Information Technology Resource Management Policy

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100.00 Introduction and Purpose:

110.00 Introduction

Under the current governance structure, the Information Technology Center serves academic, administrative, and ancillary constituents across four campuses, represented by multiple governing committees. IT needs of the various constituencies rely on shared available resources. To meet organizational needs, ITC must collaborate with constituents to understand and plan for their requirements, and constituents must prioritize their requests for service, given limited resources. When competing demands cannot be met with available resources, the IT Governance Council must determine University priorities.

Additionally, as Information Technology resources become increasingly integral to the mission of the University, entities outside the IT Center have need to deploy new technology and changes to technology that unintentionally impact other entities within the University as well as the IT Center.

120.00 Purpose

The purpose of this policy is twofold:

1. To establish and support the process for University IT constituents to request IT projects to meet their instructional, research, and organizational needs, and to enable the IT Center to meet constituent needs with available resources.
2. To assist University constituents in the pursuit of instructional, research, and organizational needs to leverage shared IT resources across campus without impacting or impeding the use of those IT resources by other constituents.

Proper use of this process should result in vetted, informed, prioritized proposals of academic and administrative use of IT resources with information and support provided from the IT Center that includes, where appropriate, defined impacts, service agreements, project plans, schedules, and costs.

130.00 Usage

When any University entity—department, agency, committee, faculty, or staff—identifies an academic or administrative need that requires or may impact significant IT resources or security, that entity will follow the guidelines set forth in this policy to submit a proposal to the appropriate IT governing committees.

200.00 Policy

210.00 Roles and Responsibilities

Responsibilities under the guidelines of this policy exist at multiple levels of the University.

210.10 Technology Advisory Committee Responsibilities

Proposals for new projects, purchases, or services are submitted by University entities to the appropriate Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) representing their area.

• The Enterprise Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC) represents the interests of the Administrative functional areas.
• The Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) represents the interests of the Academic instruction and research areas.

Each TAC is responsible for evaluating, approving, prioritizing, and communicating their strategic priorities to the IT Center. The TAC will keep its prioritization list current and adjust it to accommodate each new proposal as needed.

210.20 IT Center Responsibilities

The IT Center is responsible for managing its portfolio of projects and requisite resources to meet institutional demands.  The IT Center supports the proposal process by providing information to the TACs with respect to resource impacts and availability as well as projected costs to the organization. The IT Center assesses the final proposals in conjunction with known or anticipated requests from other constituencies and responds with appropriate statements of work, cost estimates, resource availability, and scheduling information.

The IT Center is responsible for providing support to University entities in determining the potential impact of any planned IT-related projects, services, or purchases. Refer to www.montana.edu/itcenter/planning for contact information and details.

210.30 Constituent Responsibilities

University entities—including departments, agencies, committees, faculty, or staff—are responsible for determining if planned IT-related projects and purchases impact University IT resources and therefore fall within the scope of this policy, utilizing assistance from the IT Center when necessary. For projects, purchases, and services that are determined to impact University IT resources, entities are responsible for obtaining approval from the appropriate TAC according to the guidelines within this policy prior to commitment of time, effort, or funds.

220.00 Scope

This policy encompasses any IT-related project, purchase, or service on any MSU campus that requires or may impact IT resources, security, or ability to meet instructional, research, or organizational needs.

220.10 Categories

The scope of this policy applies to proposals, projects, purchases, or services that require:

1. Changes to Banner functionality, including but not limited to baseline modifications or implementation of unused functionality
2. Application development, either internally developed or externally hired
3. Integration of third-party products into the enterprise
4. Services such as database administration, security oversight, network bandwidth, hardware or storage capacity, software implementations, technical consultation or labor

220.20 Definitions

Within the scope of this policy:

“Network bandwidth” refers to the capacity for usage of any voice or data network, including but not limited to the Internet, Internet2, campus Local Area Networks, wireless networks, or the SummitNet state network.

“Project” refers to any IT-related change, enhancement, or new development that can potentially impact University IT resources, security, or business procedures.

“Purchase” refers to any IT-related third-party product, service, or subscription service purchased by a University entity that can potentially impact University IT resources, security, or business procedures.

“Resources” refers to any source of supply or support to the university, including but not limited to employees and labor hours; property; tangible or intangible assets; network, server, or bandwidth capacity.

“Service” refers to any IT-related work done by internal personnel or external contractors and third parties that can potentially impact University IT resources, security, or business procedures.

“University” refers to the MSU system: the campuses of Bozeman, Billings, Great Falls, and Havre, as well as agencies.

230.00 Exceptions

Many services, small projects, or purchases using isolated resources will likely be exceptions to this proposal policy. The IT Center will assist constituents in determining the probable impact of their needs.  Because every IT situation is unique, this policy cannot outline all possible scenarios that do or do not constitute an exception.

The IT Center is the ultimate determiner of exceptions. Constituents may contact the IT Center in advance to determine the impact of their desired project, purchase, or service and whether it constitutes an exception or requires a proposal. Refer to www.montana.edu/itcenter/planning for contact information and assistance in determining exceptions.

240.00 Conflict Escalation

Conflicts resulting from competing demands from constituencies are negotiated between the requesting organizations, utilizing assistance from the IT Center as needed. Unresolvable conflicts are escalated to the IT Governance Council.

300.00 Procedures

Procedures and details related to and in support of this policy may be found at www.montana.edu/itcenter/planning. Refer to this address for assistance, contact information, and further explanation.

400.00 Internal Control

The IT Center cannot assure support or assistance with projects, purchases, or services that were initiated outside the guidelines of this policy or that were later modified. IT-related projects, purchases, or services that unexpectedly draw down IT resources, human or technological, or that adversely impact the University’s ability to meet instructional, research, or organizational needs using IT resources may be precluded, temporarily disabled, or permanently decommissioned by the IT governance structure.

410.00 Related Policies

Refer to www.montana.edu/itcenter/policy or www2.montana.edu/policy for related policies that may apply to IT-related projects, purchases, or services.