Strategic IT Planning and Management Guide

Envision the journey, set a course to the future, and navigate in dynamic business and technology environments

The purpose of this guide is to assist State HS IT staff in migrating from older to newer technologies. The documentation is a logical, step-by-step progression from planning to implementation to monitoring and mid-course adjustment. The basic premise is that a good Strategic Plan and management will help ensure the success of the HS IT projects.

By following these steps, you will create a Strategic Plan that aligns IT Division responsibilities, obligations, and technology decisions with the goals of the HS Agency. The Strategic Plan then will serve as the basis for making decisions about an appropriate Technical Architecture and the IT projects.

The HS IT manager works in a dynamic environment of multiple HS programs, each with stakeholders and users with specific and sometimes contradictory needs. Stakeholders and users can include case managers, HS Agency administrators, the State CIO, the State legislature, and Federal Agencies that fund programs and related information systems. While each State organizes and manages HS programs in unique ways, there are common elements involved in planning for and implementing IT projects that are the subject of this guide.

This guide is written for staff with responsibility for strategic planning and implementation of IT projects. Issues included in the guide reflect common HS Agency concerns, including Federal rules and requirements. This provides all the principles, steps, and strategies that are applicable to IT Divisions; however, the IT Division can customize these to meet their individual needs. To customize guidance check information contained in the Application of the IT Planning and Management Guides.

Strategic IT Planning and Management Background - Key principles and concepts upon which the Strategic IT Planning and Management processes are based is described in this background material.

Processes - This guide defines the key activities, artifacts, and roles that are necessary to create and manage the HS IT Strategic Plan. The top-level processes are shown below in the management figure and described in the following text.

• Plan the Course of Action - These steps establish the strategic planning project and create the HS IT Strategic Plan.

• Strategic Planning Management and Foundation - These activities establish a Strategic Plan and oversight process that shapes and guides the IT strategic planning process.
  • Establish Strategic Management Team - This activity establishes the roles for those that will have key responsibilities to perform the strategic planning activities.
  • Establish Strategic Foundations - This activity establishes the IT Division's mission, vision, and guiding principles and align with other supported organizations.
  • Establish Overarching Strategic Management Plan - This activity establishes the Strategy Project Plan to communicate and coordinate strategic planning activities and results.
    
    
• Analyze the Situation - These activities establish an understanding of the environments in which the IT organization exists.
  • Scan HS Agency External Environment - This activity identifies and analyzes the conditions outside the HS Agency that might require it to adapt or change its course in some way
  • Scan HS Agency Internal Environment - This activity identifies and analyzes the conditions within the HS Agency that might require it to adapt or change its course in some way
  • Scan IT Division Environment - These activities identify and analyze the world inside the HS IT Division and its relationship to the entities within the HS Agency.
    
• Formulate IT Strategic Direction - These activities establish the IT Division's goals and subgoals; identify the critical factors and the objective measures that indicate progress.
  • Identify Goals and Sub-goals - These activity identifies the most important accomplishments and the measurable steps to achieving them
  • Identify Critical Factors - This activity identifies the factors that are critical for achieving the IT Division's vision
  • Identify Measures - These activities create the measurement system to evaluate progress against the goals.
    
    
• Identify IT Initiatives - These activities establish the highest-level organizational initiatives to achieve the goals
  • Define Ongoing Initiatives - This activity Reviews the existing initiatives and adjusts them to meet the IT goals.
  • Define New Initiatives - This activity established the new initiatives for the IT Division.
    
    
• Consolidate and Publish Plan - These activities prioritize the initiatives and consolidate them in a strategic IT Plan.
  • Prioritize Initiatives - This activity determines which initiatives are most critical to the IT Division's goals
  • Coordinate and Publish - This activity formally document the strategic plan and publishes the IT Divisions strategic plan
• Implement The Strategic Plan - These steps allocate resources and delegate authorities and responsibilities to achieve the plan.
• Monitor Operations - These steps monitor strategic indicators for performance against the HS IT Strategic Plan.
• Adjust Course - These steps make mid-course adjustments to the HS IT Strategic Plan and its implementation. Significant changes will require the execution of the Plan Course of Action section.
  

Strategic IT Planning and Management Resources - A consolidated set of items that can be used to implement the activities defined in this guide are listed in the consolidated resources.