Information Technology Governance

The role of IT governance at Parkland College is to provide a framework and processes that ensure the alignment between IT strategy and the college's mission, ensuring that technology investments add value, enhance educational outcomes, and support the overall institutional strategy. Parkland College's IT Governance structure is described as follows:

Roles of IT Governance vs. IT Management

IT Governance

IT Governance sets direction through prioritization and decision making, and monitors overall IT performance.
Governance sets the vision and policies for the organization.

IT Management

Management is responsible for executing on, running, and monitoring activities as determined by IT governance.
Management makes decisions for implementing the policies.

An IT Governance committee decides which projects IT undertakes, including resource allocation and investment. The governance committee reviews the success metrics of the project.

Management receives the list of projects which have been prioritized, creates a strategy to build and implement these, and reports on their success to the governance committee.

Parkland IT Governance Structure

Executive Technology Committee (ETC)

Technology for Learning Engagement (TLE)

Cross Functional Committee (CFC)

Student Working Group

HR Working Group

Finance Working Group

Data Governance Working Group

Web Governance Committee

Infrastructure and Security Committee

Topical Working Groups (e.g. Mobile, Email)


IT Governance Committees

Executive Technology Committee

Committee Purpose: Provide an executive oversight of the entire IT Governance structure

Committee Responsibilities:

Oversight 

  • Provide funding and oversee the ITG budget
  • Provide high-level oversight of ITG operations and endorse the role and responsibilities of the process

Review

  • The committee shall review, approve and prioritize all proposals for IT investment that meet the following criteria:
    • Projects with 80 or higher hours of total effort
    • Projects with $20,000 or more in requested ITPR funding
  • All proposals must follow the ITGC case methodology as mandated by the ETC. This methodology includes clear definitions of business measures and benchmarks of progress, namely a cost/benefit analysis and clear calculation of Return on Investment (ROI)
  • Approval for all projects is reached through a consensus vote of the ETC.
  • Review and approve campus wide IT policies

Strategy

  • Provide strategic leadership for IT through the alignment of IT strategic objectives and activities with enterprise strategic objectives and processes.
  • Ensure optimal IT operational spending through service target measurements.
  • Ensure open communication between the IT department and the other Administrative and Academic units of Parkland College

Members

  • Chief Information Officer 
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Vice President for Student Services
  • Associate Vice President for Human Resources
  • Vice President/Chief Academic Officer
  • Executive Director of Foundation
  • Vice President/Communications and External Affairs
Infrastructure and Security Committee

Committee Purpose: Develop, prioritize, and recommend project proposals and strategic direction. This committee recommends policies for IT infrastructure and security to support the core mission of Parkland College. In addition, it provides insights on IT-related issues, feasibility, dependencies, and ramifications to other governance committees.

Committee Responsibilities:

Review and Prioritize

Develop, review, and prioritize project proposals related to Parkland IT infrastructure and security including:

  • IT infrastructure and security improvement
  • LAN/WAN standards
  • Data center including IT Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
  • Core essential services

Recommend

  • Security technology policies and guidelines
  • IT support strategies
  • IT standards and guidelines
  • Evaluate and recommend funding models for core services

Strategy

  • Seek input from faculty, staff, and students to identify needs that may be addressed by IT
  • Develop and/or assist in developing formal IT Project Requests (ITPR) to address the college needs
  • Oversee the creation and maintenance of IT Service Catalog  
  • Develop and evaluate performance measures for infrastructure and security

Communicate

Communicate IT strategy, project priorities, policies, and standards to constituencies

Members

  • Chief Information Officer
  • Director of Information Security 
  • Director of IT Infrastructure
  • Director of Technology Client Services
  • Director of System Development and Support
  • HR Specialist
  • Learning Commons Librarian
  • Controller
  • Dean of Institutional Effectiveness
  • Director of Enrollment Services
  • Curriculum Specialist
  • Dean of Enrollment Management
  • Financial Aid Advisor
Web Governance Committee

Committee Purpose: The Parkland College Web Governance Committee oversees the development of college wide consistent policies for Web Content publishing. Such policies would apply to all Parkland internal and external web sites. To ensure that such policies are developed collaboratively and consistent to college’s business strategy, this task will be managed by both Marketing via the Web Governance Committee and the Technology Infrastructure Committee.

