Overview
In cooperation with the Dean's Office, Franklin OIT provides computer lifecycle management for units and departments within Franklin College. As budgets allow, Franklin OIT plans for a four year lifecycle. This plan takes into account the average lifespan of the technology Franklin OIT supports and allows the college to maximize the usefulness of devices while minimizing downtime and support costs.
Benefits
Maintaining a computer lifecycle ensures the continued success of Franklin College by reducing downtime and increasing productivity. A lifecycle management approach also allows the college to budget and plan for technology needs rather than addressing critical needs on a case-by-case basis.
Process
Timeline
Requests & Commitments will only be open March 1 - April 1 for requests
Process Steps
Gather Inventory Data
Franklin OIT will work with UGA Property control to gather data on department inventory in February.
Proposal Development
After collecting the data Franklin OIT will perform the following steps to create a lifecycle proposal:
- Identify the primary computer for each faculty member
- Remove any non-primary computers or non-IT equipment from the inventory list
- Sort the remaining devices by purchase date with the oldest equipment at the top
Develop a proposal for devices that need to be replaced this year
One way IT Professionals may wish to draft their proposal:- Divide the list into quarters and color code:
- Red - oldest equipment, recommended for replacement this year
- Orange - older equipment, recommended for replacement next year
- Yellow - newer equipment, recommended for replacement in two years
- Green - newest equipment, recommended for replacement in three years
This methods makes updates in the future simpler as colors just roll up and new devices are added
- Divide the list into quarters and color code:
The lifecycle proposal will be submitted to the department by the end of February.
Department Review
The department will review the lifecycle proposal in March and re-prioritize requests based on business needs as needed. The department will input the prioritized list into request and commitments by April 1st.
Preliminary Allocation Selection
Franklin OIT will use the following sources to estimate funding available:
- Funding levels from previous years
- Current funding available
Based on these estimates, Franklin OIT will select allocations to review for final purchase in May.
Franklin OIT will create a scenario in the Requests and Commitments system by May 15th with the selected allocations. Allocations will be marked as "Under Review," and are subject to change.
Order Placed
Franklin OIT will finalize funding sources and place a bulk computer purchase in June.
Franklin OIT will communicate the final computer allocations by July 1st. Allocations that were fulfilled will be marked as "Franklin OIT Committment" in the Requests and Commitments system. Allocations that Franklin OIT was unable to fulfill will be returned to a "Submitted" status.
Roles and Responsibilities
Process Owner
IT Manager for Client Services, North
- Defines the process
- Monitors and reports process performance
- Aligns the process with changing business needs through continual improvement
Process Manager
IT Manager for Client Services, North
IT Manager for Client Services, South
- Ensures the process is executed appropriately at each described step
- Ensures the appropriate deliverables are being produced
- Guides process performers appropriately
Process Performers
IT Professionals with Client Services
Department Head
Department Business Manager or other inventory representative
- Carries out process activities
- Works with stakeholders to ensure the effectiveness of the process
- Creates deliverables