The purpose of the IT Steering Committee (ITSC) is to oversee and guide the strategic direction and decision-making process regarding the technology used within the organization. This committee ensures that all technological initiatives are aligned with the organization’s objectives and resources, thereby fostering efficiency and innovation. The committee is responsible for reviewing all technology that supports the organization and deciding whether to proceed with the go-to-market process for new technologies.

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This SOP applies to the IT Steering Committee and outlines its role in reviewing and approving new and existing technologies. It does not include the Go-To-Market process.

1. Strategic Alignment: The IT Steering Committee ensures that all technology initiatives are consistent with the organization’s strategic goals. This includes evaluating the impact of new technologies on the overall business strategy and ensuring that proposed technologies align with the long-term vision of the organization.
2. Technology Review:

• Conduct comprehensive reviews of new and existing technologies to determine their effectiveness, efficiency, and alignment with organizational goals.

• Assess the technological needs of the organization and/or the client and recommend appropriate solutions.

• Evaluate the potential risks and benefits associated with the new technologies.

• Review end of life and end of service technology to determine the solution and assign to the department or team that should manage the transition.

• Make decisions on products or services that need to go to the Go-To-Market process.

3. Decision-Making: The Committee will be comprised of individuals that are responsible for making informed decisions regarding the adoption, retirement, or rejection of new or existing technologies based on thorough analysis and evaluation.
4. Resource Allocation:

• Allocate neccessary resources, including budget and personnel, for the implementation of approved technology projects.

• Monitor and manage the utilization of resources to ensure efficient and effective deployment of technology.

5. Performance Monitoring:

• Regularly monitor and review the performance of implemented technologie to ensure they meet expected standards and deliver the desired outcomes.

• Identify areas for improvement and recommend corrective actions, as needed.

6. Communication and Reporting:

• Maintain clear and open communication with all stakeholders regarding the status and progress of technology initiatives.

• Provide regular reports to senior management on the outcomes of technology reviews and status of ongoing projects.

1. Technology Review Process:

• New Ideas-

  1. Submit a new idea for new or replacement technology to the ITSC for review and evaluation. The idea can be submitted by anyone in the organization through the product development tool.
  2. Hold a committee meeting to review all new submissions and ensure the ITSC has enough information to make a decision to advance the idea through product scoring and product definition.
  3. Make a decision to approve, request modifications, or reject the proposal based on the evaluation.

• This will include discussing feasibility, viability, and desirability, scoring and prioritizing, and delegating.

• In Progress Updates -

  1. Go through the product development tool and review all non-GTM projects that are in progress at each status, determine next steps, tasks, task owners, and delegate the appropriate resources.
  2. Update the product development tool

2. Performance Monitoring Process
   1. Establish performance metrics and benchmarks for implemented technologies.
   2. Regularly collect data on the performance of these technologies.
   3. Analyze the data to identify trends, issues, and areas for improvement.
   4. Report findings to the ITSC and recommend any necessary corrective actions.
   5. Implement corrective actions and monitor their effectiveness.
3. Membership: The ITSC shall comprise of senior representatives from various departments within the organization, including IT, finance, operations, and strategic planning. Members are selected based on their expertise and ability to contribute to the decision-making process.
4. Meetings: The ITSC meetings are scheduled to meet twice a month. Ad-hoc meetings can be called if a need arises between scheduled meetings. Meeting agenda is set and flow of meeting is predictable. If a need arises, a message will be sent to the team ahead of the meeting indicating a topic that needs urgent attention.

• Best practice; use Copilot to record the meeting to capture decisions and tasks.

5. Review Process: the ITSC should review the process and procedures annually to ensure relevance and effectiveness. Amendments to the SOP may be proposed by any committee member and be approved by the ITSC before making changes to the documentation. -By following this SOP, the ITSC will provide a structured, efficient, and timely approach to managing the organization’s technology portfolio, ensuring that all technology investments support the strategic objectives and deliver maximum value.

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1. V.P. of Technology - has ultimate decision-making authority based on the inputs and recommendations of the ITSC and all supporting roles.
2. Technology Leadership - plays a vital role in the decision-making process by representing all internal technology and technology required to support the client.
3. Sales Leadership - plays a vital role in decision-making process by providing market analysis and client needs.
4. Research and Development - is not a set role or person, but the person(s) ultimately responsible for ensuring the proposed solution and vendor are viable options.
5. Product Development Chair - responsible for ensuring the process runs smoothly and timely.
6. Service Delivery Leadership - responsible for the product or service can be supported by the service delivery team and back-office teams.
7. Project Owner - Product Owner - or designee: responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the product development tool, working with all stakeholders and SME(s) to gather details needed from each team that will play a role in deployment, ongoing support, or any other item the stakeholder or SME feels is important to capture in order to ensure the enrollment and success of the product. This includes providing demonstrations of new tools or services to the Stakeholders to help facilitate their questions and needs.

1. Key Stakeholders: is responsible for the inputs required to provide a Go - No go vote. Representation includes someone from the functional areas of the organization that will be required to participate in deployment, ongoing support, or retirement of the product or service. These individuals represent the voice of their department.

• Service Desk Leader - voice of client support

• IT Manager - voice of internal support

• vITM Manager - voice of the client (technical advocate)

• Sales and technical sales - voice client (solutions advocate)

• vCIO - voice of the client (relationship advocate)

• System Administrator - determines how integration will be monitored and maintained

• Cybersecurity - responsible for ensuring all products and services meet security requirements

2. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs): will vary based on the product or service, but will likely either own the product or service or closely support it.

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1. SOP - Standard Operating Procedure

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1. What measures are used to ensure the procedure is working or is complete?

• Conducting regular assessments of the committee’s activities and decisions to ensure they align with goals

• Stakeholder and client feedback

• Evaluating meeting effectiveness

2. What records are required?

• The product development tool

• The product definition and specification

3. Where are the records stored?

• Reacords are currently located in SharePoint in the Product Development and Product Stakeholder spaces.

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• EXTERNAL only – i.e., industry best practices, CIS18, this is not for cIT internal references

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1. Link to process map.

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