IT Governance Framework of Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Introduction: Governance Framework of Queensland University of Technology

The paper is on the governance framework of the Queensland University of Technology. The paper sheds light on the current IT governance effectiveness of the UCIT model. The IT government arrangement matrix shows the mechanism and describes the decision making responsibilities of respective departments. Linking IT governance of the university with strategy will add value to the processes.

Effectiveness of Governance model

The effectiveness of the QUT governance framework can be asses through six indicators. The QUT has well defined strategic direction, goal and values of the University. The Council continuously plans and monitors the vision. The role and power of the Council are well established. The structure, composition, and membership are as per the code of the best practice established by the governance of Australian Universities. The procedure of the council follows with best practice principles.

The role, ethical conduct, and responsibilities of the Council are properly provided in the Council charter. The council provides strategic direction and prepares the foundation for the management of the University. The council has adopted the Weill and Ross model that effectively establishes the rights, responsibility and accountability framework that aims to achieve desirable behavior by using IT.
The Council is responsible for approving the policies and procedures of universities. The QUT regulates University’s ethical behavior and compliance with its obligations. The Council is accountable to the government and reports the performances of Universities. The Council ensures effective and efficient operation of University by timely review and monitoring. The Council has effective risk management and compliance management. The council has effective and appropriate committee structures. The QUT with IT governance committee connects University operating model with strategy (QUT governance framework 2014).

The above table describes the IT governance arrangement matrix of QUT. The yellow box signifies the decision rights and the green box depicts the input rights.

Congruence framework of QUT with IT governance

The congruence IT governance framework at QUT shows the relationship between IT and Council goals. The Council’s vision is to serve society by making its distinct reputation at a global level. The main driver for growth is combining academic strength with practical engagement with industry. The QUT values are designed so as to enable each member of the University Community and Council to discharge their obligations ethically by observing the high standard of behavior. The University aims to provide speedy and flexible solutions. The QUT is working ethically and in a socially accountable manner so as to become a good corporate citizen.
The Council in congruence with the IT governance committee is working to enhance quality education. To build an effective corporate governance system, it is necessary to align the IT governance with Council strategy. The IT monarch with QUT decides the IT infrastructure and d IT architecture. The Vice-Chancellor in congruence with the IT committee prepares policies on IT principles, university application needs and level of investment in IT. The performance of the Council is measured in its quality of the relationship with Universities. QUT has put considerable effort into developing IT practices and capabilities. The VC strategic governance committee has been formed for centrally funded IT projects (IT governance at QUT 2003).

Criticism of QUT Governance framework

The QUT has an effective corporate governance framework, but they are still struggling with aligning the strategic significance of IT. The staff involved in IT planning and development is not clear about the role of the council. The council is unable to communicate effectively with the university for embedding IT project approval and maintenance. The case study explains that governance and management are more accountable and effective in developing strategic plans and budget allocations.

The council has adopted the Weill and Ross model that focuses on maintenance and ongoing development rather than increasing accountability on return on Investment. However, with the establishment of ITSGC, the committee is playing a vital role in the planning, development, and implementation of IT in university. The QUT is unable to ensure proper balancing of IT resources. The council has failed to establish a cost-effective control structure as per the financial and performance management standards. The QUT IT governance is not stable and is amended year to year (IT governance at QUT 2003).

Recommendations

QUT can shape effective IT governance by carefully designing it for each IT domain. The council should emphasis on few goals and encourage desirable behavior from each staff. The Council top level should be educated about the importance of IT governance. The sound IT governance practices help University to achieve success. The Vice-Chancellor is recommended to bring greater transparency in existing governance arrangements. The council vision, goals should be made in congruence with IT governance.
QUT should fully harness the IT resources by establishing it as an effective benchmarking tool. The effective implementation of the QUT IT governance framework will help the university in better managing the relationship with students. The university staff will receive the benefit from common database infrastructure to collect integrate and distribute data across the university. The effective IT governance will be helpful in providing appropriate, meaningful, accurate, reliable and timely data to staff f (IT governance at QUT 2003).


References

IT governance at QUT. 2003. [Online]. Available at: https://eprints.qut.edu.au/253/1/Fraser_IT.pdf [Accessed on: 5 Oct 2014].
QUT governance framework. 2014. [Online]. Available at: https://www.mopp.qut.edu.au/A/A_01_01.jsp [Accessed on: 5 Oct 2014].