The Transformation of the ESA IT Department

Involving the customer in governance

Ensuring an ESA-wide alignment of resources has required a new agency-wide IT governance process. The new governance board provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges and opportunities at all sites. It also has the capacity to assign the existing resources to the activities that support ESA’s priorities.

The IT Governance Board (IGB), and Customer Requirements Oversight Body (CROB) are staffed by delegates from all ESA directorates. New processes have also been introduced by Senior Financial Officers which, with the IGB and CROB, steer the IT Department. This team of stakeholder interest boards progressively implement new cycles for the approval of IT projects.

We are progressively retendering all of our service and evolution contracts, both for infrastructure and information systems. We have adapted them to a new concept to allow for a higher competition, a greater flexibility, a quicker delivery, a better service, and innovative products.

IT developments for the future

The IT Department has divided its main IT activities into the following areas:

• Enhancing our workplace and collaboration capabilities,
• Improving our resource management capabilities,
• Supporting space operations,
• Securing our information assets.

For each of these areas, we have individual plans that should transform them, consolidating their financial lifecycles and managing resources. Our goal is to support core space operations processes, and our experts operate across establishments and directorates.