Priorities

Short post today - off to an Awayday with rest of Professional Service heads looking at planning and strategy for next few years. Spent a lot of yesterday in meetings (when don't I?). Covered lots of topics - spent a couple of hours in the morning with the rest of the Exec team in the department looking at priorities for the next couple of years, expecially in the light of the economic situation and doing more with less. Looking at what we should be concentrating on, and what we will have to stop doing.

We will have to be much more selective about what we take on, especially in the development area, concentrating on those developments which benefit the whole University in teaching and learning and research, and avoiding the temptation to implement things which although important to the few people who use them, really do only benefit those few people. More integration and less development, more web services, more self service and automation of processes, an emphasis on speed and reliability - all areas which we agreed to prioritise. Of course, what is important is that we continue to be innovative.

OK, off to see what everyone else's priorities are.