Scope

The scope of stewardship at Simon Fraser University is to ensure all information systems investments align with the strategic directions and priorities of the university.  The model applies to all information systems from all areas of the university including educational, administrative, and research systems, and to all information systems in academic and administrative units.

Within this scope the stewardship model addresses the following key issues for information systems:

• Strategic planning,
• Integrated planning,
• Policy development and review,
• Decision making authority,
• Resource allocation,
• Multi-year budget forecasting,
• Oversight of systems projects,
• Lifecycle of information systems assets,
• Changes to the stewardship process,
• Review of operational processes,
• Assess institutional information systems risk,
• Criteria for prioritization setting, and
• Prioritization of initiatives and projects.

For information systems stewardship to be effective it must provide timely and well-informed decisions. The stewardship process is designed to build a robust and broadly informed dialogue about key issues. Discussions driven by these processes will invoke creative debate from senior stakeholders in the university community and will increase the socialization of new ideas and changes. Well understood decisions with shared contributions to the stewardship process will lead to better success for all information systems initiatives. 

Next Section: Stewardship Committees →

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