5.2 Plan & initiate your project

As with any project setting clearly defining your scope and objectives are essential.

Defining these for the strategic alignment of ICT is challenging. Information and communication technologies support almost every activity within an institution and although already embedded alignment is about further harmonising the planning and deployment of ICT related activities in order to fulfil the institutional vision and goals.

Strategic ICT projects will normally inform change at an institutional level but the approach can be varied and set according to your institutional priorities.

The nature of this type of cross institutional project requires clarity in planning and the engagement of key management who identify with and agree recommendations for change. We recommend that your project initiation should also include:

  1. Defining the scope of this project

    2. Examples are: Across the institution, within a faculty, across professional services

  2. Identifying the project sponsor, stakeholders and a communications plan
  3. Defining the goals, objectives and deliverables
  4. Defining the opportunities, issues and challenges
  5. Defining any constraints and assumptions