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Marshalling IT resources without limiting innovation

Implementing IT shared services in a research led university

Angela BridglandDeputy Principal Information Services

Linda O’BrienVice Principal (Information)

• Copyright Angela Bridgland & Linda O’Brien 2006. This work is the intellectual property of the authors. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that copying is by permission of the authors. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission of the authors.


Marshalling IT resources without limiting innovation

When you have common interfaces, common protocols, then everyone can innovate and everyone can interoperate. Companies can build their businesses, consumers can expand their choices, the technology moves forward faster, and users get more benefit.

Craig Barrett, CEO IntelQuoted in An e-Research Strategic Framework: Interim Report of the e-Research Coordinating Committee


Implementing IT shared services in a research led university

• Setting the scene

• Preparing the soil

• Sowing the seed

• Growing the crop

• Reaping the harvest

• Some “gardening” lessons


Setting the scene


Setting the scene

• Established in 1853• 5,900 staff • Nearly 35,000 students of which 24%

international and 9,000 are postgraduate • 12 Faculties and over 100 research centres• Australia’s premiere research university• Ranked number 22 in the world by The Times

Higher Education Supplement


Preparing the soil

PETER STACKPOLE/LIFE


Preparing the soil

• Building relationships– Executive, Deans and Faculty General Managers– The division’s staff– The broader University IT community

• The importance of language• Consider the way the money flows• Baseline assessment• Winning hearts and minds


IT @ Melbourne 2005


IT @ Melbourne

Outside the central IT division’s services & support:– 100 information system applications in

administrative divisions– 70 dedicated server areas/data centres – 740 servers and stand alone storage devices– 1,400 network devices– 18,500 desktop/notebook computers – 2,350 printers


Winning hearts and minds

FLITE Conference July 2004 presentationAn IT Shared Services Model for the University of Melbourne: What is it and why have one?

“An IT shared services model optimises the University’s investment in IT know-how, services, systems and infrastructure to achieve the University’s strategic outcomes”

• Ultimately it’s about value for money - balancing quality, cost and risk


Growing Esteem 2006 and beyond

The Melbourne vision of a fine university is that of a triple helix in which sharply-focused, well-supported research, teaching and knowledge transfer remain tightly bound, each shaping and reinforcing the other…

Melbourne will design these three strands of activity so they connect and inform each other in as many ways as possible, to generate greater depth and impact.

Growing Esteem: The University of Melbourne Strategic Plan 2006 p.4, 31 http://growingesteem.unimelb.edu.au/strategicplan/index.html


IT - Linking the Helix


Sowing the seed

The Art and Museum Service, East Sussex County Council


Sowing the seed

• Information Strategy– Principles and architecture– Plans and project portfolio

• Re-aligned division– Leadership, service and flexibility

• Services underpinned by ITIL• IT Shared Services

– Centralise the standard– Share the common– Preserve the unique


Growing the crop


Growing the crop

• Planning and Budget Committee June 2005

IT Shared Services Review Committee– Appropriateness of current model– Principles & service framework– Project plan


Growing the crop

Richard Harris June 2005 “Shared Services”EXP Premiere


Why do it?


Benefits

• University– Reduced risk– Better alignment of IT plans and budgets with University strategy– Cost benefits and improved quality through standardisation

• Faculties– Economies of scale through reduced technology purchases– Improved practices– Local IT staff can build on central and federated services and

concentrate on unique services– Ability to “mix and match” service components on a local and

shared level


Benefits (continued)

• End users- Experience more responsive and consistent quality services

• IT staff- Improved career paths and development opportunities- Increased opportunities for mobility and specialisation- Reduction of re-inventing the wheel


Reaping the harvest


What has been achieved?

• Development of a suite of guiding principles (IT, HR and Resources Transfer principles) and tools including– baseline IT costing project– “discovery” template– a service maturity assessment process and a “prospectus”.

• Business needs analysis• Development of a Service Catalogue, a Service Level

Agreement (Service Framework) and Client Charter• Communication strategy• Governance


What next?

• To date, the focus has been on Administration. The next stage is to focus on Faculties

• Build on the first group of IT shared services (network services, email and collaboration tools, web content management, IT purchasing, desktop support tools and server management)

• Continue to embed ITIL and strengthen our IT service capability

• Redesign roles of IT staff who have transferred from IT units external to Information Services and equip them with necessary skills


Implementation issues

• Communication and stakeholder engagement• Building trust• IT workforce planning and management• Managing the pace of change• Avoiding the transfer of service responsibility

without attendant resources• Optimising the balance of cost, quality and

risk


Some “gardening” lessons

ALFRED EISENSTAEDT/LIFE


Some “gardening” lessons

1. Plant your crop based on an understanding of local conditions

2. Without good soil preparation you won’t yield the optimum harvest

3. If you’ve undertaken 1 & 2 effectively then you’ll have the confidence to plant a new type of crop

4. Be patient – things take time to grow


To survive and thrive, colleges and universities will have to be responsive….To be responsive, institutions of higher education will need to be service oriented

Kent Keith ‘The responsive university in the twenty-first century’ in The responsive university: restructuring for high performance 1998, P.163


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