By Mark Kerr, Senior Communications Officer

Queen's Information Technology Services (ITS) unit is introducing external stakeholders and partners to the strategic plan that will guide the organization's activities through 2017.

Bo Wandschneider, Chief Information Officer and Associate Vice-Principal (Information Technology), says ITS will be guided by the values of flexibility, innovation, respect and teamwork.

"The document is as much for us inside ITS as it is for the broader Queen's community," says Bo Wandschneider, Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Associate Vice-Principal (Information Technology). "The strategic plan communicates ITS' goals and priorities in support of academic and research excellence at the university."

ITS commits in the plan to make decisions and conduct its daily activities based on the values of flexibility, innovation, respect, service and teamwork. The organization wants to continue expanding its collaborative work with internal and external partners in order to deliver services that meet the needs of the entire university.

"These values, developed with input from ITS staff, represent the organization we want to be," Mr. Wandschneider says. "I think the values will resonate with the Queen's community, but I still want to have a conversation with our partners over the next several years to ensure we are moving in the right direction."

The plan outlines four broad strategic pillars that focus on people, organization, partnerships and technology. Highlights of the strategic goals within the pillars include:

• Attracting leading talent and keeping them engaged and empowered
• Forging a shared sense of purpose and building an enduring service culture across the organization
• Developing partnerships on and off campus to introduce innovative and cost-effective ways to meet campus information technology requirements
• Selecting new technologies and service delivery methods that effectively support the university's business requirements

Download the ITS Strategic Plan (PDF 1.0 MB)

ITS teams are using the plan to develop yearly objectives, and individual performance development plans align with the document. ITS leadership team will revisit the plan on a yearly basis to ensure it keeps pace with developments at the university and in the technology field.

The plan is posted on the Office of the CIO website. Mr. Wandschneider will present the plan at the next ITS outreach brown bag lunch in October. ITS will announce the date for the meeting on its website and through its info listserv. Members of the Queen's community can be added to that list by contacting itscomm@queensu.ca

ITS establishes and maintains information technology services chosen by the Queen's community. The organization is staffed by approximately 120 employees, working in ITS' four units: Infrastructure Services, Enterprise Solutions, Support Services, and the Office of the CIO. Smaller IT units across campus operate in conjunction with ITS to provide localized support.