Define Context

Stakeholders identify and agree to the prioritized evolution goals, alternative ways to achieve them, and significant constraints.

Introduction Activities Roles and Responsibilities Artifacts Additional Resources

- HS IT Strategic Plan - New HS Mandates Form IT Evolution Management Team Develop Estimate Of The Situation Review Context - HS IT Estimate of the Situation (EoS) - IT Evolution Management Team - Technical Architecture Team - Other Key Stakeholders

Introduction

An IT Evolution Management Team is established. They have responsibility for the IT Evolution Planning and Management activities. Their first action is to collect and revalidate information developed as a part of the HS IT Strategic planning process. The evolution planning process builds on the stakeholders, goals, initiatives, and mandates identified in the HS IT strategic Plan. Constraints such as State or Agency standards, along with current and expected budgetary information, are identified and documented. This information is captured in the HS IS EoS. Once the draft EoS is completed, it is reviewed and approved by the primary stakeholders, with changes to it managed and controlled. Any change to the EoS requires stakeholder participation.

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Activities

Consolidated guidelines are available to perform the following key activities:

1. Form IT Evolution Management Team. The IT Evolution Management Team is responsible for managing the IT evolution in accordance with the IT Evolution Plan. The Evolution Manager leads this team. Other roles on the team may include a Risk Analyst, an Estimation Analyst, and Planning Analyst. This team should include people with the following skills:

   • Planning and organizing IT projects
   • Estimating size, cost, and schedules for IT projects
   • Risk analysis and management
   • Communication
   • System integration
   
   

2. Develop Estimate of the Situation. The EoS establishes a bridge between the HS IT Strategic Plan and the HS IT Evolution Plan. This document defines the goals of the evolution and the constraints that are imposed on any evolution. This document defines the following:

   • Stakeholders. Who has a vested interest in the success of the IT evolution? What are the expectations of the individual stakeholders? The stakeholders will be an extension of the stakeholder list developed during the IT strategic planning process.
   • Goals. What is to be accomplished during the IT evolution? This is a restatement of the prioritized goals and subgoals from the IT Strategic Plan. As the evolution progresses, these goals may be updated by the stakeholders when the strategic planning process has not yet been repeated.
   • Alternatives. What are the different ways to meet the goals? What possible development alternatives do we have? Alternatives include technical as well as acquisition decisions (e.g., make, buy, or transition from another State). The HS Agency Technical Architecture, as it develops, will help identify appropriate technical alternatives.
   • Constraints. What are the major limitations on IT evolution decisions, such as on selecting alternatives as well as the IT evolution effort overall? These constraints include current regulations that the HS Agency must follow, budgets, contracting relationships, and time-related issues. Some of these constraints may flow from court rulings or State and Federal legislation and regulations.
   • Mission and History. What is the mission of this IT organization? How did the organization get to this stage of the evolution? This may be a restatement of the mission statement from the IT Strategic Plan, with additional information about the history of the IT infrastructure, and previous decisions that have influenced the development of the current IT infrastructure and organization. This portion of the EoS will be updated after each Plateau.
   • Assumptions and Inheritances. What assumptions were made as the EoS was developed? What decisions have been made in the past that may influence choice in regard to the alternatives?
   • Where Are We Now? What are the characteristics of the current IT infrastructure (the IT inventory and analysis created during the IT Strategic Planning activities may be useful).
   • What Is the Definition of Success? How will the stakeholders know that they have successfully achieved their goals?
   • What Are the Drivers? What State and Federal mandates or policies will significantly affect our solution?
   
   

3. Review Context. The EoS represents a shared understanding by the stakeholders of the current situation as well as where the IT evolution effort will go. The stakeholders formally review and approve the EoS. Revisions are made, as necessary, to obtain consensus. Changes to the EoS are managed and controlled with stakeholder participation.

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Roles and Responsibilities

The key roles and their responsibilities are as follows:

• IT Evolution Management Team. These individuals establish the EoS and oversee the review meetings. They are considered to be one of the stakeholders. The IT Evolution Manager leads this team. Other roles on the team may include a Risk Analyst, an Estimation Analyst, and a Planning Analyst.
• Technical Architecture Team. These individuals participate in establishing the EoS by providing the HS Agency-wide technical perspective.
• Other Key Stakeholders. These individuals or groups participate in or have a vested interest in the establishment, approval, or oversight of the IT evolution. This may include IT management, IT Project Managers, HS Agency program management, and the HS Agency Decision Makers, amongst others.

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Artifacts

The following information is used or produced by these activities. Templates, examples, and checklists are available through the Additional Resources section at the end of this page

• HS IT Estimate of the Situation. This work product is the primary result of these activities. The appropriate stakeholders must reach consensus on its contents.
• HS IT Strategic Plan. This is the foundation for all IT evolution planning activities. All information in the EoS must be consistent with the higher-level goals, initiatives, and mandates identified in the HS IT Strategic Plan.
• New HS Mandates. Any new requirements that have been received from either State or Federal Agencies since the Strategic Plan was completed must be factored into the EoS.

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Additional Resources

Items that can be used to perform these and other activities are consolidated in the Resources portion of the IT Planning and Management Guides. Resources specific to this activity are cataloged below.