2005 State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management

Section 1Executive Summary

The 79th Texas Legislature signaled a clear mandate for the state to restructure the roles and responsibilities for its investment in information and communications technology. In responding to this directive, the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) gathered input from stakeholders from across the state. These individuals gave generously of their time and knowledge to help craft a state plan that emphasizes an enterprise vision to build on shared responsibilities and shared success.

This plan supports leadership’s commitment to ensure that the state’s business needs provide the driving force behind the state’s technology. This plan reflects this support through each of its sections.

Section 2: Defining Shared Success describes the legislative and business imperative for changing technology investment and management practices. The section articulates five statewide goals that govern the development of the plan:

• Reduce government costs
• Drive effective technology contracting
• Leverage shared technology operations
• Promote innovative use of technology that adds value
• Protect technology and information assets

Section 2 further develops the Texas Model of the Enterprise, first introduced in the 2004 report, Foundation for Change. The model describes how the goals of the plan are collaboratively worked out through layers of shared responsibility. Finally, the section provides an overview of the key factors that affect technology planning and management in the state.

Section 3: Acting on Shared Responsibilities presents ten statewide objectives that address elements of one or more of the goals.

1. Reduce cost, eliminate duplication, and improve performance of data center services
2. Safeguard information and communications technology assets
3. Leverage shared network operations and resources
4. Solve common business problems through shared applications
5. Maximize buying power on commodity technologies and services
6. Ensure maximum results from state projects
7. Encourage business and technology architectures that drive improved planning and coordination
8. Enhance the value of state reviews
9. Increase the value of electronic data and information
10. Deploy innovative, value-added technology solutions to meet agency core missions

This section also introduces the strategies to implement the objective.

Appendix A: Fulfilling the Objectives describes each strategy introduced in Section 3. This appendix includes DIR commitments and agency responsibilities that are required to implement each strategy and develop agency information resources strategic plans.

Appendix B: Agency Innovations describes technology trends and presents excellent examples of agencies delivering innovative, mission-critical business solutions that fulfill the strategic goals of Objective 10.

Appendix C: Related Legislation describes legislation passed by the 79th Texas Legislature that impacts technology planning and management in the state.

The Glossary offers definitions of key terms used in the plan.