dentify and assess stakeholders The next step in this phase is careful A positioning chart is a good first stakeholder identification of all stakeholders and the analysis tool. The chart places stakeholders the project. This can be done with a stakeholder degree to which they support or oppose the c ways they can influence or be affected by on a two-dimensional grid that shows both th nalysis exercise. Many projects limit stake- project and their importance to its success holder considerations to those who are directly Those stakeholders who are important to involved in the development of a syster success, whether they are supporters or Generally, this is not enough. Those who are opponents, deserve careful scrutiny and a indirectly affected count, too. Often, this kind of clear-cut plan of action for how to get them analysis does a good job of identifying positive involved or how to deal with their concerns a effects such as who saves time or money, but partisan analysis can be used to uncover they often ignore the negative effects such as potential conflicts and completing interests who gets lower priority or picks up the cost among stakeholders of making things cheaper for someone else Stakeholder influences are also critical. Some stakeholders are essential because of their legitimacy or power regardless of how active Know your stakeholders When the State Comptroller's Office decided to plan for a successor to its 18 year-old statewide accounting system, the staff recognized how crucial this system is to the financial operations of every state agency. They embarked on an extensive stakeholder analysis that divided agencies into groups with similar characteristics and invited them to take part in 13 day-long workshops to specify their needs and ideas for a revised system. This process engaged the key users of the system in a dialog that generated strong recommendations for eting user needs, and initiated an atmosphere of collaboration and user upport for the project. One group of stakeholders was especially important to the project. These"strategic partners"represented the agencies that would eventually have to approve the design and funding of the project. they were involved continually, not only as system users, but as key players whose understanding and support could make or break the effort CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES 19 Know your stakeholders When the State Comptroller’s Office decided to plan for a successor to its 18 year-old statewide accounting system, the staff recognized how crucial this system is to the financial operations of every state agency. They embarked on an extensive stakeholder analysis that divided agencies into groups with similar characteristics and invited them to take part in 13 day-long workshops to specify their needs and ideas for a revised system. This process engaged the key users of the system in a dialog that generated strong recommendations for meeting user needs, and initiated an atmosphere of collaboration and user support for the project. One group of stakeholders was especially important to the project. These “strategic partners” represented the agencies that would eventually have to approve the design and funding of the project. They were involved continually, not only as system users, but as key players whose understanding and support could make or break the effort. A positioning chart is a good first stakeholder analysis tool. The chart places stakeholders on a two-dimensional grid that shows both the degree to which they support or oppose the project and their importance to its success. Those stakeholders who are important to success, whether they are supporters or opponents, deserve careful scrutiny and a clear-cut plan of action for how to get them involved or how to deal with their concerns. A partisan analysis can be used to uncover potential conflicts and completing interests among stakeholders. Identify and assess stakeholders The next step in this phase is careful identification of all stakeholders and the ways they can influence or be affected by the project. This can be done with a stakeholder analysis exercise. Many projects limit stakeholder considerations to those who are directly involved in the development of a system. Generally, this is not enough. Those who are indirectly affected count, too. Often, this kind of analysis does a good job of identifying positive effects such as who saves time or money, but they often ignore the negative effects such as who gets lower priority or picks up the cost of making things cheaper for someone else. Stakeholder influences are also critical. Some stakeholders are essential because of their legitimacy or power regardless of how active they are in a project
Analyze the problem and the process The last work in this phase is where you begin Other problems are not process oriented so to tackle the problem itself. Often the problem hey demand different tools. Self-assessment or objective is embedded in at least one work tools can help gather information about the process. Process analysis is therefore a good current situation. Models of the problems can way to delve into the details, understand the help to make your situation more explicit bottlenecks, see the handoffs and identify Sometimes you need customer satisfaction where information is added or recorded information and may want to conduct interviews A process map that shows this in sufficient or a survey Statistical data about some aspect detail is then ready for preliminary process of performance or cost may be needed. The improvement ideas where the work team important point is to analyze the problem fully, identifies ways to streamline or get more using the tools at your disposal. You will often value from it be surprised by unexpected findings and new ways to understand cause and effect Get some baseline data The Adirondack Park Agency faced both process and workload problems that erated low customer satisfaction Most staff time was devoted to the processing of permit applications by landowners or developers for permission to build or otherwise develop privately owned property in the six-million acre park. Workload statistics, however, revealed that the vast majority of customer contacts(and therefore the best opportunity to give good service)were telephone inquiries about relatively simple questions. By collecting these workload statistics, the Agency was better able to focus its efforts. Staff learned that answers to telephone inquires could be shortened by 99 percent by changing the way information was organized and accessed. On the other hand, process analysis revealed that permits were subject to so many legally mandated time frames that theire processing time could be shortened by only one to two percent CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES 20 Get some baseline data The Adirondack Park Agency faced both process and workload problems that generated low customer satisfaction. Most staff time was devoted to the processing of permit applications by landowners or developers for permission to build or otherwise develop privately owned property in the six-million acre park. Workload statistics, however, revealed that the vast majority of customer contacts (and therefore the best opportunity to give good service) were telephone inquiries about relatively simple questions. By collecting these workload statistics, the