Overview of Facts Technologies Project Proposals
The 2023-24 Spending budget
Introduction
This post gives an overview of the information and facts technologies (IT) projects in the Governor’s proposed 2023-24 spending budget. We initial give relevant background information and facts on the California Division of Technologies (CDT) and the phases of an IT project. We then determine each and every of the spending budget proposals to program, create, and implement IT projects. We give our assessment of subjects prevalent to a number of IT project-connected proposals and present solutions for legislative consideration. (We do not give in-depth evaluation of any person spending budget request in the post, but hyperlink to other IT project-connected analyses in other publications organized by spending budget region.)
Background
Part of CDT. CDT is an entity inside the Government Operations Agency with broad authority more than all elements of technologies in state government. This post focuses on two of the department’s responsibilities: (1) to overview and approve IT projects proposed by state entities, and (two) to oversee improvement and implementation of authorized projects till completed.
Phases of an IT Project. A state IT project goes by way of 3 distinct phases: (1) planning, (two) development and implementation (D&I), and (three) maintenance and operations (M&O). Most state IT projects in the preparing phase (referred to as proposed projects) are essential to total CDT’s Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL)—the state’s IT project approval procedure. Some proposed projects, such as low price and/or low threat projects, are delegated back to entities to program, create, and implement with no direct approval and oversight by CDT. Other proposed projects are determined to be exempt from PAL, for instance, minor upgrades to current IT systems. As soon as authorized by way of PAL (referred to as authorized projects), state IT projects commence D&I. As soon as D&I is completed, state entities commence M&O of the IT technique. We describe each and every phase in much more detail under:
- Organizing (PAL). The PAL procedure divides state IT project approval into 4 stages: (1) business evaluation, (two) alternatives evaluation, (three) solution evaluation, and (four) project readiness and approval. Each and every stage in the PAL procedure needs entities to submit an connected preparing document to CDT for its approval. Collectively, the preparing documents from the 4 stages give a total project program such as the price, schedule, and scope of the project. Figure 1 gives a graphical depiction of the PAL procedure.
- D&I. As soon as CDT approves a proposed IT project, state entities can commence project D&I. Projects can method D&I in a number of strategies: (1) the conventional “waterfall” method, (two) the “agile method,” or (three) some mixture of conventional and agile approaches. Employing the conventional method, entities create the complete scope of the project prior to it is implemented. Employing the agile method, by contrast, entities create some of the project scope (occasionally referred to as modules) and implement it although the rest of the scope is becoming created. A mixture of the conventional and agile approaches may create project scope as modules, but combine the modules into a handful of discrete releases for implementation to decrease the frequency of user testing and instruction.
- M&O. As soon as IT project D&I is completed, a project becomes an IT technique and enters M&O. M&O incorporates activities and expenses connected with a state entity’s ongoing upkeep and continuing use of a technique.
Relevant Modifications to IT Project Procurement and Oversight. Two current adjustments to state IT project procurement and oversight are relevant to this post.
- Challenge-Primarily based Procurements. In January 2019, Governor Newsom signed an executive order (EO N-04-19) directing CDT and the Division of Basic Solutions to create new procurement approaches that defined a difficulty for bidders to resolve and asked them to demonstrate their capacity to resolve it by way of demonstrations, proofs of idea, and prototypes. We commonly refer to these new approaches as challenge-primarily based procurements in the post. The aim of challenge-primarily based procurements is to let much more bidders to present options to the state’s complicated issues, rather than requiring the state to pre-define options with detailed specifications-primarily based solicitations.
- Enterprise Modernization Efforts. Huge state entities such as the Division of Wellness Care Solutions (DHCS) and the Employment Improvement Division (EDD) are making use of an enterprise project management method (that is, managing a quantity of concurrent and normally connected IT efforts and projects) to modernize their applications and/or solutions. As person IT projects progress by way of unique phases, CDT tries to give oversight not only of the person IT project but also of the complete enterprise portfolio of IT efforts and projects. Important examples of this method are DHCS’ Medi-Cal Enterprise Systems (MES) Modernization and EDD’s EDDNext modernization work.
Governor’s 2023-24 Spending budget
Governor’s IT Project Proposals Total $641 Million ($432 Million Basic Fund) and 275.two Positions. According to CDT and the Division of Finance (DOF), 40 spending budget proposals in the Governor’s 2023-24 spending budget are connected to IT project proposals (Figure 2). These proposals request a total of $641 million ($432 million Basic Fund) and 275.two positions. Some of these proposals include non-IT project-connected funding and/or positions, as we are unable to separate IT project-connected and non-IT project-connected expenses in each and every proposal.
