TABLE OF CONTENTS



Enterprise Information Systems

System Governance at

Central Washington University

FINAL DRAFT

July 2004

Prepared by:

Carmen Rahm, Senior Director, Information Technology Services (ITS)

Donald Diebert, Director, Enterprise Information Systems (EIS)

Mark Lundgren, Director, Institutional Research (IR)

Approved by:

David Soltz, Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Charlotte Tullos, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management

Rich Corona, Vice President for Business and Finance

Table of Contents

1. Background 2

2. System Governance Goals and Objectives 3

2.1 Support of the University Strategic Plan 3

2.2 Effective and Efficient Use of Technology 3

2.3 Effective Governance and Management of Enterprise Information Systems 3

3. Participating Groups and Individuals 4

4. Information Technology Executive Committee 5

4.1 Membership 5

4.2 Responsibility 5

5. Enterprise Information Systems Steering Committee 6

5.1 Membership 6

5.2 Responsibility 6

6. Enterprise Information Planning and Data Integrity Group 7

6.1 Membership 7

6.2 Responsibility 7

7. University Community 8

7.1 End Users 8

7.2 Students 8

7.3 Employees 8

8. Issue Escalation Process 9

8.1 Issues Escalation Guidelines 9

9. Appendix 10

9.1 Information Technology Executive Sponsors (proposed July 2004) 10

9.2 Enterprise Information Systems Steering Committee (proposed July 2004) 10

9.3 EIS Planning and Data Integrity Group (proposed July 2004) 10

Background

The implementation of the PeopleSoft Financials, Human Resources and Student Administration systems has permanently changed the way information technology functions at Central Washington University (CWU). This change impacts CWU as follows:

1. Support of information technology has migrated from servicing a set of “silos” where changes to one system could be done without consideration of the others… to an integrated system where changes to any functionality must consider the impact to the others;

2. A single system can no longer function independently of others, since uncoordinated operations are highly risky and will result in failed processes and missed delivery of key administrative services;

3. Information technology will support the University’s strategic goals and planning process through identification of key data, supporting business processes and ownership for quality assurance;

4. The current University policy and strategy of implementing packaged software requires due diligence that all system modifications provide the greatest Return on Investment (ROI) to the University;

5. The University is committed to continuous renewal of its enterprise systems to protect its long term investment by remaining current on maintenance, application upgrades and necessary hardware and related software; and,

6. Definition, agreement and on-going senior administration support of shared governance where the views and inputs of all groups associated with the enterprise information systems are participants within the decision strategy and process.

This document defines the System Governance Charter for CWU necessary to meet the ongoing needs and requirements to maximize the value of our enterprise information systems.

System Governance Goals and Objectives

The purpose of this charter is to implement a management and project structure for shared governance of Central Washington University’s – Enterprise Information Systems. This structure will support the identification, prioritization, review, approval and accomplishment of all projects and initiatives related to enterprise systems.

This charge includes renewal, extension and implementation of enterprise systems. Equally important is assuring that data necessary to the mission and strategic plan of the University is collected by maximizing data integrity and establishing responsibility for data elements.

1 Support of the University Strategic Plan

Renewing, extending and implementing necessary enterprise software is critical to the University Strategic Plan. Specifically, enterprise systems support:

▪ “Quality, integrated academic advising and career development support to all students from pre-admission to graduation,” and, “easy access to accurate information;”

▪ “An outstanding academic and student life at the university centers,” by improving student information access regardless of physical location;

▪ Expanding, “Central Washington University’s student base through recruiting and retention,” through state-of-the art, Web-based application and registration access;

▪ Expanding, “sources of revenue to support university initiatives,” through easier student registration statewide and elsewhere;

▪ Improving, “accuracy and timeliness of data to support academic and personnel decision-making,” through improved human resources data; and,

▪ Supports, “education and monitoring efforts that ensure reliable financial accounting and reporting,” in conjunction with the financial system.

