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Billions of dollars are spent each year on technology in cities and states, from desktop computers to mainframes. It is impractical for non-specialists to master the complex inner-workings of these new technologies, yet public managers′ reliance on information technology to govern effectively make IT planning and implementation crucial. Two respected journalists from Governing magazine provide a unique, nuts-and-bolts guide to help current practitioners, as well as students who will become tomorrow′s city and state managers, successfully oversee IT specialists and maximize the potential of IT systems.

This first book in the Governing Management Series draws on the authors′ involvement in the Government Performance Project (conducted by the Syracuse′s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs). Barrett and Greene, after conducting nearly 100 interviews with practitioners on the front lines, look systematically at the best practices of cities and states that garnered high grades in the study. They offer real-world and up-to-the-minute guidance about procurement, strategic planning, training, out-sourcing, standardization, project management, cost-benefit analysis, and the appropriate use of the Internet in the public sector. Powering Up features summary take-away points and three in-depth case studies, pointing readers to both innovations to emulate and pitfalls to avoid.

Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• Foreword(p. xiii)
• Preface(p. xv)
• Introduction: What This Book Is--and Is Not(p. 1)
• The Government Performance Project(p. 2)
• The GPP Criteria(p. 4)
• The Academic Approach(p. 7)
• The Journalistic Approach(p. 10)
• The Journalists and the Academics Meet(p. 13)
• The Published Reports(p. 13)
• 1. IT on the Front Lines(p. 15)
• Benefits of Technology(p. 16)
• Pitfalls(p. 18)
• Politics(p. 19)
• Money and Management(p. 20)
• A New Breed of Managers(p. 21)
• In Summary(p. 22)
• 2. To Each His Own(p. 24)
• Varying Goals(p. 25)
• The Need for Stakeholder Input(p. 26)
• In Summary(p. 27)
• 3. Land Mines in Project Management(p. 29)
• On Time and on Budget?(p. 29)
• Underestimating Scope at the Outset(p. 31)
• Scope Creep(p. 33)
• A Shortage of Project Managers(p. 33)
• Training Project Managers(p. 34)
• Why Bad Things Happen to Project Managers(p. 35)
• How to Stop Bad Things from Happening to Project Managers(p. 36)
• In Summary(p. 37)
• 4. Lurching Toward the Center(p. 38)
• When the Mainframes Ruled(p. 39)
• Decentralization--and Its Problems(p. 40)
• In Search of a Middle Ground(p. 42)
• Sufficient Central Authority(p. 43)
• In Summary(p. 45)
• 5. Who's in Charge?(p. 46)
• What Should a CIO Do?(p. 47)
• Where Do CIO's Belong in the Leadership Chart?(p. 48)
• Some Model CIO Positions(p. 50)
• Bringing in the Stakeholders(p. 51)
• In Summary(p. 53)
• 6. Standardization: They Walk Alike and Talk Alike(p. 55)
• Enterprise Architecture(p. 56)
• A Range of Efforts(p. 57)
• Why Standardize?(p. 58)
• Obstacles to Standardization(p. 59)
• Keys to Effective Standardization(p. 61)
• In Summary(p. 63)
• 7. Strategic Planning: Getting from Here to There(p. 65)
• False Efforts at Strategic Planning(p. 66)
• What Should a Strategic Plan Contain?(p. 67)
• Enterprise-wide and Agency Plans(p. 68)
• Obstacles to Strategic Planning(p. 68)
• The Importance of Buy-in(p. 70)
• Keys to Successful Strategic Planning(p. 71)
• In Summary(p. 73)
• 8. Procurement: Buy Buy Buy(p. 75)
• Delays Are Destructive(p. 76)
• Decentralized Purchasing(p. 76)
• Requests for Proposal (RFP)(p. 77)
• Central Expertise(p. 78)
• External Obstacles(p. 79)
• Master Contracts(p. 80)
• Other Innovations(p. 82)
• Twelve Guidelines for Dealing with Vendors(p. 84)
• In Summary(p. 87)
• 9. Outsourcing(p. 88)
• Some Successful Outsourcing Efforts(p. 89)
• Some Lessons from Indianapolis(p. 90)
• A Half-way Approach to Outsourcing in San Diego(p. 91)
• Outsourcing Obstacles(p. 92)
• Outsource--but Keep Control(p. 94)
• In Summary(p. 94)
• 10. Training(p. 96)
