New governance model to bring clarity and consistency to IT related decisions
Information Technology is critical to the college being able to deliver on its mission to provide students with the best education and experience possible.
A new governance model being introduced by Mohawk’s IT team will bring clarity and consistency to IT related decisions and ensure IT can support each areas needs and make decisions that are in the best interest of the college.
Under the new governance model, six advisory groups are being established to make recommendations and help prioritize IT investment requests within their area. They will also propose IT policies, standards, guidelines and procedures related to their area of expertise.
The advisory groups will be made up of representatives from the following areas:
- Academic and Student Services (includes: LMS, Orbis, registration)
- Applied Research and Emerging Technology (includes: IDEAWORKS, The Joyce Centre)
- Enterprise Data Governance (self-service reporting, standards, classification)
- Enterprise Solutions & Services (includes: Banner, Fast)
- Administration Services (includes: communications, one-card, Alumni)
- Enterprise Core (standard and policy)
Recommendations from the six advisory groups will be put forward to the Enterprise Core IT Advisory Group. This group will assess requests based on the college’s IT policies and standards and Enterprise alignment. Successful requests will go to the Information Technology Governance & Collaboration Committee who will determine how much work is required to fulfill the requests, whether there is existing budget to cover the expense, and whether there is enough resources available to implement it.
If a request is considered large and complex (e.g. typically requires more than 60 days to implement); requires integration with core college network or IT infrastructure; or requires integration with data and/or enterprise systems, the project request will go to the EPMO for comparative project prioritization. Projects that require a significant financial investment need to go to the college’s Budget Committee for approval first. Projects that do not meet any of the above requirements may be considered for in-year, operational service requests and be directed to IT for follow up and implementation. (See Project management at Mohawk is changing. Here’s what you need to know to learn more about recent changes to how projects are managed at Mohawk.)
Examples of projects that would be directed to the EPMO for support:
- Major college-wide new initiatives such as the replacement/launch of the Learning Management System
- Significant maintenance upgrades and releases such as Banner DegreeWorks.
- The implementation of Ministry mandated projects such as the Student Choice Initiative
Requests that don’t require EPMO support will be directed towards IT for follow up and implementation. Some examples may include:
- Replacement of computer hardware in a classroom or lab.
- Minor enhancement to an existing application or user form.
- Requests for custom reports or analytics.
One form for all in-year project requests
IT, along with the EPMO and Facility Services, will initially use a common proposal form for all in-year project requests. In-year requests are proposals that come within the college’s fiscal year and have not received budget approval. The new form simplifies the intake process for everyone and makes it easier for projects to be assessed and moved forward or re-routed. The EPMO will triage incoming forms to decide whether the project needs their support or could be better handled by IT or Facility Services directly.
The proposal form is available on the EPMO site, which can be found within the Employee section of MyMohawk: https://mymohawk.mohawkcollege.ca/web/mymohawk/enterprise-project-management-office
The site also contains more information about the EPMO, including updates on current, completed and future projects. Questions about the proposal form can be directed to EPMO@mohawkcollege.ca.