Information technology (IT) professionals across the Institute are looking beyond the immediate future to establish a long-term strategic technology plan that enables the delivery of transformative, innovative technology at Georgia Tech. In doing so, Georgia Tech Information Technology has launched the campaign – An Eye Toward the Future – to actively engage stakeholders across the Institute to establish technology priorities in the areas of global research, teaching, learning, and service delivery. The campaign kicked off this month and will continue until the end of August 2019 (View it.gatech.edu/techplan/engagement for engagement schedule). The desired outcome of this campus engagement is a refined technology plan that reflects the needs, ideals, and thoughts of the campus community and serves as a guide for implementing information technology programs and initiatives.

“It is during periods of substantial change that we have the greatest opportunity to define what comes next,” said Mark Hoeting, vice president for Information Technology and chief information officer. “Given the pervasiveness of technology in every aspect of the Institute, the success of the plan is entirely dependent on the depth of partnership in its development and implementation.”

An Eye Toward the Future includes a partnership between Georgia Tech Information Technology and college IT organizations. A steering committee, comprised of delegates of the executive leadership team, members of the Georgia Tech Information Technology senior leadership team, and academic IT directors, has been established to guide and oversee the progress of the initiative.

The engagement includes environmental scanning and strategy formulation through a process called crowdsourcing. This process allows students, faculty, researchers, and staff to share ideas and weigh in on critical discussions, such as current and future opportunities, in IT on a shared platform called POPin. POPin can be accessed online or through a mobile app and allows discussion participants to respond to campaign questions and vote up or down on other’s responses. The platform provides a dashboard with real-time information on popular responses and themes.

The technology plan will be developed in accordance with policies set forth within the University System of Georgia’s IT Handbook, Section 1.4. Technology best practices and standards among research institutions of higher education are also highly regarded throughout this engagement.

“Over the next 12 months, the Institute will bring to a close several major initiatives that will establish strategic direction for the next several years,” Hoeting said. “As an institution, we are positioned now to plan carefully and thoroughly regarding how information technology will enable the Institute to best-leverage our path forward.”

Visit it.gatech.edu/techplan to learn more about An Eye Toward the Future.