Figure two
Governor’s 2023‑24 Spending budget IT Project Proposalsa
(In Millions)
Entity
Spending budget Modify Proposal Name
2023‑24b
TF
GF
OF
Positions
EDD
EDDNext Modernization
$198.
$99.
$99.
—
FTB
Enterprise Information to Income Project two
135.
135.
—
$72.
CDCR
Statewide Correctional Video Surveillance Continuation
87.7
87.7
—
19.
SWRCB
Water Rights Modernization Continuation
31.five
31.five
—
—
DSH
Electronic Wellness Records Organizing
21.five
21.five
—
40.two
DIR
Electronic Adjudication Management Program Modernization
21.1
—
21.1
—
CARB
Heavy‑Duty Automobile Inspection and Upkeep Plan Per SB 210
14.1
—
14.1
19.
DDS
Uniform Fiscal Program Modernization and the Customer Electronic Records Management Program Project Organizing
12.7
12.7
—
—
DIR
Cal/OSHA Information Modernization Project
12.six
—
12.six
—
CDCR
eDiscovery Ongoing Demands
ten.
ten.
—
11.
CHP
Wireless Mobile Video/Audio Recording Program and Body‑Worn Camera Statewide Implementation
9.eight
—
9.eight
11.
CDCR
BIS Migration to S/four HANA
eight.1
eight.1
—
—
DHCS
Medi‑Cal Enterprise Systems Modernization
7.eight
1.four
six.four
7.
CDFA
Emerging Threats Facts Management Program
six.7
four.two
two.five
three.
DCA
Enterprise Modernization Cohort 1 and two
six.
—
six.
—
Caltrans
Transportation Program Network Replacement
five.eight
—
five.eight
11.
CARB
Embodied Carbon Emissions: Building Components (AB 2446)
five.7
—
five.7
15.
GovOps
Workplace of the Cradle‑to‑Career Information Program Right‑Sizing
four.9
four.9
—
ten.
CalEPA
California Environmental Reporting Program Project
four.three
—
four.three
—
SOS
Notary Automation Plan Replacement Project (NAP two.)
three.six
—
three.six
two.
CDPH
California Newborn Screening Plan Expansion
three.five
—
three.five
four.
DPR
California Pesticide Electronic Submission Tracking (CalPEST) Project
three.three
—
three.three
two.
SOS
Disqualification from Voting (AB 2841)
three.1
three.1
—
11.
CHHS
Electronic Take a look at Verification Phase II
two.9
.7
two.two
three.
CalVet
CalVet Electronic Wellness Record Project: Added Activities and Scope Improve
two.five
two.five
—
—
DGS
Procurement Division E‑Marketplace Implementation
two.four
—
two.four
two.
CalRecycle
CalRecycle Integrated Facts Program
two.three
—
two.three
four.
CARB
SB 1137 Implementation: Wellness Protection Zones
two.two
—
two.two
9.
OEHHA
Building a Statewide Intense Heat Ranking Program (AB 2238)
two.two
two.two
—
four.
CDFA
Stage Gate two Planning—CDFA Licensing and Payment Portal
1.five
1.five
—
—
SOS
Public Entity Workers and Contractors Access to Protected at House (SB 1131)
1.five
1.five
—
six.
CalHR
Communications Workplace and Content material Management Program Replacement
1.four
1.
.four
two.
CHHS
California Emergency Health-related Solutions Information Resource Program
1.1
—
1.1
six.
CalVet
Web-site Improvement to Boost Digital Communications
1.
1.
—
—
DSS
Reinforce the Caregiver Background Verify Program and the Background Verify Sources
.9
.9
—
—
DIR
Workers’ Compensation Facts Program Upgrade
.eight
.eight
—
—
CDFA
IT Enterprise Transition Help
.five
.five
—
—
Caltrans
Enterprise Information Governance Technologies Option Stage four
.four
—
.four
—
OPR
Programmer Position to Preserve and Redesign the CEQA Program
.three
.three
—
1.
CalEPA
CalEPA Geographic Facts Officer
.three
—
.three
1.
Totals
$641.
$432.
$208.9
$275.two
IT Project-Particular Perform Goods
We do not give in-depth evaluation of any person spending budget request in this post, but we have covered the California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) BIS Migration to S/four HANA project in a prior publication The 2023-24 Spending budget: The California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation—Migration of Enterprise Facts Program to Updated Computer software Platform (two/16/2023).
