IT Transformation Update

Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Dear Colleagues,

First and foremost, thank you all for your continued participation in our IT transformation. Your questions and ideas are invaluable and will play a critical role in ensuring this effort is successful for all. Please continue to submit questions or suggestions directly via the online form or dedicated mailbox established for this initiative.

As previously mentioned, one of the most critical phases is the careful and thorough evaluation of our organizational structure to ensure the necessary adjustments are implemented and result in enhanced efficiency, collaboration, consistency, and capacity. Changes will be adopted in a phased approach and carefully evaluated to help optimize our operations and position us for future success.

An important update in this area I wanted to share with you is that effective Thursday, June 1, campus IT leaders will transition to report to me. We have already held a couple of productive brainstorming sessions, and I am excited to work closer with each of them and all of you as we embark on our unification journey.

Additionally, we will be engaging third-party consulting expertise to help us define the future organizational design, identify potential issues and risks, and to ensure the right levels of accountability, transparency, and awareness are established as we embark on our unification journey. Once an outside partner is selected, we will provide updates and information on next steps in this process.

On that same note, it is important to highlight that our goal during this process is not to transition everyone to be a system employee. Instead, our focus will be on determining which IT functions need to report under the new organizational structure and which positions function more as a business role and involve collaboration with other parts of the organization. We believe this approach will enable us to streamline our processes, enhance interdepartmental communication, and ultimately improve our overall performance.

I understand that change can be challenging, but I firmly believe that these adjustments will lead to greater opportunities for growth and professional development within our IT department. By evaluating our structure and refining our roles, we will enhance our ability to support the entire enterprise and deliver exceptional service.

I want to reiterate the importance and value of your input and feedback throughout this process and encourage you to actively participate and share your insights. (FAQs will be updated periodically, so please make sure to check the Web site.) I also want to reaffirm my commitment to providing open and transparent communication during this process. I will provide regular updates as we move forward and you can expect to hear from me in the next two weeks with a timeline of next steps, milestones, and more.

Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions. Your dedication and contributions to our department are greatly appreciated, and I have every confidence that together we will see this transformation is successful.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and support.

Sincerely,

Juan F. Serrano
Vice Chancellor & Chief Information Officer