IT Communications Executive Overview

Purpose of Communications Plan:

  • Introduce the five Areas of Emphasis
  • Raise campus awareness of Areas of Emphasis, directions and goals
  • Launch planning process for IT strategic plan
  • Solicit input and feedback for fine-tuning the IT strategic vision
  • Create a collaborative mechanism for understanding various initiatives and projects currently being done that relate to Areas of Emphasis

Strategy:

  • Implement in multiple phases that overlap in time
  • Create modular materials that can be used in different ways to several audiences
  • Use multiple media to deliver message – print, electronic, presentations

Phase I: Build the Message (Agreed upon)

  • Create overall vision
  • Craft Areas of Emphasis, directions and goals

Phase II: Build the Materials (In Progress)

  • Print Materials (booklet, campus news stories, cover letters)
  • Online Materials (OIT web, iCompass web, ITPB web)
  • Presentation Materials (PowerPoint presentation, overview script/talking points)
  • Student-focused summary

Phase III: Distribute the Message/Create Feedback Mechanism (In Progress)

  • Websites made live with ongoing updates
  • Booklet and cover letter are distributed
  • Print stories are published
  • Presentations are made
  • Email address is established for feedback

Phase IV: Incorporate Feedback into the Planning Process (Not begun)

  • Process is established to log, summarize and discuss feedback
  • Monthly feedback reports given at ITPB meetings

Phase V: Ongoing Updates (Not begun)

  • Print stories continue to be written and published
  • Web updates are made

Phase VI: Implementation Plan (Not begun)

  • Five Areas of Emphasis are implemented
  • Strategic Plan is developed from the IT Vision

This packet includes a detailed plan for communicating the Five Areas of Emphasis and IT Strategic Vision. The appendices to this document are:

  • Appendix 1 - Summary timeline of all activities.
  • Appendix 2 - Presentation delivery plan and timeline.
  • Appendix 3 - Printing and distribution and costs for Vision Booklet, cover letters, and Student Summary.

Information Technology Planning BoardIT Communications Plan

(July 29, 2002)

The purpose of this communications plan is:

  • to introduce the five Areas of Emphasis that comprise UCLA’s IT strategic vision
  • to raise campus awareness of the IT Areas of Emphasis, directions, and goals
  • to publiclylaunch the planning process for UCLA information technology strategic plan
  • to solicit input and feedback for fine-tuning the Areas of Emphasis
  • to create a collaborative mechanism for understanding various initiatives and projects currently being done in departments, schools, and divisions that relate to the Areas of Emphasis.

The overall strategy is to employ multiple media to deliver the IT strategic vision over the next academic year to various UCLA audiences. The primary audiences are faculty, deans and directors, students, and IT professionals. The materials to be developed for this plan are modular so that they can be used with different audiences at different times.

This plan has six phases, which will overlap in their implementation. Some phases have already been launched. The phases are:

Phase I – Build the Message (Areas of Emphasis)

Phase II – Build the Materials (print, online, and presentation)

Phase III – Distribute the Message (multiple media approach)

Phase IV – Incorporate Feedback (multiple feedback loops)

Phase V – Ongoing Updates

Phase VI – Build the Implementation Plan (result of planning process)

PHASE I: BUILD THE MESSAGE

In this phase, the ITPB crafted the five Areas of Emphasis and the attendant goals and directions.

  • Status: The vision has been agreed upon by the ITPB.

PHASE II: BUILD THE MATERIALS

In this phase, the materials to introduce the Areas of Emphasis to the campus are being created. Content is being created for print, online, and presentation materials.

A. Print Materials:

A.1. Booklet - The primary aspect of the print materials is the IT Strategic Vision booklet. The booklet outlines the five Areas of Emphasis, scenarios on how the Areas will focus IT infrastructure and projects on campus, and a mechanism for feedback.

Booklet Distribution – There should be 7,500 copies of the booklet printed initially. It should be distributed as follows:

  • to faculty as a mailing with a cover letter (3,000)
  • on-campus to deans and directors with cover letter (2,500)
  • to other groups and departments that receive PowerPoint presentations (1,500)
  • extras (500)

Note: The booklet will also be available online (see below).