Agency was better able to focus its efforts. Staff learned that answers to telephone inquires could be shortened by 99 percent by changing the way information was organized and accessed. On the other hand, process analysis revealed that permits were subject to so many legally mandated time frames that theire processing time could be shortened by only one to two percent. Other problems are not process oriented so they demand different tools. Self-assessment tools can help gather information about the current situation. Models of the problems can help to make your situation more explicit. Sometimes you need customer satisfaction information and may want to conduct interviews or a survey. Statistical data about some aspect of performance or cost may be needed. The important point is to analyze the problem fully, using the tools at your disposal. You will often be surprised by unexpected findings and new ways to understand cause and effect. Analyze the problem and the process The last work in this phase is where you begin to tackle the problem itself. Often the problem or objective is embedded in at least one work process. Process analysis is therefore a good way to delve into the details, understand the bottlenecks, see the handoffs, and identify where information is added or recorded. A process map that shows this in sufficient detail is then ready for preliminary process improvement ideas where the work team identifies ways to streamline or get more value from it
Phase 2. identify and test solutions Phase 1 arms you with a very detailed under- No matter how unique your problem may seem, standing of your objective and the context in some other organization has probably faced it which you must try to achieve it. In Phase 2, That organization may be another agency in e work turns to a search for reasonable your own state; it could be a government solutions that you can investigate and test somewhere else in the us or the world it could This phase makes substantial use of the be a commercial or nonprofit organization experiences of oth It might be much bigger or m goals. It also leads you to develop alternative than your organization, or engaged in a very solutions and offers some ways to try them out different kind of work. Regardless of their in low-cost, low-risk ways. You are not building settings, you can learn from them. The first a system yet-but you are building a great deal part of the work in Phase 2 is the search for of knowledge about the system that you will relevant practices, tools, and techniques eventually construct A more detailed descrip- whose use in other places can teach you tion of the tools that can help identify and test something that you don' t have to learn on possible solutions are available in Part Two your own Choose a"good How to make Tools for phase 2 Smart i Choices Phase 1 Find relevant practices, tools, Understand the problem and its context and techniques a best and current practice a Analyze the problem or process to be tackled research technology awareness Phasc 2 reviews Identify and test solutions benchmarking Find relevant practices, tools techniques environmental scanning Develop and test alternative solutions Develop and test alternati Phase 3 Evaluate alternatives and make smart choices models of solutions ■ Compare risks modest, moderate, and elaborate alternatives ■ Make and explain fin ■ prototyping Present results in a business case CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES Choose a "good" problem How to Make Smart IT Choices Phase 1 Understand the problem and its context Present results in a business case Specify your program or business objective Identify and assess stakeholders Analyze the problem or process to be tackled Compare risks Compare costs and expected performance Make and explain final choices Find relevant practices, tools & techniques Develop and test alternative solutions Phase 2 Identify and test solutions Phase 3 Evaluate alternatives and make smart choices 21 Tools for Phase 2 Find relevant practices, tools, and techniques: ■ best and current practice research ■ technology awareness reviews ■ benchmarking ■ environmental scanning Develop and test alternatives: ■ models of solutions ■ modest, moderate, and elaborate alternatives ■ prototyping Phase 1 arms you with a very detailed understanding of your objective and the context in which you must try to achieve it. In Phase 2, the work turns to a search for reasonable solutions that you can investigate and test. This phase makes substantial use of the experiences of others who have tackled similar goals. It also leads you to develop alternative solutions and offers some ways to try them out in low-cost, low-risk ways. You are not building a system yet—but you are building a great deal of knowledge about the system that you will eventually construct. A more detailed description of the tools that can help identify and test possible solutions are available in Part Two. Phase 2. Identify and test solutions No matter how unique your problem may seem, some other organization has probably faced it. That organization may be another agency in your own state; it could be a government somewhere else in the US or the world; it could be a commercial or nonprofit organization. It might be much bigger or much smaller than your organization, or engaged in a very different kind of work. Regardless of their settings, you can learn from them. The first part of the work in Phase 2 is the search for relevant practices, tools, and techniques whose use in other places can teach you something that you don’t have to learn on your own
Find relevant practices, tools, and techniqu You can learn from the experiences of others by One benefit of working in the public sector using a variety of research tools. Best and the general willingness of public managers to current practice research is a good general share their good and bad experiences with one purpose tool that any professional can use another. You can often learn more by picking effectively. You can conduct this kind of up the phone and calling a contact person than research in the library, on the Internet, at by just reading a story in a newsletter or Web professional meetings, in face-to-face site. Probe for the complete story of how a interviews, and on the phone the key is to project unfolded or a technique was used specify, as clearly and narrowly as you can Ask about critical success factors and ask the questions you want to answer, and then to also what should have been done differently evaluate critically what you read and hear. Learn from the experiences of others When the Division of Military and Naval Affairs(DMNA) was considering how to design its first Web site, best and current practices research helped staff make basic decisions about what to focus on and what to avoid By searching the Web sites of similar state and federal agencies, DMNA staff identified good business uses of the Web(such as recruiting, location of facilities, and employment opportunities), good design principles(such as consistency from page to page, clear contact information, and an informative home page), and features to avoid(big graphics, no feedback mechanism, agency-centric days of the Web this research was invaluable to making a good start early presentation). Today many of these are considered gospel, but in the
