Request
Upgrades or new software / system requests must be initiated via the online Intranet form at least five business days in advance of the VP Technology Committee meeting in order to be reviewed. A department head should approve the request in advance. The VP Technology Committee meets bi-weekly on Thursdays at 1:00pm.
Evaluation
MCAD Information Technology Services (ITS) will first determine the kind of upgrade that has been requested:
- Minor upgrades are those which will have no significant impact on existing systems.
- Major upgrades are those that require new infrastructure, impact or change business reporting, impact or change business or curricular procedures, or directly impact maintenance budgets.
Minor upgrades will not require further review; they will be assigned to an ITS team member based on existing workload and institutional priority. Major upgrades will need to be submitted for further review by the VP Technology Committee.
VP Technology Committee Review
The VP Technology Committee will review major upgrade or new software/system proposals and, if approved for additional consideration, set project time for the further evaluation of the new/upgraded software by the ITS team and the requesting department. The VP Technology Committee can also request additional information by inviting the original requester to present to committee members in advance of further review.
ITS Audit
For approved, further evaluation requests, ITS will next audit the proposed software/system with the direct involvement of the department contact lead. The "New Administrative Software Technology Audit" checklist will be used to provide guidance in this process. The checklist will include criteria such as:
- Support Concerns
- Business Audit IT Component Compliance
- Security
- Compatibility
- Funding
- Ongoing Maintenance
- Usefulness to Multiple/Other Departments
The timeline of the audit is dependent on existing ITS project loads and other institutional priorities. After the audit is complete, the results of the audit will be submitted to the initial requester and department head. MCAD ITS will sign off if the software/system request is deemed viable, or will provide clarification on implementation concerns.
MCAD ITS and the requesting department will meet to review the final audit findings, and clarify issues connected to approval or denial of request. If the software/system request is denied and it is still desired by the requester, the viability, support, maintenance, and total cost rationale will need to be documented by the requesting department for submission to the VP Technology Committee for further review.
Implementation
For approved projects, ITS and the requesting department lead will provide a mutually agreed upon implementation timeline with deliverables which can include the following:
- Define responsibility for software acquisition and installation (ex. MCAD Technology, Vendor, Department)
- Define support levels and main contacts (ex. MCAD Technology, Vendor, Department)
- Define proposed go-live date
- Technology and Department Testing Time Line
- Technology and Department Testing Checklist/Sign-off Form
- Technology Implementation Completion Form (hours spent on project, documentation completed in IT Wiki)
The VP Technology Committee will assign priority, project time, and funding as appropriate for approved projects. The VP Technology Committee will continue to review project time utilization throughout the course of all approved projects.