System level innovation

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System Level Innovation

Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr.Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer

University System of Georgia

http://www.srs.usg.edu/

http://gil.usg.edu/gilhome/

http://www.library.gatech.edu/gkr/

http://www.usg.edu/information_technology_services/learning_in_21st_century_georgia/georgiaview/


• Central IT organization responsible for state educational network, virtual library system, and many centralized IT services for 35 public colleges and institutions (UGA, Georgia Tech, Georgia State, Georgia Health Sciences, etc.)

• Budget of $75 million, 200 employees, two principal offices 60 miles apart.

Background


• Two CIOs ago politically connected and effective but limited long term relationships

• Previous CIO transititioned• Strategic plan from April 1, 2004• Office of Information and

Instructional Technology (OIIT) or more commonly known as

Starting Point

Office of the Intervention of Technology

CAO

CBO

CIO


• No IT policy and limited security policy• System office not a customer• No pay raises in 5 years and worst economic

downturn in decades • Serious salary inequities• Really low morale & very risk averse organization• Other divisions hidden in my budget

Starting Point


• Audit findings from 2004.• Shared Services Center started with explicit

instructions that every IT company in the world, except OIIT, could bid.

• Adversarial relationship with state CIO and state procurement office.

• All state educational agencies working in silos.

Starting Point


• Visit all your customers• New strategic plan from customers• Reorganization• Realignment and reduction in force• Administrative Committee on

Information Technology -> CIO Advisory Council

• Rename organization to focus on customer service

Early Wins


Vision StatementTo be a nationally recognized leader in providing secure higher-education information technology infrastructure, learning support, knowledge management, and services such that if our customers could choose any educational IT provider, they would choose us.

Mission StatementAnticipate and respond effectively with innovative, robust, reliable, and secure technological and decision-support services and applications to the University System of Georgia and its constituent institutions so as to educate and inspire students, empower USG educators and administrators, and advance the state of education in Georgia and the nation.


• Tackle worst internal salary inequities

• Address morale• Perception, not fact, matters

or death by routine maintenance messages.

• Drive functional performance

Early Wins• Reserved Parking

• ITS Leader Team

• Praise and Progress

• Town hall meetings

• Lunch with CIO

• Dinner with CIO



• ITS Reliability: 99.99%• SharePoint• Unified Communications• Portfolio Management• Entrepreneurial Offerings• Interagency Offerings• Private Cloud• Shared Services Center Oversight

Mid Term Wins

Functional

Transformational

Business Strategist


If you are not failing occasionally, you are not innovating.

Innovation


• Learning Management System

• System Office

• Private Cloud

Innovation – Three Case Studies


Opportunity to Innovate?– Create a business owner– Change the collaboration model– Change the financial model– Change the deployment model– Change campus control and agility

Chancellor: Use the deployment of the learning management system as your model of how to do it right.

Deploying a New Learning Management System


Old• Windows XP• Number 1 threat to USG• Decade old data system• Proportional allocation of

funds• Explicitly excluded from SSC

New• Windows 7• Chat, SharePoint, VOIP• Cognos, ODI, & participation• Business cases and portfolio

management• Day-today oversight of SSC

Innovation at the System Office


Data System Example• “This is a crisis”• No Self Service• No engagement with senior

leadership• No campus accountability• No unity of command• No written procedures• No customer engagement• Library of 1,000 reports• Hardware decade old• Migration nightmare


• "This is a positive move from the past , quickest implementation that has been done very well. Thanks that you incorporated all of us into this."

• "These metadata reports are awesome...you should have done a BIG launch for the ODS with all campuses in it...you should consider presenting this in RACRA."

• "These errors reports are so modern, so much easier to use

and access. Much better than the current system we use."

Campus Quotes from New System on Day 1


• "I love the SharePoint website, it is very helpful method of communication."

• "Data submission application is built very well, I am looking forward

to using the error relief option.“

• “You really need to publicly celebrate this – this deserves a moment in the sun”

• “I almost stood up and clapped when I saw what you have done with Cognos: this is amazing”



• “If this is what we are getting then all of this hard work has been worth it – you listened”

• “This system runs two times faster than the previous one and is so well organized from a campus perspective that it changes everything”

• “Thumbs up!”



• Interagency Offerings• Storage as a Service• Backup as a Service• Virtual Data Center as a Service• Project Management as a Service• Database Administrators as a Service

Private Cloud Innovation


• Stabilize• Deliver early results• Build political cover• Transform collaboratively but hold firm on shattering

glass ceilings and eliminate bad actors• Never claim credit but instead create a legacy of quiet

successes• Start building the foundation for the next round of

innovation

Innovation Cycle


• Long term relationships and partnerships are key.

• Tenacity, patience and courage are key attributes of transformative leadership.

• Innovation involves risk. If you cannot accept failure, you cannot innovate.

Musings


Questions, Comments,A Conversation

Dr. Curtis A. Carver Jr.Vice Chancellor and Chief Information Officer

University System of Georgia

http://www.srs.usg.edu/

http://gil.usg.edu/gilhome/

http://www.library.gatech.edu/gkr/

http://www.usg.edu/information_technology_services/learning_in_21st_century_georgia/georgiaview/

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