Overview

Purpose and Objective

The purpose of this document is to provide the terms of reference and structure for information systems stewardship at Simon Fraser University. It will also link stewardship to the project management process.

The objective of this stewardship model is to define roles and responsibilities for institutional decision-making for information systems.  The stewardship process is designed to work within the framework of the University’s strategic plan.

Definition of Stewardship Model

 Stewardship refers to the:

• Process by which we endorse institutional decisions about information systems,
• People who are assigned the responsibility for endorsing those decisions and have the accountability for the results of those decisions, and
• Organizations who meet to debate those decisions.

Principles of Stewardship

The core principle of the IS stewardship model is to ensure all information systems decisions are directly connected, driven, and motivated by the university’s vision to be the leading engaged university. Every information systems decision is an investment, and these investment decisions must be aligned to provide specific support of our university goals including:

• Dynamic integration of innovative education,
• Cutting-edge research, and
• Far-reaching community engagement.
• Other core principles of stewardship for information systems include:
• Oversee all investments in information systems at Simon Fraser University,
• Liaise and socialize information systems initiatives with key stakeholders across SFU,
• Create and champion common university processes and practices,
• Leverage intellectual capital across the organization,
• Optimize utilization of university information systems resources,
• Ensure regulatory and legal compliance, and
• Provide an understandable and transparent decision-making process.

Information systems stewardship at Simon Fraser University is an evolving process. We will continually refine this model to reflect changes in the environment and experience gained with executing the model.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Scope
• Stewardship Committees
• Stewardship Workflow
• Connecting to University Governance
• Approval and Prioritization
• Stewardship and Project Management
  
• Terms of Reference: One I.S. Stewardship Committee
• Terms of Reference: Administrative Systems Stewardship Committee
• Terms of Reference Research Systems Stewardship Committee
• Terms of Reference Educational Systems Stewardship Committee
• Feedback