Overview of Facts Technologies Project Proposals

The 2023-24 Spending budget

Introduction

This post offers an overview of the info technologies (IT) projects in the Governor’s proposed 2023-24 price range. We initial supply relevant background info on the California Division of Technologies (CDT) and the phases of an IT project. We then recognize each and every of the price range proposals to program, create, and implement IT projects. We supply our assessment of subjects frequent to various IT project-connected proposals and give alternatives for legislative consideration. (We do not supply in-depth evaluation of any person price range request in the post, but hyperlink to other IT project-connected analyses in other publications organized by price range location.)

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 critique 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&ampI), and (three) maintenance and operations (M&ampO). Most state IT projects in the arranging phase (referred to as proposed projects) are necessary to total CDT’s Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL)—the state’s IT project approval method. Some proposed projects, such as low expense and/or low threat projects, are delegated back to entities to program, create, and implement with out 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 start D&ampI. As soon as D&ampI is completed, state entities start M&ampO of the IT technique. We describe each and every phase in extra detail beneath:

• Organizing (PAL). The PAL method divides state IT project approval into 4 stages: (1) business evaluation, (two) alternatives evaluation, (three) solution evaluation, and (four) project readiness and approval. Every single stage in the PAL method demands entities to submit an linked arranging document to CDT for its approval. Collectively, the arranging documents from the 4 stages supply a total project program which includes the expense, schedule, and scope of the project. Figure 1 offers a graphical depiction of the PAL method.
• D&ampI. As soon as CDT approves a proposed IT project, state entities can get started project D&ampI. Projects can method D&ampI in various approaches: (1) the classic “waterfall” method, (two) the “agile method,” or (three) some mixture of classic and agile approaches. Utilizing the classic method, entities create the whole scope of the project ahead of it is implemented. Utilizing the agile method, by contrast, entities create some of the project scope (often referred to as modules) and implement it whilst the rest of the scope is getting created. A mixture of the classic and agile approaches may well create project scope as modules, but combine the modules into a handful of discrete releases for implementation to lessen the frequency of user testing and coaching.
• M&ampO. As soon as IT project D&ampI is completed, a project becomes an IT technique and enters M&ampO. M&ampO consists of activities and fees linked with a state entity’s ongoing upkeep and continuing use of a technique.

Relevant Alterations to IT Project Procurement and Oversight. Two current modifications 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 Common Solutions to create new procurement approaches that defined a dilemma for bidders to resolve and asked them to demonstrate their capacity to resolve it by way of demonstrations, proofs of idea, and prototypes. We usually refer to these new approaches as challenge-primarily based procurements in the post. The purpose of challenge-primarily based procurements is to permit extra bidders to give options to the state’s complicated troubles, rather than requiring the state to pre-define options with detailed needs-primarily based solicitations.
• Enterprise Modernization Efforts. Massive state entities such as the Division of Overall health Care Solutions (DHCS) and the Employment Improvement Division (EDD) are utilizing an enterprise project management method (that is, managing a quantity of concurrent and typically connected IT efforts and projects) to modernize their applications and/or solutions. As person IT projects progress by way of distinct phases, CDT tries to supply oversight not only of the person IT project but also of the whole enterprise portfolio of IT efforts and projects. Essential 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 Common Fund) and 275.two Positions. According to CDT and the Division of Finance (DOF), 40 price range proposals in the Governor’s 2023-24 price range are connected to IT project proposals (Figure 2). These proposals request a total of $641 million ($432 million Common 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 fees in each and every proposal.

Figure two

Governor’s 2023‑24 Spending budget IT Project Proposalsa

(In Millions)

Entity

Spending budget Transform 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 Overall health Records Organizing

21.five

21.five

—

40.two

DIR

Electronic Adjudication Management Technique Modernization

21.1

—

21.1

—

CARB

Heavy‑Duty Automobile Inspection and Upkeep Plan Per SB 210

14.1

—

14.1

19.

DDS

Uniform Fiscal Technique Modernization and the Customer Electronic Records Management Technique 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 Technique 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 Technique

six.7

four.two

two.five

three.

DCA

Business enterprise Modernization Cohort 1 and two

six.

—

six.

—

Caltrans

Transportation Technique 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 Technique Right‑Sizing

four.9

four.9

—

ten.

CalEPA

California Environmental Reporting Technique 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 Overall health Record Project: More Activities and Scope Raise

two.five

two.five

—

—

DGS

Procurement Division E‑Marketplace Implementation

two.four

—

two.four

two.

CalRecycle

CalRecycle Integrated Facts Technique

two.three

—

two.three

four.

CARB

SB 1137 Implementation: Overall health Protection Zones

two.two

—

two.two

9.

OEHHA

Establishing a Statewide Intense Heat Ranking Technique (AB 2238)

two.two

two.two

—

four.

CDFA

Stage Gate two Planning—CDFA Licensing and Payment Portal

1.five

1.five

—

—

SOS

Public Entity Staff and Contractors Access to Secure at Dwelling (SB 1131)

1.five

1.five

—

six.