  • Status: The booklet is currently being refined and edited by an external editor and page layout specialist. It will be completed by mid-August for final review at the August 29 ITPB meeting. With final ITPB approval the booklet will be distributed in October 2002 (see timeline).

A.2. Booklet Cover Letters – A cover letter, signed by ITPB leadership, should be crafted and customized for each audience that receives the information through mail services (primarily faculty and deans and directors).

  • Status: Not begun.

A.3. Student Summary –A one page summary version of the IT Vision booklet aimed directly at students and distributed at CLICC.

  • Status: Not begun.

A.4. Campus news features - Stories will be run in UCLA Today, the Daily Bruin, and the hardcopy version of iCompass. The first story in each publication will explain the IT strategic vision and outline the five Areas of Emphasis, goals and directions. Subsequent stories will focus on IT projects that illustrate the Areas of Emphasis.

  • Status: An initial overview of the five Areas of Emphasis ran in the April 2002 hardcopy issue of iCompass. UCLA Today has agreed to run a series of stories along with a special logo to identify all IT strategic vision stories.

B. Online Materials:

There are three websites (iCompass, ITPB and OIT) that will be used to convey the IT strategic vision and solicit feedback on the vision. Each will be used to optimize a specific message that best suits the particular website and will link to each other in order to create a cohesive redundancy.

B.1. iCompass Website – The iCompass website has been completed (see This site will be used to deliver ongoing, news information about the IT strategic vision and to stimulate ongoing discussion and awareness. The strategy is to launch one story as an overview of the IT strategic plan and follow up with ongoing stories that focus on interesting IT initiatives and projects that link back to the IT strategic plan.

  • Status: An initial story on the five Areas of Emphasis has run on the iCompass website. A feature outlining the main points of the strategic vision booklet, the purpose, and the creation process will run on the iCompass website in October 2002. Subsequent, project-focused stories will run December 2002 through April 2003.

B.2. ITPB Website – This website will be the “keeper of the vision” and all information about the IT strategic planning process. It will include:

  • Information on the planning process and development of the booklet
  • Downloadable version of the booklet
  • Feedback mechanism

Status: The five Areas of Emphasis have been posted on this site (See Other materials will be posted this summer, as they are created and approved by the ITPB.

B.3. Office of Information Technology (OIT) Website – The purpose of this website is to manage and publish the planning and process documents related to projects and initiatives that further the five Areas of Emphasis.

Content will include:

  • Detailed planning documents that describe different projects, associated costs, and assessment criteria
  • Process charts on how decisions, prioritizations, and implementation of the plan are done
  • How the Areas of Emphasis will be resourced
  • Projects and Initiatives categorized under related Areas of Emphasis
  • Personalized messages from ITPB leadership about the IT vision
  • Feedback mechanism for input on the plan.

Status: The basic look and feel of this website has been created, along with initial buttons and preliminary content. (See Full content for the website will be created after the completion and approval of the Vision Booklet. Thepage will go live in September 2002.

C. Presentation Materials:

These will be a PowerPoint presentation and script that can be customized by the presenter for specific audiences. IT managers and deans should be encouraged to make this presentation an agenda item for their staff meetings, and the offer should be made for ITPB members to make the presentation. The presentation will:

  • Be presentable in 20 minutes
  • Explain the Areas of Emphasis and their relevance to the campus
  • Illustrate the Areas with related projects
  • Relate the Areas to the specific audience being addressed
  • Set priorities for the specific audience
  • Elicit questions from the audience

Status: A script for this presentation has been outlined, but major development should happen during mid-to-late summer. The presentation should be available for review by Sept. 1, 2002 and for delivery by late September.

PHASE III: DISTRIBUTE THE MESSAGE/CREATE FEEDBACK MECHANISM

In this phase, the materials created in Phase II should be in full deployment. Feedback mechanisms should be put into play, and a compilation of feedback should be delivered to and discussed by the ITPB at each meeting.