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES 22 Find relevant practices, tools, and techniques You can learn from the experiences of others by using a variety of research tools. Best and current practice research is a good generalpurpose tool that any professional can use effectively. You can conduct this kind of research in the library, on the Internet, at professional meetings, in face-to-face interviews, and on the phone. The key is to specify, as clearly and narrowly as you can, the questions you want to answer, and then to evaluate critically what you read and hear. Learn from the experiences of others When the Division of Military and Naval Affairs (DMNA) was considering how to design its first Web site, best and current practices research helped staff make basic decisions about what to focus on and what to avoid. By searching the Web sites of similar state and federal agencies, DMNA staff identified good business uses of the Web (such as recruiting, location of facilities, and employment opportunities), good design principles (such as consistency from page to page, clear contact information, and an informative home page), and features to avoid (big graphics, no feedback mechanism, agency-centric presentation). Today many of these are considered gospel, but in the early days of the Web this research was invaluable to making a good start. One benefit of working in the public sector is the general willingness of public managers to share their good and bad experiences with one another. You can often learn more by picking up the phone and calling a contact person than by just reading a story in a newsletter or Web site. Probe for the complete story of how a project unfolded or a technique was used. Ask about critical success factors and ask also what should have been done differently
Know your environment An environment scan can help determine what Benchmarking, and building technology is happening in the overall environment that awareness through trade shows demos and may have an impact on the project. The vendor presentations are other good ways to results of this kind of review may lead you to collect current information that you then reconsider some aspects of your own service evaluate for comparability, completeness, or business objective. You may want to return and relevance to your own situation. These to and refine your focus before moving forward investigations may help you understand the to other parts of the analysis. You might features and applications of technologies you also discover other stakeholders need to be are considering for your project. They may also considered or that some part of your problem help you understand the broader infrastructure analysis needs more attention. Take advantage needs you will have to take into account of these early opportunities to improve your fundamental analysis-they are more valuable and less costly now than they will be later in the project Understand the implementation environment The Bureau of Shelter Services is responsible for programs that serve homeless people around the state. It carries out this mission in concert with local governments and many nonprofit organizations that actually provide shelter and services. When these agencies began to discuss ways to share information to better assess service performance, they needed to consider ho information is collected and processed in these many different organizations Some of these organizations already had sophisticated information systems: others had just the basics or none at all. As a result, part of the project to define a shared Homeless Information Management System(HIMS)included a series of technology awareness meetings in which different kinds of case management systems were introduced and discussed, and the current and future technology capabilities of the participants became much better understood. Consequently, the system design took these variations into account. By focusing on shared service values and data quality, as well as technology, the design offered benefits even to those with little technical capability Benchmarking, and building technology awareness through trade shows, demos, and vendor presentations are other good ways to collect current information that you then evaluate for r coma rability, completeness, and relevance to your own situation. These investigations may help you understand the features and applications of technologies you are considering for your project. They may also help you understand the broader infrastructure needs you will have to take into account CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES
CENTER FOR TECHNOLOGY IN GOVERNMENT: MAKING SMART IT CHOICES 23 Understand the implementation environment The Bureau of Shelter Services is responsible for programs that serve homeless people around the state. It carries out this mission in concert with local governments and many nonprofit organizations that actually provide shelter and services. When these agencies began to discuss ways to share information to better assess service performance, they needed to consider how information is collected and processed in these many different organizations. Some of these organizations already had sophisticated information systems; others had just the basics or none at all. As a result, part of the project to define a shared Homeless Information Management System (HIMS) included a series of technology awareness meetings in which different kinds of case management systems were introduced and discussed, and the current and future technology capabilities of the participants became much better understood. Consequently, the system design took these variations into account. By focusing on shared service values and data quality, as well as technology, the design offered benefits even to those with little technical capability. Benchmarking, and building technology awareness through trade shows, demos, and vendor presentations are other good ways to collect current information that you then evaluate for comparability, completeness, and relevance to your own situation. These investigations may help you understand the features and applications of technologies you are considering for your project. They may also help you understand the broader infrastructure needs you will have to take into account. Know your environment An environment scan can help determine what is happening in the overall environment that may have an impact on the project. The results of this kind of review may lead you to reconsider some aspects of your own service or business objective. You may want to return to and refine your focus before moving forward to other parts of the analysis. You might also discover other stakeholders need to be considered or that some part of your problem analysis needs more attention. Take advantage of these early opportunities to improve your fundamental analysis—they are more valuable and less costly now than they will be later in the project. Benchmarking, and building technology awareness through trade shows, demos, and vendor presentations are other good ways to collect current information that you then evaluate for comparability, completeness, and relevance to your own situation. These investigations may help you understand the features and applications of technologies you are considering for your project. They may also help you understand the broader infrastructure needs you will have to take into account