crj's technology infrastructure: evaluation & recommendations april 20, 2010

CRJ's Technology Infrastructure:Evaluation & Recommendations

April 20, 2010

Common Impact http://www.commonimpact.org/

Goals for Today's Session

My Role

Provide framework for evaluating IT operations at CRJ

Share Common Impact's analysis of CRJ's IT environment

Answer your questions to clarify our analysis

Your Role

Think about root causes of the issues raised in this presentation

– Potential root causes: human behavior, communication, process, technology itself

Ask questions to clarify root causes and how CRJ could address them

Begin thinking about how you would prioritize these issues – in preparation for our third meeting where the TAC suggests priorities to CFO and Director of TS

3Common Impact http://www.commonimpact.org/

IT Evaluation Framework

InformationSystems

Infrastructure

Implementation and Follow-Through

Strategy and Planning

Technology Used by Clients


Determining Philosophical Approach to IT (eg: build vs. buy, open source vs. commercial products, etc.)

Technology Planning & Budgeting

Determining How IT Interfaces with Business Units, So They Can Proactively Identify and Solve Users' Needs

Determining Staffing Structure of IT Department

Creating Clear Performance Metrics for IT Department

Creating Clear Performance Metrics for Each IT Employee

Policy Creation and Enforcement

Strategy and Planning provides the framework for technology operations at CRJ, leading to proactive decision-making that advances the overall mission.

Responsibilities:Strategy and Planning


Hardware and Basic Office Software

Network and Server Backbone

Basic Communication: Email, Phones, Website

Connectivity Between Offices and Remote Users

Safety and Security

Help Desk, Training, and Orientations to Support Users

Infrastructure is the nuts and bolts that enable staff to perform basic functions on their computers; it is not specific to their role or department at CRJ.

Responsibilities:Infrastructure


Client Management Systems

– Consider by Site, by Department, and Agency-Wide

– HIPAA and Client Confidentiality

Project Management Systems

Web Conferencing and Document Sharing

Accounting & Payroll Systems

HR & Timesheet Systems

Fundraising & Contact Management Systems

Information Systems support specific business processes at CRJ, allowing people to work more efficiently or analyze data to make better programmatic decisions.

Responsibilities:Information Systems


Computer Labs

Client-Specific Software

Online Tools for Participants

Technology Used by Clients is the software CRJ provides to its clients to enable them to meet their program goals.

Responsibilities:Technology Used by Clients


Responsibilities:Implementation & Follow-Through

Implementation and Follow-Through ensures that there are clear lines of responsibility for every part of every project, so each project meets its goals.

Develop Business Goals– Develop clear metrics for project success – from business, user, and technical perspectives

– Build cost-benefit analysis to determine whether to move forward

– Determine roles and gain buy-in from key participants on the project

Map Business Processes & Create Requirements– Understand business process and create operational process map; standardize or change processes as needed

– Create use cases to indicate major ways people will interact with system

– Identify specific data elements and reports required

– Consider integration with other systems

Vendor Scan & Selection– Develop selection criteria to evaluate vendors

– Review multiple products (including off-the-shelf and custom build)

– Conduct in-depth reviews of final contenders




Implementation & Vendor Management– Ensure clear lines of responsibility for project management and stakeholder communication

Rollout to Program Staff / Sites– Pilot

– Full rollout to all staff

– Change management / process integration

Ongoing Support & Training

Monitoring & Adapting to Ensure Product is Meeting Business Goals– Ensure product is a living, evolving thing—not a one-time implement and done

Common Impact's Evaluation



Common Impact's EvaluationCovered in This Assessment Hardware and Basic Office

Software


Communication Methods


Safety and Security

IT Support and Training

IT Decision-Making, Prioritizing, and Budgeting Process

Working with CRJ to Restart the Technology Advisory Committee and Confirm/Revise Goals, Priorities, Metrics for Success

Not Evaluated Databases and Information

Systems for Programs

Fundraising Systems

Finance & Accounting Systems

HR Systems

CRJ's Website

Phone Systems

Software Integration


Our Process

Document collection: annual tech plans, budgets, job descriptions, policies

Survey to all CRJ staff – 78 people responded

Interviews with CRJ staff

– Members of the executive team

– Department heads

– Director of TS

– Members of the previous technology committee

Focus groups with CRJ staff

– Program and administrative staff

This evaluation is drawn from CRJ staff's perspectives and feedback


Guide to This Evaluation Key Green Bullet: Working Well

Yellow Bullet: Important Issue to Address Over Time

Red Bullet: Critical Issue – Address Immediately



InformationSystems

Infrastructure





Determining Philosophical Approach to IT (eg: build vs. buy, open source vs. commercial products, etc.)

Technology Planning & Budgeting

Determining How IT Interfaces with Business Units, So They Can Proactively Identify and Solve Users' Needs

Determining Staffing Structure of IT Department

Creating Clear Performance Metrics for IT Department

Creating Clear Performance Metrics for Each IT Employee

Policy Creation and Enforcement

Strategy and Planning provides the framework for technology operations at CRJ, leading to proactive decision-making that advances the overall mission.

