Governance

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Revised on October 27, 2022, V.7

1.    PURPOSE:

Governance Committee: provides overarching Governance for the strategic direction of the Technology Platform and ensures alignment and coordination of IT operational services and Product Roadmap with the overall strategic mission, vision, goals, and needs of end-users.

 Specifically, the committee will:

• Govern the outreach and partnership with external technology-related agencies and partners

• Establish the technical solution priorities for the Maximo platform  

• Set high-level priorities and facilitate the resolution of competing demands for IT resources; 

• Ensure accountability for the delivery of IT services and infrastructure, which includes guiding decision-making to support business priorities when adopting enterprise technology and establishing an enterprise technology foundation;

• Facilitate communication and change management about IT Governance, IT services, and solutions across divisions;

• Promote compliance with bylaws, policies, and regulations relevant to the direction of the technology platform and ensure appropriate protection of assets and stability of operations;

• Review and enable applicable policies and guide implementation standards for the Platform to support the guiding principles of:

• Technical Development Standards

• Leveraging Assets (Resources, Partnerships, Code/Configuration, and Artifacts)

• Business Process Optimization and Transformation

• Performance Measure

• Review and support the program’s requests for enterprise funding requests to support implementation and sustainment;

• Review and approve proposals affecting the enterprise platform;

• Supports the mandate of the City of Toronto Technology based - Centre of Excellence;

• Advocate for the adoption of standard technology solutions and services, as appropriate, across the enterprise, as well as enforces the consistent implementation of functionality;

• Oversee the development of an enterprise roadmap for the technical architecture;

• Oversee and direct the activities of Governance Sub-Committees.

• The Committee deliberates and makes recommendations on aligning IT strategies with priorities, risk management, value delivery, performance measures, and resource management.

 The committee charge does not include oversight of Technology Services and divisional operating budgets, hiring and appointments, and departmental priority setting.

2.    COMPOSITION:

The Committee comprises three levels of Governance: Multi-Divisional Executive Steering Committee, Software Sustainment Committee & Divisional Steering Committees. These three governance levels will continue to align with the EWMS Program Governance for implementation efforts until the program ends and the below-outlined levels carry on.

2.1 - Multi-Divisional Executive Steering Committee:

 Provides strategic direction as a decision-making body that supports the use of Technology Platforms. The Committee plans and oversees the continued enhancement of the technologies through a centralized sustainment service as part of a community of practice. It is aligned with the Capital Program Executive Committee.

Membership includes partnering Directors from all participating divisions:

·       ADD INFORMATION

Multi-Divisional Executive Steering Committee

• Contributes to the design and approval of budgeting and change request

• Ensure the organization is adaptable to evolving compliance regulations

• Provides strategic direction as a decision-making body that supports the use of Technology Platforms

2.2 - Software Sustainment Committee:

Collaborates with significant stakeholders and subject matter experts when assessing and recommending the current and future state of the Technology Platforms. The Software Sustainment Committee provides appropriate level information to the Multi-Divisional Executive Steering Committee for input and final decision-making. The Committee evaluates and presents options and recommendations, including technology use standards and policies, overseeing prioritization, and addressing constraints by removing barriers and streamlining processes.

• Manages enterprise change requests from legislation, external drivers, management, customers, users and TSD by supporting the operation team;

• Monitoring the change process to ensure value benefits through metrics, service level agreement and key performance indicators;

• Endorses and supports the annual work plans for the operations teams to execute regularly scheduled releases to support continuous growth in business capabilities;

• Ensures overall alignment of the organization's technology roadmap/landscape, enterprise programs and strategic direction;

• Reviews the health of the technology platform to ensure compliance, standards and policies are met;

• Addresses request that impact people (users), technologies including integration and business processes;

• Identifies, analyzes and remediates risks; and

• Prepare options and recommendations for consideration by the Multi-Divisional Executive Steering Committee.

Membership includes partnering Managers from all participating divisions:

·       ADD INFORMATION

Special working groups maybe created and required to report back to the other governance teams. These groups may focus on the Program, Enterprise Architecture Review Board, Enterprise Strategic Planning, Roadmap & Quarterly Work Plans, Compliance, Technical Development Standards, Business Process Optimization, Performance Measurement, Release Management & Centre of Excellence. Please note that Divisional SMEs will participate based on the subject at hand.

2.3 - Divisional Steering Committee(s):

 Work with the Sustainment Team to manage change requests, including assessment, prioritization, and oversight, to allow continued enhancement capabilities within the technology platform. Information is shared with the Advisory Committee to provide options and recommendations.

·       Solid Waste Management Services Steering Committee

·       ADD INFORMATION

Each division establishes membership. Technology Services will have representation in this governance team to provide updates, address issues or provide consultation. Business Application Services Manager(s) and Supervisor will be these members. The division may decide to join steering committees with existing project committees within the divisions.  In cases such as these, the committee will set aside time to address sustainment and operational-related items as it relates to the technology platform. In this case, once all project related deliverables have been met, the focus will continue in ensure that sustainment activities are governed. 

