Formulate IT Strategic Direction

Establish the IT Division's goals and subgoals; identify the critical factors and the objective measures that indicate progress.

Introduction

Activities

Roles and Responsibilities

Artifacts

- Descriptions of the Current Situation (external,
internal, IT Division)
- IT Baseline and Assessment
- Strategic Foundations
- Strategy Project Plan

Establish IT Division
Goals and Subgoals
Identify Critical Factors
Establish Measurement System

- IT Division Goals
- IT Division Subgoals
- Performance Measures
- Critical Factors
- Activity Status

Roles:

- HS Agency Decision Makers
- IT Decision Makers
- Strategy Team
- Architecture Team
- Other Key Stakeholders

Introduction

These activities describe the process for extending the Strategic Foundations to a level of detail more specific to the IT Division. It considers the HS Agency-level vision and mission as well as the IT Division's vision, mission, and guiding principles as the starting point. The objective is to establish more specific and measurable targets that can assist in moving the IT Division to the desired future state.

Strategic planning provides a framework for action that is embedded in the mindsets of the IT organization and its employees. It enables the HS Agency's leaders to unleash the energy of the organization behind a shared vision and a shared belief that the vision can be fulfilled.

In the simplest terms, a Strategic Plan can help improve performance. A Strategic Plan has the potential to not only refocus members' sense of purpose, but also to stimulate future-oriented thinking based on a shared sense of mission. Collaboration among members of an organization is more effective when everyone is working with the same set of assumptions and toward the same goals

Especially in times of limited financial resources, a strategic direction of mission, goals, subgoals, measures, and critical factors can be used to prioritize the allocation of personnel and funds. It can help an IT organization think through the difficult choices necessitated by restricted budgets. However, budgetary limitations are not the only challenge that organizations must meet.

HS organizations and their IT departments today must cope with changes in business operations, legislature mandates, and other items considered during the analysis of the situation. An organized strategic direction allows HS Agencies to deal with them in a coordinated way, by addressing discrete issues as part of a progression toward a total solution. This approach allows the organization to influence its environment and create its future, rather than simply react to it.

The following section can show examples for application of this information for the HS Agency you choose.

TANF Example: In setting goals, subgoals, critical factors, or measures, complex relationships between the business and the technology need to be considered. For example, to meet TANF's 5-year lifetime limit affects record retention, the purging and archiving of information in databases, and ultimately the size of the database. When establishing goals to meet these new requirements, it must be recognized that the life of this data is now the life of the individual, not just the life of the current case in the TANF system. After completing the activities in the Analyze the Situation, the Strategy Team should have a better understanding of internal and external factors required and the strengths and weaknesses of current automation system. This information is the baseline when identifying IT Division goals.

Information on diversion activities and expenditures becomes important with the expanded life cycle of services. It is not just people who receive cash grants that must be considered "clients"; those who come for assistance but never open a grant are also important to understand in this new system.

Information on post-placement activities and upward mobility of clients becomes important with the expanded life cycle of services. Clients who no longer receive cash assistance may still be receiving transitional benefits (such as medical assistance or child care subsidies) for an extended period. Even clients who are not receiving transitional benefits may still be at risk of returning to the caseload. Information that leads to an understanding of how and when clients move toward self-sufficiency, what services are critical to this journey, and what happens to those who go off the caseload is necessary in the new TANF environment.

CSE Example: In setting goals, subgoals, critical factors, or measures, complex relationships between the business and technology need to be considered. For example, the Child Support Program requires a number of entities (such as employers, credit bureaus, financial institutions, and other state agencies) to work together in partnership to promote stability, health, safety, and economic security for children in need of support. When establishing goals to meet the current and expanded interface needs of CSE, the ability and capacity of the existing IT environment must be understood. After completing the activities in the Analyze the Situation activity, the Strategy Team should have a better understanding of internal and external factors required and the strengths and weaknesses of the current automated system. This information is the baseline when identifying IT Division goals.

More digital information will be created with these expanded interfaces. The data must be stored, incorporated into a database, and/or communicated to other entities. This activity must be accomplished in a timely manner and must be understood in order to plan for the appropriate storage infrastructure (such as what data must be online and what can be offline).

