Project Prioritization at Mt. San Antonio College

Project proposals are reviewed quarterly, following the academic calendar. Project proposals are measured against the campus strategic goals, operational alignment, feasibility, resources, and current technology. The project prioritization process includes:

1. Project scoring: Use of a project prioritization matrix allows for structured decision making. An overall weighted score is generated that represents the project’s value to the campus. The higher the score, the more value. The scoring is performed by Information Technology managements, with final approval provided by Executive Management.
2. Funding availability: Ability to secure funds to carry out the project and maintain the project.
3. Resource capacity evaluation: Availability of Information Technology and/or other department staff resources to ensure project team is available to work the project.
4. Project scheduling: A project is scheduled based on its scoring, including funding, and resource capacity. A high scoring project may not be able to start immediately if resources and/or funding are not available; in turn, lower scoring projects with available resources may start ahead of a higher scoring project. Projects with a future start date can be scheduled based on the future availability of resources and funding.

The rating criteria provides a structured and quantifiable approach to decision making and prioritization of project proposals. The matrix provides a means for ranking project proposal requests based on criteria that are determined to be important. A prioritization matrix or criteria supports structured decision-making in the following ways:

• Helps prioritize complex or unclear issues when there are multiple criteria for determining importance.
• Provides a quick and easy, yet consistent, method for evaluating options.
• Quantifies the decision with numeric rankings.
• When used with a group of people, it facilitates reaching agreement on priorities and key issues.
• Facilitates conversations about what is important.
• Establishes process transparency and accountability.
• Rates projects based on strategic alignment, value to the customer and technological risk.
• Prioritization ensures that resources are allocated appropriately and according to priorities.

• Resource Optimization: With limited resources such as budget, time, and personnel, prioritization ensures that these resources are allocated to projects that yield the most significant impact or value to the college.
• Alignment with Strategic Goals: Prioritization ensures that IT projects are in line with Mt SAC's strategic objectives. It helps prevent initiatives that might not contribute directly to the organization's goals from consuming resources unnecessarily.
• Risk Management: By prioritizing projects, IT can address high-risk projects early on, ensuring that potential risks are identified and mitigated in a timely manner.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Involving stakeholders in the prioritization process fosters collaboration and ensures that the projects selected are aligned with the needs and expectations of various stakeholders across the college.
• Time Management: Prioritization helps in managing the workload effectively by identifying which projects should be tackled first, thereby reducing delays and ensuring timely delivery of critical initiatives.
• Transparency and Accountability: A structured prioritization process provides transparency into how decisions are made regarding project selection. This transparency fosters accountability among team members and stakeholders, ensuring that everyone understands why certain projects are prioritized over others.
• Adaptability to Change: Prioritization allows the IT department to adapt to changing business needs and market conditions by continuously reassessing and reprioritizing projects based on emerging requirements and opportunities.