Strategic Portfolio Management

The SPM framework provides the forum for shared-decision making in order to identify and prioritize which top IT projects will be undertaken by the VPCIO area, in support of university initiatives.

SPM provides the following services to UB:

The SPM team consists of IT Relationship Managers responsible for facilitating transparent communication to all audiences regarding the UBIT Top Projects currently being implemented and ones on the horizon.

The SPM framework enables the SPM team to partner with University Leadership and campus constituents in order to build a common understanding of the UBIT project prioritization process.

The team regularly gathers and tracks UBIT Top Project information from constituents across the institution, and prepares reports and analysis to support project prioritization and resource capacity planning efforts. The IT Portfolio Advisory Committee (ITPAC) receives regular reports, information and support from the SPM team to provide transparency for project timelines, as needed, to achieve university strategic goals.

The UBIT Top Project Intake Form is the starting place to request that a new IT Top Project be considered for staffing and implementation.

UBIT Top Project Guiding Principles Checklist

To be considered a UBIT Top Project, and therefore, subject to UBIT project governance, work must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Requires a major version or architecture change to an application or service
• A new application or service that is either highly visible or impacts a large constituency.
  • These projects should have completed the Request for Proposal (RFP) process or IT Vendor Questionnaire review and Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) completed by the vendor, if applicable
• Requires significant VPCIO staff resources (greater than 80 work hours)
• Requires a significant financial investment from the campus (greater than $50,000)
• Has been externally mandated or internally mandated by University Leadership

The UBIT Top Project Scoping Sessions are held to share information and build a common understanding of new project inquiries. After a UBIT Top Project Intake Form is submitted, an SPM IT Relationship Manager will reach out to schedule a Scoping Session. At the Scoping Session, requesting departments will meet with key members of the UBIT team to work through project details including, but not limited to, alignment of the project to university-wide goals, audience and impact size of the project, the project category (run, grow, transform), etc.  

As an outcome of the Scoping Session, the project will be referred to the requesting area’s IT Portfolio Advisory Committee (ITPAC) representative for inclusion and prioritization on that area’s IT Top Project list. Based on prioritization, the VPCIO provides staffing resources and an anticipated project start date.

Learn how UB Information Technology is making sure that our students, faculty and staff have everything they need for success with these recent project highlights. 

SPM provide services for IT Vendor Questionnaire (VQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Information (RFI) as part of the software procurement process of University Procurement. 

If a new UBIT Top Project includes a software purchase requiring a RFI or RFP, the SPM office will facilitate selection of the IT Vendor Questionnaire questions that will be used as a starting point to help form the technology components of the RFI or RFP scoring rubric.

The IT Vendor Questionnaire contains a list of standard questions that the VPCIO area uses to evaluate how a new technology or software application will integrate into the UB environment as well as ensuring data security.

After successfully completing the IT Vendor Questionnaire review process, the requestors will receive an endorsement / official sign-off to provide with the purchasing documentation they submit.

Change Management refers to a formal process for making changes to IT systems. The goal of change management is to increase awareness and understanding of proposed changes across an organization and ensure that all changes are made in a thoughtful way that minimize negative impact to services and customers.

UBIT Change Management ensures standard procedures are used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes to IT infrastructure, whether it’s the rolling out of new services, managing existing ones or resolving problems.  The standard process also enables us to appropriately plan and schedule changes to minimize risk and maximize stability of technology services. Working closely with the Change Advisory Board (CAB), the SPM team communicates to provide visibility and transparency about impending changes.

• Kelly Kenline, Assistant CIO & Director, Strategic Portfolio Management
• Lynn Collis, Change Manager
• Kathleen Murphy, IT Relationship Manager
• Brian Guy, IT Relationship Manager
• Sarah Mack, IT Relationship Manager