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Strategic Thinking for IT LeadersView from the CFO

Seminars in Academic Computing

Executive Leadership Institute

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A CFO’s Concept

• The faculty carry out the mission of our institutions and that mission involves our students

• The staff provide support for that mission and offer the services that are key to helping the institution to achieve its strategic goals

• My departments: Facilities Services (Physical Plant), Business Services, Human Resources, Investments, Auxiliary Services and Information Technology Services– We provide service and support– WE assure compliance with laws and regulations

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Service & Support

• Our goal: to provide the highest quality level of service to help the institution achieve it mission and goals and to make compliance as painless as possible

• That service and support role is quite different in Information Technology from any of the other service departments in my area.– Faculty, students and staff are much more

immediately involved and interested in IT– They all want some say in the support and services

that IT provides

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Connections to IT

• Faculty and students make increasing use technology in a variety of ways to support the teaching and learning process, and they want to be able to make their own choices

• Staff need to use technology to be most productive in their work, and they need training and support to do that

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How will IT succeed?

• Comprehensive, institution-wide strategic planning

• Connect strategic planning to the budget process

• Understand institution-wide financial and budget issues and budget

• Provide unbeatable customer service

• Build partnerships

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The Strategic Planning Process Itself

Mission

Vision

Internal and External Environment Analysis

Strategic Issues

Goals

Identification of Constituents

Strategies

Core Values

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Strategic Planning for Information Technology

•Defined by the Institution’s Strategic Plan• IT Mission: How does IT support the institutional mission?

• IT Vision: How will future IT developments support the institutional strategic vision?

• IT Core Values: must reflect the core values of the institution

• IT Environment & Strategic Issues: informed by ongoing analysis at institution and at departmental level

• IT Goals: Support institution goals & are institution wide

• IT Strategies: Developed at departmental level

• Operational Planning

• Fundraising Planning

• Budget Planning

• Master Planning

Impact on other planning

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Planning for Information TechnologyMust be Campus-wide

• IT Departmental Mission, Vision, & Values Statements agreed upon across campus– Understanding of IT Departmental Constituents; look

for differences at a unit level: students, faculty, staff– SWOT Analysis should be shared with campus– Strategic Issues for the IT Across the Campus– Goals for the IT Department Understood on Campus

• Strategies for Achieving Those Goals - Departmental

• Annual Objectives & Budget -Departmental

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Strategic Planning: Implementation - Linking Planning to Budgeting

Operational Plan:• Translates the longer term strategic plan into a one-year

timeframe and thus to the annual budget process• Specifies one year objectives in all areas of the College

set to achieve the long term, strategic goals

Budget Plan:• Allocates resources according to the priorities specified

in the operational plan and within the context of financial reality

• Makes the operational plan a reality

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Financial Realities in Higher Education

Colleges and Universities are Complex• Many businesses besides our mission of

education, research, & service– Residential Services – Food Services – Real Estate, Parking– Hotel & Conferences Services– Facilities & Grounds Maintenance– Architectural Design and Construction– Medical & Other Professional Services– Information Technology

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Institutional Financial Support

• Private Institution Sources of Revenue– Tuition & Fees– Room & Board– Auxiliary Services– Grants and Contracts, Public & Private– Gifts– Endowment Spending Distribution– Medical Services– Patents/Intellectual Properties

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Institutional Financial Support

• Public Institution Sources of Revenue– State Grants & Capital Funds– Tuition & Fees– Room & Board– Auxiliary Services– Grants and Contracts, Public & Private– Gifts– Endowment Investment Distribution– Medical Services– Patents

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Classification of Expenses

Expenditures are Complex & Market Driven• Largest Cost: Compensation

– National competition for faculty & upper administration– Market competition is heavy for specific positions

• Fund Raising, Technology, Finance staff

– Recent energy rates have been largely uncontrollable– Medical benefits premiums are non-negotiable– Technology is continually changing & expensive– Enhanced services are expected– Aging campuses require greater allocations for

maintenance & renewal

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Organizational & Financial Structure

• Financial Structure of Your Institution– Centralized or decentralized– Responsibility Centered Management– Operational versus capital budgets– Written documents?

• Budget Processes and Structure– Public or private budget process– Who is involved? What is the time frame?– Written documents?

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Develop Relationships

• Learn about people across the campus– Understand their work, families, hobbies, their

Myers Briggs type!– Get to know students, faculty, staff– Connect with the community

• Respect Individuals– Try to understand their concerns– Do not criticize them to others

• Understand your relationship to them

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Be A Role Model of Commitment

• Make sure that you fit the institution– Commit to work hard– Commit to supporting institutional goals– Commit to institutional culture & norms

• Communicate that commitment – Behavior

• Be reliable – keep your promises• Make decisions, even hard ones

– Verbal and written communication• What you say and how you say it

• Provide the highest possible customer service

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Create Partnerships Internally

• With Provost, Deans & Faculty for Instructional Technology– Joint purchase of software – Shared support personnel– Create planning teams – Demonstrate academic software with faculty

• With Library for Mutual Support– Provide joint support to faculty and students– Support library hardware and software

• With Facilities Services for Infrastructure– Get involved with every construction project– Join together on networking projects– Work together on disaster recovery

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Create Partnerships Internally

• With CFO for Administrative Technology– Work with human resources on training– Provide strong financial support for technology

purchases– Share support personnel

• With Institutional Advancement for Grants– Do your research on available sources of funds– Provide support for alumni

• With Auxiliaries for External Funding– Technology in conference centers & hotels

• With Communications for Marketing– Create a strong partnership for Institutional Web Site– Get their help for marketing IT issues

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Create Partnerships Externally• Participate in Relevant Consortia

– Purchasing consortia– NITLE program– Regional partnerships

• Work closely with Vendors– Communicate your specifications– Communicate your opinion of their service– Take on shared projects

• Communicate Often with Colleagues– Use list serves, participate in conferences, visit their

campus• Share Costs with Other Institutions

– Share personnel, offer joint workshops