Overview
The IT Project Portfolio is the central hub for our campus IT initiatives. We are responsible for tracking, managing, and reporting on projects across all participating IT organizations, including Information Technology Services (ITS), Academic and Administrative IT (AAIT), and the Life Sciences Computing Group (LSCG). Our portfolio serves as a comprehensive and transparent record of the university's IT project landscape.
With over 10 years of historical data and more than 2,500 projects recorded to date, this portfolio is an invaluable asset. It allows us to not only look at the current status of work but also to analyze trends, learn from past successes and challenges, and make more informed decisions for the future.
The Value of Portfolio Management
In a large, complex institution like UCSB, effective portfolio management is critical for success. It provides a strategic framework that goes beyond managing individual projects to ensure that all IT investments are aligned with the university's mission and strategic objectives.
Specifically for UCSB, a well-managed IT portfolio provides the following benefits:
- Strategic Alignment: It ensures that we are working on the "right" projects—those that provide the most value, support student success, enhance research capabilities, and improve administrative efficiency.
- Resource Optimization: By providing a clear, holistic view of all projects, we can proactively manage resource capacity (people, budget, and time) to prevent burnout, minimize bottlenecks, and ensure the most important work gets done.
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: The portfolio provides leadership with the data they need to make informed decisions about project prioritization, funding, and risk management. This moves us away from siloed decisions and towards a unified, transparent approach.
- Transparency and Accountability: Our portfolio provides a single source of truth for all stakeholders, fostering trust and accountability by clearly communicating project status, goals, and outcomes.
For additional information and to learn how to engage with the portfolio, please reference the resources linked below. These resources include: Portfolio Reporting and How to Enter a Project in the IT Portfolio.
IT Project Portfolio Reporting
Add a Project to the IT Project Portfolio
What qualifies as a project for the IT Project Portfolio?
We define a "project" based on a set of specific criteria to ensure our portfolio accurately reflects the significant initiatives underway across campus. The purpose of this framework is to differentiate a project from routine operational tasks and to ensure that we are tracking work that requires dedicated management and resources.
To be included in the IT Project Portfolio, an initiative must meet the following criteria:
- A Temporary Effort to Create Value: A project is a temporary endeavor with a clear beginning and end date. Its goal is to create a unique product, service, or result that delivers new value to the university. This distinguishes it from ongoing, day-to-day operations or maintenance activities.
- Defined Team, Schedule, and Objectives: A true project has a defined structure. It is carried out by a dedicated team, follows a specific schedule with milestones, and has a clear set of objectives that the team is tasked with meeting. These objectives are the measures of the project's success.
- Unique and Differs from Routine Operations: The work must be unique. If the work is a repetitive task performed regularly as part of standard operations, it does not qualify as a project. For example, a monthly server backup is an operational task, but migrating all servers to a new cloud-based system would be a project.
- Minimum Combined Effort: The project must involve a significant level of effort. To be included in the portfolio, the total combined effort from all team members must be at least 80 hours. This threshold helps us focus our project management resources on the initiatives that require strategic oversight and coordination.