Why is this important?
Each year, the greatest outlay of financial resources at UCSB is in its people. The workforce that enables the function of the university numbers in the thousands and is a diverse population dedicated in service to all constituents of the academy. To assist in these operations, the third focus area seeks to modernize the technologies and data needed by all faculty, students, and staff to streamline work in support of the University mission. Among the ten initiatives in this area, UCSB will complete implementation of the Financial Management Modernization (FMM) program, implement a campus-wide electronic personnel file system, redesign technology onboarding processes with a focus on common tools, data, systems and training that also enables the distributed specialization that will occur at the unit level, and pursue discovery & publication of existing IT resources with low visibility/awareness. The latter initiative represents a common type for this strategy- discovery and publication of existing resources and investments.
Goal: Modernize the technologies and data needed by all faculty, students, and staff to streamline work in support of the University mission.
Objectives & Outcomes
- Clear and efficient processes to obtain access to data, software, and technology services.
- Increased awareness of what data and reports are available and how to use them.
- Increased availability of training and support for the effective use of technologies.
- Optimization and adoption of new or existing data analysis tools.
- Use technology to streamline administrative processes.
Key Strategies
- Improve data governance methods and practices in support of University goals (including MSI, equity-related goals, etc.).
- Build organizational capacity to use all systems and data (E.g., training, communities of practices, standards, common tools).
- Identify, prioritize, and implement improved integration of data sources into reporting environments.
- Build capacity to analyze, simplify (consolidate, where appropriate) and digitize administrative work processes.
- Leverage modern technologies to help students, faculty, researchers, and staff access information, communicate, and resolve issues.
Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Initiatives
- Complete implementation of the Financial Management Modernization (FMM) program
- Implement the Snowflake data platform for major systems, e.g., FMM
- Implement HR People Data Analytics Dashboard
- Implement a campus-wide electronic personnel file system
- Pilot use of AI productivity tool for HR, e.g., Microsoft Co-pilot or Gemini
- Optimize campus service desk function associated with CSIP *
- Re-establish ServiceNow platform to better enable a unified support request system for CSIP and other campus functions *
- Redesign technology onboarding processes with a focus on common tools, data, systems and training that also enables the distributed specialization that will occur at the unit level *
- Pursue discovery & publication of existing IT resources with low visibility/awareness
- Create a pilot to analyze the following 4 roles: Academic Personnel Analyst, Financial Analyst, Payroll Analyst, and Department Advisor and create a standard technology onboarding checklist for the tools, data, and systems needed for each role
Roadmap - Priority Themes By Year
|
Priority Theme |
FY 2024-25 |
FY 2025-26 |
FY 2026-27 |
FY 2027-28 |
|
Build organizational capacity to use data |
- FMM - Snowflake |
-Enhanced data governance |
- Data analyst toolkit - Enhanced talent strategies and funding for data positions |
- Expand data dictionary and data governance |
|
Increase availability, onboarding and support for effective use of technologies |
- Create a standard onboarding checklist for role-based technology needs - Redesign technology onboarding processes - Hire a BSA to discover & publish existing resources |
- Improve technology on-boarding and training |
- Continue to redesign business processes. |
- Continue to redesign business processes. |
|
Implement a unified support request system (Service Now) |
- Optimize campus service desk function - Re-establish ServiceNow platform |
- Integrated IT service catalog and service request process |
||
|
Align with campus HR Strategy |
- HR People Data Analytics Dashboard - AI productivity tool for HR - Electronic personnel file system |