2 Effective and Efficient Use of Technology

Enterprise systems exist to support the academic, research and service mission of the University and are directed to achieve the following:

▪ Provide comprehensive and continuous training to expand user knowledge and utilization of the Financial, Human Resources, and Student Administration and related systems;

▪ Maintain an active dialogue with the campus community through forums, small-group meetings, list-serves and regular communications;

▪ Continuously improve access to information and services to exceed functionality of legacy systems;

▪ Efficiently leverage the existing technical staff knowledge of PeopleSoft and related systems;

▪ Maintain critical compliance with federal regulations, (for example Financial Aid, that if not met, potentially restricts our ability to disburse millions of dollars in aid); and,

▪ Expand ease of access to Central’s application and enrollment processes, critical to attracting and retaining our students.

3 Effective Governance and Management of Enterprise Information Systems

A governance and management approach to enterprise information systems is required to meet the changed University technology structure, and support the goals listed above.

Participating Groups and Individuals

The success of Central’s approach to “enterprise” systems requires the continuous participation of University personnel from across the campus. The following groups and individuals have responsibility for supporting the renewal, enhancement and expansion of the Financial, Human Resources, Student Administration and other enterprise systems.

▪ Information Technology Executive Committee

▪ Enterprise Information System Steering Committee

▪ University Information Technology Advisory Committee

Information Technology Executive Committee

Members of the Information Technology Executive Committee are advocates and voices for all Information Technology ensuring that appropriate resources are dedicated, decisions are timely and that support of enterprise systems and services remains a high priority for the University.

1 Membership

The Information Technology Executive Committee membership is the following:

▪ Provost/Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs;

▪ Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management;

▪ Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs; and,

▪ Executive Assistant to the President.

Ex-officio members providing staff support include the Senior Director for Information Technology Services (facilitator) and the Director of Enterprise Information Services.

2 Responsibility

The following are the responsibility of the Executive Committee.

Strategic Direction

Direct the establishment and fulfillment of the University’s information technology strategic plan.

Communication and Sponsorship

Ensure accurate and timely dissemination of information to the Cabinet and other critical parties (Board of Trustees, campus constituents, legislators, state, etc.). Primary source of information will be quarterly meetings with representatives of the EIS Steering Committee and written updates.

Organization Change

Create an open and supportive environment for change, resolving obstacles and barriers and facilitating the reconciliation of campus differences. This includes reviewing and approving major control changes, and recommending and/or informing the Cabinet of essential organizational changes.

Scope, Goals, and Objectives

Providing direction to the EIS Steering Committee, by monitoring progress of projects, review of budget and priorities, facilitating resolution of major policy and other issues, affirming decisions to proceed with planned tasks and activities, and holding providers and users of IT services accountable.

Enterprise Information Systems Steering Committee

The Enterprise Information Systems Steering Committee (EISSC) is the primary university-wide advisory group to the Executive Committee. EISSC meets regularly to review and remain informed of the status of renewal, enhancement and project activities, provide input and recommendations, set priorities and offer a campus-wide perspective to assist resolving issues.

1 Membership

The Enterprise Information Systems Steering Committee membership is the following:

|Voting Members |Ex-officio Members (providing staff support) |

|Faculty Representative |Director (Applications), ITS |

|AVP for Academic Affairs/Designee |Director, Enterprise Information Systems |

|AVP for Business & Finance/Designee |FMS MIS Coordinator |

|AVP for Enrollment Management/Designee |HR MIS Coordinator |

|Director, Budget Office |Manager (Accounting), Financial Services |

|Director, Institutional Research |SA MIS Coordinator |

|Sr. Director of Human Resources/Designee |Sr. Director, ITS (Facilitator) |

| |TBD, Student Affairs |

| |Technical Coordinator, ITS |

2 Responsibility

The following are the responsibility of the EISSC.

Integration and Coordination

• Maintaining data integrity and quality;

• Supporting appropriate use of and access to data;

• Short and long-term review and advising of functional and technical activities;

• Setting project and task priorities; and,

• Integration issues, where information decisions cross administrative boundaries.

