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STRATEGIC PLAN FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON

D  R  A  F  T
comments to chip@umw.edu

 

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES DECISION PRINCIPLES

  1. Students' career futures drive technologies provided for them at UMW.
  2. The University follows technology standards that maximize resources and integrate easily.
  3. The Department only puts into production technology for which it has the commitment and resources to support ongoing use.
  4. Any proposal for technology investment will account for the total cost of the solution (including acquisition, implementation, (re)training, operation, and replacement) and personnel (including implementation and support).
  5. Support is personalized and is as close to the user's local environment as is practical.
  6. The Department always trains users in effective use of any technology it deploys in timely fashion.
  7. The Department uses clearly communicated criteria to prioritize the use of technology resources.
  8. The Department prefers technology solutions that users don't notice as different from the rest of the University's on-line environment and with which they quickly and easily become comfortable.
  9. The Department encourages people to propose and implement innovative solutions.
  10. The Department will not dismiss technology solutions simply because they represent radical change.
  11. Everyone should have access to the technologies required to achieve his or her mission-related goals.
  12. Data about the University is an institutional resource whose value is realized through its widespread and appropriate use.
  13. The Department encourages appropriate use of technology resources primarily through education, rather than policing.

NOTES:

  • The current order of the principles is arbitrary; they are numbered for convenience of reference.
  • Some who have commented have wondered about the reconciliation of the Department's support for innovation while stressing stability, supportability, and standardization.  The Department regards exploration and innovation in information technology as essential to a healthy IT program and to the University as a whole.  However, when we consider a particular technology tool to be part of the "production" environment here (an environment whose stability and dependability must be as high as possible), that tool must be sufficiently mature, stable, integrable, usable, supportable, and secure to meet our "production" standards.