Documents Contributed by ECAR and Project Management

This research bulletin explores the methodology used by the Georgia State University Information Systems and Technology division to manage large, cross-divisional IT projects and track all IT staff time. The bulletin shares the data collection methodology and Georgia State's findings and describes a time-recording model for IT projects that can be applied at other colleges and universities.

Citation for this work: Alberts, Randall, and Karen D. Oates. “Measuring IT Staff Time at Georgia State University” (Research Bulletin, Issue 4). Boulder, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Applied Research, 2008, available from http://www.educause.edu/ecar.

Presentation at the Sixth Annual ECAR/HP Summer Symposium for Higher Education IT Executives, June 11-13, 2007, Boulder, Colorado. This panel discussed the challenges of harnessing the power of digital content to support learning at scale in both institutional settings and in national efforts. They considered the potential roles of digital content as cognitive media and social media, and they used cases and models that highlight best practices and sticky issues.

IT portfolio management at the University of Nebraska is being used to address accountability in the broadest sense: strategic decision-making, project analysis, and performance-based reporting. The practice helps decision makers objectively determine which IT projects or systems should move forward and which ones must wait, when to involve others in the decision-making process, and which resources can help managers reach the best decisions. This research bulletin describes how IT portfolio management is structured and employed at the University of Nebraska.

This research bulletin is the work of a strategic project team participating in the IT Leaders Program, a leadership development initiative facilitated by MOR Associates of Watertown, Massachusetts. It strives to answer the question, What must a central IT organization in an academic environment do to increase its value to its clients and its institution? It is not a cookbook for how to create a successful IT organization but rather a discussion of considerations for increasing value.

This case study examines how the Texas Tech University System developed Projects and Resources for Information Systems Management (PRISM), an IS portfolio prioritization process for allocating resources to align IT projects with institutional goals.