  • Booklet should be distributed according to timeline (Appendices 1, 3)
  • Websites should be live and updated as outlined
  • Stories should be written and published according to timeline (see Appendix 1)
  • Presentations should be scheduled and made (see Appendix 2)

Presentations by ITPB Leadership and Membership:

The primary presentation team includes Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, and Jim Davis. Other ITPB members as well as IT leadership should also be available to present the vision to their specific departments and groups.

Audience – The following groups have been identified, with suggested message-delivery mechanisms. The Vision Booklet should only be distributed after presentations are made (with the Vision Booklet as handouts) to various constituencies. The following order and presenters are suggested.

University Leadership (Presentation with Vision Booklet as handout)

  1. Chancellor/Executive Vice Chancellor (Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis)
  2. Professional Deans (Jim Davis)
  3. Executive Committee (Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis)
  4. College Deans (Brian Copenhaver, Alfonso Cardenas)
  5. Academic Senate (Chris Foote, AlfonsoCardenas)

ITPB Member Departments (Presentation with Vision Booklet as handout)

ITPB members should present the Vision (using the PowerPoint presentation) to their own departments. These presentations should begin in December 2002.

IT Groups (Presentation with Vision Booklet as handout)

  1. Campus Computing Council – CCC (Tom Phelan)
  2. Computing Support Coordinators - CSC (Jim Davis)
  3. Common Systems Group CSG (Jim Davis)
  4. Information Technology Management Group (Jim Davis)
  5. CLICC representatives (Marsha Smith)

Faculty (Vision Booklet mailed)

Booklet with cover letter signed by ITPB leadership will be sent through campus mail in October 2002.

Students(Vision Booklet summarized in one page handout)

Summary will be available in CLICC labs in November timeframe.

General Campus (UCLA Today, iCompass, Daily Bruin Stories):

UCLA Today, iCompass, and Daily Bruin stories will be published.

Feedback Mechanism: An email address should be established (suggest: ) and widely distributed to solicit questions, concerns, and ideas about the strategic vision. The feedback address will be included on printed materials and published stories, on all websites, and on the PowerPoint presentation. Meetings and presentations should allow time to proactively solicit feedback. Feedback will be regularly summarized with ongoing updates at the monthly ITPB meetings.

PHASE IV: INCORPORATION OF FEEDBACK INTO THE PLANNING PROCESS

Feedback should be logged, summarized, distributed and a 15-minute discussion put on the agenda for each ITPB meeting beginning in November 2002. (Esther Woo-Benjamin will facilitate.)

PHASE V: ONGOING UPDATES

Includes OIT website updates and stories in iCompass, UCLA Today, and Daily Bruin.

PHASE VI: IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

At this phase, the five Areas of Emphasis should be accepted and used as the common framework for information technology projects and initiatives at UCLA. For each Area of Emphasis, there will be in place a Project and Process Plan wherein all projects are moved through: conceptualizion, planning, resourcing, prioritization, review and evaluation. New projects will continue to be added into this process over time.

Additionally, presentations to campus groups will be ongoing, stories and website updates will be ongoing, and feedback will continue to be compiled and incorporated into the planning/implementation process.

Appendix 1

IT Strategic Vision/Plan Communications Timeline

July/August 2002

  • Finish IT Strategic Vision Booklet
  • Develop content for OIT website
  • Create PowerPoint Presentation
  • Write Faculty Cover Letter

September 2002

  • Send IT Strategic Vision Booklet to Printers
  • Present Plan to Academic Senate Leadership
  • Present Plan to Chancellor/EVC
  • Begin to Present Plan to IT Groups
  • Make OIT Website live with project descriptions, planning documents, associated costs and assessment criteria
  • Update ITPB Website with IT Vision Materials

October 2002

  • Mail IT Strategic Vision Booklet and Cover Letter to Faculty
  • Publish iCompass web feature (main points of plan)
  • Publish iCompass newsletter overview
  • Continue to Present Plan to Leadership
  • Continue to Present Plan to IT Groups

