6 Individual ICT Strategy Savvy Self-Analysis

6.1 Introduction and perspective

The JISC ICT Toolkit provides self-analysis across the two perspectives of institutional maturity and an individual's disposition to strategic ICT. The institutional self-analysis uses the key enablers of strategic ICT and provides a maturity assessment and guidance for improvement for the institution. However, with ICT embedded across an institution, it is important to recognise the imperative role of management, individually and working as a management team to support the success of aligning and integrating ICT strategy with the institutional strategy.

To support management in this area the toolkit provides a means to assess how, 'ICT Strategy Savvy' individual members are in their roles and provides guidance in improvement through self-analysis.

Strategic ICT aligned to Institutional Strategy

'ICT Strategy Savvy' is a characteristic of an institution and its management; and an indication of management behaviour in enabling strategic ICT to be aligned and integrated with institutional strategy.

The ICT strategy savvy section of the SICT Toolkit is offered as an optional tool to complement and be considered in addition to an institution's maturity model. The self-analysis is specific to an individual and uses a questionnaire to assess their disposition to contribute, engage in and undertake activities, within their institutional role, that supports strategic ICT maturity.

It is of relevance and will assist those senior management who have the opportunity to lead, contribute or influence the formulation and implementation of strategic ICT within their institution.

The self-analysis is designed to assist senior management in recognising the importance of their contribution and engagement and as such different self-analysis questionnaires are provided for each of the role groups as follows:

  • Senior Strategic Leaders and those preparing for senior strategic leadership
  • Heads of Departments (HoD), leading and managing academic, research or support teams
  • Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Directors of IT/IS or an equivalent role within IT/IS
  • Senior Information Services (IS) professionals, typically covering library, ICT and related activities

The self-assessment should be completed to provide an individual representation of your disposition to contribute within the overall institution, or part thereof. As such the profile definition should state your role and its scope.

For example a member of the senior management team or a CIO would define their profile as at an institutional level whereas a Head of Department would be profiled at a departmental level unless they held any other strategic responsibilities.

This profiling is relevant if the institution or part thereof wishes to establish how ICT Strategy Savvy a management team is within a defined scope.

Examples are:

  • The Senior Management Team
  • ICT Strategy Steering Group
  • IT/IS department
  • Faculty or School
  • Business unit or Department

In this case the set of self-assessments could be consolidated as well as compared individually to assist in understanding and developing 'team' improvements in management disposition to aligning institutional and ICT strategy.