2006 IRSP – Frequently Asked Questions

Last Updated: June 20, 2006

• 2006 IRSP – Frequently Asked Questions – Printable Version
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  Updated: June 20, 2006

This frequently asked questions (FAQ) document for the 2006 Information Resources Strategic Plan (IRSP) will be updated weekly, or as needed, to include responses to inquiries that are of general interest to state agencies and institutions of higher education.

• Part One – Agency Involvement
• Part Two – Support of 2005 SSP Goals and Objectives
• General Questions

Part One – Agency Environment

May 17, 2006 Why are agencies prioritized to participate in the data center consolidation project exempt from answering Application Portfolio questions (1.4.10 through 1.4.16), but required to answer Database Portfolio questions (1.4.1 through 1.4.8)?

The application inventories which were reported by the 27 agencies prioritized to participate in the data center consolidation project include a level of detail which is comparable with questions asked about applications in the IRSP. While these application inventories included related database information, they did not include a comparable level of detail compared to the questions asked about databases in the IRSP. Therefore, all agencies are required to respond to Database Portfolio questions 1.4.1 through 1.4.8.

DIR is collecting database-related information (only for "of record" databases - see IRSP instructions for questions 1.4.1 through 1.4.8) to support opportunities for data sharing or data exchange which promote greater interoperability , collaboration and reuse; to analyze requirements that may impact statewide reporting streamlining efforts; and to better understand agency approach to taxonomy and terminology. These are all consistent with Objective 7 of the State Strategic Plan - Encourage Business and Technology Architectures that Drive Improved Planning and Coordination, and Objective 8 – Enhance the Value of State Reviews.

Part Two – Support of 2005 SSP Goals and Objectives

June 20, 2006 Why are IRSP questions related to E-mail costs optional?

Agencies may include their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for messaging (e-mail) services if it has been calculated (questions 2.4.13 and 2.4.14). TCO is a method for identifying all of the one-time and ongoing costs associated with the evaluation, acquisition, implementation, maintenance, operation/usage, and management of an e-mail system.

Agencies that have volunteered to participate in DIR’s Enterprise Messaging Services contract may have TCO calculations that could be used to respond to questions 2.4.13 and 2.4.14. However, DIR has determined that it is not necessary for all agencies and institutions of higher education to calculate these costs. Agencies interested in DIR support for conducting a TCO analysis, or analyzing feasibility for participating in DIR’s Enterprise Messaging Services contract, should visit www.dir.state.tx.us/messaging/index.htm for information. In addition, detailed questions on messaging may be submitted to messaging@dir.state.tx.us.

General Questions

June 20, 2006 Why did DIR revise the IRSP Instructions and the DIR Data Collection Template?

The release of the IRSP Instructions on May 5, 2006, was intended to establish the purpose and context for the IRSP and its alignment to the state strategic plan for information resources. It was also intended to allow IRMs to begin development of the IRSP offline. Some of the questions in the Instructions have been edited or modified for clarification. The DIR Data Collection Template was posted on the DIR Web site on May 31st with the updated question set as contained in the IRSP Collection Tool.

The original versions 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. The core sections of the IRSP Instructions, including the Glossary, have been retained in the new document. The following summarizes the key changes:

• Edits and revisions to selected questions
• Replacement questions for e-mail costs (2.4.13 and 2.4.14) to simplify agency reporting (see response to e-mail FAQ, for details)
• Updates in the Introduction, including clarifications to the IRSP submission requirements
• Clarifications to instructions in the Agency Database and Application Portfolio section

If IRMs distributed the May 5th version of the IRSP Instructions or the DIR Data Collection Template to subject matter experts for preparing responses to sections of the IRSP, they should inform them that using the new 2006 Information Resources Strategic Plan Instructions & Template will ensure that question responses will readily transfer from the template to the IRSP Collection Tool.

June 20, 2006 What role must the agency executive director or the president, chancellor, or vice chancellor of the institution of higher education play in the development and approval of the IRSP?

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.

May 5, 2006 Are state agencies and institutions of higher education required to complete the IRSP?

 

Yes. 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 (IRSP). Throughout the instruction document, the term “agency” refers to both state agencies and institutions of higher education unless otherwise specified.

May 5, 2006 When is the IRSP due?

The deadline for submission is August 22, 2006.  

May 5, 2006 What is the vision for the 2006 IRSP?

The 2006 IRSP is organized around the Texas Model for the Enterprise and the key objectives in the state strategic plan (SSP) published by DIR on December 14, 2005 (Shared Success: Building a Better Texas through Shared Responsibilities). The SSP describes the following shared vision:

Texas will maximize the value of its technology investment by working together in areas of common interest, using technology to advance agency-specific missions while preserving flexibility to innovate.

