Identify IT Initiatives

Adjust the existing initiatives and establish new ones to meet the strategic goals of the IT Division.

	- Strategy Project Plan - Strategic Foundations - HS IT Goals, Subgoals, Performance Measures, & Critical Factors - Description of the Current Situation - IT Baseline and Assessment
Define Ongoing Initiatives Define New Initiatives		- HS IT Initiatives - Activity Status
	- HS Agency Decision Makers - IT Decision Makers - Strategy Team - Architecture Team - Other Key Stakeholders

Introduction

These activities establish the highest-level organization of actions to achieve the goals. Existing initiatives are reexamined to determine whether they fit with the IT Division's strategic direction. Summary description of the existing and future initiatives are produced. With these initiatives defined, priorities can be assigned in later steps and detailed planning begun.

Documentation of the ongoing and future initiatives will become the basis for establishing the projects that will be resourced by the IT Division. During the analysis of the current situation, a quick look into the existing initiatives was gained. The details of the existing initiatives are reviewed, such as their purpose and management and technical accomplishments against project plans. An assessment is made of how they align with IT Division's strategic direction. This assessment aids both the HS Agency and IT Decision Makers in reaffirming the current direction of these ongoing initiatives or helps to define any changes that need to be made to them. One consideration is changes in the underlying technology (e.g., the need to migrate to a new technology).

The type of information that can be recorded for each initiative is described in the Template for an IT Division Strategic Plan, available in the Resources. An extended list of items follows:

Initiative name.
Who the initiative supports organizationally, e.g., applicable programs (e.g., unified intake might address child care, food stamps, child welfare, Medicaid, and TANF programs).
Description (a few paragraphs, including the overall purpose or major accomplishment expected).
How it is consistent (or inconsistent) with HS Agency's strategic direction (e.g., the goals or subgoals it furthers and how).
How it is consistent (or inconsistent) with IT Division's strategic direction (e.g., the goals or subgoals it furthers and how).
Other impacts (e.g., funding streams, other things that influence the decisions on continuing or starting the initiative).
Time frames (such as when it started, current life cycle phase, scheduled performance against planned, whether existing initiative is being examined).
Priority - categorization using a criteria based on both the HS Agency and IT Division's strategic direction (e.g., affinity with the goals it supports).
The identification of initiative must be inclusive. The inventory of initiatives should include the following types:
- For existing systems/functions
- Research and Development
- Infrastructure
- Other types of initiatives, such as
  - Employee development and training
  - Vendor/partner strategic relationships
  - The above list does not include all possible categories. The project must use their own judgment in determining the categories of initiatives to document.

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

TANF Example: In addition to the specific programs that the HS Agency administers, the HS Agency is also responsible for supporting initiatives that provide services to families. The Strategy Team needs to identify both ongoing and new initiatives and determine whether the IT Division supports these initiatives. Examples include:

Building a "common front end" to legacy systems with a central client index to other systems like SACWIS, Child Support Enforcement, and FAMIS.

Supportive services such as transportation provided to families who are employed.

Short-term benefits that address a specific crisis or episode of need and that are not intended to meet an ongoing or recurrent need.

Services such as counseling and employment services that do not provide basic income support.

CSE Example: The CSE organization has the responsibility for continuation of current processes as well as often expanding information sharing with other programs such as child welfare. The Strategy Team needs to identify both ongoing as well as anticipated initiatives and determine whether the IT Division will need to make changes to support this initiative. Examples may include:

Establishment of a web enabled process to access legacy data

Online access by clients and others of information

Online access by other agencies utilizing web technologies

Establishing "common front end" or "central client index" in conjunction with other HS systems

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Activities

To define the ongoing and new initiatives, perform the following activities:

Define Ongoing Initiatives. Collect and organize information about the existing initiative and how they may be changed.
Define New Initiatives. Create and organize information about new initiatives that should be considered.

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Roles and Responsibilities

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

HS Agency Decision Makers. These individuals may participate directly or indirectly in reviewing and generating the initiatives. They have critical insight into the HS Agency mission and vision for technology use.
IT Decision Makers. These individuals should be direct participants in reviewing and generating the initiatives. Workshops (such as brainstorming sessions) can be held to gather insight. These individuals have critical insight into what may be feasible to do or change.
Strategy Team Theses individuals lead the effort to collect and organize the appropriate detailed information about the initiatives. They are the primary authors of the initiative descriptions, drawing on the expertise of the HS Agency and IT Decision Makers and other key stakeholders. This team ensures that the HS Agency and IT Division's strategic direction is appropriately covered. The team facilitator has responsibility to ensure that all stakeholders with a vested interest in the plan can support the initiatives. This requires careful consideration for stakeholder concerns, expressing the initiatives to adequately address their concerns. This promotes buy-in across the HS Agency and within the IT Division.
Architecture Team. These individuals may participate in setting the technology-oriented aspects of the initiatives by contributing an understanding of current or emerging technologies and practices. They may provide an understanding of how migration of technology to other platforms can be achieved.
Other Key Stakeholders. This includes groups or individuals that can provide additional insight into the status of current or future initiatives, such as HS program or project management or staff, consultants, or even vendors when considering their technology directions.

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Artifacts

The following information is used or produced by these activities; templates, examples, and checklists for identifying and documenting items are available through the resources at the end of this page:

Strategy Project Plan - This plan is used to establish the management structure for these activities.
Strategic Foundations - These are used to help in assessing the existing and new initiatives, such as providing the context to understanding the intention of the all the goals.
HS IT Goals, Subgoal, Performance Measures, and Critical Factors - These are the strategic elements upon which the existing and new initiatives are assessed.
HS IT Strategic Plan. This is the main product of these activities. It consolidates and relates the essential strategic information that will guide the IT Division's immediate and long-term decisions. This plan is reviewed and approved by all the significant stakeholders.
HS Strategic IT Capabilities. This is a key input into these activities. It is used to understand what is expected of the HS Agency. The goals and strategies will address achieving these capabilities.
Descriptions of the Current Situation. This input is used by the Strategy Team, as necessary, to understand the existing environment for the HS Agency and IT Division, including any needs and capabilities. These descriptions include information pertaining to the following:
IT Baseline and Assessment. This input contributes to an understanding of the current IT assets and a subjective assessment of their qualities. Decisions on the immediate and long-term future of these assets is made as part of the overall strategy.
HS IT Initiatives - The completed descriptions of all the initiatives and associated rationale is produced.
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.

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