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HomeMy WebLinkAboutIT Strategic Plan - February, 2011_201401231020113099Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 1 2/3/2011 Introduction In support of the Town of Nantucket’s Board of Selectmen 2010-2011 Goals and Objectives to improve town government operating efficiencies, the Information Technology (IT) Department was charged with developing a comprehensive Information Technology Strategic Plan for the next 3-5 years. Strategic planning is the process of establishing a vision for the future, assessing the current situation, identifying gaps and defining the goals and objectives necessary to reach the vision. A basic strategic planning model is shown in Appendix 1. This strategic plan will describe the goals that the Information Technology Department will strive to achieve and will govern the direction of IT in the years to come. It will promote effective management of a sometimes costly and critical asset of the town. It will improve communications between IT and the Board of Selectmen, Town Administration and Town Departments, helping to align IT goals to business objectives. From an operational perspective, a well-designed strategic plan will help to effectively utilize IT resources in support of the most important business objectives. This strategic plan is based on the Information Technology Department’s Vision of what is most needed by the Town, known technology gaps, current opportunities and challenges. This Vision is the basis for the Goals presented in this plan. These goals will be used as a starting point in creating a roadmap for the management of IT services in the future. Each Goal includes a number of defined Objectives that will be used to develop a detailed Action Plan that will include costs and timeframes. Ultimately, this plan will link Information Technology goals to the Town of Nantucket’s business objectives and provide a mechanism for long-term management and direction of IT resources. Scope This plan encompasses all aspects of Information Technology services. These include the physical infrastructure, hardware and software, internal and external resources, funding, and the processes and procedures necessary to support the operations of the Town. The services covered in this plan apply to all Town departments and Enterprises including Our Island Home, Department of Public Works and Wannacomet Water Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 2 2/3/2011 with the exception of Public Safety Departments, Nantucket Public Schools and the Airport, where limited support is provided for MUNIS. Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 3 2/3/2011 Challenges In order to develop realistic, achievable Goals, obstacles and challenges must be taken into consideration when developing Objectives and Action Plans. These challenges will continually influence the strategic planning process and will impact how we implement these plans. Some of these challenges include:  Resources, people and funding, are limited  Technology is constantly changing  Internal and external threats continue to increase in a mobile and web- enabled environment  Integration of technologies is becoming more and more complex  Physical infrastructure is old and in many instances not adequate to support the needs of the town  Access to specialized technical expertise is not always available given our isolated location Vision Information Technology when applied in a cost effective and integrated manner will provide improved efficiencies leading to enhanced and expanded public services. Our vision is to be a leader valued for our expertise in creating innovative technological solutions that positively impact the delivery of services to the citizens of Nantucket. Goals The Information Technology department’s primary goal is to provide a reliable, secure computing environment that facilitates the use of technology to deliver effective and efficient government to the citizens and business community of Nantucket. The IT goals defined below are broken down into three major categories, IT Management, IT Organization & Skills and Technology & Infrastructure. Although very much interrelated, these main categories focus on different aspects of IT, as summarized below. Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 4 2/3/2011 IT Management  Strategy and business alignment  Performance management  Total cost of ownership  Contracts and third party outsourcing  Project management  Communications IT Organization & Skills  Resource management  Resource compensation  Resource skill levels  Customer Focused Technology & Infrastructure  Infrastructure that supports business goals  Clearly defined standards and well-documented processes & procedures  Information security management program  Integrated town-wide solutions  Simplified access to information for employees and citizens  Innovative solutions Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 5 2/3/2011 IT Management - Goals Since information technology contributes significantly to the value of services that the Town of Nantucket provides to its citizens, it is important that the goals of the Information Technology Department support the objectives of the Board of Selectmen and those of town departments. In order to effectively do this, Information Technology planning needs to be integrated into the planning processes of the town. This will not only ensure adequate resources are planned for but will also enable IT to move towards a more proactive organization. At present, information technology services are often not considered resulting in:  An operational environment that tends to be more reactionary than proactive  Department goals not being understood by IT  The business expecting more than the IT infrastructure will allow  Business demands that exceed available IT resources  Limitations or costs of IT not being considered in the planning process Goal #1 – Develop a mechanism to align information technology resources to the priorities of the business Objectives: - Review and assess current information technology environment o Inventory existing hardware, software and infrastructure assets o Hire firm with experience in performing information technology assessments - Establish an executive committee consisting of members from town departments to review approve and prioritize information technology initiatives. - Establish a standard measurement model to calculate total cost of ownership and quality of IT services. By comparing the cost of ownership to the quality of services provided by IT, the costs and benefits of Information Technology can be determined. o Total cost of ownership typically includes all of the elements to be considered in the deployment of technology such as network components, hardware, software, licenses, personnel, security, training and on-going maintenance costs - Improve existing processes that manage requests for IT services and information to include approval processes, project prioritization, service level response times and management tools to assign, track and monitor progress. Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 6 2/3/2011 - Evaluate and utilize efficiencies in outsourcing where it lowers the cost of ownership - Continue to standardize platforms for hardware and software to further lower cost of ownership Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 7 2/3/2011 IT Organization and Skills The demands on technology resources have grown over the last 3-4 years with resources remaining level. As technology changes and becomes more complex, the amount of effort required to support the environment increases. Problems become more difficult to resolve resulting in an organization that becomes less responsive over time. People are the cornerstone of a customer-focused, responsive, and technically informed organization. An appropriate level of investment in people and the resources they need to do their job is necessary to enable the IT organization to effectively support the Town’s technology needs. Goal #1 – Provide appropriate resources to support the Town’s technology needs Objectives: - Evaluate and assess human resources taking into consideration future growth and expansion o Assess job roles and compensation o Assess skill levels (third party certifications, training) o Assess need for extended hours coverage o Pursue cross training to ensure appropriate backups for personnel - Evaluate and assess support resources o Departmental vehicle o Test Lab o Building Access o Training Center o Dedicated, secure equipment storage area o Clerical/administrative resources - Catalogue existing and known future projects Goal #2 – Promote Customer-Centered Information Technology Services and Support Objectives: - Emphasize the importance of documentation of processes, solutions, how-to instructions to reduce the time it takes to resolve issues - Implement formal Help Desk system to keep track, prioritize and assign incoming requests and time spent - Continue to utilize remote assistance and other tools to work through issues with users - Plan for future resource needs (Our Island Home, Communications Specialist, Full-Time MUNIS administrator) Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 8 2/3/2011 Technology and Infrastructure This section deals with the larger components of IT – the hardware, the software, the infrastructure and the processes and procedures that are required to integrate them. All of these components are important in delivering IT services and need to be managed, supported and continuously improved. Goal #1 - Continue to provide a reliable, robust and secure method for access to information and technology Objectives: - Implement a formal life-cycle hardware replacement program - Implement a formal life-cycle software upgrade program - Implement a software license tracking tool - Develop a comprehensive written Information Security Program - Formulate and implement a Disaster Recovery Plan, including data and hardware redundancies - Research and implement security monitoring and notification tools - Develop a license agreement to protect use of Town’s GIS data Goal #2 - Maintain and improve networking infrastructure to support town growth, vitality and relevance Objectives: - Develop plan for improving network communications between town buildings i.e. Our Island Home, Park & Recreation, Public Safety Facilities, Fire and School - Improve physical environment for equipment (Air Conditioning, Security, Location) - Evaluate options for a more secure location (datacenter) for IT operations Goal #3 - Enhance technology to support improved, integrated town processes for daily operations Objectives: - Continue to promote work-group printing environment - Implement data integration between business applications and departments o New Water Tower Communications System o Permit Tracking System Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 9 2/3/2011 o Document Management o MUNIS (Dashboard, Employee Self Serve) o GIS (Mapbook Production, Permit integration) Goal #4 - Improve and support town administrative efficiency for all employees, residents and visitors Objectives: - Provide increased public access to information by expanding E- Government services on the internet o Live streaming and on-demand viewing of recorded meetings in conjunction with PEG o Expand web access to conform to Open Meeting Law requirements o Expand web access to town documents (Town Clerk Records, GIS, Building Plans) o Offer citizen-centric services via a web-portal that not only provides access to information but allows for the processing of requests (permit applications, bill payments) and incident reporting - Encourage employee self-sufficiency by providing o Technical Training o Departmental technical liaisons o Computer Based Training classes o Tips & Tricks Knowledgebase o Issue Knowledgebase o IT Newsletter - Evaluate options for resource scheduling (conference rooms, equipment, meeting facilities) - Evaluate web access monitoring methods that allows employees appropriate internet access so that they can perform their jobs efficiently - Evaluate Remote Access options - Evaluate new MUNIS features and functions (Citizen Self-Serve) Goal #5 - Use technology to support improved communication and communication services for town employees Town of Nantucket Information Technology Strategic Plan Linda Rhodes Page 10 2/3/2011 Objectives: - Establish standards for Web-enabled phones and PDA devices to help minimize maintenance and support costs - Evaluate and implement Voice over IP technology to replace current phone system. VoIP will provide overall costs savings, increased functionality and improve workforce productivity and mobility - Utilize social networking tools to enhance communications in the workplace allowing employees to better discuss ideas and share information - Evaluate E-mail archiving solutions that integrate with our existing email system and meets record retention guidelines Goal #6 - Plan and manage information technology by exploring new and emerging technologies and anticipating future needs. Objectives: - Take advantage of webinars, vendor conferences, technology and professional organizations to gain an awareness and understanding of technology trends (i.e. virtualization, cloud computing). - Engage consulting firm periodically to provide insights into technological solutions that provide continuous improvement, flexibility and scalability - Enhance GIS website functionality - Implement multi-year update cycle of GIS aerial photos and data layers Basic IT Strategic Planning Model – Appendix 1 IT Vision Establish mission, values, and strategic direction Current IT Environment Document IT capabilities, and “gap” analysis Future IT Environment Develop strategic plan that organizes objectives, priorities, projects, resources and timelines to implement vision Communication Plan Inform Town of Nantucket about the vision and status of the IT strategic plan Accountability Develop monitoring, evaluation, feedback, and formal assessment mechanism to review and revise plan