Process & Structure

The Boston University 2015-20 Technology Plan has been developed to guide the evolution of technology infrastructure and services at BU, both by the central technology organization, Information Services & Technology, and local/specialized technology support teams. The Technology Plan supports, both directly and foundationally, the following strategic goals of the University Strategic Plan: Choosing to be Great.

• Strengthening the quality of the faculty.
• Strengthening our commitment to interdisciplinary programs in research, education, and outreach.
• Strengthening the excellence of our undergraduate education.
• Strengthening the student residential community and the student experience.
• Strengthening targeted programs in graduate research and education.
• Strengthening our leadership as an urban and global research university.

Alignment with the BU Strategic Plan will be sustained through review and revision as the University plan is updated.

The Technology Plan also aims to address technology risks identified through the Service Portfolio Health Chart and University’s Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program.

Through a combination of engagement with technology leaders, review of emerging trends and best practices, participation in campus focus groups, and internal discussion, the BU technology governance committees have formulated the Principles and Strategic Capabilities articulated in this plan. The Strategic Capabilities each support one or more goals of Choosing to be Great and/or help mitigate Enterprise Risks, and drive multiple technology-related Initiatives. The Principles are broad guidelines to keep in mind as we move forward with the Initiatives.

Note: throughout the plan, "we" is used to refer to the BU technology services community as a whole, including the central technology organization, Information Services & Technology, and local technology organizations working in partnership.

Assessment

We will provide annual reporting to IS&T governance committees, including the following information:

• Projects The number of projects in progress in each strategic capability area, by status
• Community Satisfaction Bi-annual TechQual+ results
• Service Portfolio Health Number of critical services at each lifecycle stage
• Cost Benchmarks relative to peers, such as central IT funding as % of institutional expenses and IT funding per FTE

For access to these metrics for non-governance committee members, please contact vpist@bu.edu with your request.