Universität Bonn

Digital Strategy

en

Ongoing Strategy Process

The University of Bonn is pursuing an ongoing process to implement its Digital Strategy and advance it in a dynamic way in order to keep up with the constantly changing conditions underlying the digital transformation. It has put specific structures and processes in place to this end. The Digital Science Center (DiCe) acts as the strategic hub for these efforts.

DiCe’s Board of Management and fields of operation

The DiCe Board of Management is the central steering committee for the process to implement and further develop the Digital Strategy. In particular, it initiates DiCe projects, signs off project results and prepares resource recommendations for approval by the Rectorate.

Its members include the directors of the DiCe’s three fields of operation—Research, Teaching and Services—which pool and coordinate its activities in each area.

Group photo of all members of DiCe's Board of Management
DiCe Board of Management, from left to right: Dr. Holger Impekoven, Holger Gottschalk, Prof. Dr. Walter Witke, Prof. Dr. Maren Bennewitz, Prof. Dr. Andreas Zimmer, Prof. Dr. Petra Mutzel, Prof. Dr. Klaus Sandmann © Barbara Frommann / Universität Bonn
Group photo of all faculties' Digitalization Managers
Digitalization management, from left to right: Dr. Jens Barth, Mats Liedhegener, Petra Störring, Martin Stuke, Stephan Herritsch, Gregor Wiescholek © Volker Lannert / Universität Bonn

Digitalization management in the faculties

The digitalization management representative for a faculty helps its dean’s office, institutes and other faculty-level structures (e.g. departments) to build up and further develop its own IT governance structure.

Together with the directors of the DiCe’s Research, Teaching and Services fields of operation, who sit on the DiCe Board of Management, the digitalization management representatives for the faculties discuss the progress made on implementing the Digital Strategy on the Visions-Projects-Strategy Committee. In particular, the new strategic priorities to be set are identified once a year.

Services & Infrastructure and the DiCe Coordination Office

Resource planning and project steering for relevant digitalization projects are discussed and the specific strategic decisions requiring approval are prepared for the DiCe’s Board of Management by the staff responsible for the central IT service structures via the Services & Infrastructure Committee in DiCe’s Services field of operation.

The DiCe Coordination Office supports the members of its Board of Management with their work and performs various tasks for putting the structures and processes in place to achieve the structural objectives.

Group photo of members of the Services & Infrastructure board and of the DiCe Coordination Office
Services & Infrastructure and DiCe-Coordinators, from left to right: Dr. Benjamin Seyfferth, Carolin Müller, Annette Sprecht, Silke Graffmann, Martin Ragg, Norbert Bauer, Marcus Breyer, Astrid Seggewiß-Rode, Andreas Paul, Dr. Holger Impekoven © Volker Lannert / Universität Bonn

Structural objectives for implementation and further development

The University has set itself some concrete structural objectives for implementing and advancing its Digital Strategy. Specific structures and measures have been defined for achieving each individual structural objective.

Structural objective 1: information

Quality-assured top-down and bottom-up processes are in place for how the University tackles digitalization issues from a strategic perspective, for assessing progress made on implementing the Digital Strategy and for identifying practicable DiCe projects. 

Structural objective 2: projects

DiCe projects are commissioned in a clear process and adequately resourced; their implementation is monitored and their results signed off. 

Structural objective 3: adaptation

The vision and ongoing strategy process are reviewed, added to and adapted continuously.

Overview of the structures and measures

Responsibilities

Developing, implementing and advancing the University of Bonn’s Digital Strategy

Executive bodies

  • DiCe Board of Management
  • DiCe Coordination Office
  • HPC/A Lab 

Fields of operation

  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Services

... more on DiCe

Responsibilities

  • Launching DiCe projects in particular
  • Preparing decisions for the Rectorate on digitalization topics

Members

  • Vice Rectors for Digitalization, Research, and Teaching and Learning plus the Provost
  • Directors of the three fields of operation—Research, Teaching and Services—plus the Scientific
  • Director of the HPC/A Lab
  • Chair of the Faculties’ Conference

…more on the DiCe Board of Management

Characteristics

  • Initiated by the DiCe Board of Management 
  • Resourced by the Rectorate
  • The responsibility of the organizational unit tasked with its implementation
  • Support and coordination usually provided by the DiCe Coordination Office

