ITS Partnership Program

SFBRN ITS Partnership Program Charter

1. Purpose

The SFBRN ITS Partnership Program establishes a relationship-based engagement model that strengthens collaboration between San Francisco Bay Region Network (SFBRN) Information Technology Services (ITS) and the cabinet areas of the universities it serves.

Each cabinet area is assigned a senior ITS director who serves as its strategic technology partner. These partners provide a consistent point of contact for technology planning, service coordination, and initiatives that require collaboration across multiple ITS teams.

The program is intended to improve communication, strengthen relationships, increase transparency, and ensure technology needs are understood, appropriately prioritized, and connected to the right ITS resources.

2. Program Objectives

The SFBRN ITS Partnership Program will:

• Strengthen relationships between ITS and cabinet-area leadership.
• Improve communication and alignment between institutional priorities and technology services.
• Provide cabinet areas with a clear point of contact for strategic technology discussions.
• Improve coordination for initiatives that span multiple ITS teams or services.
• Increase visibility into emerging technology needs, risks, dependencies, and opportunities.
• Promote a consistent, customer-centered approach to technology engagement across SFBRN.
• Clarify the distinction between operational support, project intake, and strategic partnership.

3. Guiding Principles

The program operates according to the following principles:

Customer-Centered Partnership

Partners build trusted relationships and ensure cabinet areas feel supported, informed, and connected to the appropriate ITS resources.

Clear Roles and Processes

The Partnership Program complements existing support and project management processes; it does not replace established operational workflows.

Strategic Alignment

Partners help align cabinet-area priorities with ITS services, planning, and institutional technology strategy.

Collaboration and Transparency

Partners foster open communication, coordinated engagement, and shared accountability across ITS and campus stakeholders.

One ITS Experience

The program presents SFBRN ITS as a unified organization by coordinating expertise across service areas and reducing organizational complexity for customers.

4. Program Scope

The Partnership Program supports strategic and cross-functional technology engagement, including:

• Cabinet-level technology planning
• Early discussions of new initiatives or business needs
• Cross-functional technology coordination
•  Guidance in identifying the appropriate ITS resources or processes
• Technology planning aligned with institutional priorities
• Identification of recurring service themes and opportunities for improvement

5. Program Boundaries

The Partnership Program complements—but does not replace—existing operational support processes.

The following activities should continue to use established channels:

• General IT support through the Network Service Center or local campus Service Desk
• Incident resolution, troubleshooting, access requests, and routine service requests through the appropriate support channels
• Formal technology projects through the SFBRN ITS Project Management Office (PMO) intake process
• Operational escalations through existing service management procedures

ITS Partners provide guidance, coordination, and strategic engagement but do not replace Service Desk support, project intake, or operational ownership.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

Cabinet-Area ITS Partners

Each ITS Partner serves as the senior relationship manager for an assigned cabinet area and is responsible for:

• Building relationships with cabinet leadership and key stakeholders
• Understanding business priorities and emerging technology needs
• Serving as the primary strategic technology liaison
• Connecting stakeholders with the appropriate ITS leaders and service owners
• Coordinating discussions involving multiple ITS organizations
• Identifying recurring issues, risks, and opportunities
• Bringing customer feedback and emerging needs to ITS leadership
• Promoting transparency, communication, and follow-through

ITS Partners facilitate engagement and coordination but are not responsible for personally resolving all technical or operational issues.

Cabinet Areas

Cabinet areas are expected to:

• Use established support channels for routine operational needs
• Submit formal project requests through the PMO
• Engage their ITS Partner for strategic planning and cross-functional technology discussions
• Share upcoming initiatives that may require ITS participation
• Provide feedback on technology services and priorities
• Participate in collaborative planning and decision-making

SFBRN ITS

SFBRN ITS will:

• Assign senior ITS leaders as cabinet-area partners
• Equip partners with knowledge of ITS services and processes
• Share strategic initiatives, operational priorities, and service changes with partners
• Maintain regular forums for sharing customer feedback and emerging needs
• Monitor trends and opportunities for continuous improvement
• Evaluate and refine the Partnership Program over time

7. Engagement Model

The Partnership Program is relationship-based and flexible, with engagement tailored to the needs of each cabinet area.

Typical engagement may include:

• Regular meetings with cabinet leadership – Quarterly Cadence 
• Participation in strategic planning discussions
• Coordination across ITS teams for complex initiatives
• Early consultation before project initiation
• Review of recurring service concerns and improvement opportunities
• Guidance on appropriate engagement pathways within ITS

8. Success Measures

The Partnership Program will be considered successful when it results in:

• Stronger relationships between ITS and cabinet leadership
• Improved communication and transparency
• Earlier engagement of ITS in institutional initiatives
• Better coordination across ITS service areas
• Greater clarity regarding support, projects, and strategic planning pathways
• Improved customer experience and confidence in SFBRN ITS
• Better alignment between institutional priorities and technology services

9. Governance and Continuous Improvement

SFBRN ITS leadership will periodically review the Partnership Program to ensure it continues to meet institutional needs.

Reviews will consider:

• Feedback from cabinet-area stakeholders
• Feedback from ITS Partners
• Program participation and engagement
• Recurring themes and service trends
• Opportunities to improve communication, coordination, and service delivery

The charter will be updated as necessary to reflect organizational priorities, lessons learned, and evolving institutional needs.