Purpose

To ensure:

• IT investments are thoroughly considered and are authorized to maximize the likelihood of their success and to      appropriately manage risk.
• Units maximize the use of existing IT solutions owned or licensed by the university before new solutions are acquired or created.
• The university community uses the IT Governance and Collaboration Framework to make optimal IT investment decisions.
  
  

Scope

All Units and all IT investments. 

Definitions

CIO – Chief Information Officer

IT – Information Technology (IT) is the use of computers, software and networks for storing, processing, retrieving and sending data.

IT Governance and Collaboration Council – Consists of the Vice-President Administration and Finance, Provost and Vice-President (Academic), Vice-President (Research) and the Chief Information Officer that is accountable for university IT policies, strategies and overall governance.  Campus VPs may be engaged for decisions specific to their campus, or where there are multi-campus implications.

IT Governance and Collaboration Framework – The formal IT decision-making framework approved by President’s Executive Committee that includes principles, organizational structures and processes enabling academic, research, administrative and IT leaders to make informed decisions based on institutional objectives.

IT Investment – An expenditure of money and/or other resources on IT that is required or discretionary.

IT Investment Proposal – A document which describes a potential IT investment for consideration. 

Total Investment Cost - the aggregate estimated value of an IT Investment which includes all costs and expenditures including incremental operational costs that may be reasonably expected as part of the project or purchase. 

Unit – Academic or Administrative unit as defined in the University Calendar.

Policy

1. IT investments and priorities are determined within Memorial University’s IT Governance and Collaboration Framework, in which coherent and collaborative decisions lead to sustainable solutions. IT investment is considered using common criteria and is prioritized according to common principles.
2. IT investment decisions shall be made in accordance with the Principles for IT Governance. The Purchasing Principles, and the Purchasing Code of Ethics.
3. The IT Governance and Collaboration Council has the authority to establish, review and refine the criteria to determine which IT investments require assessment through the IT Governance and Collaboration Framework. The current criteria are available here.
4. IT Investment proposals that meet any of the current criteria set by the IT Governance and Collaboration Council (available here) shall be assessed through the IT Governance and Collaboration Framework. Decisions of the IT Governance and Collaboration Council may be appealed to the CIO.
5. There may be situations where the standard IT investment assessment process is not feasible. In cases such as emergencies (e.g. a new function requires investment in technology quickly) and time-sensitive opportunities (e.g. funding becomes available from an external source with tight timelines and/or spending restrictions), the proponent of the IT Investment must inform the IT Governance and Collaboration Council, at the time of the investment decision, so that the exception can be documented. The Office of the CIO provides advice on whether an IT Investment assessment process is required.
6. IT Investment decisions not meeting any of the current criteria set by the IT Governance and Collaboration Council may be made at the Unit level and in accordance with the Computer Standards, Purchasing , any other applicable policies and all related procedures.
7. The Office of the CIO shall be the official custodian of the records relating to the IT Investment decisions applicable to this policy and shall manage those in accordance with the University’s Information Management policy.
   
   

Related Documents

IT Governance and Collaboration Framework

Purchasing Policy

Computer Standards Policy

Procedures: