Technology Services Strategic Plan

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Technology Services Strategic Plan

2014

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Table of Contents

A Changing Landscape ... 3

Values... 4

Technology Services Goals ... 5

Employee Engagement ... 6

Operational Efficiency ... 7

Agency Satisfaction ... 8

Citizen Satisfaction ... 9

Our Agency ... 10

Measuring Our Performance ... 13

Keeping the Trust ... 14

Technology Services Strategic Plan – 2014 2

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A Changing Landscape

The landscape of Information Technology continues to dramatically change and swiftly evolve. This change is largely due to the introduction of faster processing, and the advent of reliable systems becoming more affordable. Over the past few years, Technology Services has been able to leverage these enhancements, and actualize a return on our investments in technology, while continuing to provide more sophisticated solutions to our customers. These types of enhancements knowingly bring with them a measure of increased risk through exposure to internet security threats, higher service-availability requests, increased data storage and backup requirements, and increased infrastructure costs.

Technology Services works to mitigate these risks through a combination of technological

improvements, process improvement and implementation, the consistent and continued cultivation of a productive work culture, and advanced planning. As the technology needs of the City have evolved, the scope of responsibility for Technology Services has had to evolve, as well. To address the challenges associated with this evolution, and to maximize the City’s investment in technology, it is essential to focus our efforts around a common vision that will unite our endeavors, making us more effective and disciplined, and allowing us to provide greater value to our customers.

The following strategic plan has been developed by taking into account the viewpoints of our customers, employees and partners while examining industry trends and best practices. To maximize understanding and therefore acceptance of this plan, it will be communicated to all of those who are expected to act on it, and to those who are impacted by it.

The core of an effective strategy is a clear definition of an organization’s vision and mission. Without these, a strategy runs the risk of being disjointed and reactive. To understand the strategy of

Technology Services, it is essential to understand our vision and mission Vision

We will become the nation’s model for delivery of technology, media and contact center services for local government.

Mission

We exist to improve the lives and experiences of the citizens, business and employees of Denver by providing technology solutions and business services that are efficient, effective and secure.

These statements define why we exist as an organization and drive our overall strategy.

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Values

The values of an organization serve as the impetus in determining how its mission and vision will be applied. Organizational values aid in determining the best course of action in a given scenario. And they answer two very important questions: why are we doing this, and who will benefit from this?

Technology Services values many things, but each of these values can be distilled into one of three core values:

The citizens and constituents of the City and County of Denver

The citizens and constituents of Denver are the reason we exist, and the ultimate judge of our overall value. We demonstrate our belief in this core value by working to make it easy for citizens and constituents to access City information and services. We believe we must constantly improve our services and to become masters of operational efficiency, as well as consistently deliver cost- effective solutions that maximize taxpayer dollars. We believe that safeguarding the information assets of the City is the basis for public trust in us.

The internal customers (agencies and departments) of Technology Services

Our success is measured through theirs. We demonstrate our belief in this core value by exuding respect for our clients and their mission. We labor to make their daily work lives easier by

understanding their business, providing them with the best-in-class services and technology, and equipping them with the right information to successfully perform their jobs. We strive to be a valued partner to them, and to be responsive to their needs.

The employees of Technology Services

All things are possible with our employees and nothing is possible without them. We demonstrate our belief in this core value by giving our employees meaningful and challenging problems to solve, and facilitating their success by providing access to the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to solve them. We set high standards for our teams, recognize our top performers, and foster an

environment of accountability for all. We strive to work as one team while embracing diversity and demonstrating individual respect for one another. We believe we can simultaneously work hard and deliver results while respecting our employees’ right to a healthy work/life balance.

No one of these core values is more important than another; they are all equal. Failing to value any one of these will be to the detriment of the other two.

Citizens

Internal Customers Employees

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Technology Services Goals

Identifying our core goals allows us to focus on the management of our infrastructure and the services we provide. We accomplish this by implementing industry-accepted best practices and standards that are focused on maximizing the benefits to our customers. Identifying these goals also allows us to avoid costly errors, while remaining nimble and to preemptively and proactively respond to change.

