Strategic IT planning to empower community success: an essay by Lev Gonick

One way to shape the future is to continually reflect on the past.

More than five years into his role as Arizona State University's Chief Information Officer, Lev Gonick reflects upon his inclusive approach to IT strategic planning for one of the largest universities in the country, ranked number one for innovation eight years in a row. Read Writing the living playbook: Strategic IT planning to empower community success.

From the importance of strategic planning to the benefits of inclusive work streams, a look back at his original playbook to better ground our understanding of rapid growth and change and more, the Living Playbook offers insights into the past five years and looks towards what's next. 

Here's a first look at the 10 calls to action for IT strategic planning outlined by Lev in the essay above: 

1. Eradicate hierarchical enterprise IT models.
How do we prepare organizations to make quick pivots and solve pressing challenges that arise? 

2. Nurture a culture of belonging.
How do we take our community to the next level, together?

3. Bolster learning at scale via generative artificial intelligence.
How can we responsibly apply the best of AI to support more learners?

4. Support graduation rates, at scale, for the most vulnerable populations with real-time analytics.
What smart data solutions can we provide?

5. Hyper-scale identity management for students and learners.
How are we ensuring a seamless learning journey for all? 

6. Improve STEM learning with extended reality and advanced adaptive technologies.
What new opportunities will build upon the early promises of XR and adaptive tech?

7. Establish technical scaffolding for digital trust, at scale.
With values of transparency and privacy by design embedded in our strategy, how are we reflecting these principles comprehensively across our technical trust infrastructure?

8. Advance our commitments to social embeddedness with principled innovation and leadership.
Whether we’re strategically partnering with colleges and schools, businesses or community organizations, how can we reach more people and with greater precision, together?

9. Support technical training and leadership development.
How can we proactively build the IT workforce of the future?

10. Engage new strategic technology collaborations while sustaining existing efforts.
Where are our blind spots and untapped opportunities with existing collaborations, and what new ones can advance access, equity and engagement – at scale?

For more on these 10 call to action for IT strategic planning, read the full essay now or download as a PDF.

Writing the living playbook: Strategic IT planning to empower community success is an essay authored by Lev Gonick; edited by Samantha Becker and Courtney Giesinger.