# Presentation: 661533

## IT Communications and Coordination in NOAA Office of the CIO

- CIO Council Meeting
- Information Briefing
- Sandra Yin
- NOAA OCIO, Office of Planning, Policy, and Analysis
- Tuesday, October 31, 2006

## 		Outline

- Purpose
- Issue
- Background & Discussion
- Coordination
- Alternatives
- Recommendation
- Results
- Summary

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## 		Purpose

- Information Briefing
- Want to Improve IT Governance in NOAA
- Assessing our performance
- Relieving the burden of DOC data calls
- Recommending Six Steps to Improvement

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## 		Issue

- Can we manage data calls better?
- IT Governance and Security data calls > 100 annually
- Can we take steps to
- Improve quality?
- Reduce labor spent on data calls?
- Work smarter?
- What are NOAA IT governance objectives?
- Respond to DOC data calls?  Other?

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Coordination

- Ongoing NOAA and Line Office collaboration:
- IT Governance and DOC data call support
- Exhibit 300, Exhibit 53, EA, EVM, Operational Analysis
- PPBES IT Planning
- CIO Council Sub-Committees
- IT Liaisons and Subject Matter Experts as LO POCs
- Discussing our IT business model with LOs:
- Communications meetings
- Brainstorming with LO IT Liaisons

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Background & Discussion

- The Art & Science of IT management is evolving
- 10 years since Clinger-Cohen
- Sarbanes-Oxley
- Project Management Institute
- PM Body of Knowledge
- NOAA OCIO PPA has history of guidance on file
- Want to reuse previous data call guidance in future

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## 		Alternatives

- (1) Status Quo
- Data calls answer the mail from DOC for IT programs
- No strategic planning or integration of cross-NOAA initiatives
- Staff resources under strain
- Add labor resources to support objectives
- Replace staff loss from attrition
- (2) Low effort, incremental improvement, immediate ROI
- Document:  business model, guidance, templates, data call calendar
- Establish key standards and repeatable processes
- (3) Medium effort, business model improvements
- Improve Committee framework – authority, assignments, and tracking
- Establish IT Infrastructure Committee
- Move data call venue from email to online collaboration
- Make data call guidance and standards available online

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Recommendation

- Six Steps to Improvement
- Communications Plan
- Website for Data Call Guidance
- Guidance / Template / Example Standard
- PPA Coordination Ideas
- Project Description Proposed Standard
- CIO Council and Committee Framework

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Step 1 – Communications Plan

Concise description of our IT business model
Roles and responsibilities
IT Governance calendar and deliverables cycle
Councils, Committee, working groups
Lists of contacts and SME by LO organization

What is the problem we are solving?
Explaining, clarifying and organizing what we do
The basic framework for our online knowledge

- Concise description of our IT business model
- Roles and responsibilities
- IT Governance calendar and deliverables cycle
- Councils, Committee, working groups
- Lists of contacts and SME by LO organization
- What is the problem we are solving?
- Explaining, clarifying and organizing what we do
- The basic framework for our online knowledge

**	****Recommendation:**** Six Steps to Improvement **

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Step 2 – Website for Data Call Guidance

Intranet for NOAA IT Community
Communications Plan online
Policy, guidance, and templates online
Improved web presence for NOAA OCIO
Data call responses online (longer term)
Workflow and collaboration (longer term)

What is the problem we are solving?
Broader audience has access to IT knowledge
Better version control of data calls and guidance
Don’t conduct all business in email

- Intranet for NOAA IT Community
- Communications Plan online
- Policy, guidance, and templates online
- Improved web presence for NOAA OCIO
- Data call responses online (longer term)
- Workflow and collaboration (longer term)
- What is the problem we are solving?
- Broader audience has access to IT knowledge
- Better version control of data calls and guidance
- Don’t conduct all business in email

**	****Recommendation:**** Six Steps to Improvement **

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Step 3 – Guidance / Template / Example Standard

Completed “Guidelines to write a policy or guidance” and a “Guidance template”
Prerequisite to build a guidance library

Next steps are to convert existing PPA data files and emails to guidance
Reuse exiting knowledge; reuse across LOs

