The following statements represent characteristics of the management style and approach in the Department of Information Technology.

Orientation & Training

A formal orientation and training plan is used. Each of the four groups denoted in the structure chart will have unique variations. This planning facilitate an accelerated comfort factor for new employees, providing them with direction and an expectation timeline starting during the first few days of employment and continuing throughout the first three to four months orientation period.

Standards

The Division is overhauling its operating standards. Management has emphasized the importance of written operating standards within the Division and with the user Steering Committee to ensure department support. The rewriting of most standards was completed by December 31, 2000.

Organizational Structure & Career Path Opportunities

In late 1999 the Division’s management deployed a strategy for the creation of team leaders in the systems development groups. These team leaders supervise one to four programmer/analysts, manage work assignments, report to management on project progress, make recommendations to management for efficiency, act as the lead technical advisory for their technicians, and continue to perform systems development tasks so as to continue to understand the technical environment. They generally act as a communications bridge to group managers and are trained in several areas of management which empowers them with experience and a path to the management level.

Project Management

Project Managers are expected to create formal written project plans using Microsoft Project, a project planning software package. Estimating standards software was written in the development area as a management scheduling tool. Managers are expected to plan and train back-up personnel for every assigned task and maintain updated documentation of operating procedures.

Management Style Objectives

The Division has a team oriented operating style. The team leader approach combined with the encouragement of standards development by small groups of supervisors along with non-supervisory staff creates opportunities for brainstorming ideas from all staff as opposed to mandates set by upper management.

Gauging Customer Satisfaction

The Division has adopted a strategy of improving service to internal and external customers through open communication. Division representatives communicate with Department leaders through a biweekly Steering Committee meeting. Staff is also active in attending and speaking at industry related seminars and user conferences all over the state to deliver the status of projects and address the concerns of system users and impacted stakeholders.

State Level Leadership

Staff members participate as members of many state level working groups to improve information technology statewide. For example, staff participates as members of the Governors’ Strategic Planning Commission for Information Technology, the State Network Advisory Board, the Personal Computer Contract board, the State Personnel Division IT Training planning team, and the Division of Information Technology Technical User Group as guest speakers.