Planning & Project Management Office

The Planning and Project Management Office (PPMO) facilitates, guides and manages technology initiatives and projects that are aligned with Towson University’s strategic direction and goals. Collaborative planning across TU allows the university to:

  • support academic and student-centered approaches.
  • connect IT planning and governance to what is important to the university.
  • reduce fragmentation across the organization and improve coordinated planning.
  • move toward simplification to reduce costs and improve agility.
  • align IT efforts with business and strategic goals.

For Faculty and Staff

Let's work together

The Planning & Project Management Office staff is here to help. Our team consists of project managers, analysts and change management experts who work together to manage and deliver university-approved IT projects.

The PPMO will guide you throughout the request process as needed and manage approved projects. All project requests must include a detailed supporting business case. Select an option to learn more and get started:

Through a Tech Consult, the Planning & Project Management Office (PPMO) in OTS can help you:

  • Review current business processes and systems to identify opportunities for improvement.
  • Conduct a needs assessment and document basic requirements.
  • Conduct market research and identify potential solutions.
  • Provide information about the university's security and web accessibility requirements.
  • Navigate the formal project request process, if needed.

We'll assess your needs, make recommendations, provide you with an action plan and help you navigate the rest of the process. During the consult we'll also help determine if there is an existing solution or if you should submit an IT project request. 

Launch a Tech Consult request form. If you have questions, email the . 

The PPMO will guide you through the process for purchasing new software or renewing an existing technology contract and will facilitate the required security and web accessibility reviews.  

Please note - this should not be used for hardware purchases or software being purchased with Student Technology Fees (STF) funds. 

  • If you need to purchase hardware (laptop, monitor, etc) please submit a hardware purchase request ticket.
  • If you are purchasing software with STF funds, please contact your designated CCLT coordinator or the PPMO () for assistance.

Launch a Software Purchase/Contract Renewal request form. If you have questions, email the . 

This is for complex technology projects, not smaller IT efforts. If you're unsure, request a Technology Consult before submitting a project request. Confirm you have these in place before starting: 

  • Approval from your VP/Dean.
  • A detailed business case with supporting data.
  • Resources from your department to support the project, if approved.

Be sure to include a detailed business case with supporting data.

Launch a project request form. If you have questions, email the . 

If you have questions or aren't sure where to begin,

IT Project Request Approval Process

President’s Cabinet reviews all IT project requests for approval and prioritization twice yearly (mid-fall and mid-spring). Consider these items when submitting a request:

Recommended timing for submitting requests is mid-July for the fall PC meeting and mid-February for the spring PC meeting. Submitting as early as possible helps us prepare your project request for PC consideration.

All project requests need a comprehensive business case attached prior to submitting to OTS/PPMO, so PC can make an informed decision.

The request is:

  1. received by the PPMO through TeamDynamix. 
  2. reviewed for completeness by the Project Management Office Committee (PMOC). The PMOC meets every other week. 
  3. assessed by an OTS liaison to identify resources, determine potential duration and confirm business case.
  4. added to President's Cabinet meeting agenda. PC meets twice a year to make decisions. 
  5. approved/prioritized or declined. PPMO will inform requestor of PC's decision and next steps. 

Critical and mandatory (USM, state, federal) projects with pre-determined deadlines are exempt from this process.

Project Management Roles

Analyst: works directly with campus clients to assess business needs. They analyze current business processes and systems, identify opportunities for process improvement and explore potential technology solutions.

Change Management Specialist: supports employee adoption of business process changes resulting from new technology services. Focusing on the people-side of change, they help identify what's changing and how it will impact the campus.

Liaison: similar to an analyst, the liaison works with the client to walk through the request and determine exactly what the needs are. This returned info helps determine/support if the request should move to an approved project. 

Project Manager: assigned to provide overall direction and organization for approved technology projects. Provides project leadership in all facets of planning, design and implementation of new and existing systems and technologies. 

For Project Teams

Here are some helpful PPMO resources for Office of Technology Services and IT staff when working on projects. You'll need a valid TU NetID and password to login.