2006 Information Resources Strategic Plan
What's New
Overview
Texas Government Code (TGC) §2054.095 requires each state agency, including institutions of higher education, to prepare an agency strategic plan for information resources management.
DIR is charged with prescribing the format and adopting the Information Resources Strategic Plan (IRSP) instructions, consistent with TGC §2054.096, that guide state agencies in the preparation of their IRSPs. Statute also requires that IRSPs align with the State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management (SSP), published by DIR on December 14, 2005 (Shared Success: Building a Better Texas through Shared Responsibilities). The 2006 IRSP is organized to reflect the Texas Model for the Enterprise and the key objectives described in the SSP.
The plan is intended to provide a common best practice for aligning business and technology, and for considering appropriate processes to ensure secure and effective operations. DIR will also use agency responses to questions in the IRSP to fulfill research responsibilities, gauge future agency and statewide needs and to help compile the 2006 biennial performance report.
Agencies should prepare the IRSP as part of a planning process that also includes agency strategic plans, Information Technology Detail within the legislative appropriations request process, and Texas Project Delivery Framework documents related to major technology projects to ensure consistency and to reduce redundancy and duplication of effort.
General Instructions
A Web-based IRSP Collection Tool was released to IRMs on May 31, 2006. All agencies and institutions of higher education that are required to complete IRSPs should have received detailed instructions from DIR on using the hosted Web survey system for IRSP reporting.
The original version of the IRSP Instructions and the DIR Data Collection Template have been removed from the DIR Web site and replaced with the 2006 Information Resources Strategic Plan Instructions & Template. This combined document includes all the updated IRSP questions, along with revisions to instructions to help agencies and institutions of higher education successfully complete the IRSP by the deadline of August 22, 2006. While this instruction document may be used to help IRMs gather information, the IRSP Collection Tool must be used to submit final IRSP responses to DIR.
Since the IRSP is a roadmap for aligning technology with an agency’s mission, goals, and objectives, it should be prepared with the full support and collaboration of business units within the agency or institution of higher education. The full, ongoing support of the executive director or president during the IRSP reporting period will help link IRSP planning with the agency’s preparation of the agency strategic plan (state agencies only) and the legislative appropriations request process.
While the IRM is responsible for the preparation of the IRSP, state law requires that it be “signed by the presiding officer of the governing body of the state agency if the agency is governed by one or more fully paid full-time state officials, and otherwise by the executive director of the agency” (or the president, chancellor, or vice chancellor if the agency is an institution of higher education). DIR will not require the submission of “hard copy” plans or signature pages as part of the approval process; options such as e-mail certifications by the executive director/university head are being explored. DIR will provide detailed instructions to IRMs by e-mail once instructions are finalized.
In the meantime, IRMs should ensure that their executive leadership, including the executive director/university head, is aware that a review and approval process must be completed before the IRSP submission deadline of August 22, 2006.
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