Tarrant County Information Technology Strategic Plan FY 2005 – 2010 Steve Smith, Chief Information Officer January 2005

Progress Since 2000 FY01 Strategic Plan proposed 48 projects 96% of projects completed or in progress Resulted in modernization of infrastructure and system of governance Tarrant County has aggressively pursued modernization and improvement Focus has been on establishing a stable and reliable infrastructure

Tarrant County’s Challenge Rapid population growth Increasing demand for services County needs new methods of service delivery G.K. Maenius County Administrator (click image to play video) Current population: 1.6 million Anticipated growth: population of 2.5 million + over next 30 years County will be challenged to meet demand with existing facilities Deliver services through alternate channels: Internet, telephone Provide services at convenience of the public: from their homes and offices, at any hour Don’t require trip downtown to conduct county business Video: G.K. Maenius on population growth and need to think differently about service delivery

E-Commerce Offers New Possibilities Provide services at convenience of the public Some services available 24/7 No need to travel downtown for simple transactions Marti VanRavenswaay Commissioner, Precinct 2 (click image to play video) Provide multiple “channels” for service delivery: In-Person, E-Commerce, Kiosk, Telephone, In-Person Let the customer choose which form is most convenient Video: Marti VanRavenswaay on e-commerce

Goal: Create a Services-Oriented IT Organization Customer-focused Enable Department’s service delivery Department in control of data Responsive Efficient Faster, Better, Cheaper

IT Organization Today Classic Engineering group Silos of technical disciplines Reflects inward focus: what’s convenient for the IT organization Staff are grouped by technical discipline Support processes cross many organizational boundaries

IT Organization Tomorrow Service-oriented Focused on customer needs Accountable for service delivery Focused on customers Organized for service delivery Promotes accountability for service quality Adaptable to meet changing requirements Organizational model proven in industry; promoted by research firms like Gartner and Forrester

Gartner says: “The ISCo maintains an unwavering focus on the customer and its needs, while aggressively pursuing integrated process management as the primary vehicle for fulfilling service offerings. This dictates an organizational structure focused on services and processes.” Young, C. “Running IS Like a Business: Introducing the ISCo Model (R-18-4277).” Gartner, Inc.: January 2003. Gartner, Inc: leading IT research company ISCo = Internal Service Company organizational model; Gartner’s term for a service-oriented IT organization

IT Strategies Business Alignment Simplified Architecture Structured Processes Performance Measures Will describe each strategy in more detail….

Strategy: Business Alignment Relationship Managers Learn business needs Develop catalog of services Design solutions Alan Levy Assistant District Attorney (click image to play video) IT Department doesn’t know business of its customers; not business experts Discover customer’s business needs through Relationship Managers Develop catalog of services tailored to meet needs of each customer Design solutions to business problems Coach customers on application of technology Video: Alan Levy on learning to apply technology to business processes

Strategy: Simplified Architecture Reduced complexity = reduced costs Create standard architectures Consolidate vendor support Example: managed workstation refresh Example: Workstation refresh - contract with single vendor for multiple (4?) years; standardized hardware types; vendor disposal of aged equipment

Strategy: Structured Processes Project Management Office (PMO) Consistent development methodology Departments know what to expect Operations Processes ITIL for service management Consistent Help Desk process PMO is already under development PMO to bring consistency and predictability to application development ITIL = IT Infrastructure Library: developed by British government; rapidly accepted worldwide; supports service delivery model; customized (describes what, not how)

Strategy: Performance Measures Project Management Controls Requirements Budget Schedule Earned Value Service Management Service Level Agreements Suzanne Henderson County Clerk (click image to play video) “Can’t control what you don’t measure” Establish concrete targets Fosters accountability Project Management: monitor and control project progress Earned Value = statistical measure of project progress Service Management: monitor and control service quality and availability Video: Suzanne Henderson and Alan Levy on SLAs Alan Levy Assistant District Attorney

Organization: IT Department Structure Focus on Customer Needs Organize around Service Delivery Increase Operational Capability Engage Partners for Software Development Streamline Support Structure Create emphasis on operational capabilities Keeping county running is #1 business priority Outsource software development – already contract for most of it; go all the way; manage contractors and provide support for existing apps Support: provide consistent process regardless of problem type; leverage resources, processes from SAP Help Desk; increase use of automated support tools

Organization: IT Training Focus on Operational Excellence Service Process Management Service Measurement Train Service Skills Customer service “Soft skills” Project Management Service Process Management: Train ITIL processes; process management (how-to) Service Measurement: “How are we doing”; proactive SLA management Service skills: how to deal with customers; take care of people; example: help fix problem vs. technical lecture Project Management: manage development vendors; implementation of new services treated as project

Organization: End User Training Train All County Employees on Computer Skills IT to Provide Training Benefits: Lowered Support Costs Improved Productivity G.K. Maenius County Administrator (click image to play video) Increasing automation will require increased levels of computer literacy Train new county employees and offer refresher training to existing employees Training is an investment that pays off in increased productivity, reduced support costs, and better employee satisfaction Video: G.K. Maenius on importance of skilled workforce

Governance IT Steering Committee IT Technical Committee Departmental Budgeting Operations Strategic Projects IT Steering Committee: Select projects from list of recommendations; set priorities for resources ($ and people) IT Technical Committee: set standards; technical project review; vetting operational budget items Budgets: Operational budget for all equipment/software required for doing business, not negotiable; Strategic budget for new automation or process improvements Bring greater consistency and predictability to budgeting process

Questions? More information available on the web: http://www.tarrantcounty.com IT Strategic Plan available on Web IT Architecture Plan available soon CD distribution to county employees and the public Steve Smith, Chief Information Officer Tarrant County 100 E. Weatherford, Suite 403 Fort Worth, TX 76196 (817) 884-3850 cio@tarrantcounty.com