Government IT

Government, both federal and local, seems to have an especially hard time with IT. Maybe, as this fictional job spec demonstrates, it’s inherent in the system:

Must be willing to work long hours, endure lengthy public debate over day-to-day minutiae, answer hostile, intrusive questions from reporters, build a senior management team under severe financial and bureaucratic constraints. Tenure uncertain, linked to boss’s political performance.

Sound like a recipe for disaster? Not necessarily, as some of the case studies here show. In fact, sometimes things all do work out for the public good.

Federal IT Flunks Out

Ten years after the Clinger-Cohen Act was passed to fix federal IT, federal IT remains broken. Government CIOs tell us why.

Maine’s Medicaid Mistakes

Maine’s attempt to build a new Medicaid claims processing system is a classic example of how not to run a massive project.

Stretching the Limited Resources

Since becoming CIO in 2000, Robert Taylor has implemented the Fulton County, Ga.’s first IT security plan, updated and upgraded the county’s hardware and software, and secured a seat at the county management table. But he constantly worries about the many people on his staff who lack project management and technology skills and suffer from the bureaucratic lethargy that discourages innovation.

Reforming California IT

J. Clark Kelso is a CIO with no central IT department and little executive authority. Yet with his skill for reading situations and people, he has calmed a crisis and brought the state’s often feuding IT leaders together.

Access Miami

A Web services strategy is opening the door to integration among the various departments and agencies in Miami-Dade County.

Upgrading Lives

The state of Pennsylvania has improved the lives of citizens with disabilities, installing a sophisticated information system that tracks clients and the services they receive. Now, Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare is a role model for other states looking to transform their public welfare systems.

From Private to Public

Private-sector CIOs are bringing new levels of expertise to government IT. And public service teaches CIOs skills that the private sector is finding ever more essential.

You Can’t Outsource City Hall

The state and local government outsourcing marketplace was supposed to explode, but we’re still waiting to see a spark. It’s time to devise a new plan to revitalize public sector IT.

How to Keep the Citizens Satisfied

For more than 200 years, state governments have had a reputation for bad service. Now state CIOs are trying to change that using CRM.