3.    DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES WITHIN THE EXECUTIVE, SOFTWARE SUSTAINMENT & STEERING COMMITTEES:

The sustainability governance goals are to standardize and centralize the enterprise sustainment services, enabling better strategic planning, improving top-level decision-making, and reducing the overall cost. The governance team's duties and responsibilities will be shared amongst all the roles to achieve these goals. The positions listed are typical to all levels of Governance.

Co-Chair

• To provide leadership to ensure alignment of IT services and operations with the overall strategic mission, vision, and goals, and needs of end-users

• To ensure the management committee functions properly by setting high-level priorities, guiding decision-making, establishing an enterprise technology foundation

• To ensure the organization is managed effectively

• To provide support and supervision to the Executive Committee

• To represent the committee as its champion and leader

• Schedule & Conduct Meetings

• Mediate Discussions and record decisions

• Communicates committee decisions to stakeholders

Sustainment Service Manager(s), Sustainment Service Supervisor & Team

• Describe the requested change

• Make business cases, as required

• Assess proposals from other divisions

• Support assessment activities on presented requests

• Ability to fit with other planned work

• Contribute to conflict resolution discussion

• Identify the priority of the change

• Support communication to Board

• Participate in cost-benefit discussion

• Meeting Cadence – Monthly unless a special meeting is required due to a critical issue

• Setting the proper criteria and mechanism to hire employees with knowledge and awareness of the security risks

• Ensure documentation is up to date as per the current organizational policy

• Developing and overseeing the IT budget

• Planning, deploying, and maintaining IT systems and operations

• Managing the organization's software development needs

• Developing IT policies, procedures, and best practices

• Support implementation of technology appropriate versions

• Manage the development performance criteria and advise the steering committee regarding all development requirements

• Create and improve existing applications to enhance current operations

• Lead and manage development team contractors by providing daily direction and technical acumen to maintain awareness of product enhancements, especially related to vertical specialties and functionality

• Recommend, develop and expand usage of under-utilized functions and ancillary software products which sustain daily operations

• Maintain awareness of service solutions, upcoming software releases, and patches

• Ensure that technical services, such as screen changes, data load/migration, and custom programming, are delivered as scheduled

• Develop requirements documents and solutions for project documents

• Engage in meeting the city’s standards and policies to ensure that compliance is met, which includes AODA, CISO assessment, and audit

Business Leads (Divisional)

• Work collaboratively with the Sustainment Team to manage change requests, including assessment, prioritization, and oversight, to allow continued enhancement capabilities within the technology platform.

Subject Matter Experts

• Manage enterprise requests coming in from management, customers, users, and IT

• Support the operation team by advising on requested changes, assisting in assessing and prioritizing modifications, and providing oversight of all changes in the production environment

• Ensure that the requested changes are thoroughly checked and assessed from both a technical and business perspective, monitoring the change process, providing managerial feedback promptly, and providing value benefit

• Endorse annual work plans for the operations teams as it relates to work management enabled by the technology by executing regularly scheduled releases to support continuous growth in business capabilities

• Endorsement of new capital or operating projects that allow the continued enhancement of capabilities within the technology platform

• Ensure the management program overall alignment of the technology roadmap/landscape, enterprise work, and strategic direction of the organization, as well as monitor the health of the technology to ensure compliance, standards, and policies

• Address requests that impact people (users), technologies including integration and business processes

• Identify, analyze, and remediation of risks

• Enforcement through technical controls and nontechnical processes

4.    MEETING CADENCE & AGENDA TOPICS:

Multi-Divisional Executive Steering Committee

·       Aligned with Program Cadence until the program ends.

Software Sustainment Committee

Separate meeting to address the following agenda topics:

• Slow Down & Decommissioning

• Enterprise Change Requests

• Enhancements

• Proof of Concepts

• Status of Capability Roadmap (from Program), which includes new features available

• Centre of Excellence Roadmap & Upcoming Activities

• Technical Standards

• Information will be shared on:

  • Division Change Requests (not impacting Enterprise)

  • Quarterly Work Plan

  • Sprint notifications

  • Scheduled Upgrades

  • Sustainment Service Updates

  • Technology Health Check results

Divisional Steering Committees:

Proposed Change Requests and Enhancement, Service updates on sustainment metrics, sprint, and quarterly work planning, and results. Information shared on current open issues and risks.

5.    REPORTING

At the following committee meeting, a presentation during the meeting will summarize work since it was last reported, including what the is bringing forward for discussion or approval, along with a written summary in advance of the meeting as an electronic agenda. Minutes will also be posted on the Knowledgebase available to all members.

6.    RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICY REVIEW

The Committee is responsible for reviewing at least every two years, and more frequently, if deemed necessary (e.g., based on legislative changes or development in Governance best practices), the following Board and Board-approved organizational policies.

 Once the Program has been fully implemented and the Project Governance dissolves, the Sustainment Committee will continue to function and the purpose of the committee will be updated.