Success will be ensured through clear commitments, open and honest communication, and a collaborative approach that leverages the best and brightest minds across agencies, institutions of higher education, city and county governments, and the private sector.

May 5, 2006 How is the 2006 IRSP organized?

• Part I of the IRSP reflects the agency layer of the model, which describes agency programs and goals, and how they tie to the agency mission, goals, and objectives.
• Part II of the IRSP includes:
• the collaboration layer of the model, which describes agency efforts to support the shared development of guidelines and practices that contribute to effective enterprise management of information and communications technology; and
• the statewide infrastructure layer of the model which describes the agency involvement in shared functions that, similar to utility services, are needed by all agencies but are not unique or specific to an individual agency.
• Part III of the IRSP describes the status of agency compliance with key technology related statutes and rules.
• The glossary defines the terms needed to complete the IRSP.

May 5, 2006 Is the IRSP part of the agency strategic plan or the Legislative Appropriations Request?

No. However, to ensure consistency and to reduce redundancy and duplication of effort, agencies should prepare the IRSP as part of a planning process that includes Agency Strategic Plans, Information Technology Detail within the legislative appropriations request process, and Texas Project Delivery Framework documents related to major technology projects.

May 5, 2006 How were questions developed for the 2006 IRSP?

The criteria for including a question in the IRSP are

• it is consistent with requirements in TGC §2054.096
• it is necessary to enable DIR to achieve its mission, including new requirements contained in HB 1516;
• it supports statewide technology management functions, including strategic planning, spend management, project monitoring, procurement and contracting, and shared services management; and
• it requests information that is NOT available from other data collection instruments within DIR (such as planned procurement schedules) and at other oversight agencies (such as Information Technology Detail information).

May 5, 2006 Will the 2006 IRSP request agency information when the same information is available through other sources?

No. Questions in the 2006 IRSP are limited to information that cannot be gathered through other sources. For example, although TGC §2054.096 requires DIR to collect project-specific information from agencies, there is sufficient project information in the Information Technology Detail (ITD) reported to the Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and the Texas Project Delivery Framework to meet these requirements. Therefore, the 2006 IRSP has no project-specific questions. Similarly, agencies involved in data center assessments and the data center consolidation project (institutions of higher education and 27 prioritized state agencies) will not be required to answer certain questions because they have already provided extensive information on their data center operations.

May 5, 2006 How does the 2006 IRSP differ from the 2004 IRSP?

The 2004 IRSP was primarily an inventory of agency goals and objectives, projects, applications and databases, and compliance status. While the 2006 IRSP includes these elements, as required by TGC §2054.096, it is also intended as a roadmap to help the state transform technology as a shared responsibility among all agencies. The intent is to establish collaboration among agencies and DIR to build an enterprise infrastructure that supports individual, mission-critical agency business processes.

May 5, 2006 Why is there such a strong focus on enterprise architecture in the 2006 IRSP?

TGC §2054.092 requires DIR to outline a state information architecture in the SSP that contains a logically consistent set of principles, policies, and standards. Objective 7 of the SSP (Encourage Business and Technology Architectures that Drive Improved Planning and Coordination) describes architecture as “providing an unambiguous alignment of technology solutions with business goals and a mechanism by which the business can express its needs to the technologists, who in turn can provide a means of supporting those needs.”   As described in the SSP, rather than developing single enterprise architecture that would have to coordinate all state business functions, DIR will coordinate a statewide effort to support the development of agency architectures. The IRSP questions on business, technology, and information architectures will enable this coordination. Ultimately, DIR will seek to align these architectures in areas of common interest, such as the sharing and exchange of information. This strategy will provide predictability for agencies in developing their own architectures and improve the interoperability and maintainability of state applications.  

May 5, 2006 Will SITAR be used for submission of the 2006 IRSP?

No. The 2004 IRSP was collected through a DIR-established reporting tool called the Statewide Information Technology Asset Reporting (SITAR), which state agencies first used in January 2004 to report IT asset information in support of DIR's research report, A Foundation for Change.

May 5, 2006 Will IRSPs have to be signed by executive directors/ university heads?

Yes. 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.

May 5, 2006 What will DIR do with the information provided by agency responses to IRSP questions?

The IRSP will 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.

Additionally, the Legislature requires DIR to provide the LBB with a list of agencies that have not complied with standards, provisions in the SSP, or corrective action plans. The agencies must develop corrective action plans approved by DIR that specify how deficiencies will be corrected before components of the agency biennial operating plan can be approved by the LBB.