Our four main goals are each supported by strategies to achieve them. The four main goals of our organization are:

• Employee engagement

• Operational efficiency

• Agency satisfaction

• Citizen satisfaction

Each of these goals will help Technology Services to fulfill its mission and vision. However, it is important to note that one of these goals is the key driver to our ability to achieve the other three:

employee engagement. Without employee engagement, we will be unable to achieve the goals of operational efficiency, agency satisfaction, and citizen satisfaction. Engaged employees are the key to our success.

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Employee Engagement

Improving and maintaining employee engagement is the key to our success. Without employee engagement few, if any of our remaining goals can be achieved.

Strategy 1

•Attract and retain a skilled and motivated IT workforce

Strategy 2

•Through Peak Performance, develop a plan to staff Technology Services in a sustainable manner

Strategy 3

•Execute a plan to address deficiencies and opportunities as they are identified

Strategy 4

•Invest in Lean Six Sigma to equip all levels of Technology Services with the process tools needed to improve our business

Strategy 5

•Invest in employee technical training in support of our strategy, and consistent with industry best practices

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Operational Efficiency

In order to maximize the use of limited resources, an organization must master operational

efficiency. Through the use of performance measurement and analysis, we will become the best at what we do.

Strategy 1

•Document and execute repeatable operational processes, consistent with industry best practices

Strategy 2

•Develop or procure tools to effectively manage operational systems and processes

Strategy 3

•Adopt a "cloud-first" strategy for services or infrastructure where hosted services are a higher value

Strategy 4

•Modernize datacenters and infrastructure, where doing so improves service or reduces risk

Strategy 5

•Realize the full value of our enterprise architecture and enterprise applications

Strategy 6

•Develop a sustainable funding model for Technology Services, consistent with our goals and strategy

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Agency Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is a key indicator of an organization’s ability to meet its goals. We will do all possible to understand, quantify and improve our productivity and thereby increase the satisfaction of the City agencies we support.

Strategy 1

•Develop an effective system to understand agency business and business needs

Strategy 2

•Develop portfolio and project management processes consistent with industry standards

Strategy 3

•Develop a plan for "light" technologies and policies for agency-empowered solutions

Strategy 4

•Facilitate work anytime, anywhere by integrating mobility and collaboration technologies

Strategy 5

•Improve access, usability and visibility of City information

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Citizen Satisfaction

Municipal governments exist to serve the needs of their citizens. We will do all we can to put government information and services in the hands of citizens, anytime, anywhere, and through any channel so that they receive the best experience possible.

Strategy 1

•Transform Denver 8 to a "media services" model

Strategy 2

•Prepare and equip 311 to engage citizens

proactively and through multiple online channels

Strategy 3

•Improve access to government information

Strategy 4

•Improve citizen outreach capabilities

Strategy 5

•Create a comprehensive strategy and further leverage social media

Strategy 6

•Invest in delivery of information and services to mobile devices

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Our Agency

To support our efforts, we’ve created a sustainable, highly productive work environment by hiring and maintaining only top performers, insisting on consistently open communication, and by implementing a logical organizational structure that supports our priorities and maximizes resources.

Office of the CIO

The Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is comprised of three teams: Leadership, Program Management Office (PMO), and Administration and Finance. The team is overseen by the Chief Information Officer.

• Leadership – The Leadership team is selected from the executive members of the agency.

This team sets the vision and the goals for Technology Services, aligning us with the Mayor’s priorities. Each member of the team is responsible for communicating their team’s risks, goals and accomplishments, while holding them and their teams financially accountable.

• Program Management Office (PMO) – The PMO exists to serve the City’s departments and agencies. They deliver project support to the departments and agencies, and their clients by establishing policies, procedures, financial tracking, and standard methodologies for efficient and successful delivery of approved projects.

• Administration and Finance – Administration and Finance provides leadership for the agency’s employees. They provide sound fiscal support and guidance to the employees of the division and its customer agencies. These activities include contract administration, payroll, petty cash, purchasing, inventory, accounts payable, customer invoicing, internal billing services, and budgeting. It also directs the agency’s human resources and training programs.

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Information Security

The Information Security team is made up of two areas of responsibility: Information Security; and Governance, Risk and Compliance. The team is overseen by the Chief Information Security Officer Information Security

• Threats and Vulnerabilities – Monitors and responds to threats and vulnerabilities. This includes monitoring for attacks to our network and responding to computer viruses that may have gotten around our shields.

• Projects – Participates in application, systems, and network projects to ensure information security concerns are addressed.

