Frequently Asked Questions

What types of projects need to have a project scorecard prepared?

• Any project that involves resources from a campus unit that plans to offer a developed or vendor system for the entire campus.
• Any project that will interface with an Enterprise system.
• Any project that wishes to utilize funding from the central pool of IT dollars.
• Any project that requires review by the Project Review Team.

How are cost estimates developed?

Cost estimates are based on a time and materials model. First, available discretionary resources are assessed, and if available, factored into the project proposal. Then, additional resources such as contract staff are added. Rates for contract staff will vary, depending on the role. Some common rates include:

• Developers - $65/hr
• Typical application or vendor consultants - $220/hr

What happens if requirements need to be added after a project has been approved?

If requirements need to be added after the project has started, the project cost will go up. The project may be cancelled if significant increases in the project cost impact the business case.

What happens if a project doesn't meet its target implementation date?

Project health should be reviewed by the Project Manager regularly. In the event of any slippage, the details of the delay and the action taken to resolve the issues should be documented in the project status reports. If the delays are significant, the project should be brought before the Project Review Team for discussion.

Will projects that are approved begin immediately?

Not necessarily. The availability of internal resources, such as analysts, subject matter experts and developers varies over time. To guarantee their availability would require staffing at a very high, inefficient level. Projects will be started based on a combination of factors including their submission dates, value, functional priority and availability of resources.

What kind of technical review do projects go through?

The Architecture Review Board's (ARB) purpose is to review all significant projects to ensure compliance with existing campus or UC-wide technology standards, or to work with the appropriate staff to extend those standards in a manner that fits with OIT's strategic technology direction. An ARB review is required for all campus-wide technical initiatives.

Is every sponsor group required to fund their own project or is there a University or Campus budget to fund these projects?

There are some central pool IT funds available for implementation of enterprise projects. While the priority for central funds is highest for projects that affect the entire campus, in some cases, priorities that impact at a single department may also obtain funding. Funding and financial impact should not be considered barriers to submitting project proposals. Part of the initial vetting process is to identify how the project will be funded.

Is there a way to see the detail of the proposals that are on the project list Web site?

Project logs are available on the Project Log page. Details of the projects are available from the Project Manager.

Are all projects assigned a quantitative rating?

All significant projects that are expensive, complex, or higher risk, are rated based on a list of business and risk criteria. Information on this process is available on the Project Scorecard page. Smaller projects are only approved or rejected.

Should I go through OIT before purchasing software?

Yes! OIT will help you get the best value for the investment, oversee the security of any acquisition, and ensure that the vendor contract is written with standard guidelines and contract language to minimize risks. OIT staff are also familiar with architectural guidelines and will help make sure you do not end up making an acquisition of software that cannot be implemented on the campus network.

How will OIT set priorities and timelines for projects and tasks? What principles will be followed? Who will have input into that decision-making process and who will make the final decisions? What appeal process will exist if an administrative unit manager wants to challenge one of those decisions?

Routine requests will be handled through interactions with assigned staff. Projects requiring greater resources will require an OIT Project Proposal which will be processed by OIT in consultation with unit requesting the project. Submitted projects will be reviewed and prioritized by the Project Review Team based on the business case for the project. Major projects (especially those that require resources beyond those allocated to OIT) will be reviewed and prioritized by the IT Oversight Committee. The “appeal process” will be established to raise concerns to the Office of the CIO or to the Associate Executive Vice Chancellor.

How will a department have significant input into and influence on the priority-setting process and the determination of project and task due dates?

Supported units will provide the principal, significant input to the priority setting process for staff assigned to support them via direct interactions with staff as well as interactions and consultation with OIT managers responsible for meeting functional unit's needs. Success is defined as meeting functional unit needs, based upon (indeed, requiring) strong unit engagement.

Will OIT publish detailed service levels (in terms of response time to initial requests, number of projects completed on time, quality of service, etc.) that OIT guarantees to meet or exceed in most cases?

OIT will establish standards based on available resources and functional unit needs. OIT is committed to meeting the needs of its client functional units. As part of this, existing published detailed service level descriptions and measures of previous performance can be factored into establishing and assessing future standards of performance. Information on OIT's service and operational level agreements can be obtained from the /wiki/spaces/adcom/pages/68017478 page on OIT's internal wiki.