Assessment
Enhanced Use of Challenge-Primarily based Procurements With out Evaluation. A quantity of the IT project proposals in the Governor’s 2023-24 spending budget made use of challenge-primarily based procurements (such as the State Water Sources Handle Board’s Water Rights Modernization Continuation proposal) or are preparing to use stated procurements. Some procurements may perhaps demand upfront funding from the state for demonstrations, proofs of idea, and prototypes (such as the Division of Meals and Agriculture’s Emerging Threats Facts Management Program proposal). Nonetheless, we have observed no evaluation performed by the administration of challenge-primarily based procurements to ascertain whether or not, for instance, extra preparing expenses for these demonstrations, proofs of idea, and prototypes led to enhanced project D&I outcomes.
Huge Enterprise Modernization Efforts Make Legislative Oversight Extra Difficult. Two IT project proposals in the Governor’s 2023-24 budget—DHCS’s MES Modernization proposal and EDD’s EDDNext Modernization proposal—are enterprise modernization efforts that include a quantity of IT projects in unique phases of PAL, D&I, and M&O. For each of the efforts, the Legislature authorized quarterly reporting specifications and, for MES Modernization, CDT began portfolio-level independent project oversight reports to track IT efforts and projects that are portion of the bigger modernization work. In each circumstances, we discover these oversight tools to be insufficient to monitor complicated and pricey modernization efforts with substantial programmatic effects. For instance, although person efforts and projects are tracked inside the portfolio, what efforts or projects are most essential to the achievement of the modernization work and/or pose the most threat if they are not effective normally is unclear. Also, programmatic effects are not normally evident, as person efforts and projects may be focused on modernization of technical functions inside IT systems (such as claims processing or drawing down federal funds) rather than particular applications and/or solutions. Figuring out how a great deal a complicated, substantial modernization work will price and more than what time frame also is hard for the Legislature to oversee as the scope of the work is not normally recognized at the outset.
Projects Increasingly Use Combined Agile and Conventional D&I Approaches With Mixed Final results. We discover that much more IT project management employees are familiar with the agile method to project D&I. We also discover that much more projects acknowledge the realities each of the annual legislative spending budget procedure and of state entities’ continued programmatic responsibilities that necessitate some components of the conventional method to project D&I. Combinations of agile and conventional approaches to project D&I, thus, are becoming much more prevalent. For instance, for the Division of Social Services’ Kid Welfare Solutions – California Automated Response and Engagement Program project, the project D&I method changed to a mixture of agile and conventional approaches since county eligibility workers necessary to limit the quantity of user testing and instruction essential. Discrete releases of new functionalities, rather than continuous implementation of new functionalities, permits workers to continue to concentrate on their key workload. Nonetheless, we discover that new oversight tools from CDT for agile or combined agile and conventional projects are insufficient. For instance, CDT introduced an annual iterative project report (IPR) for authorized IT projects making use of an agile or combined agile and conventional method to let, for instance, reprioritization of modules with no a Particular Project Report (SPR). (An SPR is a report essential for projects that deviate from their baseline price, schedule, and scope by around 10 percent.) Nonetheless, the IPR as introduced may perhaps compromise legislative oversight if the project price, schedule, and scope adjust on an annual basis with no clear measures of achievement.
Choices for Legislative Consideration
Direct CDT and DOF to Lead Evaluation of Challenge-Primarily based Procurement Modifications. We suggest the Legislature adopt supplemental report language (SRL) that directs each CDT and DOF to evaluate, at a minimum, whether or not extra preparing expenses requested by state entities for challenge-primarily based procurements have led to enhanced project D&I outcomes. DOF could use quarterly project preparing expenditure reports for proposed IT projects to inform their evaluation. We also suggest the Legislature request this report no later than April 1, 2024 to inform the 2024-25 spending budget procedure.
Direct CDT and DOF to Perform With Legislature on Oversight of Enterprise Modernization Efforts and Projects Employing Agile Method. We suggest the Legislature adopt SRL that directs CDT and DOF to function with legislative employees on solutions to increase oversight of enterprise modernization efforts and projects making use of an agile method or combined agile and conventional approaches to project D&I. The report could look at, for instance, whether or not new standardized reports for these efforts and projects, each to CDT and the Legislature, are warranted. The report also could look at whether or not adjustments in CDT’s PAL procedure are necessary to regularly program these efforts and projects. We also suggest the Legislature request this report no later than April 1, 2024 to inform the 2024-25 spending budget procedure.