• Architecture – Helps to design security solutions for projects. Investigates and helps to resolve system issues that may be related to security or have security implications.

Governance, Risk and Compliance

• Governance – Develops and establishes policies, controls framework, and process improvement.

• Risk – Conducts business impact analysis, helps document play books, and assists in disaster recovery planning.

• Compliance – Ensures regulatory compliance, such as payment card industry (PCI) and criminal justice (CJIS), liaises with auditors (City Auditor, external, PCI, FBI, etc.), and conducts controls verifications to ensure our controls are working as intended.

Operations

The Infrastructure and Operations organization is comprised of three teams: Converged Infrastructure, Agency Services, and Service Operations. The team is overseen by the Chief Technology Officer.

• Converged Infrastructure – This team is responsible for our physical plan (cabling & wifi), our three datacenters, network, telephony, file server, video and storage equipment. This group designs, builds, deploys and supports the various systems that run the City’s applications and back-end systems.

• Agency Services – This team is dedicated to supporting the radio infrastructure around the City, the radio handsets and various terminals that are installed in the vehicles used in the Department of Safety. In addition, this group has an embedded support team inside the Communications Center. This group also maintains a datacenter that houses the equipment used to specifically support the Communications Center and 911 systems.

• Service Operations – This team primarily focuses on our customer support, engagement, and equipment needs. The Service Desk, Network Operations Center, Client Computing, Asset Management and IT Service Management comprises this team.

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Denver 311

The Denver 311 Call Center answers citizens’ inquiries for municipal and non-emergency services with efficiency, consistency and accountability. 311 gives citizens access to government services by combining:

• One easy-to-remember number

• Online services

• A walk-in office where inquiries are received

All inquiries are answered by a staff of highly-trained agents who are knowledgeable in all aspects of City operations.

Denver Media Services

Denver Media Services operates television production facilities to produce City-related television programming and video product for City agencies, provides live and repeat coverage of City Council legislative and committee meetings, selected public hearings, Mayoral news events, election coverage, public affairs events, and public policy forums; streams both live and on-demand video programs on the Web; and acquires public policy programming for cablecast. Denver Media Services also develops and coordinates content for the City’s high-level Web sites and provides assistance and support in the content and marketing of department web environments.

Applications

The Technology Applications Development program goal is to provide business solutions and public interaction services that improve the customer experience and support the business objectives of both internal and external customers.

Application Services provide solutions that increase efficiency, automate business processes, improve customer service, and meet business objectives. This includes enterprise-wide applications (enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, geospatial information system (GIS), Denvergov.org, document management, enterprise cashiering, etc.) and business area specific applications (review, permitting and inspection system, legislative information system, jail management system, the tax collection system, etc.). Primary activities include business and systems analysis, design, application development, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) application configuration, systems integration, quality assurance/testing, application support, business intelligence, reporting, data management, and database maintenance and support.

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Measuring Our Performance

A mature and effective organization measures and analyzes its performance to determine whether or not it is successful in meeting its goals and objectives. Technology Services has determined that its mission-level metrics are the following:

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement can be difficult to measure, since many indicators of employee engagement are subjective to individual employees. However, an effective organization constantly uses surveys and other feedback tools to gauge the level of engagement in its employees.

IT Process Maturity

Process maturity is a universal goal for all types of organizations. Process maturity is a key indicator of overall maturity in an organization. It helps an organization to enable repeatable processes, which enables repeatable and therefore predictable outcomes.

Service Value – Outages/Uptime

If there is one key performance indicator of an IT organization that outranks all others, it is the network uptime indicator. This indicator shows the percentage of total time in a defined period (day, month, year, etc.) during which the network was up and available for use.

Agency Satisfaction

Technology Services exists to provide services to its customers. The level of satisfaction of our customers is key to understanding whether or not we’re accomplishing our goals.

Targets for 2014

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Keeping the Trust

The key to the success of Technology Services is the employees who come to work every day to provide services to our customers. Each of us must decide that we will be the best at what we do, and our actions will support this. When each of us decide to be the best we can, our organization will thrive, and the services we provide will truly be the nation’s model in the delivery of technology, media and contact centers for local government.

We have been entrusted by our customers and by the citizens of Denver with valuable resources. To validate that trust, we must always remember:

To be successful, we must stay focused on our collective priorities, and not view technology as something we manage, but rather something with which we have been entrusted.