Abuzz with the news that a federal judge approved its restructuring plan November 7, the City of Detroit took another important step in its restoration. Crafted under the guidance of an appointed Emergency Manager (EM), the plan authorizes the City to eliminate $7 billion in liabilities while investing roughly $1.4 billion over ten years, ultimately seeking to regain and maintain fiscal solvency and improve service delivery.
The disclosure statement that accompanied the plan includes details on the initiatives, including the approximately $152 million that will be spent on information technology (IT). As a former Chief Information Officer, I applaud the EM, City’s elected officials and staff for prioritizing technological investments, as the IT challenges cited by Detroit are certainly not unique to their organization or specific to local government. To summarize, the following were general trends regarding the state of the City’s IT:
- Existing systems lack integration, resulting in inefficient processes and higher operating costs;
- Disparate and dated technology limit access to data and reporting capabilities (which adversely impacts accountability); and
- New technology will better equip City staff to deliver services in a cost effective manner.
To realize the opportunities for improvement, Detroit is set to modernize key components of its technical infrastructure. This includes, but is not limited to, case management, enterprise resource planning (ERP), document management, records management, computer aided dispatch (CAD), and “311” (presumably customer relationship management).
Nationally, purchases for these and other comparable enterprise technology solutions are becoming increasingly common as agencies realize the risk and cost associated with their continued reliance on legacy hardware and software. Often, however, public sector organizations struggle with the procurement, implementation and adoption of technology. It is with that in mind that I have prepared the following cursory recommendations for these projects in the public sector.
#1 – Start with a roadmap.
Agencies most successful in technology initiatives recognize that they are about much more than the systems being purchased. Elements such as the organization’s business strategies, current and future staffing plans, and capacity to effectively manage expectations and change are as significant as system functionality. Beginning with a roadmap enables an organization to provide meaningful involvement for stakeholders, define a desired future state and the gaps that must be closed to achieve it, and prioritize the sequence of initiatives to minimize risk and maximize value.
#2 – Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Initiatives like these are costly, both in terms of capital investment and the amount of staff time and effort they entail. Additionally, since they are funded by taxpayer dollars and, in many cases, directly “touch” citizens, they are highly publicized. Challenges, or at worst, failures, have exponentially higher visibility. It is vital, therefore, that departmental leadership recognize and ask for assistance when it is needed and that the organization’s executive staff and elected officials support these requests when they are received. From requirements gathering and managed procurement to change management and business process re-engineering, there are no shortage of firms who can supplement an agency’s staff or assume complete ownership for specific project phases. Likewise, public organizations, particularly municipalities who haven’t consistently done so in the past, should explore independent verification and validation (IV&V) services. Since its inception, IV&V has evolved from validating code and specifications (which is a fundamental responsibility of the solution provider) to activities such as conducting project audits; preparing, maintaining and controlling project schedules; and reviewing and evaluating deliverables. In short, when engaged for the duration of an initiative, an IV&V partner serves as an advocate for and protects the interest of the public entity.
#3 – Avoid excessive customization.
This is always a difficult (and rather unpopular) concept. Whether due to regulatory and compliance constraints or an unwillingness to modify business processes, many agencies seek to customize commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) solutions (which, generally speaking, have been configured to provide for the application of best practices). Doing so adds substantial risk and cost to the initial implementation and ongoing maintenance. Organizations should remain mindful of this when documenting business and technical requirements and, rather than attempt to force a new system to operate like the one being replaced, commit to make the necessary process changes to accommodate different ways of doing business.
