes and plans to extend distance-learning, part-time and off-shore partner delivery (e.g. MDIS, INTI), we need supporting systems that are fit for purpose for students and staff.
What we will do:
IT services will play a supporting role to enable the University to provide the best possible learning experience for its students by encouraging and supporting the effective use of technology and space.
How we will do it:
Provide robust infrastructure and systems that will enable high quality learning and information resources in a variety of formats
Provide support for management and timetabling of high quality functional learning and teaching spaces that meet current and future needs
Evaluate and deploy new technology that enables and facilitates collaboration – between students, and between staff and students
Provide support for the development of student skills in the use of information and computer technology.
Support University assessment processes through provision of appropriate technology and physical space.
Align service levels with related areas such as Estates and Facilities
Key Milestones
GTA refurbishments and ongoing support and maintenance
Implementation of new timetabling policies and supporting systems
Communal Building and JBP Building refurbishments
Key Performance Indicators:
National Student Survey rating for the learning environment
Annual IT Services Student and Staff Satisfaction survey – and response (“you said this, we did that”)
Corporate Aim C5
To be outward facing, collaborating with our graduate alumni, our local and regional communities and national and international partners.
Corporate Objective C13
By welcoming all under-represented groups through policies and processes that ensure equality of access and opportunity.
The components of this IT strategy must reach out to our diverse student and staff community, whether on our campuses or located at a distance. Our information access and security policies must meet our legal and statutory obligations and demonstrate our commitment to the principles of data protection and freedom of information. The University IT services will be accessible, equitable and transparent services, so far as our resources allow.
How we will deliver the Objective: Information Access and Security
Driver:
Information is central to our mission. Universities exist to generate, utilise and disseminate knowledge. The quality of our core activities depend upon the organisation, management and exploitation of information resources. The University is committed to developing an institutional culture in which the value of information is understood by all of its members, and in which individuals share a responsible attitude towards the creation, use, maintenance and dissemination of information resources4. Particular focus areas are improvement to data integrity processes and improvements to management information for Research and KT activity.
What we will do:
IT Services provides advice, guidance and support on matters arising from information access or
processing, including but not restricted to issues of copyright, libel, computer misuse, data protection and freedom of information. It is also the custodian of key University datasets ensuring that data is backed up securely.
How we will do it:
Provide a regulatory framework (Regulation 21) backed up by the University Policy and Code of Practice on Information Access and Security.
Contribute to minimising business risk in the areas of data integrity and data security by supporting short, medium and long term actions that are identified and agreed via ISC.
Provide University facilities for students and staff in an equitable way (recognising limited resources) for authorised academic and administrative use.
The University electronic mail service will scan for viruses, unsolicited junk mail, and reject access from external sites listed as inappropriate by national authorities.
Key Milestones:
Annual Review and Report by the University’s Legal Advisor through Information Systems Committee (ISC)
Annual update to Data Protection Registration and Freedom of Information Publication Scheme.
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APPENDIX ONE
IT Framework - The Four Tier approach
This IT Strategy recognises the benefits of a four layer approach to IT provision:
Tier 1: The Personal Layer
Students and staff provide their own IT equipment for personal use. They can access University services using a variety of communication technologies (wireless, broadband, mobile etc). Access is also
universally available from private and University Halls of Residence. A number of supplier agreements are in place to facilitate purchase of IT services.
Tier 2: The Department Layer
Facilities purchased and maintained by Academic Schools and Corporate Service Directorates reflect their academic and administrative needs. IT Services is not directly responsible for some departmental IT equipment but it does advise on compatibility with University infrastructure. In addition, IT Services provides at an agreed price and service level, a “Facilities Management” service.
Service consistency is extremely important and increasing internal competition is not helpful, from the perspective of student or staff experience. It can lead to fragmented approaches which are not
integrated. The last decade has been a period where we have driven efficiencies within departments – there is now a need to move away from customised approaches to standardised requirements between departments. It reflects the need for new approaches to deliver shared space, shared administration and shared IT Services. This is not about the freedom of academic schools and directorates in respect of their professional disciplines.
Tier 3: The University or Generic Layer
IT Services leads, manages and maintains the infrastructure, network, computer servers and general use student PC clusters and provides a wide range of generic IT services appropriate to both academic and administrative processes. Secure and flexible access to information is a University priority. IT priorities will be transparent and plans will be approved through a formal process – there will be consultation about new or changed services, there will be specification and tender work including business process review wherever possible, and there will be professional implementation as a service.
Tier 4: The World or External Layer
The primary route for external communication and access to national and international networks and networked computer facilities is a high speed link to the Yorkshire and Humberside Metropolitan Area Network and through it to the National Academic Network SuperJANET. JISC, the Joint Information Systems Committee of the Higher Education Funding Councils, is responsible for strategic development of the national academic network and associated services and standards.
APPENDIX TWO
Learner Support Services
IT Services Department
Our Mission
To deliver and support high-quality, reliable and innovative Information Technology services.
Our customers say “keep it simple”. They want to see realistic, noticeable, measurable and incremental improvements in service delivery, rather than a grand design. They also want IT to offer a “service” not just computer systems, which includes working with others outside of traditional “silos” to ensure that process review, support, training, documentation, expertise and use of systems is part of the package.
Our Vision
By 2014 we will:
Continue to deliver robust and reliable IT services that meet current and future needs.
Use technology to differentiate the University, to transform the student and staff experience and to enable communication and engagement.
Make a direct contribution to process improvement and enable the business and academic processes of the University.
Be recognised as a customer-focused, professional, innovative provider of Information Technology Services.
Our Values
The values of IT Services will reflect those of the University – to aim and continue to be Inclusive, Ethical, Reflective, Supportive, Adaptable and Sustainable – these demonstrate the culture the institution aspires to.