The IT Strategic Plan is aligned with the Principal's Priorities, the Strategic Academic Plan and the Strategic Research Plan. View the 2020-25 ITS Strategic Plan here, and find out about the roles and stages of the IT annual planning process below.
The IT Services strategic plan aims to enable collaboration, deliver a seamless, unified digital experience promoting knowledge sharing and process efficiency, while ensuring the University is cybersecure and contributing to McGill University's sustainability agenda. Our strategic plan will help us deliver our 5 year IT Services Roadmap. View the 2020-25 ITS strategic plan.
The IT Services strategic plan includes everyone:
- students
- faculty
- academics
- staff
Through alignment with the University's strategic objectives, analysis of each population's needs and risk assessment for each initiative, we aim to deliver solutions that will benefit the entire community and support the next generation of learners and researchers.
Annual planning - Who is involved?
The involved groups are responsible for activities at various points throughout the planning process:
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Directors, Account managers, and Unit head act as an IT Prioritization committee to identify Unit annual initiatives
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Account managers, AVPs, and VPs meet to prioritize list of initiatives
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The IT Steering Committee sets annual plan for McGill ITS initiatives
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The IT Steering Committee then meets on a quarterly basis to review current projects and confirm planned initiatives for the upcoming quarter
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AVPs and VPs identify any exceptions to the annual plan and acknowledge adjustments
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The IT prioritization committee confirms named resources and exact start dates
Stages of annual planning
Every 5 years McGill IT Services undertakes a strategic planning initiative to determine a long-term vision of our IT needs and to build a roadmap from where we currently sit to a future state aligned with McGill’s broader strategic plans. This strategic initiative considers:
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Technology trends broadly, and within the higher education sector
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Changing governmental legislation and regulation which may impact budgetary, compliance and structural considerations at McGill (e.g privacy laws, student visa changes, research granting structures, etc).
In addition to these external influences, McGill IT Services must also consider existing and planned initiatives for our faculty and business partners with respect to their longer-term goals. We must consider technology lifecycle issues, from their management and security through cost efficiency and longevity.
All these considerations must then be combined and matched to the capacity and capability of IT, our partners and our budgets. This effort leads to the prioritization of initiatives culminating in our annual plan.
Each year we review our planning and execution in the context of our extended strategic plan reflecting and adapting to ever-evolving technology and business landscape.