…more on the DiCe projects

  1. Research field of operation: Coordination of relevant digitalization activities by its Director, currently Prof. Dr. Petra Mutzel
  2. Teaching field of operation: Coordination of relevant digitalization activities by its Director, currently Prof. Dr. Klaus Sandmann
  3. Services field of operation: Coordination of relevant digitalization activities by its Director, currently Dr. Holger Impekoven

Responsibilities

  • Discussing the progress made on implementing the Digital Strategy
  • Identifying new strategic priorities

Members

  • Directors of the three fields of operation: Research, Teaching and Services
  • Digitalization managers in the faculties

Responsibilities

  • Resource planning and project steering for relevant digitalization projects

Members

  • Director of the Services field of operation
  • Staff responsible for the central IT service structures
    • University IT
    • IT and Computing Services Division (central administration)
    • Bonn University and State Library
    • Bonn Center for Higher Education
    • Digitalization of Administrative Processes program
    • EGovG/OZG Coordinator

Responsibilities

  • Supporting the DiCe Board of Management and the directors of the fields of operation
  • Putting structures and processes in place to achieve quality objectives

…more on the Coordination Office

  1. The digitalization management representative in a faculty coordinates its internal harmonization processes.
  2. Input on a specific issue can be channeled via the structures in place in the Research, Teaching and Services fields of operation and submitted to the DiCe Board of Management via the director of the relevant field.
    1. Research field of operation: dedicated structures for supporting researchers and academic advisory boards for preparing relevant decisions for approval by the DiCe Board of Management are in place for the issues of research data management and high-performance computing and analytics in particular.
    2. Teaching field of operation: its activities are pooled by the Vice Rectorate for Teaching and Learning.
    3. Services field of operation: in particular, a structured approach to requirements management ensures that new and improved IT services are introduced.
  3. Strategic input is discussed on the Visions/Projects/Strategy committee and, if applicable, leads to adjustments to the vision and/or strategy process or becomes topic-specific input given via the field of operation structures.

Cross-cutting meetings to discuss...

  • ... central IT services (organized by University IT, e.g. HRZ-Café, Confluence-Café, Web-Café, eCampus-Café)
  • ... projects relating to administrative processes (organized by the Digitalization of Administrative Processes program, e.g. the regular PDaP faculty representatives’ meetings)

The DiCe Confluence page 

Providing transparency to all University members on:

  • The progress made on implementing all DiCe projects
  • The Digital Strategy
  • Other digitalization activities

The DiCe blog 

Push notifications within the University on key milestones reached in implementing the Digital Strategy, such as:

  • New projects
  • Landmark decisions
  • Project results
  • Updates on e.g. digitalization-related vacancies

... the DiCe Confluence page and blog may be accessed from within the university's subnet

Responsibilities

  • A format for dialogue between the digitalization managers and the managers of the digitalization projects
  • Reporting on current developments in the IT-related units
  • Transparency regarding the progress made on digitalization projects
  • Organizing faculty participation in the project processes

Members

  • Digitalization management representatives
  • Managers of the digitalization projects
  • Interested University members

... more on the DiCe project forum (access from within the university's subnet)

Responsibilities

  • Providing advice among colleagues
  • Organizational standards
  • Escalation in the event of “roadblocks”

Members

  • Managers of the DiCe projects
  • DiCe Coordination Office
  1. Resources provided by the Rectorate
  2. Resources and milestones monitored by Services & Infrastructure
  3. Reports via the DiCe project forum
  4. Support for project management from the DiCe Coordination Office
  1. Needs analysis and advice
  2. Preliminary checks
  3. Fleshing out requirements based on key questions
  4. Backlog with resubmissions
  5. Appraisals/recommendations
  1. Visions/Projects/Strategy Committee suggests new strategic priorities or changes to the vision or strategy process
  2. DiCe Board of Management passes resolutions
  3. DiCe Coordination Office actions changes

Find out here how the strategy was put together

Development of the strategy 2020–2023

The foundations for our Digital Strategy were laid between 2020 and 2023 in a participatory development process.

About the development of the strategy 2020–2023