Committee Responsibilities:

Review and Prioritize

Develop, review, and prioritize project proposals related to Web publishing technologies

Recommend

  • Establish appropriate policies, processes, and procedures to govern current and future website standards
  • Evaluate effectiveness, content, standards, and policies for  technology and editorial components
  • Suggest global changes to taxonomy, structure, branding, look and feel, navigation, styling, etc. as needed
  • Ensure compliance with all legal and regulatory standards, including accessibility, security, protection of PII, etc.
  • Ensure site quality and content integrity

Strategy

  • Develop and maintain a global Parkland College web presence identity
  • Develop and/or assist in developing formal IT Project Requests (ITPR) to address the college needs
  • Develop and evaluate performance measures for web sites

Communicate

Communicate IT strategy, project priorities, policies, and standards to constituencies

Members

  • Director of Marketing
  • Program Manager of Arts and Sciences
  • System Analyst 
  • Athletic Director
  • Dean of Health Professions 
  • Dean of Enrollment Management 
  • Automotive Instructor 
  • Director of Enrollment Services
  • Associate Director of Community Education
  • Content Manager in Marketing
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Director of Enterprise Application Services
  • Vice President of Communications and External Affairs
  • Vice President for Student Services
Technology for Learning Engagement

Committee Purpose: The Instructional Technology Committee provides a forum for the discussion of current and emerging technology  issues,  trends,  innovations,  changes  and  needs  related  to  instructional  programs.  This  committee  serves  as  a  vehicle  for  the integration  of  the  college  Technology Strategic Plan  and  associated  technology  support  issues.

Committee Responsibilities:

Review and Prioritize

Review, prioritize and endorse priorities for purchase of instructional equipment and software.

Recommend

  • Recommend  policies  and  procedures  on  the utilization  of  computers  and  related  resources,  ADA  compliance  of  online  instructional  materials
  • Recommend information technology affecting the teaching and learning environment, including alternate modes of delivery
  • Support the implementation innovative and creative uses of technology in the classroom  
  • Review the impact of grant and initiative proposals make on college inventory and ways to take advantage of emerging technology.

Strategy

  • Seek input from faculty, staff, and students to identify needs that may be addressed by IT
  • Develop and/or assist in development of formal IT Project Proposals (ITPR) to address the college needs

Communicate

Communicate IT strategy, project priorities, policies, and standards to constituencies

Members

  • Vice President/Chief Academic Officer
  • Dean of Health Professions
  • Chief Information Officer
  • Humanities Representative 
  • Dean of Arts and Sciences
  • Director of Technology Client Services
  • Instructional Technology Specialist
  • Art and Design Instructor from Fine and Applied Arts
  • Director of The Learning Commons
  • Interim Department Chair for Natural Sciences
  • Curriculum Specialist
Administrative Systems Committee - Cross Functional

Committee Purpose: Oversee the development, prioritization, and execution of cross functional administrative IT related projects, business process improvement, and system standards.

Committee Responsibilities:

Review and Prioritize

  • Review and prioritize project proposals prepared by the administrative systems working groups (Student, HR, Finance, BI) as well as the ASC.
  • Review and prioritize projects and changes related to:
    • Colleague functionality
    • Management reporting
    • Other administrative systems such as the Portal, Web Content Management
  • Make recommendations to ETC regarding administrative projects funding, approval, and prioritization

Recommend

Recommend Institutional administrative technology related policies

Strategy

Develop and/or assist in the development of formal IT Project Proposals (ITPR) that are cross functional and may not be covered by the administrative systems working groups

Communicate

Communicate IT strategy, project priorities, policies, and standards to constituencies

Members

  • Chief Information Officer
  • Director of Information Security 
  • Director of Enterprise Application Services
  • Director of Marketing
  • Director of Enrollment Services
  • Vice President/Chief Academic Officer
  • Vice President of Communications and External Affairs
  • Vice President for Student Services
  • Director of System Development
  • Controller
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Dean of Arts and Sciences
  • Dean of Health Professions
  • Dean of Enrollment Management
  • Manager of Human Resources
  • Dean of Career and Technology Education