State governors recommend IT for long and short term initiatives
State governors, as a simple action implemented without great cost or significant policy changes, can use IT to better manage government revenue and resources, according to a white paper published by the National Governors Association (NGA).
This was one of four recommendations the Washington, D.C.-based organization offered governors to improve their state’s use of technology without making large investments in new IT systems.
“The public sector is prone to adopt technologies slowly and in a piecemeal fashion,” the paper stated. “States may be unable to make IT improvements because of tight budgets for IT, because of the tendency of agencies to make isolated or uncoordinated decisions about acquiring IT hardware and software, and because of restrictive procurement requirements.”
The other three recommendations were:
For longer-term benefits, NGA said shared services for administration and back-of-office functions could reap gains for states if they are willing to make modest additional investments in IT. Another recommendation was to use IT to measure and improve government performance in key policy areas.
The report cited the state of Washington as an example for this second recommendation. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire created the Government Management and Accountability Program (GMAP) as a means to track spending and tie it to performance. “IT solutions can help states measure performance across policy areas, including transportation, healthcare, education, economic development, public safety and emergency management and human services,” the report stated.
Coordination across policy areas and between agencies is essential to IT success, the report added. Concluding the report, the paper stated that governors can take actions that spur coordination and boost the chances of success for their state’s IT initiatives. “They can develop and implement an IT strategy that uses quick, short-term wins to cut costs and gain momentum, while working toward the longer-term reforms that create new and better ways to deliver government services. They can continue to see technology not only as a means for cutting costs, but also as an enabler of new models of service delivery and new ways to collaborate across agencies and jurisdictions.”
This was one of four recommendations the Washington, D.C.-based organization offered governors to improve their state’s use of technology without making large investments in new IT systems.
“The public sector is prone to adopt technologies slowly and in a piecemeal fashion,” the paper stated. “States may be unable to make IT improvements because of tight budgets for IT, because of the tendency of agencies to make isolated or uncoordinated decisions about acquiring IT hardware and software, and because of restrictive procurement requirements.”
The other three recommendations were:
- Consolidate services and better manage IT assets;
- Update IT procurement procedure and requirements; and
- Go mobile and go wireless.
For longer-term benefits, NGA said shared services for administration and back-of-office functions could reap gains for states if they are willing to make modest additional investments in IT. Another recommendation was to use IT to measure and improve government performance in key policy areas.
The report cited the state of Washington as an example for this second recommendation. Washington Governor Chris Gregoire created the Government Management and Accountability Program (GMAP) as a means to track spending and tie it to performance. “IT solutions can help states measure performance across policy areas, including transportation, healthcare, education, economic development, public safety and emergency management and human services,” the report stated.
Coordination across policy areas and between agencies is essential to IT success, the report added. Concluding the report, the paper stated that governors can take actions that spur coordination and boost the chances of success for their state’s IT initiatives. “They can develop and implement an IT strategy that uses quick, short-term wins to cut costs and gain momentum, while working toward the longer-term reforms that create new and better ways to deliver government services. They can continue to see technology not only as a means for cutting costs, but also as an enabler of new models of service delivery and new ways to collaborate across agencies and jurisdictions.”