information technology planning digital summit 2004 state of maine september 8, 2004

Information Technology Planning

Digital Summit 2004

State of MaineSeptember 8, 2004

2

Introductions

• Tim Masse ([email protected])– Principal, Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker

• Charles Leadbetter ([email protected])– Consulting Manager, Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker

• Guest Speaker: Tom Towle ([email protected])– Bureau Chief of Strategic Planning, The State of New Hampshire,

Office of Information Technology

3

Berry Dunn McNeil & Parker

• Founded in 1974, BDMP is an independent

management consulting and CPA firm

headquartered in New England

• Management and IT Consulting Services for 20

years

• Six office locations (Portland, Augusta, Bangor, ME;

Manchester and Lebanon, NH; and Boston, MA)

• Public sector consulting focused on local and state

government throughout the eastern US

4

Planning Experience

• State of New Hampshire, Department of Administrative Services

• City of Concord, NH• City of Saco, ME• Kent County, DE• State of New Hampshire, Division of

Safety Services• City of Port Orange, FL• Town of Smyrna, DE• Arlington County, VA• City of Alpharetta, GA• City of Dover, DE

5

Presentation Agenda

Part One - Making the Case for IT Planning

Part Two - A Planning Approach

Part Three - Real World Experiences –

Audience Participation

6

Making a Case for IT Planning

Part One

Discussion Moderator: Tim Masse

7

Objectives of Part One Discussion

1. Present common IT Planning pitfalls

2. Discuss the importance of “strategic” IT planning

3. Identify components of an IT plan4. Discuss benefits and challenges

with IT planning

8

IT Planning Pitfall # 1

• It is not understood who the audience is and how the plan will be used

• IT plan does not describe how to manage and maintain the plan

• Roles and responsibilities are unclear• Executive sponsorship not provided,

plan initiatives become easy targets during budget processPitfall #1: The plan gets developed but sits on the shelf and collects dust

9


• Assessment not conducted when developing the plan

• Initiatives identified in the plan are not based on the organization’s business needs from an “enterprise” perspective

• Consensus is not developed for the top ranked initiativesPitfall #2: Plan initiatives do not meet the needs of the organization, are not strategic in nature, and are not supported organization-wide

10


• Plan initiatives are identified to primarily meet the needs of those with positional power in the organization

• IT initiatives focus on bleeding edge or “cool” technologies

• Plan developer(s) benefit from selected IT initiativesPitfall #3: Plan not developed with an independent, objective perspective and does not meet true needs of the organization

11

IT Planning vs. Strategic IT Planning (SITP)

Focus is on business needs and technologyInvolves all parts of the organization, includes external stakeholdersReviewed and approved by highest level within organizationUpdated and reviewed on a continuous basis

Focus is on technologyInvolves selected project participantsNot reviewed or approved by highest level within organizationUpdated only once every three to seven years

IT Planning Strategic IT Planning

12

IT Planning vs. Strategic IT Planning (SITP)

• Shift thinking of organization leaders to focus on strategic IT planning

• Plan is for the enterprise organization not just the IT department

• Gain consensus and commitment to SITP before moving forward

13

Organization Commitment to SITP

• Departments must agree to participate in the initial project and on-going

• Organization must agree to assessment phase of project

• Funding expectations should be discussed before plan initiatives are identified

• Determine where your organization has been, and where it will be, on the technology adoption continuum

• Plan should be approved and adopted by highest level within the organization

14

Components of an SITP

• Organization wide strategic business plan (mission, vision, and goals)

• Organization assessment, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)

• Strategy components:– Mission and vision statements

– Goals

– Strategic issues

• Initiatives and Plan governance process

15

Challenges of Strategic IT Planning

• Focus shifts to the plan and not the planning process

• Lack of adequate staff and necessary training to implement the plan

• Lack of IT project and portfolio management experience

• Current IT expenditures and budget approach not clear. Plan can become a target for budget cuts

• Lack of buy-in to the initiatives selected and identified priority levels

16

Benefits of Strategic IT Planning

• Develop organization-wide buy-in for IT initiatives to be funded in the future

• Improve communication processes with internal and external stakeholders

• Opportunity to introduce change in the organization

• Develop accountability for improving business processes and use of information technologies

• Establish a consistent, predictable funding level for IT

• Transform IT as a cost center to a revenue center

17

Summary of Part One Discussion Objectives

Present common IT Planning pitfalls

Discuss the importance of “strategic” IT planning

Identify components of an IT plan Discuss benefits and challenges for

IT planning

18

Questions and Discussion

Part 1: Making the Case for IT Planning

19

A Planning Approach

Part Two

Discussion Moderator: Charles Leadbetter

20

Objectives of Part Two Discussion

1. Present a Planning Methodology2. Share Tools For Effective Planning3. Provide an Opportunity for

Questions

21

Phases in the Planning Approach

1. Prepare to Plan2. Conduct Fact-Finding3. Analyze Data4. Formulate IT Strategies and

Initiatives5. Update/Document IT Plan

22

Prepare to Plan (Phase One)

1. Select a Project Team – Consider the needs of the organization to ensure the right project stakeholders are involved in the planning process.

2. Create a Communication Plan – Involve all project stakeholders, develop a method for effective project communication.

3. Develop/Distribute Pre-Work Packets – Develop list of key documents required from project participants, create preliminary written questionnaire, develop cover memo.

4. Collect and Review Planning Materials – Collect requested materials from project participants, review collected documentation, prepare for initial data investigation.

