Initiative Intake

1. Intake and ideas
Units propose ideas for major initiatives that are endorsed by their Senior Leadership.

2. Intake Review Committee
Chaired by OSTAD. Recommends initiatives based on strategic alignment and resource availability.

3. PEC-O approval
President's Executive Committee - Operational sets strategic priorities and grants final approval.

The Initiative Intake form gathers structured input from university staff and faculty through a standardized questionnaire to evaluate proposed initiatives. Submissions capture key details about problems or opportunities, desired outcomes, strategic alignment, potential impact and resource requirements. The collected information is then reviewed to assess feasibility, urgency, risks and overall value to the institution. Based on this assessment, decision-makers determine whether an initiative should advance to further development and executive consideration, be refined or not proceed at this time.

Changes or projects that are cross-functional, extend beyond a single unit or require resources that exist outside of the unit in question will be considered as part of the Initiative Intake process. These changes or projects cannot be addressed either within the unit in question or through a service ticket and should instead go through Initiative Intake.

Most technology acquisitions require institutional evaluation to support risk management and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture and privacy considerations. We recommend completing the Initiative Intake before submitting a procurement requisition to avoid potential delays later in the process.

Included Excluded
  • Enterprise-Level Transformation: New systems, platforms, or changes to the core operations.
  • High-Impact Changes: Initiatives with significant risk, investment, or institution-wide impact.
  • Strategic Capital Investments: Technology investments enabling enterprise priorities.
  • Cross-Functional Process Improvement: Enhancements requiring collaboration and shared governance across academic and administrative units.
  • Localized Projects and Initiatives Unit-level impact, low-risk, discipline-specific projects with no enterprise or shared resource dependencies.
  • Routine Maintenance and Status Quo Operations : Includes standard sustainment, minor releases, break/fix incidents and service requests.
  • Specialized Projects: Mandatory compliance/regulatory work and facilities projects.

Examples of Initiative Intake work: Purchasing and implementing a new CRM solution, changing processes on how work is completed between two different units or updating governance and management processes of cross-functional data.

While all U of A faculty and staff may submit to the Initiative Intake, submissions must first be endorsed and supported by the senior leader (dean, AVP or approximately similar role) of their academic or administrative unit. Submissions should take 10–15 minutes to complete. Provide as much information as you know; rough estimates are acceptable. 

If you are unsure where to start or need help with the questionnaire, please contact OSTAD at ostadint@ualberta.ca. 

Fill out and submit form

Initiative Intake Frequently Asked Questions

What is the expected timeline for a submission to gain approval?
The Initiative Intake Review Committee meets monthly and aims to have submissions reviewed within 4 to 8 weeks. Submissions recommended by the committee will then go to PEC-O for approval during their monthly meetings.
Who can I reach out to if I need assistance with this process?
If you need assistance with the Initiative Intake process, you can contact the Office of Strategic Transformation and Delivery at ostadint@ualberta.ca.
How can I check on the status of my submission?
You can check on the status of your submission at the Initiative Intake Dashboard.
What happens if my submission is not approved?
Intake submissions that are not recommended by the Initiative Intake Review Committee, or approved by PEC-O, will be placed into the Intake Backlog. The Intake Backlog will be reviewed on a quarterly basis to determine whether, based on changes in priorities or circumstances, submissions within the Intake Backlog should go back through the Initiative Intake process.
Can I resubmit a submission if it went to the Intake Backlog?
The Intake Backlog is viewable by anyone at the University of Alberta. You are encouraged to collaborate with others to combine similar submissions in the Intake Backlog into a single, stronger submission. If your submission ends up in the Intake Backlog, but circumstances change from your original submission; you can resubmit an updated Initiative Intake Process Submission.

Initiative Intake Review Committee

The Initiative Intake Review Committee provides structured institutional review of initiative proposals submitted through the Initiative Intake process. The committee evaluates initiatives for strategic alignment, institutional priority, delivery readiness and resource capacity before recommending initiatives for consideration by the President’s Executive Committee (PEC).

Through this process, the committee supports disciplined prioritization of institutional initiatives and helps ensure that the university’s transformation roadmap remains aligned with institutional strategy, available capacity and operational sustainability. The committee serves as the mechanism through which initiatives are evaluated prior to executive decision-making.

Chair

Office of Strategic Transformation & Delivery (OSTAD): Kayla Baretta, Director, Enterprise Project Management Office 

Members

  • Information Services & Technology: Warren Kufuor-Boakye, Chief Enterprise Architect
  • Shared Services: Fatima Mirza, Director, HR Services 
  • Office of the Registrar: Adam Robertson, Deputy Registrar 
  • Vice President Research: Michael Walesiak, Director, Finance & Admin
  • Colleges and Faculties: 
    • Kerrie Buckler, College General Manager, College of Social Sciences and Humanities
    • Amber Holder, Faculty General Manager, Nursing
    • Dawn MacRitchie, Faculty General Manager, Science 
  • External Relations: Lindsay Bliss, Director, Integrated Communications (Academic) 
  • Campus Services: Tawheed Sadiq, Director, Business Continuous Improvement
  • Finance, Procurement and Planning: Leah Logan, Director, Finance Partnerships
  • Human Resources, Health, Safety & Environment: Ravi Narine, Director, HR Service Partnerships