Scope, Goals, Objectives

Providing input to the Executive Sponsors on suggested changes to scope, goals, and objectives concerning renewal, enhancement and project management activities.

Communication

Assist with communication of activities so the campus community is informed. Serve as key communication and feedback link to faculty, staff, students and others about various issues and concerns.

Organization Change

Serve as champions and facilitators to the campus by working with the Information Technology Executive Committee and EIS Steering Committee to ensure that “turf” issues do not hamper work progress, and campus concerns about changes and impacts are addressed.

Issue Management

Assist the Executive Sponsors by taking the lead in resolving differences between units and providing input on policy and procedural issues. Take responsibility to champion business process change across the University.

Enterprise Information Planning and Data Integrity Group

The Enterprise Information Planning and Data Integrity Group (PDI) is responsible for coordination, integration and operations across all major enterprise systems. This responsibility requires continuous communication to remain informed of the status of renewal, enhancement and project activities, provide input and recommendations, recommend priorities and offer a campus-wide perspective to assist resolving issues.

1 Membership

The Enterprise Information Planning and Data Integrity Group membership is the following:

|Voting Members |Ex-officio Members (providing staff support) |

|Director, EIS (facilitator) |MIS Coordinator – FMS |

|Director, ITS Applications |MIS Coordinator – HR |

|Director, Budget Office |MIS Coordinator – SA |

|Director, Institutional Research |Technical Coordinator – ITS |

|Director, Benefits/IS – HR |Technical Lead – FMS |

|Manager (Accounting), Financial Services |Technical Lead – HR |

|TBD, Student Admin. Enrollment Mgt. |Technical Lead – SA |

2 Responsibility

This group is charged with:

▪ Collectively identify and resolve data integration issues for all major enterprise systems;

▪ Maintaining data standards for major enterprise systems and data warehouse;

▪ Maintaining a close working relationship with Principal User(s) for the enterprise system assigned to each MIS Coordinator;

▪ Assisting EISSC with identifying short and long-term tasks to develop priorities and plans for current and multiple year work;

▪ Communicating current status of tasks, projects, operations and security activities, and;

▪ Provide staff support to the EISSC.

Communication

Assist communication of tasks so that the campus community is informed of current activities. Assist with training and with responding to questions from users.

Issue Management

Assist the Principal Users with understanding current system issues, especially those involving integration with other systems.

Scope, Goals, Objectives

Providing input to the Principals Users on suggested changes to scope, goals, and objectives concerning renewal, enhancement and project management activities.

Data Integrity and Quality

Support the University’s strategic plan and initiatives through maintaining consistent, accurate and non-duplicated information and data.

University Community

The University Community has various roles. In some cases, an individual will have multiple roles and associated responsibilities.

1 End Users

The individuals who have the most day-to-day contact with Enterprise Information Systems are End Users, individuals responsible for key departmental activities such as accounting, purchasing, payroll, student data, etc. End Users are expected to:

▪ Remain current on the use of Enterprise Information Systems by attending training, meetings and seeking assistance when necessary;

▪ Provide feedback concerning system and process issues and as change occurs, communicate suggestions and concerns

▪ Serve as key communicators to students and/or employee of his/her department concerning changes in processes, procedures, etc.; and,

▪ Maintain security by not sharing logons, passwords or other private access information.

2 Students

Students rely primarily on the Student Administration (SA) system for maintaining timely and accurate registration, financial aid information, course records and degree progress. Students are expected to:

▪ Use appropriately the Student Administration system by maintaining current personal, academic status, registration and other data.;

▪ Maintain security by not sharing passwords or other private access information. When accessing enterprise systems, following the same security rules as employees; and,

▪ When questions arise and/or a problem develops, contact the appropriate support office for resolution.

3 Employees

Enterprise Systems serve either directly or indirectly all employees (faculty, staff and others) of the University community. Employees are expected to:

▪ Use appropriately the PeopleSoft and other enterprise systems, especially the Human Resources Management System by maintaining current personal data;

▪ Maintain security by not sharing passwords or other private access information. When accessing other enterprise systems, follow the University security rules;

▪ When questions arise and/or a problem develops, contact the appropriate support office for resolution; and,

▪ Support priorities and reengineering of business process to increase efficiency.