23

Prepare to Plan (Phase One - Continued)

IT Planning Tool: (Sample Pre-Work Documentation Request)

24

Conduct Fact-Finding (Phase Two)

1. Consider Unique Methods to Collect Information – Reaching all necessary project stakeholders can be a challenge due to geography; tools like a web-survey can help. Other tools include best practice research, the internet, and contacting potential vendors.

2. Conduct Project Kick-Off Meeting – Involve all project stakeholders, focus on organizational involvement and feedback, describe communication processes, set expectations with core project team.

3. Conduct Fact Finding Work Sessions – Develop interview outlines, interview project stakeholders one-on-one, facilitate collection of an “initial list of strategic issues”.

25

Conduct Fact-Finding (Phase Two - Continued)

3. Project Team Meeting to Confirm and Prioritize List of Strategic Issues – Meet with core project team (one representative from each major department/agency) to confirm and prioritize list of strategic issues.

4. Draft Prioritized List of Strategic Issues – Create a draft list of prioritized strategic issues and share the list with all project participants.

26

Conduct Fact-Finding (Phase Two - Continued)

IT Planning Tool: (Prioritized List of Strategic Issues)

27

Analyze Data (Phase Three)

1. Review and Analyze Data Collected – Review list of strategic issues, organizational planning documents, research best practices, and consider future IT initiatives.

2. Develop/Distribute Initiative Planning Template – Develop an initiative planning template and have project stakeholders develop initiatives to resolve the prioritized list of strategic issues, determine unresolved strategic issues.

3. Initiative Brainstorming Meeting – Meet to brainstorm organizational IT initiatives to resolve identified strategic issues and develop draft list of plan initiatives.

28

Analyze Data (Phase Three - Continued)

IT Planning Tool: (Initiative Planning Template)

29

Develop Plan Strategy and Initiatives (Phase Four)

1. Research Initiatives, Best Practices, and Develop Strategy – For each identified initiative the team should develop an effective description of the initiative, determine operating and capital costs, describe how costs were determined, determine a timeframe, establish action items to implement the initiative, and provide a list of anticipated benefits.

2. Research Initiatives, Best Practices, and Develop Strategy – Determine how initiatives will be allocated to fiscal years, work with project stakeholders to describe the process undertaken.

30

Develop Plan Strategy (Phase Four)

3. Develop IT Governance Model – A governance model is necessary to carry the planning process forward in subsequent years. Plans are reliant on an effective process not to “sit on the shelf”.

4. Refine Planning Methodology – The Governance model should describe the planning process that is used by the organization. This methodology should be refined each fiscal year.

31

Develop Plan Strategy (Phase Four - Continued)

IT Planning Tool: (Capital Versus Operating Cost Matrix)

32

Update/Document IT Plan (Phase Five)

1. Identify Impact on the Organization – Review the existing policies and procedures documents, IT guidelines, and technology standards. Identify additional personnel required, necessary training of existing personnel, and organizational restructuring of any department/agency which may be desirable to facilitate the implementation and maintenance of each technology.

33


2. Develop Draft IT Plan – Develop a draft of the plan, including a timeline based on the research, interviews, and analysis conducted. The draft should include a timeline for the implementation of the technologies over a desired time period.

3. Meet to Present and Review the Draft Plan – Meet with the project team, management, and executive sponsors to review and discuss the content of the draft Information Technology Plan.

34


4. Update Plan to Final – Incorporate the changes identified by the project team, make necessary final edits, and issue a final draft of the Strategic Information Technology Plan, including all written correspondence. Present the final document to the project team, management, and executive sponsors.

35

Update/Document IT Plan (Phase Five - Continued)

IT Planning Tool: (City of Dover IT Plan)

36

An IT Planning Approach – Key Points

• Actively involve all necessary departments/agencies in the planning process

• Make the planning process “strategic” by encouraging the process to consider and follow organizational and IT department mission, vision, goals, and guiding principles.

• Develop a list of strategic issues facing the organization

• Develop a list of initiatives to resolve identified strategic issues

• Develop a governance model to support plan updates

• Encourage effective plan use and make it a “visible” document. Sitting on a shelf is not effective.

37

Summary of Part Two Discussion Objectives

Present Our Planning Methodology Share Tools For Effective Planning Provide an Opportunity for

Questions

38


Part 2: An Approach to IT Planning

39

Real World ExperiencesAudience Participation

Part Three

Discussion Moderator: Tim Masse

40

Real World Experiences(Audience Participation)

Guest Speaker: Tom Towle

1. Background on IT Planning in the State of New Hampshire

2. What are New Hampshire’s greatest challenges with IT Planning?

3. How has New Hampshire overcome these obstacles?

4. Questions regarding NH’s SITP

41

Real World Experiences(Audience Participation)

Audience Participation (as time permits)

1. What are some of the common challenges you have encountered in regards to IT planning?

2. How could IT planning efforts you have undertaken been improved?

42


Part 3: Real World Experiences

43

Presentation SummaryWe have learned that plans that do not involve

internal and external stakeholders throughout the process can lead to ineffective planning and may

result in a plan being developed that the organization is not ready or willing to adopt. IT

Plans that sit on the shelf and remain unused are ineffective. Effective IT planning is as much about

development of planning process as it is development of the plan itself.

A successful IT Planning Process will help the organization take advantage of emerging

technologies, enable the organization to better serve its constituents, and assist the organization

to meet its established business objectives.

44

IT Planning PresentationQuestions and Discussion

Tim [email protected]

(207) 775-2375Public Sector Practice Leader

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker

Charles [email protected]

(207) 775-2375Public Sector Consulting Manager

Berry, Dunn, McNeil & Parker

information technology planning digital summit 2004 state of maine september 8, 2004

Documents