The Deloitte assessment: an update

As many readers are aware, in 2015 the University engaged Deloitte Consulting to perform a holistic assessment of information technology (IT) services and operations, with a primary focus on the central IT services offered by University Information Technology (UIT).

The 13-week assessment resulted in 28 recommendations from Deloitte, and UIT leadership has since identified clear, precise priorities on which to focus to achieve those recommendations. These priorities align with both UIT’s and the University’s goals and include: 

• Develop a ubiquitous service strategy
• Mature the IT funding model
• Enable a seamless student experience
• Solidify details for the new building to house UIT employees
• Strengthen the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
• Develop a campus wireless strategy
• Standardize the enterprise architecture
• Develop and roll out the service catalog (specific to the Center for High Performance Computing)
• Strengthen IT risk management
• Develop an IT Transformation Program and Project Management Office (PMO)

(Note: this is not an exhaustive list.)

“We’re deep into the planning process, and we now have priorities that we’re working on,” said Paula Millington, director for the UIT Process Office.

The complete list of priorities has been added into the strategic plan, the details of which will be shared at the next All-Hands Meeting (date to be determined).

“This is the groundwork for actually getting the recommendations into a usable project format, so that we can accomplish the work that needs to be done to achieve them,” said Scott Sherman, special assistant to CIO Steve Hess.

“We’re being strategic about deploying our resources in such a way as to get these things done and not bring our daily operations to a screeching halt,” he added.

The U’s IT governance structure has experienced the greatest amount of progress, as UIT worked closely with Deloitte to devise a plan for a new model of IT governance on campus.

“The governance structure, funding model, and ubiquitous services are underpinning almost all of these recommendations,” said Jill Brinton, associate director for the UIT Process Office. “Those are the foundational recommendations to address first.”

The first IT governance meeting will be held on March 25, which will serve as an introduction to get everyone up to speed on the new format. Those invited to the meeting were selected by their deans or administrative directors to represent their areas.

“These are the people that the colleges and other organizations chose to be their voice in IT governance,” said Sherman.

As with any organizational change, it’ll be a long road ahead – but UIT is taking care to make sure each recommendation is enacted in a strategic way that makes sense for the organization, its employees, and the broader campus community.

“There’s nothing that Deloitte recommended that would be out of bounds. The recommendations represent very standard IT procedures,” said Brinton. “It’s just a matter of what we should do first, and when.”

For further questions about the Deloitte assessment and recommendations, please contact Associate Director for Project Management Jill Brinton at 801-585-3042 or jill.brinton@utah.edu.

 

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