Identify Goals and Sub-goals

Identify the most important accomplishments and the measurable steps to achieving them.

Introduction

These activities provide the steps needed to further detail the Strategic Foundation into actionable and measurable strategic objects. The activities are accomplished through facilitated sessions with the IT Division's management staff.

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Activities

To develop the IT Division goals and subgoals, the Strategy Team performs the following activities:

1. Identify Strategic IT Goals

Purpose:

The HS Agency's vision and mission and the IT Division's vision, mission, and guiding principles provide a foundation for the future. That foundation must be described in more tangible terms in order for the IT Division to achieve results. To accomplish this, more specific targets are needed. These targets are called goals.

Description:

A goal is a broad area of endeavor that must be addressed if the HS Agency is to make progress toward its vision. Goals are the first steps in transforming the vision into action.

Strategic goals:

Define the "targets" or accomplishments the IT Division plans to achieve in the future
Should be few in number, typically five; ten at maximum for an organization with a broad mission
Are the first steps in the "road map" for transforming the vision into action

The approach for identifying the goals is to conduct one or more facilitated sessions with IT management or key stakeholders. The Strategy Team facilitator leads the group through a series of group sessions that culminate in an identification of goals for the organization. While engaging in discussion at the goal level, the Strategy Team should reflect on the Strategic Framework as well as the analysis of the current situation. They should consider the future of the current technology assets. Consult the consolidated guidance on migration provided in the resources. An understanding of innovations or service delivery trends that other states have taken, such as those cataloged in the State Systems Profiles database, may help stimulate ideas for generating goals.

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2. Identify the Related Subgoals

Purpose:

While goals accomplish a more detailed picture of the desired future state, they may still be at a level to high to measure. It is necessary to decompose each goal into more specific targets which are called Subgoals.

Description:

The subgoals establish what is to be achieved over a specific period of time--generally 1 to 3 years--in order to move toward the IT Division's mission and vision. These are the highest priority targets that need to be addressed. Subgoals flow logically from goals, and each subgoal can be linked to at least one goal.

Subgoals:

Allow logical subdivision into action plans, responsibility assignments, timetables, and accountability targets
Specify outcomes that describe what success would look like when the objective is reached
Are measurable and therefore provide a management tool to track progress

Because there is a relationship between goals and subgoals, it will be more direct to define them at the same time. Therefore, subgoals should be established during the same facilitated session that is conducted to identify the goals. Once a set of goals is drafted, the Strategy Team and key stakeholders will examine each goal and will determine the individual or incremental steps necessary to achieve the goal. Each goal and their related subgoals should be recorded along with any rationale. These goals and subgoals will later be included prominently in the IT Division's Strategic Plan.

Some items to consider when establishing the subgoals:

New services, such as assisting the families to achieve and maintain self-sufficiency by providing automated services directly to the client (e.g., access to a list of child care providers or transportation routes to a specific place of employment)
Improvements in current operations, such as increasing efficiencies, reducing the cost of ownership, streamlining data collection or reporting processes, improving the ability to scale, or removing redundant data stores
Retiring obsolete services or systems, such as technology that is no longer supported or business processes that no longer add value and are no longer viable

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Use the following example business, development, and operational areas to seed the brainstorming, if necessary:

Business-Oriented Capabilities Considerations:

Interfaces, such as those that provide needed information to external entities (e.g., customers, partners, and other State Agencies); and the qualities of the interfaces (e.g., data accuracy, response time, and automatic or manual exchange of information); and how interfaces increase the efficiency or effectiveness (e.g., allow the caseworkers to update the client information online).
Opportunities for improvement, such as improving workflow, applying technology (e.g., wireless networking and use of hand-held Internet-accessible devices).
New functionality to enhance the capabilities of case workers, such as data integration (e.g., integrating access to FAMIS, CSE, and SACWIS data for the case manager).
An understanding of innovations or service delivery trends in other states have taken, such as those cataloged in the State System Profiles database. This may provide an indication of service delivery expectations.
New functionality, such as decision support tools that will help caseworkers to select and prioritize client services (e.g., determine whether a client needs job training or substance abuse treatment).
Satisfying constraints, such as data that must be reported to Federal Agencies, including data consolidated from many outside entities (such as information obtained from out-sourced employment workshops).
Reaffirmation of current directions and future plans, including the need and direction of current business processes, noting areas that may change and the conditions for change.
Changing interactions between business entities, having an impact on how the HS Agency may provide services, such as acquisitions, mergers (e.g., new bank buying the EBT vendor), or redefinition of internal State roles and responsibilities.

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Development Processes and Technology-Related Considerations:

Technology trends or vendor documentation that describe emerging technology (e.g., peer-to-peer and distributed component-based) and technology that is becoming obsolete (e.g., COBOL). Consider including price/performance trends for technology-related devices or applications (e.g., the move to ASPs), and also consider finding staff with the skills and knowledge to develop systems using these technologies.
Contractor business trends such as privatization, mergers and acquisitions (e.g., new bank buying the HS Agency's existing EBT vendor).
Backlogs of change requests, indicating the capability to satisfy maintenance needs ( corrective, perfective, or adaptive) effectively and efficiently.
Time to respond to a business need .
Technology, methods, tools, and other resources for developing and maintaining applications (e.g., programming languages and packaging techniques that allow for modular applications, such as the use of components.
Ability to stay within project estimates (cost, schedule, and quality).

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Technical Operations Processes and Technology-Related Considerations:

Understanding of the level of support, such as the number of support personnel, their skills, and knowledge required to keep the applications and underlying infrastructure operating
Technologies, methods, and tools used to operate and administer the systems
Costs to operate and maintain the applications and infrastructure (e.g., cost per seat to maintain a desktop)
Response time to user requests (e.g., help desk for technical issues)
Privacy, confidentiality, and systems security (e.g., passwords that control access to the data)
Batch processing real-time access, such as the need to take the computing facilities offline to process caseworker inputs for monthly benefits (e.g., food stamp coupons, Medicaid cards or TANF checks, and EBT cards)
Availability of trained operators and administrators

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