The Modernization Imperative: Illinois Undertakes Enterprise HCM
On the heels of a major financial upgrade, Illinois CIO Jennifer Ricker talks about what’s at stake as the Department of Innovation and Technology stands up a core HR system for tens of thousands of state employees.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As the secretary and CIO of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, Jennifer Ricker is modernizing large-scale systems that have tremendous impact on the state. We talked to Ricker this week at the NASCIO Annual Conference, where she outlined an ambitious agenda.
"What we've been focused on is very foundational, sort of back to basics," she said. "Not necessarily always the most flashy projects, but things that are really fundamental that make big, transformational changes for the state at the same time."
Having recently completed a major upgrade to state financial systems, she and her team are now turning toward establishing enterprise human capital management — an endeavor aimed at improving the overall HR experience for tens of thousands of state employees. Initial phases will impact upward of 50,000 people, according to Ricker, while the upcoming payroll portion will affect an even larger group.
Noelle Knell has been the editor of Government Technology magazine for e.Republic since 2015. She has more than two decades of writing and editing experience, covering public projects, transportation, business and technology. A California native, she has worked in both state and local government, and is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with majors in political science and American history. She can be reached via email and on Twitter.
Lauren Harrison is the managing editor for Government Technology magazine. She has a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and 15 years’ experience in book and magazine publishing.
