University IT Project Request and Evaluation Process

Revised June 2021

If you would like to submit a request for Information Technology Services assistance with a new project or technology resource, please complete the University IT Project Request form. If you need immediate assistance with technology or a system that is not working, please contact the ITS Help Desk.

Review Process

1. Project sponsor contacts the appropriate director/manager in Information Technology Services to discuss the merits and complexity of the request:

  • Academic technology support; curricular software (departmental and/or university level); new academic or research-based service requests: Laurie Harvey
  • Administrative systems requests (new and/or enhancements); data management/integration needs; code modifications to existing administrative software systems (which will be heavily scrutinized); reporting needs: Becky Frieden
  • IT infrastructure and/or IT security-related requests (new and/or enhancements); enhancements to card access, video surveillance, point-of-sale systems; networking needs (wireless and wired): Todd Marra
  • Endpoint needs (i.e., individual computers/laptops/equipment); printers/MFPs: Laurie Harvey (temporarily; until new Director of Client Services/Engagement is hired)
  • Web services/needs; secure upload capabilities: Bobby Saha
  • All others or not sure: Pennie Turgeon

2. ITS director/manager will work with project sponsor to determine if the request meets certain project thresholds/criteria that necessitate the submission of a formal University IT Project Request form. Project sponsor then fills out request form in its entirety, gets appropriate vice president's approval, and submits it to ITProjectRequest@nyit.edu. Project sponsor will hear from a member of the ITS team as to the next steps within one month after the form is submitted. If the form is incomplete, the process may take longer.

NOTES FOR VPS:

a. If VP (or Executive VP/President) approves, they are endorsing the importance of the project at the university level and have already reviewed the merits of the project based on the agreed upon evaluation criteria:

  • Overall value to New York Tech
  • Impact on the achievement of goals outlined in New York Tech's Strategic Action Plan
  • Projected financial benefits
  • Projected productivity/operational efficiency gains
  • Timeline and complexity of implementation
  • Likelihood of successful implementation and ongoing management capacity
  • Consequences or risks of not doing the project

If VP (or Executive VP/President) has questions about the project that is being proposed, they should consult with the VP for IT/CIO prior to signing off on the project.

b. If VP (or Executive VP/President) rejects proposal, they should reach out the project sponsor with feedback on why they did not move it forward for consideration.

c. As VP (or Executive VP/President) conducts their review, they should be hyper-aware of the following types of requests:

  • Requests that necessitate a source code change (or "mod") to accommodate a questionable business process (i.e., let's fix the business process).
  • Requests to "automate" overly bureaucratic forms and workflows.
  • The capacity (time and business process knowledge) of key individual(s) involved in the project (i.e., are they a "good" bet).
  • The thoroughness of responses on the University IT Project Request form.
  • The status of any other open projects/requests involving the same people and/or other departmental/division priorities.

3. If the request doesn't require a substantial amount of money, time, or change in business process, ITS may be able to fulfill the request without further consultation with the Strategic Advisory Council for University IT (SAC/IT). The following criteria will be used to determine if the request requires further review from the SAC/IT:

  • Request that require additional funding beyond what the VP can cover with current budget resources
  • Request that will cost more than $20K to implement and/or have annual costs that exceed $5K
  • Request that requires the involvement of staff beyond ITS and the requesting department
  • Request that requires data integration between two or more systems
  • Request that requires New York Tech to share PII/PHI with a third party and/or a new system that stores PII/PHI.
  • Request to significantly enhance the capabilities of a current report or homegrown system (e.g., mods or bolt-ons to current source code) and/or a request to build a new IT enabled solution in house.
  • Request that will consume more than 40 hours of ITS time to review/implement, and/or significant ongoing ITS support to maintain.

4. If the project does require a substantial amount of money, time, or change in business process; or if the project requires implementation resources beyond what is currently available, ITS will submit the completed project request form to the SAC/IT along with comments/recommendations for the SAC/IT to consider. The project will then be reviewed and decided upon by the SAC/IT. The respective VP (or Executive VP/President) and/or project sponsor may also be asked to meet with the SAC/IT depending on the nature of the request.

The SAC/IT generally reviews project three times per year (on or about October 15, February 15, and July 15). Only if a project is deemed an emergency and/or has a time sensitive element to it, will the SAC/IT consider requests off-cycle. The following evaluation criteria will be considered:

  • Overall value to New York Tech
  • Impact on the achievement of goals outlined in New York Tech's Strategic Action Plan
  • Projected financial benefits
  • Projected productivity/operational efficiency gains
  • Timeline and complexity of implementation
  • Likelihood of successful implementation and ongoing management
  • Consequences of not doing the project

5. Once a request has been approved by ITS or the SAC/IT, the project sponsor will partner with a member of ITS to jointly determine the implementation details and project timeline. Project timelines will be dependent upon the urgency of the request, availability of funding (if required), and availability of implementation resources.

6. ITS will maintain a list of active IT projects for reference by the VPs and the SAC/IT.