Mission, Philosophy, and the Texas Model
Mission
As the chief technology office of the State of Texas, our mission is to support the effective and efficient use of public funds by promoting and achieving a shared vision where the state maximizes the value of its technology investment by identifying common areas of interest, using technology to advance agency-specific missions, and preserving flexibility to innovate.
DIR’s Philosophy
We pledge that the services we perform for state agencies, universities, public education, other public entities in Texas, and our fellow citizens, will focus on excellence through quality of service, responsiveness, innovation, professionalism, and teamwork. We will operate in an open, ethical, efficient, and accountable manner, with high regard for the welfare of our own and other government agencies’ clients, customers, and employees.
Texas Model for the Enterprise
DIR’s statewide goals for information resources management, as presented in the 2005 State Strategic Plan (SSP) for Information Resources Management, incorporate the clear mandate from the 79th Texas Legislature to restructure roles and responsibilities for the state’s investment in information and communications technology.
The SSP promotes shared success through building an enterprise infrastructure that supports individual, mission-critical agency business processes, and through accomplishing the following strategic goals:
- Reduce government costs
- Drive effective technology contracting
- Leverage shared technology operations
- Promote innovative use of technology that adds value
- Protect technology and information assets.
Every two years, each Texas state agency and institution of higher education is required by Texas Government Code 2054.097 to develop an information resources strategic plan (IRSP). Both the 2006 IRSP and the 2005 SSP help focus technology investments on advancing the state’s business objectives. The Texas Model for the Enterprise, outlined in the 2005 SSP, is a model for sharing and managing this investment.
This model reflects a vision of greater cost efficiencies, improved services, and a shared technology infrastructure that is flexible, innovative, and supports agencies in meeting their core missions.
At the base of the Texas Model is the statewide infrastructure layer. This layer delivers shared functions that, similar to utility services are needed by all agencies, but are not unique or specific to an individual agency.
Building on the statewide infrastructure layer is the collaboration layer. This layer supports the shared development and adoption of rules and guidelines that contribute to effective enterprise management of information technology. Key initiatives underway within the collaboration layer will guide development of business, data, and technology architectures to promote reuse, collaboration, and interoperability within and among agencies. Additionally, this layer includes initiatives supporting statewide project delivery.
Leveraging each of the preceding layers, the most important is the agency layer, which supports the unique business services that an agency must deliver to successfully support its core mission. Together, these layers comprise the statewide vision for effective technology planning and service delivery.
As a comprehensive planning tool, the Texas Model for the Enterprise provides the foundation for the development of DIR’s goals, objectives, and strategies for the coming biennium.
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