What is the problem we are solving?
Use PM and SDLC life cycle practices for IT governance
LOs adopt common practices and standards
Clarify policy and guidance. Improve processes and procedures

- Completed “Guidelines to write a policy or guidance” and a “Guidance template”
- Prerequisite to build a guidance library
- Next steps are to convert existing PPA data files and emails to guidance
- Reuse exiting knowledge; reuse across LOs
- What is the problem we are solving?
- Use PM and SDLC life cycle practices for IT governance
- LOs adopt common practices and standards
- Clarify policy and guidance. Improve processes and procedures

**	****Recommendation:**** Six Steps to Improvement **

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Step 4 – PPA Coordination Ideas

PPA clearinghouse for IT Governance
Single point of contact for emailing data calls 
Single dedicated time slot for weekly meetings:
Shared by IT Planning, EA, OCIO-LO coordination
Primary Subject Matter Experts and LO IT Liaisons

What is the problem we are solving?
To reduce confusion, and help search and data mine email
To improve coordination, and reduce meeting time
To develop subject matter experts and IT Liaisons

- PPA clearinghouse for IT Governance
- Single point of contact for emailing data calls
- Single dedicated time slot for weekly meetings:
- Shared by IT Planning, EA, OCIO-LO coordination
- Primary Subject Matter Experts and LO IT Liaisons
- What is the problem we are solving?
- To reduce confusion, and help search and data mine email
- To improve coordination, and reduce meeting time
- To develop subject matter experts and IT Liaisons

**	****Recommendation:**** Six Steps to Improvement **

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Step 5 – Project Description Proposed Standard

Guidance requires a Project Description when level of effort reaches a critical mass.  When “ project ” has...
Technical, cross-organizational, or geographic complexity
Multiple AOP milestones, or schedule longer than 1 year
Need for decision by CIO Council or NITRB

Guidance provides a Project Description (Plan) template

What is the problem we are solving?
Taking a strategic step to reduce risk on projects
Project Management is not only for Exhibit 300 IT investments
Impacts “Projects” under IT Infrastructure umbrella

- Guidance requires a Project Description when level of effort reaches a critical mass.  When “ *project *” has...
- Technical, cross-organizational, or geographic complexity
- Multiple AOP milestones, or schedule longer than 1 year
- Need for decision by CIO Council or NITRB
- Guidance provides a Project Description (Plan) template
- What is the problem we are solving?
- Taking a strategic step to reduce risk on projects
- Project Management is not only for Exhibit 300 IT investments
- Impacts “Projects” under IT Infrastructure umbrella

**	****Recommendation:**** Six Steps to Improvement **

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Step 6 – CIO Council and Committee Framework

Update CIO Council and Committee “Terms of Reference”
Terms of Reference are dated
Add Web Committee charter
Update sub-Committee authority, mandate and scope
Define, clarify responsibility of individual member(s)
Create IT Infrastructure function
Improve ability of Committees to better serve CIO Council
Action Status, Tracking, and Issue Resolution and Escalation
Provide for cross-Committee Coordination
Project Management of Committees’ AOP initiatives
Periodic Status Reports before CIO Council
What is the problem we are solving?
Conduct and complete business more efficiently

- Update CIO Council and Committee “Terms of Reference”
- Terms of Reference are dated
- Add Web Committee charter
- Update sub-Committee authority, mandate and scope
- Define, clarify responsibility of individual member(s)
- Create IT Infrastructure function
- Improve ability of Committees to better serve CIO Council
- Action Status, Tracking, and Issue Resolution and Escalation
- Provide for cross-Committee Coordination
- Project Management of Committees’ AOP initiatives
- Periodic Status Reports before CIO Council
- What is the problem we are solving?
- Conduct and complete business more efficiently

**	****Recommendation:**** Six Steps to Improvement **

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Results

- Getting on the Right Path:
- DOC data calls
- Better NOAA-wide integration and coordination
- Better program management performance
- Reducing project risk
- Managing milestone and performance goals

- OCIO Communications and Coordination

## Summary

- Next Steps
- Reduce risk on “projects”
- Support standards for IT Governance
- CIO Direction and Concurrence?
- Step 5 – Project Description Guidance
- Step 6 – CIO Council & Committee Framework

- OCIO Communications and Coordination