ICT Technologies

Session 35 June 2007

Mark Viney

Remember:

almost everything a statistical agency does can be supported by ICT

ICT will continue to advance, plan to apply emerging technologies

Today we will cover:

how ICT can be organised and managed (ABS will be used as a case study and aid to discussion about "good practice")

Knowledge Management

ICT Technologies

ICT Org Structure

Funding models

Sourcing models

Strategy and Policy

IT Governance

Working in partnership - clients and vendors

Enterprise Architecture

Service Delivery processes

Service Level Agreements

ICT staff

Security

Topics

TechnologyServicesDivision

Revenue: $19mStaff: 230

Revenue: $38mStaff: 170

Revenue: nilStaff: 5

Structure

Chris DuffyTechnologyApplications

Lane MastertonTechnology

Infrastructure

Don BartleyTechnologyResearch

Denis FarrellDeputy Statistician

Jenine BorowikCIO

Brian PinkAustralian Statistician

Common arrangements for IT Group:

may include functions such as methodology, data entry, data management, security

head reports to CEO or Deputy

varying degrees of decentralisation of applications development/ support

IT Group Structures

Fixed annual budget

Cost recovery

mix

full cost recovery infrastructure costs recovered through

cpu, disk, PC, network, phone half day charge for application

programmers prices based on work program agreed

each June payments made automatically on-line system for cost reporting

Pros- funds growth- costs understood

Cons- costly to administer- difficult to predict demand

Funding Models

insourced selective contracting (in areas where

special skills required / packaged product support

No "one size fits all" approach

InsourceOutsource"Rightsource"

Sourcing models

"alignment" of IT with Business a key goal

the grand "IT Strategic Plan" seems to be less popular. People now talking more about governance models and enterprise architectures.

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast ... every time" - Author unknown

IT: regarded as "strategic" "corporate" approach to IT

IT Strategy - embodied in ABS Enterprise Architecture and annually refreshed "strategic directions statements"

IT Policy - a few absolutes that we want to be able to enforce

IT Policy and Strategy

DO engage senior management in IT strategy - it is their business too!

Information Resource Management Committee

IRMC considers: major purchases new strategy work programs &

budgets

IT Governance

give them education and coachingthey should be advocates for the decisions that are taken

- a mix of technology - "pull" and business needs - "push"

Partnership required to design future business processes

Client Divisions

BusinessProjects

Technology Services Division

TSD Account

ManagersProjectBoards

ProjectManagers

IT staff

Working in partnership - ABS model

VendorsSAS,Lotus,ORACLE...

Technology Services Division

TSD ProductManagers

TSD Executives

Account Managers

Working in partnership - ABS model for vendors

Educate vendor with "value proposition" for giving you a good deal:

prepared to be a reference site

provide input to product directions strategies

host user groups and forums

training ground for expert users

long-term commitment

Vendor Relationships

Value for money investment longevity skills availability robustness performance

support innovation integration of

business processes externalisation

Architecture Goals

describes how we want future business processes to look and maps technologies to them

documents key strategies, processes, technologies

we decided to avoid thick manuals (don't work very well)

acid tests -

does it actually inform decisions as to how to build and what to buy? do the new systems work?

ABS Architecture = how we want to build "next generation" systems

ABS Enterprise Architecture

..implemented via Architecture Panels.

Communicated via Posters...

Posters - our prop for developing shared "mental models"

Key IT Service Processes

Project Management

Change Management

Cost Recovery

Forward Work Planning

Technical Review

IT Procurement

Problem Management

Release Management

Service Level Management

Testing

Communication Management

IT Product Management

Service delivery processes

Can be very useful - manage expectations, ensure service level fits business needs

Can be difficult and resource intensive to monitor and measure

Start with high-level, organisation-wide, SLAs

Build into contracts with Service Providers

Service Level Agreements

Notes: Backup onsite every 12 hours, Recover a document in 30 minutes and a whole database in 60 minutes

NOS & UNIX: Backup Onsite each night, Recover files in 30 mins and whole file systems in 60 minutes

Oracle databases: log transactions, Recover database in 60 minutes

Sample Service Level Agreement- Backup & Recovery

"Value Proposition" for IT staff in NSO:

breadth of technology - lots of systemstrack record as a leading user of ITdiverse & interesting careers"public good value" of NSO missionsavvy clients

We mainly "grow our own" - hire graduates and keep them happy.

Very limited use of contractors (short-term assignments with emphasis on skills transfer)

Retention factors: professional development flexibility in work placements technical & management career paths

IT Staffing

dedicated Security section which manages physical and information security

very skilled staff external checking (Defence Dept.) of

security of our external connections promote "culture of security" regular and ad-hoc audits and review senior management oversight through

Security Committee CIO = Security Executive

Security is "mission critical" important to NSOs

watch external connections

constantly improve identity and access management

use expert advice

Security

Common objectives of "knowledge management":

better management of information assets

helping people develop new skills

assisting creation of new knowledge through supporting innovation and collaboration

capturing information in people's heads so it can be shared and reused.

making it easier to locate and interact with experts

Knowledge Management

Culture and Behaviours which support collaboration and sharing of knowledge

Personal Workgroup Corporate

3 key information domains

ABS KM Strategy "Foundations"

Corporate

Workgroup

Personal

Search

Navigation (Portal)

Email Archiving

Browse

Subscription

Behaviours

50 databases

3200 databases

1800 databases / applicationsCollaboration/workflow

ABS Information environment domains

Careful, formalized management of key information assets

Key repositories:

Corp Directory

Corp Information DB

Corp Manuals DB

Learning Management System

Intranet "Welcome Page" navigators and assistants

Corporate Domain

Day to Day business activity and documentation

Key repositories:

Section WDB

Division WDB

Social Club

Change Management Committee

Workgroup Domain

Draft material and personal email

Key repositories:

Mark Viney's database

Personal Domain

lots of fragments and copies

selective involvement

no total picture or context

where do the results go?

The evils of e-mail

Fred

Jane

Mike

Sue

Harry

Bill

To: Harry, Billcc: MikeFrom: JaneSubject: Sales Workshop--------------------------------------------------------What do you think we agreed?

Discussion Forums

Fred

Jane

Mike

Sue

Harry

Bill

Database

Ideas for Sales workshop (Mike)What I liked about last year(Sue)

Lets remember to invite Design (Bill)List of Attendees (Jane)

What about me? (Fred)Oops, of course you are invited (Jane)

Record of the Workshop (Harry)

DO work on organisation and access of "corporate" information assets

DON'T rely on an "e-mail centric" approach

DO consider "team rooms", Quickplaces and other forums for sharing and collaboration

Communicate how you expect people to behave (and behave accordingly)

Key Messages