State CIOs Benefit From Shifts in IT Management
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Taking Charge
69% of state CIOs say they perform "formal oversight and control" of their state's large, critical IT projects. -
A Major Juggling Act
Nearly one-half are currently overseeing more than 20 critical IT projects, and 24% are overseeing more than 50. -
Big Ticket Items
More than one-half of those critical projects are budgeted for more than $20 million, and 34% are budgeted for more than $50 million. -
Limited View
More than two-thirds have a formal review and rating system for tracking the progress of projects, but only 23% use a publicly available dashboard to do so. -
Top Factors for IT Project Measurement
Schedule variance: 92%, Risk level: 87%, Budget variance: 84%, Achievement of business objectives: 71%, Stakeholder communicationsand acceptance: 58% -
High Marks
39% of state CIOs say their large, critical projects have been "generally all successful," and only 2% say they've been generally unsuccessful. -
Biggest Success Drivers of Projects:
Executive sponsorship: 65%, Governance and decision-making effectiveness: 58%, Project management effectiveness: 58% -
Data Crunch
65% of state CIOs say their state owns and operates a consolidated data center, up from 55% in 2010. -
Using Hired Help
81% say their state outsources some of its IT apps and services needs, up from 42% in 2010. -
Managing Managed Services
60% say their state uses a managed services model for some or all IT operations, up from 50% in 2010. -
A Work in Progress
Four in five say they've either made "some" progress or have "a long way to go" in developing operating discipline for managing data.
If you think you have a lot on your plate, you should take a look at what state CIOs are taking on: A significant number are taking the lead role in dozens of major IT projects, with most budgeted at more than $20 million, according to a new survey from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), TechAmerica and Grant Thornton LLP. While there are major differences between public-sector tech project demands and those in private industry, it's always beneficial to find out what's working for state CIOs. Among the rising trends: data center consolidation, outsourcing and agile project management. In addressing the latter, one CIO survey participant said, "We have had a recent, sharp focus on keeping the duration of all projects under two years. We have found that longer projects are less successful, as business rules and leadership continue to change. Larger projects must be broken down into smaller phases that each deliver business value. We have found that this generates multiple release strategies that make success more likely and lessens the project team desire [to cram everything] into the initial release." Sounds like advice that could work for any CIO in any sector, no? CIOs from a total of 52 NASCIO member states and territories participated in the research. For more about the survey, click here.
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