The vast number of interfaces requires understanding of a number of different modes of data transmission, communication protocols, and data formats. Examples include:

Connect:Direct for interfacing with the Federal Case Registry and the National Directory of New Hires

The Child Support Enforcement Network (CSENet) for interstate communications

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)/Electronic Data Interchange for acceptance and disbursements of support payments

Cash Concentration and Disbursement Plus (CCD+) and Corporate Trade Exchange (CTX) National Automated Clearinghouse Association (NACHA) for processing income withholdings

Information that leads to an understanding of the current IT capabilities in these areas is critical in establishing the IT Strategic Plan (such as identifying staffing needs and prioritizing needs so that choices can be made if necessary).

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Activities

To formulate the IT strategic direction, perform the following activities:

Establish IT Division Goals and Subgoals - The IT Division must establish the broad areas of endeavor that must be addressed if the IT Division is to make progress toward its vision. Strategic goals are the first steps in transforming the vision into action. For each strategic goal one or more subgoals are defined.
Identify Critical Factors - An oganization needs to identify those actions that need to occur in order for it to achieve its goals. These actions are collectively known as critical factors. These factors have overarching applicability to the entire set of goals. They provide IT management with a "heads up" for things that must be considered to successfully achieve the strategic direction.
Establish Measurement System - In order to know whether or not the strategic direction is being successfully attained, you must establish measures for each of the subgoals. The measures give the IT Division an objective means to know whether or not the subgoals and the related goals and mission are being achieved and make timely adjustments.

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Roles and Responsibilities

The key roles and responsibilities for these activities are as follows:

HS Agency Decision Makers. These individuals may participate directly or indirectly in reviewing and generating the strategic direction. They have critical insight into the HS Agency mission and vision for technology use.
IT Decision Makers. These individuals may participate directly or indirectly in reviewing and generating the strategic direction. Workshops (such as brainstorming sessions) can be held to gather insight into the Strategic Plan elements. This increases ownership of the elements. These individuals have critical insight into what may be a feasible strategy to pursue or realistically implement.
Strategy Team. Theses individuals lead the effort to generate the strategic direction. They are the primary authors of the HS IT Strategic Plan. They work closely with the HS Agency or IT Decision Makers to ensure that all viewpoints are taken into consideration. The team facilitator has responsibility to ensure that all stakeholders with a vested interest in the direction can support its elements. This requires careful consideration for stakeholder concerns, expressing the strategic goals, subgoals, measures, and critical factors so all can support them. This promotes buy-in across the HS Agency.
Architecture Team. These individuals may participate in setting the technology-oriented goals, subgoals, measures, or critical factors, by contributing an understanding of current or emerging technologies and practices.
Other Key Stakeholders. This includes groups or individuals that can provide additional insight into the elements of the strategic direction, such as critical factors or feasibility of implementing a strategy.

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Artifacts

The following artifacts are used or produced by these activities. Templates, examples, and checklists for identifying and documenting items are available in the Additional Resources section.

Descriptions of the Current Situation. The Strategy Team uses these descriptions as a basis for identifying, understanding and prioritizing the HS Agency's and IT Division's current situation. Descriptions include information pertaining to the following:
The descriptions may be updated by the team, as necessary.
IT Baseline and Assessment. This input contributes an understanding of current IT assets and a subjective assessment of their qualities. This understanding is used as the basis for identifying current and needed technical capabilities, such as the need to migrate. This information may be refined during this activity to add specific insight to the goals or subgoals that are identified.
Strategic Foundations - These foundations are used to guide establishing the scope and context for these activities.
Strategy Project Plan - This plan is used to establish the management structure for these activities.
Activity Status - The status of these activities is periodically collected and provided to the Strategy Team Lead to assess progress against the Strategy Project Plan.
IT Division Goals - A few, essential areas in which the IT Division must achieve and the accompanying rational are listed.
IT Division Subgoals - The subgoals and rational for them is recorded.
IT Performance Measures - The specific measures, the goals they relate to, and the rationale for the values is recorded to establish the basis for managing progress.
Critical Factors - These and the rationale for why they are critical is recorded (e.g., likelihood of occurrence and/or impact they could have).

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