S:\NUCLEI\Programme\Projects\TechnicalArchitecture\DesignAuthorityv1-0.doc
ISD
ISD – Design Authority
Terms of Reference
Author:Simon Farrell, EISD
Reference:
Date:19th September 2008
Revisions:1.0
Contents
Document History
Document Location
Revision History
Approvals
Distribution
Background
Design Authority, Terms of Reference
Objective
Role
Remit
Committee Structure
Membership
Contacts
Communication
Document History
Document Location
This document is only valid on the day it was printed.
The source of the document can be found in:S:\NUCLEI\Programme\Projects\TechnicalArchitecture
Revision History
Date of this revision: 29 August 2008
Date of next revision:
Revision Date / Previous revision date / Summary of Changes / Changes marked22 December 2006 / Initial draft
14 February 2007 / 22 December 2006 / Expanded following meeting with David Ingram / Yes
22 August 2008 / 14 February 2007 / Amended / Yes
5th September 2008 / 22 August 2008 / Response to comments / Yes
Approvals
This document requires the following approvals
Name / Signature / Title / Date of Issue / VersionDistribution
This document has been distributed to:
Name / Date of Issue / VersionNic Crotch / 1.0
Anthony Rickaby / 1.0
Quentin North / 1.0
Andrew Dawson / 1.0
Kathryn Lewis / 1.0
Roland Rosner / 1.0
Will Miller / 1.0
Robert Clark / 1.0
Chris Randle / 1.0
Background
A recommendation of the draft ‘Information Strategy Vision and Implementation Plan’ is to establish a Design Authority to approve the technical design of new systems.
The role of the Design Authority will be to ensure the integrity of UCL’s information architecture; ensuring that new and upgraded systems are fit for purpose and comply with the standards necessary to maintain a robust, consistentand integrated technical infrastructure.
Design Authority, Terms of Reference
Objective
A Design Authority will be established in order to:
- Develop, promote and control standards for IT systems, thereby reducing costs associated with duplicationand integration of heterogeneous applications
- Quality assure IT requirements to allow projects to develop a clear set of deliverables backed up by a design that is achievable and fit for purpose
Role
The group’s role will be to:
- Develop,maintain and communicate a set of technical standards that support UCL’s IT activities
- Participate in pre-business-case ITTs and high level project design activities to ensure alignment with standards
- Approve compliance with or variance from the standards for all IT projects, across all UCL departments.
Remit
The remit of the Design Authority lies across the technical architecture that supports: Research, Teaching, Learning and Student Experience and Administration.
Membership
Membership will include a subset of technical representatives from departments and ISD. The Design Authority will be chaired by the ISD Enterprise Architect and will report to ISC.
Contacts
Role Title / Role Description / Role HolderChair Design Authority / -Chair the group
-Report to ISC / Simon Farrell
Administrator / -Secretary for the group / TBA
Formal Engagement
Project Governance
All Business Cases will require approval of their technical components by the Design Authority before submission to the ISC or any other committee.
Approval means that the Design Authority as a group has reviewed the technical components of the proposed project and agreed that they comply with UCL’s technical standards or has agreed to waive compliance. In the latter case, the business case should include a short one- or two-paragraph explanation of the reasons for waiving compliance.
Business case authors are advised to:
-Include within the Options section of their business case a section that specifies the tools, infrastructure and other technologies they expect to use in the delivery of the project
-Engage a member of the Design Authority in early discussions of the technical component of a proposed project, to avoid delays in approval of the final business case
Design Authority Meetings
During the months in which committee bids are being prepared (December, January), the Design Authority will meet as often as necessary to review all business cases that survive the one-page proposal review in November and anyway fortnightly. At other times of year, meetings will occur monthly or more often as requested by members.
Informal Engagement
The role of the Design Authority is not just to police compliance. Without continuing, active involvement in ongoing IT activities it will be impossible to identify issues and opportunities related to IT standards. IT staff are therefore encouraged to engage members of the Design Authority in pro-active debate over standards and to suggest changes at will.
Standards
The technical standards will be documented on UCL’s web site as a set of wiki pages open to comment by interested parties. Changes will be tracked and the entire “set” of standards will be published at 6 month intervals as a “release version”.
The group also expects to publish design templates for different types of IT projects.
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