IT Governance: Making the Difference in Cities, Counties and States

Proceeding With Clarity

Citizens expect a lot more from their government today. To meet those expectations, services like "at your service" Web portals, and 311 and 911 call centers are on government's new front line. A broad range of new and emerging technologies, such as mobile wireless, IP telephony and IP-based video for surveillance and video conferencing, are being deployed and need to be managed. With the proliferation of BlackBerrys, even e-mail has taken on a new level of importance as the lifeblood of day-to-day communications and operations. Rapid implementation, 24/7 availability, scalability and the ability to readily respond to new requirements are the rule rather than the exception.

"The role of the government technologist has grown and is now critical to the organization," said Gino Menchini, vice president of public sector for CA, one of the world's most successful IT management software companies. "Their pile of work is getting higher and higher. Everything is a high priority. And there is no margin for error."

Effective IT governance is more important than ever. Decision-makers need to align IT projects with organizational goals and strategic citizen-centric priorities. They must prioritize projects and be certain the right ones are moving forward. They also need to know the interdependencies between projects and how scarce resources should be allocated. Managers must also balance the business needs of numerous disparate agencies.

To meet the challenge, project and portfolio management (PPM) is a critical component of an effective IT governance program. Strong PPM helps keep control of these and other issues.

Big Need for a Powerful Tool
"Technology across the different functions and agencies is a real enabler, but it also presents a lot of challenges from an IT governance perspective," said Menchini. Before coming to CA, Menchini saw firsthand how important IT governance is. He was CIO of New York City for nearly five years, ending in 2006.

A CIO today must make sure IT helps an increasing number of dissimilar entities -- police, schools, health care, transportation, administration, services to constituents and much more. CIOs are increasingly turning to PPM software to help. With dozens of projects within numerous agencies happening simultaneously, strong portfolio management is a must.

CA Clarity^TM Project and Portfolio Management, allows integrated management of projects, services, resources and financials. It makes IT governance much simpler. CA Clarity^TM PPM allows managers to:
o evaluate and prioritize projects;
o see details around resources;
o keep IT strategically aligned with business goals;
o measure performance;
o recognize and mitigate risks; and
o save significant amounts of money by streamlining processes and pinpointing costly mistakes -- before they happen.

CA Clarity^TM PPM enables high-level managers to drill down to the level of detail they want to see, and also provides project managers with the information they need to keep day-to-day tasks on track. It allows flexibility for how information is displayed, filtered and reported. And data can easily be shared across agencies. CA Clarity^TM PPM enables everyone -- no matter what agency, no matter what role -- to work from the same data, keeping everyone on the same page. It's a powerful tool that keeps an organization's projects moving forward and under control.

PPM Brings Success
IT governance through PPM works. Governments using CA Clarity^TM PPM have seen big improvements in all of their IT projects. CA Clarity^TM PPM is a proven aid to maximizing returns from IT investments. IT brings many benefits to government, but it takes work and the right type of management. "The portfolio of technologies that a CIO is now responsible for is much broader than ever before. And it's going to keep