Software Governance

Overview

The Software Governance Committee (SGC) was formed in 2024 at the direction of GRCC's Executive Leadership Team. The SGC is charged with ensuring fiscal responsibility and alignment of all college software with the strategic vision and goals of GRCC. This is accomplished through a shared governance structure which uses a robust review process to assess all new software requests and conduct periodical reviews of existing software. The committee is comprised of 3 faculty representatives, and two staff representatives from each division. 

Scope

Applies to all software-related activities, including but not limited to commercial software, extensions, enterprise software, open-source software, custom-built applications, software as a service (SaaS) and cloud-based software.

Process

  1. All requests for software must use the request form at the top right of this page.
  2. Requests may be submitted at any time, but will only be reviewed according to the review periods identified in the table below:
  3. Description Dates
    Submit Requests Due by: April 1, June 1, or Oct. 1
    Committee Decision Completed by: April 30, June 30, or Oct. 31
    Emergency Requests (Classroom Software Only) Deadline: Two weeks before Fall start date
  4. Once a request is submitted, it will be reviewed during the next review cycle (April, June**, or October)*.
    1. *Requests for software which may result in a project should be submitted before the April or October request deadlines.
    2. **The June deadline is primarily for small software requests and instructional software which would not require a project.
  5. Upon receipt of a software request the following steps are conducted:
    1. Feasibility, security, and licensing assessment.
    2. Technical recommendation to SGC
    3. SGC Review
    4. Final Decision
Scoring Matrix
Category Points Available
Institutional Alignment 15
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) 25
Return on Investment (ROI) 20
Redundancy & User Experience 20
Risk Management 15
Scalability & Integration 5
Total 100

Evaluation Criteria:

  • 85-100 points: Excellent software request with minimal redundancy and strong alignment to institutional goals, high ROI, and low TCO. Strongly recommend approval.
  • 70-84 points: Good request with some potential overlap, but overall value is strong. Consider approving with some conditions.
  • 50-69 points: Acceptable request with moderate redundancy or risk. Further review required.
  • Below 50 points: Request is highly redundant with existing tools or processes, or introduces unnecessary complexity. Recommend rejecting or re-evaluating the software.

Impact to other processes

  • Budget request process - software requests can be made prior to or following the budget request process.
    • Request made prior to budget approval - SGC approval can be used towards justification within the budget approval process.
    • Request made after budget approval - budget approval can be used towards justification within the software approval process.
      • Important note: Neither budget approval nor SGC approval guarantees final approval in the respective process.
  • Project request process - all project requests involving new software must originate from the Software Governance request process. If a request for software is approved by the SGC, that request will be automatically forwarded to the Project Request Process (you do not need to submit a new project request). 
    • Important note: Software approval does not guarantee project approval, nor does it influence priority. 
  • Instructional software request process - this new process will encompass the process for requesting new classroom software.

Appeal Process

Appeals must be filed by a member of the Executive Leadership team with oversight over your department. A copy of this request, along with all comments towards the final decision may be requested to support your appeal. The Software Governance Committee will make all efforts to assist with alternative solutions when possible.

Requests may be resubmitted for re-evaluation no more than once annually.