Title: Administrative Office Programming and Project Support
Effective Date: September 2005
Issuing Authority: Information Technology
Program Coordinators: Director of IT and Libraries
Last Updated: September 2005
Information Technology supports the programming and project needs of the community, focusing on the goals and objectives outlined in the college’s guiding documents (Strategic Plan, Mission Statement, etc.). As such, priority is given to those areas that are core to the mission of the institution and then those areas that directly support the primary business functions of the college. Areas that fall outside of this will be provided with programming and project support on a time-available basis.
All projects are reviewed within the framework of the following guidelines:
- Does the project support the core mission of the institution?
- How many members of the St. Olaf community will be affected by the project?
- Does the project directly impact the daily lives of the students?
- Does the project have applicability to other areas (i.e., can the code or project services be reused by others)?
- Is the project used for a single event or will it be used by multiple people and/or events over a number of years?
- Is the proposed project deadline feasible (i.e., does the appropriate staff member have time that can be directed to the project)?
- Does the project have implications for future support that can’t be guaranteed?
- Are there financial obligations involved? If yes, is funding available and guaranteed?
- Does the liaison, requester, or office have the technical skills needed to effectively use the program once in-place?
Offices Supported by the Major Business Systems
IT staff will work with the offices supported by the major business systems to develop appropriate programming and project lists and the corresponding project schedules for all work. Each division will designate one individual to serve as the liaison to the IT to help ensure that the work of IT matches the goals and objectives of each division. This liaison will be responsible for collecting, prioritizing, and submitting all project requests to IT for that area. This liaison will be asked to meet periodically with the IT staff member designated to support that area, other appropriate staff involved in division projects and the Director of IT to discuss work progress, as well as lay out strategies and timelines for future work.
The project requests will be reviewed and ultimately approved by the IT staff member assigned to that area and the Director of IT. The Director ultimately has the responsibility to resolve project conflicts or to work with users to review suitable alternatives when a project request is denied. When project conflicts arise that span two or more divisions the Director of IT will consult with the appropriate Vice Presidents.
Offices Outside of the Core Business Systems
Offices that are not considered users of a primary business system are given programming and project support time on a time-available basis. The time available varies dramatically through out the year.
These offices must also designate a liaison to IT. This liaison will be responsible for collecting, prioritizing, and submitting all project requests to IT for that area. The requests will be considered at the time of submission and an IT staff member will be assigned to work with the liaison to determine the scope of the project. The Director of IT will make the staff assignment based on the skills needed for that particular project.
The staff member assigned and the Director will determine the feasibility of each project and a decision on the project (both the approval as well as the timing) will be made. The Director ultimately has the responsibility to resolve project conflicts or to work with users to review suitable alternatives when a project request is denied. When project conflicts arise that cannot be resolved at the local level the Director of IT will consult with the appropriate Vice President.