SOAR 2028 - UITS Transformation & Roadmap

We will deliver exceptional customer service and support by prioritizing responsiveness, quality, and user satisfaction across all IT services.

Key Initiatives:

• Develop a training program to improve IT support staff's communication, technical skills, and empathy, enhancing service quality.
• Introduce data-driven feedback mechanisms to collect, analyze, and act on user feedback, ensuring continuous service improvement and responsiveness.
• Establish a user advocacy group comprising campus stakeholders to assess and recommend enhancements to services and user experiences.
• Publish service delivery metrics to build transparency and foster accountability through clear communication of performance data.
• Launch proactive outreach and knowledge-sharing campaigns to educate users on IT tools, best practices, and updates, enhancing engagement.

We will provide available, reliable, scalable, and secure IT services to support the teaching, learning, research, and administrative needs of the KSU community.

Key Initiatives:

• Implement a tiered incident response framework supported by robust governance tools to ensure service availability and minimize disruption.
• Transition to cloud-first to enhance scalability, reliability, and cost-efficiency while supporting long-term business continuity goals.
• Adopt advanced monitoring tools and integrate them with governance frameworks to proactively identify and mitigate system vulnerabilities.
• Establish a centralized IT governance model to streamline decision-making, align service delivery with institutional goals, and improve operational efficiency.
• Develop an IT risk management framework aligned with KSU’s strategic priorities to enhance resilience against evolving threats and ensure compliance.
• Standardize configurations and protocols to simplify service management, enhance consistency, and reduce operational complexity across IT systems.
• Develop a comprehensive lifecycle management process for IT assets to improve cost efficiency, extend resource longevity, and support strategic planning.
• Conduct regular continuity and security drills to test and refine business continuity and disaster recovery plans, ensuring organizational readiness for disruptions.

We will foster innovation in teaching, learning, and research by integrating emerging technologies and enhancing digital platforms to .

Key Initiatives:

• Create innovation labs to prototype and test emerging technologies, fostering collaboration among students, faculty, and researchers.
• Partner with academic departments to align IT projects with research initiatives, prioritizing investments that support strategic institutional goals.
• Through the use of AI develop data-informed personalized learning platforms to deliver tailored educational experiences that enhance student and faculty success.
• Expand high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities to enable advanced research and address the growing needs of data-intensive disciplines.
• Promote student and faculty-driven innovation through initiatives like hackathons, innovation grants, and interdisciplinary collaboration projects.
• Regularly benchmark IT services against industry standards and leverage insights to drive continuous improvement and competitive differentiation.
• Leverage automation technologies, including RPA and machine learning, to streamline administrative workflows and improve operational efficiency in support of teaching, learning, and research.

We will build efficient, trusted, and scalable program and project management practices to ensure successful execution of IT initiatives that align to institutional strategies and goals.

Key Initiatives:

• Implement flexible project management practices to enhance adaptability and responsiveness to evolving institutional needs.
• Standardize a project intake and prioritization process using scoring frameworks to align with institutional strategies and goals.
• Develop comprehensive training for project managers on risk assessment and mitigation strategies to ensure proactive identification and management of project risks.
• Integrate a centralized portfolio management system to provide visibility, real-time resource allocation, and streamlined oversight of IT initiatives.
• Establish a governance framework with project performance dashboards and KPIs to monitor progress and ensure accountability.
• Create a continuous feedback mechanism to capture lessons learned and refine project delivery processes.
• Enhance resource and capacity planning to ensure effective allocation of staffing and budgets across IT initiatives.
• Adopt collaborative project tools to enable cross-functional teamwork and improve efficiency in project execution.

We will establish a culture of continuous improvement by leveraging process improvement frameworks to drive operational excellence, optimize the UITS technology portfolio, and enhance service delivery processes in alignment with the KSU Taking Flight Strategic Initiatives.

Key Initiatives:

• Develop a comprehensive framework for process improvement initiatives by leveraging methodologies like Lean or Six Sigma to drive operational excellence.
• Foster a knowledge-sharing culture by implementing collaborative tools and platforms that encourage cross-functional learning and innovation.
• Implement a technology rationalization process to assess and streamline the entire technology portfolio, including applications, infrastructure, and tools, optimizing resources and reducing complexity.
• Establish cross-functional working groups to drive and champion process improvement initiatives, ensuring broad institutional alignment and engagement.
• Establish regular review cycles to evaluate and enhance existing IT processes, incorporating user feedback and aligning with institutional goals.
• Leverage analytics and performance metrics to monitor and improve operational efficiency across UITS services and initiatives.
• Introduce scalable training and upskilling programs to equip employees with the skills needed to support continuous improvement initiatives.

We will attract, retain, and develop top IT talent to build a high-performing team that meets the evolving needs of KSU.

Key Initiatives:

• Develop targeted career progression plans to retain high-performing employees and foster long-term engagement.
• Encourage regular mentorship opportunities within the IT department to promote professional growth and knowledge sharing.
• Conduct annual skill gap analyses to align training investments with evolving technological needs and organizational priorities, including cross-training.
• Support flexible work policies to enhance employee satisfaction and promote a healthy work-life balance.
• Launch leadership development programs to cultivate strong leaders capable of driving organizational success.
• Build an employee recognition program to celebrate achievements and reinforce a culture of excellence and innovation.

SOAR 2028 represents UITS's commitment to innovation, collaboration, and excellence. With a clear vision and measurable objectives, we are dedicated to enhancing the technology experience for students, faculty, and staff across KSU.