CalHR

Communications Workplace and Content material Management Technique Replacement

1.four

1.

.four

two.

CHHS

California Emergency Healthcare Solutions Information Resource Technique

1.1

—

1.1

six.

CalVet

Web site Improvement to Boost Digital Communications

1.

1.

—

—

DSS

Reinforce the Caregiver Background Verify Technique and the Background Verify Sources

.9

.9

—

—

DIR

Workers’ Compensation Facts Technique Upgrade

.eight

.eight

—

—

CDFA

IT Enterprise Transition Help

.five

.five

—

—

Caltrans

Enterprise Information Governance Technologies Option Stage four

.four

—

.four

—

OPR

Programmer Position to Retain and Redesign the CEQA Technique

.three

.three

—

1.

CalEPA

CalEPA Geographic Facts Officer

.three

—

.three

1.

Totals

$641.

$432.

$208.9

$275.two

IT Project-Particular Function Items

We do not supply in-depth evaluation of any person price range 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 earlier publication The 2023-24 Spending budget: The California Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation—Migration of Business enterprise Facts Technique to Updated Application 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 price range utilized challenge-primarily based procurements (such as the State Water Sources Manage Board’s Water Rights Modernization Continuation proposal) or are arranging to use stated procurements. Some procurements could need 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 Technique proposal). Even so, we have noticed no evaluation performed by the administration of challenge-primarily based procurements to identify regardless of whether, for instance, more arranging fees for these demonstrations, proofs of idea, and prototypes led to enhanced project D&ampI outcomes.

Massive Enterprise Modernization Efforts Make Legislative Oversight Additional 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 distinct phases of PAL, D&ampI, and M&ampO. For each of the efforts, the Legislature authorized quarterly reporting needs and, for MES Modernization, CDT began portfolio-level independent project oversight reports to track IT efforts and projects that are element of the bigger modernization work. In each situations, we uncover these oversight tools to be insufficient to monitor complicated and pricey modernization efforts with substantial programmatic effects. For instance, whilst person efforts and projects are tracked inside the portfolio, what efforts or projects are most essential to the results of the modernization work and/or pose the most threat if they are not productive typically is unclear. Also, programmatic effects are not normally evident, as person efforts and projects may well 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. Being aware of how significantly a complicated, substantial modernization work will expense and more than what time frame also is hard for the Legislature to oversee as the scope of the work is not normally identified at the outset.

Projects Increasingly Use Combined Agile and Regular D&ampI Approaches With Mixed Benefits. We uncover that extra IT project management employees are familiar with the agile method to project D&ampI. We also uncover that extra projects acknowledge the realities each of the annual legislative price range method and of state entities’ continued programmatic responsibilities that necessitate some components of the classic method to project D&ampI. Combinations of agile and classic approaches to project D&ampI, as a result, are becoming extra frequent. For instance, for the Division of Social Services’ Youngster Welfare Solutions – California Automated Response and Engagement Technique project, the project D&ampI method changed to a mixture of agile and classic approaches since county eligibility workers necessary to limit the quantity of user testing and coaching necessary. Discrete releases of new functionalities, rather than continuous implementation of new functionalities, enables workers to continue to concentrate on their major workload. Even so, we uncover that new oversight tools from CDT for agile or combined agile and classic projects are insufficient. For instance, CDT introduced an annual iterative project report (IPR) for authorized IT projects utilizing an agile or combined agile and classic method to permit, for instance, reprioritization of modules with out a Specific Project Report (SPR). (An SPR is a report necessary for projects that deviate from their baseline expense, schedule, and scope by around 10 percent.) Even so, the IPR as introduced could compromise legislative oversight if the project expense, schedule, and scope alter on an annual basis with out clear measures of results.

Choices for Legislative Consideration

Direct CDT and DOF to Lead Evaluation of Challenge-Primarily based Procurement Alterations. We advocate the Legislature adopt supplemental report language (SRL) that directs each CDT and DOF to evaluate, at a minimum, regardless of whether more arranging fees requested by state entities for challenge-primarily based procurements have led to enhanced project D&ampI outcomes. DOF could use quarterly project arranging expenditure reports for proposed IT projects to inform their evaluation. We also advocate the Legislature request this report no later than April 1, 2024 to inform the 2024-25 price range method.

Direct CDT and DOF to Function With Legislature on Oversight of Enterprise Modernization Efforts and Projects Utilizing Agile Strategy. We advocate the Legislature adopt SRL that directs CDT and DOF to operate with legislative employees on alternatives to boost oversight of enterprise modernization efforts and projects utilizing an agile method or combined agile and classic approaches to project D&ampI. The report could look at, for instance, regardless of whether new standardized reports for these efforts and projects, each to CDT and the Legislature, are warranted. The report also could look at regardless of whether modifications in CDT’s PAL method are necessary to regularly program these efforts and projects. We also advocate the Legislature request this report no later than April 1, 2024 to inform the 2024-25 price range method.