University Governance for IT – FAQ

The process begins by submitting the University IT Request Form. After this form is submitted, you will hear from a member of the ITS team as to the next steps no more than one month after the form is submitted.

The full process is on the IT Project Request and Evaluation Process page.

A project is a specific activity that produces a defined and measurable result. A project also has a defined beginning and end.

If you have an idea to use information or technology in a new way to support your professional goals, then it is most likely a project and you should start with the University IT Request Form. If you have any technology maintenance needs, those should be directed to the ITS Help Desk.

Some things that denote that your idea is a project are that you will:

• Implement a system that will require users to login
• Enter into a contract with a vendor
• Share Clark information with a third-party
• Integrate data between multiple systems
• Procure new equipment that will require ITS support

Some things that denote you don’t have a project (and should submit your request to the ITS Help Desk) are:

• Something is not working as intended
• Your existing computer needs to be refreshed
• You need to purchase equipment/software that you have funds for and none of the project criteria are met

If you’re unsure, feel free to reach out to a member of ITS to discuss it or submit the request, and we will make appropriate adjustments as needed.

There are multiple goals for the University Governance of IT.

• Ensure that the Universities resources are focused on the most appropriate goals.
• Provide a framework to help ensure projects are impactful and successful.
• Be transparent with the community about work in progress and how decisions around resource allocations are made.
• Foster a consistent process for the solicitation of proposals.

If you have a request that doesn’t require a substantial amount of money or time, ITS may be able to fulfill your request without consultation with the Steering Board. The following criteria will be used to determine if your request requires the Steering Board:

• Will the request cost more than $25,000 to implement or have annual costs of over $5,000?
• Does the implementation of the request involve staff from more than ITS and the requesting department?
• Does the request require a new or substantially modified interface to pass data?
• Will Clark share Confidential or Restricted Data with a third party?
• Will there be a significant increase in ongoing ITS support or maintenance?
• Does implementation require the attention of a substantial number of people?

If the answer to any of the above questions is yes, then the project will require the evaluation of the Steering Board.

ITS will meet no less than monthly to discuss any new requests and determine if the request can be fulfilled or if the Steering Board is required.

The Steering Board will meet monthly to discuss outstanding requests.

The Advisory Committee will meet monthly to provide assistance in completing the detail requested by the Steering Board.

Once a request has been approved by ITS or the Steering Board, you will partner with a member of ITS to jointly determine the implementation details and project timeline. Project timelines will be dependent upon the urgency of the request, availability of funding (if required), and availability of implementation resources.

If you are starting a new request, please complete the University IT Request Form.

If additional detail is required from the University IT Steering Board, please complete the Steering Board Detail Form.

To view the status of a previously submitted project, please visit the Project Status Page.

You can see what state your request is in by looking at the Project Status Page.  Each request will be detailed there, including what phase of the process it is in.

The following criteria will be used by the Steering Board to determine if a request is able to be fulfilled:

• Impact on Elements of the Academic & Financial Plan
• Impact on Strategic Plans at the Department & Divisional Level
• Projected Financial Benefits and/or Operational Efficiency Gains
• Timeline for Implementation
• Breadth and Depth of Projected Impact
• Overall Value to the University
• Consequences of Not Doing the Project
• Likelihood of Successful Implementation & Ongoing Management

If a project doesn’t require the Steering Board, ITS will evaluate the feasibility of the project using criteria approved annually by the Academic Technology Committee (ATC). The following were approved for FY21 and are in priority order:

1. University infrastructure (hardware/equipment/software in support of enterprise functions such as servers, networking equipment, campus-wide software licensing, etc.);
2. A primary desktop/laptop for faculty/staff as needed to fulfill their stated job responsibilities;
3. Hardware/equipment in centrally scheduled classrooms and general computing labs;
4. Hardware/software/equipment to satisfy unique curricular needs*(decisions will be made in consultation with Provost);
5. Hardware/equipment in centrally scheduled conference rooms, meeting spaces and event venues;
6. Hardware/software/equipment to meet individual research/scholarly needs (decisions will be made in consultation with Provost and Dean of Research).
7. Hardware/software to meet departmental specific needs including departmentally scheduled classrooms/labs/conference rooms;
8. Departmental printers (shared network printers, individual use printers in limited circumstances);

The University IT Steering Board exists to align technology strategies and investments with the University’s strategic goals and priorities.

The University IT Advisory Committee exists to assist the project sponsor in completing the details request and ensure the needs of all members of the Clark community have been represented.

You can view any current projects or requests at the Project Status Page. Here you’ll see projects currently in progress as well as the status of any current requests.

Part of the charge the Steering Board is to ensure projects are successful. Once a request has been approved by the Steering Board, the Project Sponsor is responsible for updating the Steering Board as to the status of the project no less than every quarter. This update should be brief and include:

• Have there been any hurdles to successfully completing the project?
• Does the timeline and/or definition of success need to be modified?
• Are any additional resources needed to complete the project?

Information in the quarterly updates may require the Steering Board to discuss modifying part of the proposal with the project sponsor.

When the Steering Board approves a request, the project sponsor will get more detailed information, but if you’ve made it this far, and you’re curious about what the whole process looks like…