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Appendix D: Organisation Structure for ICT Projects

This appendix defines the roles, responsibilities and Terms of Reference, where appropriate, for effective initiation and management of ICT projects.

The PRAC ICT Sub-Committee, and its Implementation arm, is responsible for taking strategic and programme related decisions. Through the Director of ICT it will, champion ICT projects which have been sponsored by units from across Oxford, seek funding,⁸¹and work closely with PRAS to plan and finance projects. For those projects which are supported financially, it will identify a Project Sponsor to produce, in collaboration with the Director of ICT, a high-level business case/project brief and will appoint, and monitor progress of, an ICT Project Board. The Project Boards will be accountable for the good governance and risk management of major⁸² ICT projects, and will be overseen by the Director of ICT.

It is essential that the part of Oxford which sponsors⁸³the ICT project continues to have responsibility for the project. This is achieved by ensuring suitable representation on the Project Board, and ensuring that the Project Board has a direct reporting line to the sponsoring unit.

The Project Board will be chaired by a senior academic and will have membership as follows:

• Chairman
• Project Sponsor⁸⁴
• Director of ICT
• Project Assurance Office
• Senior Departmental user representative(s)
• College Representative(s) (where colleges are users of the project output)
• Senior Representative(s) of ICT Service Provider(s)

The Project Board will have the terms of reference as follows:

• exercise financial and management control of the Project on behalf of PRAC and the Strategy arm of the ICT Sub-Committee;
• report to the sponsoring unit, PRAC and the Strategy arm of the ICT Sub-Committee on project issues and risks as appropriate;
• authorise each phase of the Project Life Cycle until introduction to service;
• evaluate supplier proposals and authorise the signing of supplier contracts;
• maintain the project plan and progress reports;
• monitor project resources and budget;
• assist the Project manager with major risk and problem management as required;
• maintain the requirements specification;
• approve the membership of the Steering Committee (where required).

Complex Projects may require a Steering Committee to take on some of the work required by the Project. Steering Committee members will be nominated by the Project Sponsor at the start of the Project and will be approved by the Strategy arm of the ICT Sub-Committee.

Its membership will be made up as follows:-

• Chairman (typically a senior user)
• Senior user representative for each functional area
• Development and implementation representative(s) (from central ICT providers)
• Operation and support representative (from central ICT providers)

The Steering Committee will have terms of reference as follows:-

• assess the project business case and risk register (where detailed analysis required);
• review the test and implementation strategy (where detailed analysis required);
• support and assist the Project Team as required;
• report on risk and other issues to the Project Board (in particular potential time and cost overruns).

The Project Manager is accountable to the Project Board for the delivery of the Project.

Up: Contents Previous: Appendix C: Role and Responsibilities of the Director of ICT Next: Appendix E: Scenarios for Success

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Maintained by: OUCS Webmaster (webmaster@rt.oucs.ox.ac.uk) Submitted for consideration by PRAC, March 2007. ICT Strategy Programme Consultation Sub-Group.