Governors Rely on Trusted Advisors for Effective Technology Management

According to an Issue Brief recently released by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center), governors must address the need to provide effective management of their states’ Information Technology (IT) investment — and the best way for states’ IT management to function properly is under the leadership of a chief information officer (CIO).

Even as the states continue to take advantage of IT in conducting the business of government, other priorities have slowed the momentum that had taken IT to the top of state chief executives’ agendas just a few years ago, the brief states. Now governors face the challenge of shaping effective IT management through CIOs.

"The right CIO can help a governor more skillfully manage their information technology," said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. "Successfully managed IT is one of the most important foundations state government can have to function at its best."

The Issue Brief examines IT management strategies that states have employed typically through their CIO. Several current and former CIOs interviewed for this paper offer several strategies for addressing organizational, strategic, and leadership considerations in framing a state IT management structure and discuss the ways to enhance the performance of the CIO in overseeing the state IT enterprise.

CIOs interviewed for this paper offered the following observations and advice for governors’ consideration:

* The governor’s vision of the role of technology in state government should drive the state IT enterprise and management of the IT investment. The governor’s vision of the role of information technology in state government provides the framework for developing the state IT strategy. Governors should consider how IT capabilities can be used to advance their policy agendas. Information technology is an "enabler." It can be used to advance the governor’s policy goals. It can increase the efficiency and cost effectiveness of government operations, but its real value is in transforming the way state government does business.

* Governors should consider adopting a CIO-centered IT management strategy to consolidate shared IT infrastructure functions and bridge technology and state agency business processes. This approach integrates centralization and standardization of IT infrastructure functions that are common to, and shared by, agencies across state government, such as purchasing, payroll, e-mail systems, data and voice networks, and data centers, with strategic decision making that affects the use of IT to support state agency business processes. The agencies should be empowered to make operational decisions within the standards established through the central IT office based on their own business requirements.

* The governor should recruit a CIO who is well versed in technology but, most important, also possesses strong business management skills. The governor should look to the CIO as a provider of business service and solutions; an innovator and change agent; a negotiator and peacekeeper. Accordingly, the governor should recruit a CIO who is sufficiently well-versed in technology to oversee the deployment of IT, but who first and foremost possesses the business skills needed to manage the IT enterprise. The governor should recruit an individual that he or she trusts to fill the position of CIO.

* The governor should empower, and openly support, the CIO in the roles of leader and administrator of the state-level IT enterprise. The CIO should sit at the executive leadership table and serve, with the visible backing of the governor, as a senior member of the state chief executive’s leadership team. The CIO should be looked to for guidance in shaping a state IT strategy that reflects, and will advance, the governor’s political agenda and strategic business plan. The CIO should have the authority to influence and coordinate the development of policy that affects the use of IT to support state agency business processes.

* The governor should vest the CIO with the authority to oversee spending for the state’s IT enterprise. In particular, the CIO should have the ability to reach across state government agencies to set priorities and standards for IT investments and to review and act on spending proposals that will affect the overarching state IT mission.

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Information Technology Experts Recommend Actions to Improve Government Efficiency

In recent years, information technology has become an increasingly critical component of state government operations, according to a recently released Issue Brief by the NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center). To help governors maximize their states’ IT deployment strategies, the NGA Center convened experts from the IT industry to answer one key question:

What are the most important actions a governor can take regarding information technology to improve service delivery and/or government efficiency in his or her state?

According to the brief, the discussion concluded with the following key recommendations on actions states can take to improve service delivery and government efficiency:

* implement an IT governance model focused on results;
* establish a decision-making body and process for IT investment;
* empower a trusted advisor to bridge policy and technology;
* develop an enterprise model for managing technology;
* leverage IT to solve business problems;
* use IT to understand and better manage federal funds;
* reform procurement to save money and improve outcomes;
* make information sharing a priority; and
* encourage and leverage IT innovation.

"Following the push to use IT to increase state government accountability and efficiency, state governments are in the next stage of IT deployment," said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. "IT can be used to advance the policy goals and business objectives of the governor, as well as to address budget shortfalls and improve citizen and business interactions with government."

Across the country, a number of governors have utilized the strategies outlined in these recommendations. For example, Virginia Gov. Mark Warner orchestrated passage of legislation to consolidate agency IT departments–including their purchasing, infrastructure, and human resources–into the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) in 2003 to create a single government agency responsible for IT. VITA was created to manage, plan, and develop nearly all statewide technology programs. The new agency is overseen by a board composed mainly of citizens and is managed by the state CIO.

Under his Fiscal Fitness government efficiency program, Rhode Island Gov. Don Carcieri signed an executive order in 2004 creating an IT division within the department of administration. The order centralized the management of dozens of consultants, hundreds of computer applications, 250 servers, and 280 employees, as well as the operation of more than 8,000 desktop computers. Consolidating and standardizing the state’s IT functions is expected to generate annual taxpayer savings of more than $6.3 million.

A number of states also streamlined their procurement processes. In Utah, state law requires the Division of Technology Services director to review all purchases for the division and determine if they are practical, efficient, and economically beneficial to the state. The director must conduct a business case analysis, in adherence to the state procurement code, before any purchases are made. Additionally, in Missouri, the Division of Purchasing oversees all state IT procurement processes.

Michigan created one-stop shopping for permit applications, the Michigan Timely Application and Permit Service, which includes an online monitoring tool to check the status of permits and licenses. The site allows businesses to determine which permits are needed in Michigan, regardless of the authorizing department or agency. When commenting about the permitting process, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm said, "We are proclaiming ourselves fastest in the nation as a result of our IT efforts. When businesses say it used to take 18 months to get a permit and now it takes just 22 days, that’s the best kind of promotion we can offer them."

If states successfully put these plans into action, they will save money, serve people and business more efficiently, the brief concludes, adding that implementation of the IT industry experts’ recommendations will better enable performance management, agency collaboration, and data analysis within state governments.

http://www.govtech.net/news/news.php?id=95100