What is it?
“Initiative Intake” is the process through which NDIT customers submit requests for new IT initiatives and product enhancements. Through this process NDIT seeks to understand the customer’s current and future business needs,, and to determine IT recommendations that will solve problems while aligning to the State’s IT strategy.
What do you get with the Service?
Examples of requests that should come through the Initiative Intake process are:
- New technology request
- Need help defining a business problem
- Need to find a technology solution to a business problem
- Assistance improving business processes
- Upgrading or enhancing an existing system
- Want help exploring technology possibilities
- Enhancements or upgrades to existing systems that are above and beyond routine
Examples of requests that should not be submitted through the initiative intake process are:
- An unplanned interruption to an IT service or reduction in the quality of an IT service
- A request for standard, established services provided by NDIT through the Service Catalog in Service Now
- Routine maintenance and enhancements on an existing system that do not require new technology
How to request Service:
- For any type of work request that is related to starting up (or deciding if you need to start up) a new project, a new business/process analysis, or the need for IT strategic planning, please fill out an Initiative Intake Form through the state's service portal.
- Use the Initiative Intake Form in the state’s service portal to submit all new work to NDIT that is not a single request with its own request type already (e.g., Add/Change/Delete NDGOV User ID).
- The NDIT Initiative Intake team reviews new requests twice weekly (Mondays and Thursdays), during which time the work is triaged and assigned to an NDIT person or team.
- Smaller updates may be quickly routed to support teams, while more complex initiatives enter a larger evaluation process.
- Steps in this process may include working with an NDIT Technology Business Partner, a Business Analyst, a Project Manager, an Enterprise Architect or a combination of those to gather additional information related to the Who, What, Why, When, Where, and How of the proposed initiative. The Initiative Intake team will additionally engage other subject matter experts related to procurement and technical architecture as needed in the planning and study of the work.
- Please note that the Initiative Intake team will actively review and triage all requests made via the intake form, no matter what the cost and complexity of the request. However, if a request has an anticipated budget of $100,000 or more, it is required by Century Code to be reviewed in the manner described above.
If you are submitting project information as part of the biennial Statewide IT Planning process, please refer to the Statewide IT Planning page.
Billing:
Preliminary reviews by NDIT staff are conducted at no cost to the agency. If NDIT business analysts, project managers, software developers, or other hourly/billable staff are needed beyond any preliminary assessments, those services will become billable at NDIT's current published rates. In the case that work becomes billable, NDIT will present a statement of work for the anticipated services to the business team. If you have a billing code available up front (in the format of Dept-Division-Account), please add this information to your request.
Pursuant to ND Century Code (Chapter 54-59-11.1), "Each executive branch state agency, excluding entities under the control of the state board of higher education, considering the development of an information technology project with an estimated cost of one hundred thousand dollars or more shall involve the information technology department in the planning and study of the project. A state agency must receive a recommendation from the information technology department prior to proceeding with any study relating to the project.”