Strategy Map: 2015-2020

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PDF Version of the Strategy Map

Accessible Transcript

Western Information Technology Services (WTS) Strategy Map: 2015 - 2020

Guided by our beliefs, we use our resources wisely, and build a strong and prepared IT team, so we can operate effectively and with excellence, and anticipate and meet the needs of the people we serve, thus, achieving our vision.

Guiding Beliefs

  • Information Technology can fundamentally transform and enhance teaching, learning, and research at Western.
  • WTS employees will be supported and prepared to carry out their work in a highly complex and rapidly changing environment. 
  • The voices and needs of our stakeholders will inspire and guide our work and priorities.
  • We will forge strong working relationships with all members of the Western community in order to be successful.  We cannot work alone.
  • The better we communicate and collaborate, the greater the results will be for WTS and Western.

Strategic Resource and Investment Priorities

  • We will develop training and personal enrichment plans for WTS employees that are strategically aligned to enable their future success at Western.
  • We will invest in resource capacity and workload planning mechanisms to efficiently deploy WTS staff resources.
  • We will invest in standardized business processes that can scale to meet the full spectrum of campus requirements.
  • We will invest in new engagement and communications mechanisms to facilitate continuous improvement of bi-directional campus IT collaboration.
  • We will actively solicit opportunities to engage with others on Campus to assess and evaluate new and innovative technologies.
  • We will carefully balance Cyber Security risks with new technology opportunities in all of our Information Technology decisions.  
  • We will invest in the necessary departmental tools and resources to enable our employees to efficiently and effectively perform their roles.

Building for Success

  • We will develop a collaborative culture that fosters continuous team learning, accountability, the pursuit of excellence, and pride in collective contributions to Western.
  • We will attract, develop, and recognize WTS employees who have the talent, competencies, and motivation to enable Western to succeed.
  • We will develop a consistent set of Information Technology standards, policies, and best practices to efficiently guide our daily work.
  • We will ensure WTS employees have the required tools and support to enable them to effectively deliver value-added IT solutions and services to Western.

Pillars of Excellence

  1. Strategic Partnerships
    • We will forge strategic partnerships across the Campus and beyond.
      • Proactively engage and build relationships across the institution to understand needs and create high value campus technology solutions.  
      • Develop synergistic relationships with key IT vendors and other University and Higher Education organizations.  
  2. Infrastructure Management
    • We will efficiently manage complex IT infrastructure systems.
      • Build a secure and stable IT infrastructure that is able to support the evolving Campus needs for learning, teaching, and research. 
      • Develop standardized processes to efficiently and effectively manage change. 
  3. Customer Service Excellence
    • We will deliver excellent customer service.
      • Deliver contemporary learning, research, and administrative IT solutions that effectively meet the needs of our customers. 
      • Provide a dynamic and responsive user experience in all WTS services.
  4. Leadership and Innovation
    • We will cultivate an environment of IT Leadership and Innovation.
      • Foster IT thought, leadership, and collaboration across the Campus IT community. 
      • Create mechanisms that encourage innovation and exploration of new technologies.
  5. Resource Management
    • We will effectively coordinate and deploy skilled central IT resources.
      • Improve workload capacity planning processes to enable WTS employees to maintain an appropriate work-life balance. 
      • Align skills development and recruiting with strategic IT priorities.
  6. Communications and Collaboration
    • We will facilitate transparent communication, and collaboration across the Campus.
      • Facilitate transparent two-way communications within WTS and across the Campus. 
      • Actively engage in multi-channel Campus community communications, mechanisms, and forums. 
  7. Project Management
    • We will seamlessly integrate Project Management best practices into IT solutions delivery.
      • Develop and embed Project Management discipline into our delivery of IT projects that provide new capabilities. 
      • Prepare for and actively manage change resulting from new IT service implementations. 
  8. Cyber Security Risk Management
    • We will champion Cyber Security and Information Risk Management best practices across the Campus.
      • Deploy policies, procedures, and systems that proactively protect Western's critical Information systems and assets. 
      • Continuously promote Cyber Security education and awareness across Campus. 
  9. Data and Information Management
    • We will provide technology support to Western's Research Data and Information objectives.
      • Work closely with Western Libraries to facilitate easier on-campus access to research data, infrastructure, and tools. 
      • Enable Western to leverage external regional and national Digital Research Infrastructure initiatives wherever possible. 

Strategic WTS Outcomes

Students Will:

  • Be empowered to connect, communicate, collaborate, learn, and contribute to academic communities, on campus and beyond.
  • Be able to leverage technology to confidently achieve desired learning outcomes and be prepared for their chosen career.
  • Feel engaged and involved in university life.

Faculty Will:

  • Be supported to integrate technology with research and pedagogy to advance academic outcomes.  
  • Be able to effectively connect, communicate, collaborate, and contribute across multiple communities, disciplines, and borders.
  • Feel supported in the production and dissemination of research.

Administrative Staff Will:

  • Be enabled with the necessary tools and technology to perform their roles, including timely access to shared services, critical information, and analytics to support planning and decision making.  
  • Be empowered to connect, communicate, collaborate, learn, and contribute to academic communities, on campus and beyond. 
  • Feel supported in the efficient and effective operation of Western administrative functions.

Mission

We provide exceptional technology solutions, resources, and services to support students, faculty, and staff within the Western Community.

Vision

We are Western's preferred technology partner, leveraging current and emerging technologies to inspire and advance extraordinary teaching, learning, and research outcomes.  

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