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Standards & Architecture

The OIT has two governing bodies that fulfill the architecture review board function.

Standards and Architecture is the governing body that oversees how enterprise and/or mission-critical technologies, processes, preferred configurations, and standards are defined and used within projects. Design Review Board is where the technical implementation is vetted.

Benefits of an architecture review board include:

• Effective utilization of existing services
• Increased consistency and efficiency
• Improved security
• Greater stability and predictability in the operating environments
• Increased collaboration across the campus
• Improved delivery and risk management
• Published standards will facilitate better understanding of OIT supported technologies
• Evaluation and adoption of technologies outside the existing portfolio

Responsibilities

• Document, develop, and promulgate IT Service standards (seeking subject matter expertise as required).
• The Standards and Architecture (S&A) team reviews proposed projects for initial fit to University standards and architecture.
  The S&A team makes recommendations to the project or identify the project as not a fit to the University’s standards. In addition,
  the ​team may recommend alternate solutions or pre-existing services that may fit the needs identified by the project.
• The S&A team reviews the initial project planning details and design once active for fit to standards requirements.
• The S&A team reviews the S&A checklist for all projects at planning and closure
• Standards and Architecture provides a template/checklist for vendor or product evaluation (RFP) and participates in the evaluation.
• The Design Review Board (DRB) consults on technical implementation details and approves the final design.
• The DRB reviews the S&A checklist for all projects at the design phase.
• Reviews completed project closure documentation to ensure compliance was maintained.

Cycle of Reviews

• The Standards and Architecture and Design Review Board teams meet on a weekly basis.
• S&A reviews documents (Charter, S&A checklist) offline prior to each meeting. For this reason, we ask that we receive any documentation 48 hours prior to the meeting.