Issue Escalation Process

Regardless of the task, whether operations, renewal, enhancement or management of a major project, issues will arise related to changing business processes, responsibilities and authority. The role of the System Governance is to assist with identifying, analyzing, and developing solutions to issues that arise, in a timely manner.

1 Issues Escalation Guidelines

The following guidelines apply to the issue escalation process:

1. All participants in System Governance and others will seek to resolve issues at the lowest organizational level.

2. An issue is escalated only if it cannot be resolved at the lowest organizational level to the next level within System Governance.

3. All appropriate units, which are impacted by an issue, must be notified of the escalation process.

4. At the highest level, the Information Technology Executive Committee will review and resolve the issue and may inform the Cabinet of the solution.

5. Issue escalation will always be more an art than a prescribed process. Depending on the circumstance, the exact route to resolution may vary greatly from issue to issue.

Appendix

The following are proposed committee membership.

1 Information Technology Executive Sponsors (proposed July 2004)

|Representing |Name |

|Provost/Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs |Dr. David Soltz |

|Vice President for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management |Dr. Charlotte Tullos |

|Vice President for Business and Financial Affairs |Rich Corona |

|Office of the President, Executive Assistant to the President |Dr. Elizabeth Street |

3 Enterprise Information Systems Steering Committee (proposed July 2004)

|Representing |System |Name |

|Faculty Representative |All Systems |Dr. James Schwing |

|Budget Office |All Systems |Shelly Johnson |

|Human Resources |Human Resources Systems |Ona Youmans |

|Institutional Research |All Systems |Mark Lundgren |

|VP for Academic Affairs |All Systems |Dr. Linda Beath |

|VP for Business and Finance |Financial Systems |Kevin Kimball |

|VP for Stdt Affairs/Enrollment Mgt. |Student Systems |Michael Reilly |

|Ex-Officio (attend as necessary to provide staff support) |

|Enterprise Information Systems |All Systems |Don Diebert |

|Financial Services |Financial Systems |Mac Taylor |

|FMS MIS Coordinator |Financial Systems |Russ Elliot |

|HR MIS Coordinator |Human Resources Systems |Marie McGowan |

|Human Resources |Human Resources Systems |Wendy Rittereiser |

|Information Technology Services |All Systems |Carmen Rahm (facilitator) |

|ITS Applications Director |All Systems |Gene Rau |

|Student Affairs |Student Systems |TBD |

|SA MIS Coordinator |Student Systems |Sandra Oftedahl |

5 EIS Planning and Data Integrity Group (proposed July 2004)

|Representing |System |Name |

|Budget Office |All Systems |Shelly Johnson |

|Enterprise Information Systems |All Systems |Don Diebert (facilitator) |

|Financial Services |Financial Systems |Mac Taylor |

|Human Resources |Human Resources Systems |Wendy Rittereiser |

|Information Technology Services |All Systems |Gene Rau |

|Institutional Research |All Systems |Mark Lundgren |

|Student Admin. Enrollment Mgt. |Student Systems |TBD |

|Ex-Officio (attend as necessary to provide staff support) |

|FMS MIS Coordinator |Financial Systems |Russ Elliot |

|FMS Technical Lead |Financial Systems |Greg Coles |

|HR MIS Coordinator |Human Resources Systems |Marie McGowan |

|HR Technical Lead |Human Resources Systems |Natalie Kovalerchuk |

|ITS Technical Coordinator |All Systems |Jamie Schademan |

|SA MIS Coordinator |Student Systems |Sandra Oftedahl |

|SA Technical Lead |Student Systems |Jim Price/Vicky Tucker |

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Faculty,

Staff,

Students

External Users

Project Groups

EIS Planning and Data Integrity Group

University Information Technology Advisory Committee (UITAC)

EIS Steering Committee

Information Technology Executive Committee

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