INTRODUCTION TO THE CSE

The CSE was established in 1990 by the most successful school of computing in Ireland, based in Dublin City University. It was sponsored by the Irish government and the European Union. The brief of the CSE is to direct and promote and support competence in IT operations in business and in the technology sector.

The technology sector in Ireland is one of the most advanced in the world. Most of the largest multi-national technology companies have their European headquarters in Ireland. There is a high level of computer literacy in Ireland; this means that users of IT are demanding and are strong exploiters of IT. This level of use brings about greater efficiencies and management of business operations.

The role of the CSE is to provide a range of assessment, strategic planning, training, and mentoring to the technology sector and to business enterprises and to government organisations to improve their IT capability to a strong international level. The most up-to-date international practices are employed. To ensure the quality of CSE services, personnel are engaged in research, in development of international standards, and development of CSE frameworks which are applied in its operation.

Innovations in the CSE have included programmes with a cluster of companies that embark on major improvement drives. It includes a range of assessments, covering areas such as product quality, innovation capability, creativity, research and development operation, and business agility. Each programme includes a wide range of training and mentoring services.

Services have been delivered to many companies across a wide range of business sectors, educational institutions, and government organisations.

CLIENTS

Some of the organisations where a significant range of services has been provided over a number of years:

Ericsson is a major manufacturer of telecommunications networks with headquarters in Sweden;

Fidelity is a major general insurance and investment management company with headquarters in the U.S.

Siemens is a major engineering company and manufacturer of technology and is headquartered in Germany

SSE Renewable is a major electric utility and is headquartered in the UK

Sun Life is a major life insurance and investment management company and is headquartered in Canada

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) is a major publishing company in the U.S.

Allied Irish Bank is the largest retail bank in Ireland

Misys International is a major financial services technology company based in the UK

Health Service Executive (HSE) is the provider of the public healthcare services in Ireland

Kerry Group is a major international food processing company and the largest food company in Ireland

EXAMPLES OF SERVICES PROVIDED INCLUDE:

Improvement of processes in IT projects and in services delivery to provide consistency, productivity, quality and control.

Development of technical and management skills to raise the competence of staff to address advances in technologies and products.

Production of strategic plans to advance the adoption of new technologies and new applications, and contribute to the strategic direction of the enterprise.

Introduction of innovation and knowledge management to lead to a competitive edge, and dynamic for change in the enterprise.

PROPOSED CSE SERVICES:

Building capability to achieve Leadership in Business through IT

RANGE OF IT OPERATIONS

Information and Communications Technology (IT or ICT) is a core competence in advanced enterprises. When IT is very well developed in an enterprise, it contributes to the profit base, and it is regarded as an investment in the business.

Key services provided by IT to the enterprise include:

• Recording of master data in the enterprise, such as description of customers, suppliers, assets and products
• Recording of events and transactions in the enterprise
• Management of supply chain of enterprise
• Provision of tools for greater automation and efficiency
• Management of knowledge in the enterprise, such as details of strategies and plans, initiatives and projects, agreements and arrangements, research results, competitive positions, marketing collateral, intellectual property, to bring about more informed management and staff and greater collaboration
• Provision of IT based innovation, such as technologies in new products and services, and tools and facilities to support innovation across the organisation
• Business intelligence to support strategic and tactical management
• Provision of digital media presense to inform and engage with customers and others in the business domain.

MASTER CLASSES AND RELATED SUPPORTS

1. Function of CIO and Key Competences in IT

This service provides training courses and workshops to the IT Department senior personnel in the planning and management of the key functions in IT. It includes:

• The definition of the role of the head of IT, the objectives to be addressed, and the functions to be carried out in meeting those objective
• The range of functions in IT, the roles and responsibilities,, how each function contributes to the success of IT, and how to be successful in each function
• The IT project, the positioning of the project within a portfolio, the business case, the project methodology, planning and control, the skills required to carry out the project, the environment required for success in the project
• The IT services, the objectives addressed in each service, how the service is structured, the skills required, the environment required for success
• The business value of IT, how to measure value, how to position IT as a service organisation within the enterprise, investment in IT for business success.
• Frameworks for reference in maturing the IT organisation so that it operates in a productive and directed manner.
• Researching and adopting emerging technologies to generate innovation in IT for the benefit of the enterprise.

2. Technical Functions in IT

This service provides training courses and workshops to senior technical personnel in the IT Department to develop skills competence, excellent practices, and technical leadership. It includes:

• Research into emerging technologies, products, and practices
• The management of agile projects
• The architecture of systems
• Capture of requirements and management of requirements
• Automation of testing, and advances in testing
• Management of IT support and services
• Management of the IT infrastructure, including data centres and cloud computing

3. Function of Business Executives in IT

Successful enterprises are major exploiters of information technology. These technologies are constantly changing and new technologies are emerging. They provide a rich source of applications and business opportunities. These technologies are employed to bring about major advances, new business models and competitive strategies in the enterprise.

• The development of IT strategic plan as part of the corporate strategic plan
• Governance of IT in meeting objectives and operating good practice
• The evaluation of the plan and the business case for major IT projects
• The commitment and sponsorship and oversight of major IT projects
• The contribution of IT to business intelligence and executive decision making
• The contribution of IT to business productivity, efficiency and process improvement
• The contribution of IT to innovation, knowledge management, and intellectual property.