IT Strategic Planning

“Information technology is now well understood as a strategic resource in higher education, a driving force in enabling change. Information technology continues to transform teaching, learning, scholarship, research, business and administrative practices, and our relationships with students, alumni, and many other constituents.” – EDUCAUSE

The Need for IT Strategic Planning in Higher Education

Your information technology (IT) system is critical to your institution. No longer is IT simply a utility.  IT is a critical component of how your institution will meet its vision and mission.

According to a 2006 edition of EDUCAUSE Review, “planning is a critical tool for all CIO’s who will be asked to “drive the costs out of IT” while students continue to raise expectations for new services. Planning informs and builds confidence in the IT unit’s ability to deliver services and programs to the institution. For most CIO’s, strategic planning helps the IT organization forecast needs and look to the future.”

Strategic Planning and Information Technology

With the exponential increase in the speed of change in technology, strategic planning for information technology often seems like a futile effort. 

Rethink your old notions of strategic planning.  Instead recognize that what you are actually doing when you implement an IT strategic planning process on your campus is:

• Engaging stakeholders through the power of dialogue.
• Encouraging a reflective thinking process around IT.
• Gaining buy-in for the critical nature of IT.
• Reaching a deeper level of internal engagement and oversight.
• Planning and doing at the same time.

The CPS Four-step Process for Ongoing IT Strategic Planning

Our approach to strategic information technology planning follows four key steps with the focus on continually evaluation annually.

• Environmental Analysis
• Develop, Revise, & Align Plan
• Integrate Planning, Develop Tactics & Measures
• Implement, Monitor, Evaluate & Adjust

How We Can Help You

Collegiate Project Services will work with you to customize a project plan to develop and implement an IT strategic planning process for your institution.   Using project management methodologies and tools has proven to be the most effective way to begin implementing an IT strategic planning process. This project methodology ensures the following:

• Clear goals are identified and met.
• All stakeholders are identified and engaged.
• Planning is thorough and continuous during the project.
• Risks are identified and managed.
• Communications occur throughout the project.
• The environmental analysis is comprehensive.
• Lessons learned from other projects are incorporated.
• Lessons learned are completed at the end of this project for subsequent years.

In addition, Collegiate Project Services provides a project manager, experienced facilitators, and industry research to effectively manage the project, gather input, ensure engagement, and provide the external data necessary to build a strong plan and planning process.

Our Experience

Our experience in higher education IT strategic planning has included strategic planning at a system level, on main campuses, and on satellite campuses.  Our proven project management best practices help guide institutions smoothly and effectively through the first year of the process. These practices also provide a roadmap for continuously monitoring and keeping your strategic plan up to date.

CPS staff's knowledge about higher education and IT issues within this domain became significant assets in the development of the plan… This resulted in a wide-spread consensus adoption of Miami University's first true IT Strategic Plan… Without the professional support of CPS in communicating the needs and building the consensus, this would not have been possible… I highly recommend this group of professionals to assist any college, university or system in its IT Strategic Plan development.

J. Reid Christenberry
Assistant Vice President & CIO
Georgia Perimeter College

For More Information
For more information about IT Strategic Planning services please call us at 877.454.1290 or contact us by email.