Have a technology project you want to move forward on? Now’s the time to start working on your proposal! The Spring 2018 project prioritization cycle opens on Monday, February 12 and closes at 5 p.m. on Monday, March 5.

In alignment with HSU’s Strategic Goals, re-affirmation of HSU’s WSCUC accreditation and the Graduation Initiative 2025, Cabinet will only consider proposals for projects that are required by the Chancellor’s Office, legally mandated, that contribute to student success, or that contribute to increased efficiency in campus operations. Proposals for mandated or student success projects will be allocated additional points.

Information about how to submit a proposal, along with a full description of the process and links to the proposal submission forms, can be found on the ITS Project Office web pages. You can also review current projects by clicking on individual links in the project portfolio.

The results of the Spring 2018 prioritization cycle will be announced before the end of this semester, and approved projects will start in July 2018, subject to resource availability.

Please remember that the ITS project prioritization process is for projects that will require more than 20 hours of ITS time and the efforts of two or more ITS staff; smaller tasks should be submitted using the Technology Help Desk ticketing process.

What does a successful proposal look like?
Student success and efficiency proposals will be scored based on evidence of measurable and specific outcomes with objective, verifiable long-term impact and must be accompanied by:

• A specific illustration of how your solution will directly or indirectly impact student success or improve efficiencies. For example:
  --Will students receive improved support that results in improved retention or faster graduation?
  -- Will the university save time and/or money by streamlining or automating a particular process?

Please also note if your solution depends on other changes, within or outside your control, to succeed.

• Details of how you plan to measure those items within your control to determine the success of your project.
• Evidence in support of the expected success of your proposal.
  -- Example 1: If your proposal is something that’s new to HSU, provide evidence from other institutions demonstrating positive impact over a defined period of time and how that impact would apply to HSU.
  -- Example 2: If your proposal is an improvement on a current HSU practice, provide a comparison of current data and specific expected results, and how and over what time those results will be measured.
• What is your roadmap and timeline for implementation and the time required for meaningful results measurement?

Why do we need this?
ITS is working with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness in their development of a campus-wide integrated assessment, planning, and budget process. This level of supporting documentation will help to ensure alignment of the ITS prioritization process with this campus-wide process going forward.

How we can help
For each proposal that passes initial Cabinet review, the ITS Project Office will schedule two analysis work sessions between March 20 and April 9 – one with the functional requesters and one with technical resources. 

During the functional analysis, requesters will be able to talk through their proposal to ensure that all relevant information is covered, including the key business requirements that will drive the success of their project. The results of this session will be evaluated by technical resources to clarify the project’s complexity and estimate time to completion. 

It’s important that project proposers make time to participate in these sessions, as this will ensure all possible information is available to the Steering Committee for review and scoring, for ITS planning and scheduling and, ultimately, the success of the project.  

Questions?
Reach out to your regular ITS Project Office contact or call the office at x6126.