IT Investment - Who ya gonna call?

Article by Liz Sidebotham
Project Office Manager

Executive Group has recently given the go-ahead for the implementation of an IT Governance framework for Swinburne.

So what is IT Governance?

IT Governance is about who makes decisions about IT, who has input, and who is accountable for implementing those decisions. It is an integral part of Swinburne’s governance, and enables IT and business strategies to be better integrated. As the 2015 vision is further developed and implementation plans are made, IT Governance will provide a means of ensuring that IT is used effectively and where it is most relevant to achieving the vision.

IT Governance is University-wide in perspective and takes account of financial and non-financial factors such as business needs, usability and educational outcomes. It applies to all aspects of IT, both hardware and software, and provides a means of prioritising effort and expenditure.

How does this provide benefit for Swinburne?

IT Governance will deliver significant benefit to Swinburne by:

• Improving project selection and execution, which will reduce the risk that the IT investments made will not meet the university’s needs into the future
• Preventing unnecessary duplication of systems and infrastructure
• Taking a Swinburne-wide perspective, thus avoiding a siloed or ad-hoc approach to IT project selection and implementation

In addition to these benefits, the IT Governance policies provide a clear, transparent and standardised approach to the authorisation of all IT acquisitions or developments from small works through to major projects, and the procurement of all IT goods and services will be via the IT Procurement function in IT Services.

Are there any financial benefits?

IT Governance will enable the University to be confident that expenditure on IT changes is money well spent, in terms of delivering desirable outcomes and real benefits to the organisation, consistent with its agreed strategic goals. It will also ensure that IT investments are cost effective, not just in terms of the initial outlay for the project, but also in terms of the ongoing costs of running, maintaining and supporting IT users and the IT infrastructure.

So what is in Swinburne’s IT Governance framework?

The IT Governance framework recently approved by Executive Group, comprises:

• IT Applications and Infrastructure Governance Policy
• IT Governance Committee (ITGC) Terms of Reference
• IT Architecture Policy

How do I go about requesting an IT change or a project?

If you are intending to seek approval for an IT change, large or small, talk to IT Services about this as early as possible to allow adequate time for understanding the changes required, arranging funding and gaining approval. A good starting point to understanding how to go about this is by reading the IT Governance Overview.

It is the responsibility of the project proposer to arrange funding through their line manager. Neither ITGC nor IT Services has a budget for funding projects.

What does ITGC do, and who are its members?

The ITGC is responsible for IT investment decisions and is the sole authority in Swinburne for approving and prioritising IT changes. The ITGC reviews all project proposals, and delegates the handling of small works to its sub-committee, the Small Works Sub Group.

The membership of the ITGC is constituted such that prioritisation and decision making about IT investment are under the joint ownership of the university, and not made by IT Services. This shared approach puts the wider Swinburne community in charge of the work that IT Services undertake on behalf of the University.

The ITGC held its first meeting in December. The members are:

• Richard Constantine, Chief Information Officer (Chair)
• Barry Telford, Chief Financial Officer
• Toni Kilsby, Director Student Operations
• Stephen Connelly, PVC International and Development (or Nominee)
• Alistair Crozier, DVC TAFE and PVC Industry Engagement (or Nominee)
• Andrew Flitman, PVC Research (or Nominee)
• Dale Murphy, DVC Academic (or Nominee)

Interested in finding out more?

Visit the IT Governance webpage. If you have any queries or would like to know more, please contact either Matthew Smith, Associate Director, Information Services on 9214 5800 or Liz Sidebotham, Project Office Manager on 9214 8310.

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