Strategic Pillars
Each strategic pillar conveys key elements that must be achieved for the IT Strategic Plan to be successful.
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A Connected McMaster Community
McMaster’s cooperative and transparent approach to prioritizing and funding information technologies for the institution will include aligned leadership and partnerships across campuses, allowing the institution to reach its highest potential by drawing on the expertise of our talented IT community, enabling engagement, adaptability, and connections at all levels of the institution.
Key Objectives
- Institutional Adaptiveness
- One IT Community
Seamless Foundation
A standardized, scalable, secure and integrated technology infrastructure is the necessary foundation for transformative information technologies and services at McMaster. This ‘rock solid’ and seamless environment of core capabilities will be fostered through coordination across IT service areas and will provide McMaster with valued and high performance information technologies.
Key Objectives
- Optimized IT Infrastructure
- Enhanced Productivity Systems
Transformative Information Technologies and Services
McMaster‘s evolution as a 21st century institution will depend on strategic solutions based on leading edge technologies and innovations, and investments in strong data integrations and automation tools to create ‘delightful’ technologies and world class experiences for students, faculty and staff.
Key Objectives
- Expedited Collaboration and Decision Making
- Reimagining the McMaster IT Experience
Decision Making
The McMaster IT Strategic Plan was endorsed by IT Executive within the context of the existing IT Governance framework and the McMaster Budget Planning Cycle. The IT Executive endorsed the Vision, the Strategic Pillars and the Objectives with the expectation that all proposed initiatives will be submitted for endorsement through the IT Governance model, and all funding will be reviewed through the Budget Planning Cycle.
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McMaster IT Strategic Plan
IT initiatives coming forward should reflect the themes and elements of the McMaster IT Strategic Plan, including the three pillars of a Connected McMaster Community, Seamless Foundation and Transformative Information Technologies and Services. All initiatives identified within the McMaster IT Strategic Plan and proposal submitted by the community will use the strategy as a guiding framework. New sections have been added to the Governance Project Proposal template to capture details to support the alignment.
IT Governance Framework
Initiatives will continue to go through IT Governance processes for collaboration, prioritization, consultation and endorsement, with details on strategic alignment, cost, resources and expected business outcomes. Identification of strategic pillar alignment will be a necessary requirement for all proposals: Connected Community, Seamless Foundation, Transformative Information Technologies and Services. Coordinating with the budget cycle, new initiatives should begin to be developed in winter/spring for the following fiscal year.
Budget Cycle
The McMaster Fiscal year runs from May 1st to April 30th. Funds to begin new approved initiatives become available on May 1st. Strategic proposals and initiatives are required to look ahead for appropriate fiscal planning and reporting. Many of the initiatives identified in the McMaster IT Strategic Plan have a discovery phase and the outcome of these projects are integrated in the planning for the next fiscal year. Budget planning for the following fiscal year is completed in November, and this also represents the mid-way point for approved projects.
Active Initiatives
The McMaster IT Strategic Plan (2019 – 2021) launched on January 23, 2019, and a list of 2019 IT strategic initiatives was immediately prioritized and endorsed through IT Governance.
Each priority initiative requires campus engagement to assist with the analysis, assessment and planning necessary to reach project proposal stage and will in turn be endorsed through IT Governance. To this end, engagement sessions were held throughout the early summer, bringing together constituents from across McMaster to share their input and ideas.
Click on the initiatives below to learn more about the engagement session outputs and next steps:
Tracking Progress
There are many endorsed McMaster IT Initiatives already underway. McMaster campus members can learn more and check the status and progress of these projects here.