Scan HS Agency Internal Environment

By analyzing the HS Agency's internal factors, the Strategy Team develops insight into the internal entities that influence the HS IT Division.

Introduction

These activities deal with the world inside the  State HS Agency. This is the immediate environment in which the the HS IT Division operates. This analysis includes an understanding of the HS Agency's key competencies and influences, which affect the HS Agency's ability to set and follow its direction and to operate effectively, efficiently, and innovatively. This may include its shared values, organizational structures and infrastructures, social and technical systems (including interfaces), managerial style, staff commitment, skills base, and strategy consistency.

Scanning the environment inside the HS Agency involves examining the functioning and health of the HS Agency as a whole. The scan involves researching a variety of information sources in an attempt to spot emerging trends and conditions that can affect the IT Division's operations and strategic plans. 

Top

Activities

To scan the internal environment, the Strategy Team performs the following activities:

1. Plan Collection of HS Agency Internal Environment Data

Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is to plan for collecting impact data from the HS Agency internal environment, document the information in the Internal Environment Data Collection Plan Worksheet. Sample Survey Questions to explore the internal and external environments serve as guides for the TANF and CSE programs; these sample questions can be modified to any specific program. This plan serves as a guide through the subsequent collection and analysis activities.

Description:

In this activity, the Strategy Team determines the type and depth of information needed, and the basic documents to review, such as the HS Agency's business processes. The strategy team considers the key influences and any IT interfaces between the HS Agency and the stakeholders in the internal environment. These items may have significant impact on the success of the HS Agency. Some factors to consider include the following:

• Existing HS Agency plans and agreements with Federal Agencies
• HS Agency budgets and sources of funding and funding rules
• HS Agency organizational structures: How the HS Agency is structured, where decisions are made or initiated, and how the HS programs are managed (e.g., state-administered or county-administered)
• Current HS Agency strategies, as well as strategic and tactical plans
• Staff competencies and staffing plans: IT skills that current HS Agency program staff possess (e.g., computer literacy), which may indicate user training or other change management issues to be addressed when technology changes
• Operations: The facilities or locations where services are provided and the types of equipment used by the HS staff 
• Technical infrastructure that may be needed to enable communications and coordination across the HS Agency or with other stakeholders (e.g., interoperability)
• Existing business processes (formally documented as well as informal conventions and work flows), see example survey questions
• Union agreements
• Recommended enhancements or improvements to the quality of HS program from the client, advocacy groups or the HS Agency's perspective 

Categorize the impact these factors may have as near or long term.

Once the Strategy Team considers the key influences and determines what type of information is needed, they complete the following actions. 

• Identifies all the key internal stakeholders (those who can provide reliable information on the current and future state of the internal environment)

• Schedules interview meetings with the internal stakeholders

• Requests that stakeholders provide any readily available documentation for the Strategy Team to review prior to the meeting

Top

2. Collect and Analyze HS Agency Internal Environment Information

Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is to collect, categorize, and analyze the data according to the collection plan created in the activity above, revising the plan as necessary. Prioritize any conclusions and, when appropriate, communicate them to the HS Agency Decision Makers and IT Decision Makers through briefings or other means. The Internal Scanning Worksheet provides insight into collecting, organizing, and analyzing this information.  The Strategy Team may use the Worker/Management Satisfaction Worksheet to determine case manager's and supervisor's perceptions of interfaces.  The Interface Strengths and Weaknesses Worksheet assists the Strategy Teams in determining actions needed to modify or update existing interfaces.  Identify and describe interfaces between key internal entities and the HS Agency.

Description:

Forces within the HS Agency, such as HS programs and HS Agency priorities, can affect the IT Division directly and/or indirectly. The understanding gained through this activity may indicate that additional coordination and communication may be needed between the HS program staff and HS IT staff in order to construct and rapidly implement changing HS program requirements.

Organize and analyze the information to identify areas of strength and weakness with regard to the HS Agency's ability to perform its responsibilities and respond to external changes. Identify and reach a consensus on the types of internal forces and how they impact the IT Division. Information about these forces generally can be categorized into the following groups:

• Political forces.  This includes priorities, for example, of various HS programs or leadership changes.
• Economic forces.  This includes the HS Agency budgeting process, HS IT budgets, ROI calculations, individual HS program budgets, and other financial considerations.
• Organizational forces.  This includes current and future HS organizational structures and responsibilities, services that each organization offers, business process and work flows, and HS Agency policies and procedures.
• Technological Forces. This includes how technology supports case managers and front-line staff needs and their level of experience and comfort with existing and new technology (PC application versus dumb terminals).  

Consider these Sources of Strategic Information, if needed.

Top