November 2002

  • Publish UCLA Today article
  • Publish Daily Bruin story
  • Distribute Student Summary
  • Present Plan to Academic Senate Legislative Committee
  • Present Plan to CLICC

December 2002

  • Publish iCompass web update – overview of Areas of Emphasis
  • Begin to run Area of Emphasis Feature Stories on iCompass web
  • Present Plan to Academic Senate Standing Committees
  • Present Plan to ITPB Member Departments

January 2003 – June 2003

  • Consolidate Feedback into a Status report
  • Present Feedback Reports at Monthly ITPB Meetings
  • Consolidate Feedback into IT Strategic Planning
  • Create and Post Updated Messages for Websites
  • Write and Publish ongoing iCompass Web Features

Appendix 2

Information Technology Strategic Vision

Presentation Schedule

Audience / Presenter / Suggested Meeting/Month
AUGUST 2002
ATS Staff / Jim Davis / Aug. 6, 2002 *
SEPTEMBER 2002
Academic Senate Leadership (Chair, vice chair) / Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis / Early September 2002
Chancellor/EVC / Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis / Early September 2002
Campus Computing Council (CCC) / Tom Phelan / Sept. 19, 2002
Computing Support Coordinators (CSC) / Jim Davis / September 2002 (Meeting date to be determined)
Common Systems Group (CSG) / Jim Davis / Sept. 25, 2002
Executive Computing Committee (ECC) / Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis / September 2002 (Meeting date to be determined)
OCTOBER 2002
Professional Deans / Jim Davis / Oct. 8, 2002
Executive Committee & Executive Staff / Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis / Dark for summer; Fall schedule not yet set
College Deans / Brian Copenhaver; Alfonso Cardenas / October 2002
Information Technology Management Group (ITMG) / Jim Davis / October 2002
NOVEMBER 2002
Academic Senate Legislative Assembly / Chris Foote, Alfonso Cardenas, Jim Davis / Nov. 12, 2002
CLICC / Marsha Smith / Nov. 19, 2002
DECEMBER 2002
Academic Senate Standing Committees (see below) / ITPB Membership / December 2002
ITPB Home Departments / ITPB Membership / December 2002 through February 2003

*Draft version to begin to gather reaction from audiences.

Academic Senate Committees

Academic Freedom

Academic Personnel

Charges

Diversity and Equal Opportunity

Education Abroad

Faculty Research Lectureship

Faculty Welfare

Graduate Council

Grievance & Disciplinary Procedures

Intercollegiate Athletics

Library

Planning & Budget

Privilege & Tenure

Research

Research-Faculty Grants Program

Rules & Jurisdiction

Teaching

Undergraduate Admissions & Relations w/Schools

Undergraduate Council

Undergraduate Council – Committee on Honors, Awards & Prizes

University Emeriti

University Extension

State Assembly

Appendix 3

Printing/DistributionEstimates

BOOKLET

Printing Process and Time

  • Camera-ready copy submission begins process
  • Press proof/blueline – 5 days later
  • Finished product – 5 days after proof is Oked
  • Suggested print run – 7,500

Distribution Mechanisms

  • Campus Mailing Faculty3,000
  • Campus Mailing – Deans & Directors2,500
  • Hand-outs1,500
  • Extras 500

Printing Estimates (according to standard press runs; tax and shipping not included)

Eight-page, self-cover, color booklet

1,000 copies$2,023

3,000copies$2,405

5,000copies$2,787

7,500copies(recommended)$3264

10,000copies$3741

One-page cover letter and envelope for mailing

Faculty only$ 570

On Campus Deans and Directors only 650

Total$1,220

Mailing Estimates (according to Campus Mailing Services)

Faculty only$ 950

On Campus Deans & Directors only$1120

Total$2,070

STUDENT SUMMARY

Initial print-run of 5,000 black and white$ 500

TOTAL ESTIMATE – recommended$7054

ITPB Communications Plan10/25/20181