Strategic Planning Management and Foundation

Form the strategy project teams, clarify the underlying purpose of the IT Division, and plan and execute the project.

Introduction

Activities

Roles and Responsibilities

Artifacts

- External, Internal, & HS IT Conditions
- Activity Status

Establish Teams
Create Strategic Foundations
Establish overarching Strategic Management Plan

- Strategy Project Plan
- Strategic Foundations

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

Introduction

The IT Division will use strategic planning to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide the IT Division. The activities to develop the HS IT Strategic Plan are formally managed as for any other project. A strategy project is established, defining key roles and responsibilities, identifying appropriate individuals to fill those roles, and providing the necessary executive leadership and resources for the project. The strategic planning activities are planned and tracked to ensure that they produce a meaningful HS IT Strategic Plan within the needed timeframe.

In addition to establishing a disciplined strategic planning and oversight process, the key stakeholders will agree on the strategic foundations: the mission, vision, and guiding principles for the IT Division. This understanding provides the context for the IT strategic planning activities, keeping the teams focused and results-oriented. As the strategic planning process is executed and the understanding of the situation and IT needs is refined, these strategic foundations may be adjusted.

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

TANF Example: When identifying members of the Strategy Team it is important to include the front-line staff (associated IT staff, eligibility workers and case managers). Because they are "in-tune" with the existing systems and programs that serve clients, they serve as a good resource to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the IT systems and processes.

When establishing the foundations for strategic planning, the Strategy Team determines the IT Division's preliminary vision, mission and guiding principles. Prior to doing this activity, the Strategy Team reviews existing State plans as well as any waivers, which provide detailed information on commitments to Federal Agencies.

CSE Example: When identifying members of the Strategy Team it is important to insure that all significant groups of stakeholders are represented and that their input is received. To develop a strong strategic planning document and concept, the Strategy Team must be composed of a blend of program staff and IT staff. Those individuals that utilize the systems on a daily basis and understand the capabilities of the systems are critical members of the Strategy Team. Included in the team should be case managers, CSE managers, IT support personnel, with acute familiarity of the CSE IT application.

Establishing the foundations for strategic planning, the Strategy Team determines the IT Division's preliminary vision, mission, and guiding principles. This process will focus the future technology for the CSE organization on meeting the needs of the workers, clients, and reporting requirements.

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Activities

These activities establish the project context for the IT strategic planning activities. The organizational structures, roles, and responsibilities of key participants are defined first. The underlying strategic foundations, the mission, vision, and guiding principles, are then established. Finally, an overarching plan is created and approved. This plan provides direction and tracks progress of the members of the Strategy Team as they conduct detailed analysis and build the HS IT Strategic Plan.

The following main activities are performed:

Establish Strategy Team - Those that will perform the IT strategic planning activities are identified and assigned. Relationships between the Strategy Team and the other key stakeholders (e.g., HS Agency Decision Makers and IT Decision Makers) are established.
Establish Strategic Foundations - Executive leadership establishes the overall purpose of the IT Division and aligns the strategic foundation (i.e., mission, vision, and guiding principles) with the HS Agency. This initial understanding is used to provide the context for the strategic planning activities.
Establish Overarching Strategic Management Plan - The Strategy Team establishes the project plan so that activities can be tracked and target dates can be met.

As these activities are performed, you should collect and analyze lessons learned and provide them as feedback to improve the planning and execution of the strategic planning activities.

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Roles and Responsibilities

The key roles and their responsibilities are as follows:

Agency Decision Makers - They establish the Strategy Team by assigning the team lead and providing the authorities and resources necessary to conduct the strategic planning activities.
Strategy Team - This team, once established, helps in facilitating the development of the Strategic Foundations, as well as creating and tracking to the Strategic Project Plan.
Other Key Stakeholders - These are key individuals or groups such as case managers, HS Agency administrators, the State CIO, the State Legislature, Federal Agencies that fund programs and related information systems, Advocacy Groups, IT users, or others that may contribute insight into establishing the strategic foundations and the Strategic Project Plan.
IT Decision Makers - They review and use the analysis as the basis for business decisions regarding implementation and maintenance of IT.

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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. Guidance to identify external and internal conditions and overarching constraints can be found in the Analyze the Situation section.

External Conditions - These are input to the activities, forming the basis of the understanding of the world outside the HS Agency. A cursory understanding of these conditions may be necessary to establish the Strategic Project Plan and the strategic foundations.
Internal Conditions - These are input to the activities, forming the basis of understanding about the world inside the HS Agency. A cursory understanding of these conditions may be necessary to establish the Strategic Project Plan and the strategic foundations.
HS IT Conditions - These are input to the activities, forming the basis of understanding about how the IT Division operates, as well as data about the inventory of IT assets, including plans for their update. A cursory understanding of these conditions may be necessary to establish the Strategic Project Plan and the strategic foundations.
Activity Status - This is the status of the strategy planning activities. It is periodically collected and used to track against the plans. This status is summarized and presented to the HS Agency and IT Decision Makers on a periodic or event-driven basis (such as significant cost or schedule variance).
Strategy Project Plan - This plan is prepared by the Strategy Team and used as a basis of managing the Strategy Team activities. It is adjusted, as needed, based on activity status or changes in direction.
Strategic Foundations - An initial statement of the HS Agency's and the IT Division's purpose (mission, vision, and guiding principles) is produced to guide establishing the scope and context for the strategy project planning activities.

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