Investments in ICT respond to the short- and medium-term needs of the institution and are always aligned with its strategic plan. The management establishes a standard system of policies and procedures to evaluate and decide on proposals for investments in ICT infrastructure, to enhance accountability, transparency, predictability, participation and dynamism.
Guideline code
GG_10900
Mechanism
Mechanism
- To ensure that staff work on the ICT investment proposal is comprehensive, the management should prescribe a standard set of documents to support the proposal. This package should include:
- The institution’s annual and strategic plans;
- ICT standards, tactical and strategic plans, including technology evolution strategy, to avoid obsolescence;
- Procurement and contracting rules for the different kinds of infrastructure and associated services;
- Templates and guidelines to specify anticipated benefits and services;
- Templates and guidelines to prepare cost–benefit analysis.
- Documents should state how investments fit into long-term, medium-term and project plans and how they contribute to accomplishing their objectives.
- Investing in a particular ICT product or hardware should not restrict the institution’s future choices in terms of supplementing the initial acquisition.
- In evaluating ICT investments, special attention should be paid to indirect and hidden costs, notably long-term licensing and service contracts, data and application migrations, and other impacts on the ICT platform.
Structure
Structure
- The board and/or management, with the assistance of the ICT unit, should establish the standard policies and procedures, including the evaluation and approval system, that apply to investment proposals for new ICT infrastructure.
- These policies must take into account the short- and medium-term needs of the institution as elaborated by its annual and strategic plans.
- To establish accountability, the roles and responsibilities of the units involved in the evaluation and approval process should be well defined and documented.
- The ICT unit should implement and coordinate the implementation of this system.
- The internal audit office should be part of the checks and safeguards to verify compliance with the established system of evaluation and approval.
Title HTML
Guideline 83. Standard policies and procedures
Type
Guideline_1
Weight
113