Making IT Strategic Planning Work in Small and Medium Sized Agencies: It's More Than Just the Plan

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Making IT Strategic Planning Work in Small and
Medium Sized Agencies It's More Than Just the
Plan

• The Forum Small/Medium/
• Local Government Agency SIG
• March 25, 2009
• Meghan Cook, CTG

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This Session

• Came about when IT professionals from
  small-medium agencies expressed their thoughts
  about creating an IT strategic plan OR not.
• Many wanted to know how important was strategic
  planning?
• Is the critical part the plan or the planning?
• With limited time and resources what is list of
  the mustdo items?
• How do you make sure that when you are done, it
  gets used?
• And so on....

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Who is CTG?

• The Center for Technology in Government (CTG)
• An Applied Research Center at the University at
  Albany where we work with government to develop
  well-informed information strategies that foster
  innovation and enhance the quality and
  coordination of public services.
• We SHARE what we LEARN

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Why We Do What We Do
Technology 10,000 mph
Public policies 10 mph
Organization management 1000 mph
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Why Do a Strategic Plan?

• Leads to strategic decisions that allow an
  organization to meet its goals and challenges
• Allows time for engaged thinking and discussion
  about overall organization strategy and direction
  
• Prompts the organization to think beyond one year
  

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But The Thing About Strategic Planning

• Good outcomes are less important than the process
  of getting to an outcome
• Engaging in strategic planning just for the plan
  is as about as useful as having a meeting just
  for the minutes
• Its not about the plan but rather the context
  and complexity of the organization and work
• Great plans can be written on the back of old
  envelopes. Rotten plans can come in magnificent
  gold leaf, leather-bound books. The point do not
  get sucked in by the paraphernalia and trappings.

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Making IT Strategic Planning Work in Small and
Medium Sized Agencies It's More than Just the
Plan

• Most times its not even the plan
• But rather, the process
• AND WHAT COMES AFTER

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Strategic Planning is Important BUT...
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Establishing a Strategic Direction

• Aligning with (or establishing) the
  organizational vision
• Identifying big challenges
• Defining guiding principles
• Respecting the organizational culture
• Looking externally for current practice
• Imagining future trends
• Understanding the program/business direction
• Incorporating legislative input
• Performing real SWOT analysis
• Identifying strategic and necessary partnerships

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Capabilities

• Executive leadership to support the effort
• Information-gathering
• Fact-finding
• Future thinking
• Big Picture thinking
• Contextual understanding
• Written communication and articulation

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Strategic Planning Must-Dos

• A cross-cutting team not more than five to six
  people
• Walk in their Shoes- understand the program,
  the business from their viewpoint. Know where the
  agency wants to go.
• Figure out what will make it live in your
  organization ( buy in, leadership, communication)
  then do that.
• You need to know where you have been to help
  figure out where you are going...
• Dont bother if you are not going to assess how
  you did in the end
• Make the process just as important as the outcome
  

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SoWhat Now?
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Making it Actionable

• What short term and long term projects move us
  toward that strategic vision?
• What are the available and dedicated resources?
• What is the information needed and how do we get
  it?
• What are the objectives and milestones?
• What are the performance measures?
• What are the realistic timeframes?
• What are the skills and how will we get them?
• What are the value propositions?
• What is the critical path/roadmap?
• Who is involved? What partners do what?

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Why Does it Matter?

• Strategic directions are important but the work
  has to get done
• Different skills are needed for strategic
  thinking and tactical thinking
• A strategic vision and a tactical plan should
  complement each other not overshadow each other

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Making Decisions and Setting Priorities

• Forming a cross-department governance body
• Creating and communicating project selection
  process
• Identifying and vetting selection criteria
• Understanding ROI values and value propositions
• Employing portfolio management principles
• Explicitly stating caveats and exceptions
• Feedback from performance of other initiatives

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Why Does it Matter?

• A strategic direction is only as good as the
  trust in the investment process
• Requires full support from executive leadership
  but it also requires buy in from the agency about
  its credibility

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Leadership

• Showing presence and commitment at each step in
  the process
• Helping define and communicate business
  directions
• Ensuring that goals and expectations are met
• Reviewing business performance and taking
  appropriate action
• Soliciting input and feedback
• Motivating, inspiring, and energizing

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Communication

• Readable and reachable
• Integrate technical talk with program/business
  speak
• Pre-made slideshow for others (give others the
  tools to talk about it)
• Feedback from stakeholders before made public
• Same overall message, different level of detail
  for each audience
• Not a one-time deal-everyone should be on
  message pretty much all the time

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Measuring Performance

• What measures were set in the beginning?
• How do we know when we have reached our goal?
• How can we be iterative and not seek feedback at
  the end?
• Do our measures really help us achieve the
  strategic direction? Which goal?
• How does it measure against our value
  propositions?
• What needs to change next time?
• Are we measuring what we need to?
• Are we saying it in a way that people understand?
  

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Relationships
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Summing It Up

• The process and contextual understanding of where
  the agency is going is JUST AS or MORE IMPORTANT
  than the actual plan
• Not every agency can spend tons of time on
  strategic planning- a rough strategic direction
  with an understanding and appreciation of how
  each part of the process affects that plan is
  many times MUCH more valuable.

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Their Experience...

• Peter Finn, Deputy Commissioner for Finance
  Administration, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation
  and Historic Preservation
• Nancy Mulholland, Chief Information Officer, NYS
  Department of Transportation
• Vivian Conboy, Director, Project Management
  Office, NYS Taxation and Finance
• Tim Jaques, Founding Partner, Line of Sight, LLC
• Kathy Bohacek Chief Information Officer, NYS
  Division of Military and Naval Affairs