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.

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.

The McMaster Fiscal year runs from May 1^st to April 30^th.  Funds to begin new approved initiatives become available on May 1^st. 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.