The few bureau policies that existed at the time were entirely outdated. Communication on policy matters within his department and with other with bureaus was haphazard; enforcement was nonexistent. But Jackson soon solved those problems by deploying Policy Center and Awareness Manager, two modules of the Enterprise Governance Solution from Polivec, Inc.
Just four weeks after Polivec's consultants arrived in Helena, the Management Services Bureau had deployed in Policy Center a full array of policies and procedures that reflect both the letter and the intent of applicable regulations. Jackson can now distribute policies and updates electronically, obtain confirmation of their receipt and acceptance from each employee, and administer periodic tests to ensure and document comprehension.
"Over the years, many practices and procedures had become routine and accepted, but there was no formal documentation or rationale for them," he said. "Now, for the first time ever we have a one-stop policy server for all policies. It gives us the ability to perform refreshers and quizzes. Before the Polivec framework, there was no way for us to tell if a policy had been read or understood."
Policies: The Foundation for Consistency of Operation and Compliance
Polivec's assistance went well beyond deploying the solution modules for Montana. Their experts also formulated, wrote, and updated the bureau's entire policy set.
The Polivec team invested a little over a day interviewing Management Services Bureau personnel. After obtaining an understanding of the bureau's operating philosophy, goals, and culture, the team adjourned to compile a set of policies based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) guidelines. Jackson and colleagues then adjusted a number of the policy fine points to coincide more thoroughly with the bureau's goals.
"This all happened in four weeks, having almost no impact on my staff time. If we had tried to develop these policies on our own, it would have taken us at least a year," explains Jackson.
"With the expertise of the Polivec team and the adaptation of the ISO framework, there was no need to reinvent it all," he shares. "We were able to address the outliers, the places where we needed either more or less rigor, and made the adjustments."
The Polivec Enterprise Governance Solution (EGS) is the first policy-driven Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) platform. Polivec EGS aligns policies, processes, people, and technology, enabling organizations to manage compliance efficiently throughout their enterprises.
Polivec will be demonstrating its Enterprise Governance Solution this month's 2007 Risk and Control Conference. The company will be in exhibitor's booth #10 at the conference, which takes place at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego August 20-22.