• Shortages of IT Specialists(p. 96)
• Incapable End-Users(p. 97)
• Multiple Benefits from Training(p. 98)
• Not Enough Money(p. 99)
• Why Isn't There Sufficient Training?(p. 100)
• Keys to Successful Training(p. 102)
• In Summary(p. 104)
• 11. Is It Worth It?(p. 106)
• Why Isn't IT Held Accountable for Results?(p. 107)
• Good Management Meets Political Reality(p. 108)
• Measuring Benefits Isn't Easy(p. 108)
• Some Success Stories in Measuring Potential Benefits(p. 109)
• The Hardest Part--After-the-Fact Accountability(p. 110)
• Some Leaders in After-the-Fact Accountability(p. 111)
• In Summary(p. 114)
• 12. Oh What a Tangled Web(p. 115)
• Rapid Growth in Internet Use by Localities(p. 115)
• Creative Applications Are Being Added Continually(p. 116)
• Effective Planning for Web Sites Is a Shortcoming(p. 117)
• Structure Is Key(p. 118)
• Search Capabilities(p. 119)
• Transactional Capacity(p. 119)
• Easily Solved Obstacles to On-line Transactions(p. 121)
• More Difficult Obstacles to On-line Transactions(p. 122)
• Marketing Is Key(p. 123)
• Who Picks Up the Tab?(p. 124)
• In Summary(p. 125)
• 13. Case in Point: Washington State's Electronic Filing Service(p. 127)
• What Is ELF?(p. 128)
• Encouraging Risk Taking(p. 128)
• Strategic Planning(p. 128)
• A Solid Base for Action(p. 129)
• Managing the Project(p. 131)
• The Significance of Marketing(p. 132)
• Testing(p. 133)
• Rolling Out the System(p. 134)
• More Marketing(p. 134)
• Ongoing Hurdles(p. 135)
• Cost Benefits(p. 136)
• In Summary(p. 137)
• 14. Case in Point: Philadelphia's GIS(p. 138)
• Geographic Information System (GIS)(p. 138)
• Difficulties in Standardizing and Sharing Data(p. 140)
• Support from Major Players(p. 141)
• Keys to Success(p. 142)
• The Importance of Central Controls(p. 143)
• In Summary(p. 144)
• 15. Case in Point: Phoenix's Financial Management System(p. 146)
• A New Financial Management System(p. 146)
• The Capacity Gap(p. 147)
• Involving Managers in Development(p. 148)
• Understanding Management Needs(p. 148)
• Retaining Realistic Goals(p. 149)
• Transition Management(p. 150)
• A Focus on Training(p. 150)
• Communicating with Departments(p. 151)
• In Summary(p. 153)
• 16. Making the Grade(p. 154)
• States(p. 155)
• Cities(p. 162)
• In Summary(p. 167)
• 17. The Crystal Ball(p. 171)
• Appendix A Interviewed Sources(p. 175)
• Appendix B Cities(p. 178)
• Appendix C States(p. 198)
• Appendix D Glossary(p. 228)
• Index(p. 233)

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene, a husband and wife team, are special project editors and management columnists at Governing. They oversee the magazine's involvement in the Government Performance Project, and their first report, covering the 50 states, was a finalist in the National Magazine Awards and received the Washington Monthly's award for journalism. Barrett and Greene have spoken widely to public and private sector organizations involved with city and state government. Their work has been quoted and referenced in a variety of state, city and federal documents, including the federal Government Performance Results Act (GPRA). They have also served as members of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board task force on Service Efforts and Accomplishments reporting. Richard Greene and Katherine Barrett, a husband and wife team, are special project editors and management columnists at Governing. They oversee the magazine's involvement in the Government Performance Project, and their first report, covering the 50 states, was a finalist in the National Magazine Awards and received the Washington Monthly's award for journalism. Barrett and Greene have spoken widely to public and private sector organizations involved with city and state government. Their work has been quoted and referenced in a variety of state, city and federal documents, including the federal Government Performance Results Act (GPRA). They have also served as members of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board task force on Service Efforts and Accomplishments reporting.