Responsibilities:Strategy and Planning


Organizational StrategyCRJ's Strategic Objectives Focus on geographic growth (primarily within New England and New

York) Look to establish new lines of business by expanding substantive

expertise and reach Seek to grow through acquisition of complementary agencies Challenge conventional wisdom and the way we do business with new

products and services responsive to the needs of clients and customers

Continue to improve on providing excellent services to clients and consumers, while providing those services to more


Organizational StrategyImpacts on CRJ's Organization Employee population will continue to get more dispersed Program growth may provide economies of scale / new efficiencies Communication is critical to ensure all sites identify strongly with being

a part of the CRJ umbrella (rather than just their individual sites) Solutions must serve an increasingly diverse customer base (including

ones like IT that have internal/external facing components)

Technology Implications and Challenges Allow people in different physical locations to interact and share

information seamlessly with staff, customers, and clients Identify and provide staff with the technological tools to better serve

this growing and diversifying customer base Identify and provide appropriate tools that enhance communication If acquisitions happen, will need to absorb and integrate IT systems


IT Strategy and Planning:Overall Evaluation

Current State: Technology Planning Technology planning occurs during annual agency-wide work planning FY09-10 Technology Objectives are not explicitly linked to

organization's strategic objectives FY09-10 Technology Objectives do not capture all points on previous

slide (missing explicit discussion of how to improve information sharing across sites, vague about how to improve communication other than expanding the use of WebEx)

No formal process in place to gather input and feedback from business units on technology plan

Differing opinions about philosophical approach to IT are causing some tension around decision-makingOpen source vs. commercial products

Custom-build and support internally vs. outsource vs. buy off-the-shelf


IT Strategy and Planning:Overall Evaluation

Current State: Budgeting and Policies Budgeting occurs as a natural by-product of annual work planning IT budget is 2.2% of total (average: 4.1%; source: NTEN national IT survey)

Personnel policies clearly stated, cover all major topics68% of survey respondents claimed to understand content of these policies

Current State: IT Staffing & Performance Metrics

No clear consensus on how to define “success” for IT function. Perceptions varied widely within the organization about how to evaluate the department; examples include:– “Bulletproof infrastructure”– Speed of turnaround of tech requests– Whether technology is “making people's lives easier”– Enabling programs to effectively capture and report on data– Using technology as a tool within programs (ie: for clients)



InformationSystems

Infrastructure





Hardware and Basic Office Software


Basic Communication: Email, Phones, Website


Safety and Security

Help Desk, Training, and Orientations to Support Users

Infrastructure is the nuts and bolts that enable staff to perform basic functions on their computers; it is not specific to their role or department at CRJ.

Responsibilities:Infrastructure


Infrastructure: Hardware and Basic Office Software

Current State: Desktop and Laptop Computers

Computers for each full-time employee who needs them

Most computers meet CI's minimum hardware requirementsA few people commented that their computers are slow;

6 out of 20 of sampled computers have less than 1 GB of memory

Computers are phased out every 4-5 years

Computers purchased with three-year service agreements

Current State: Software

All computers use business class operating systems

All computers have office productivity software

Different versions of Microsoft Office causing some compatibility issues

Users can install their own software; 2 of 20 sampled computers had games/file sharing software


Infrastructure: Network and Server Backbone

Current State: Internet

Most programs have high speed internet servicesCable and Satellite in Western MA, Cable or DSL in Boston

Current State: Servers and Shared Drives

Local Area Networks at all major locations, either server or peer-to-peer

No unified corporate network: employees at one site cannot access files from other sites


Infrastructure: Basic Communication

Current State: Email System

All key staff have email addresses

Most employees find email system cumbersomeMinimal synchronization between Outlook, webmail, and Blackberry

No system-wide address book

Inability to set Out of Office auto-reply

Limitation of attachment size

36% of survey respondents cited problems with spam (both volume of spam in inbox and good messages getting sent to spam folder)

Current State: Website and Phones

Not evaluated by Common Impact


Infrastructure: Connectivity Between Offices

Current State: Document Sharing & Project Spaces

30% of survey respondents say they use shared drive to store filesMain reasons why people said they didn't use it:

- They don't know how to find it or don't feel trained to use it

- They have security concerns / don't know how to protect files

- They don't think there is enough space to store their files

- They think shared files are hard to find (disorganized)

Document management system (OpenDocMan) built to better organize files, but usage has been minimalCited reasons: Disorganized, hard to use, unclear naming conventions to

understand different versions of files, “no one manages it”

Intranet for corporate forms described as easy to use, well organized Site for maintenance requests, training manuals, forms for HR, fiscal and

administration



Current State: Laptops, BlackBerries, and Remote Login

Increasing numbers of staff are using laptops and BlackBerries

Policy is unclear to mid-level managers about who gets BlackBerry

BlackBerries do not sync well with corporate email

IT department uses LogMeIn to remotely administer computers, staff generally feel fine using this support method

Not enough licenses of LogMeIn for other staff to access files remotely

Current State: Usage of Home Computers

Some people use home computers to access email, send documents to themselves for editing, or to convert between Office file formats IT department has no control over security of home computers Potential security issue if client information is taken off corporate network



Current State: Virtual Communication

Tools for virtual communication are typically originated within CJI and sometimes adopted by other business units

CJI uses Google Chat for regular communication, appears to work well; no other business units discussed need for chat or instant messaging

As discussed on previous slides, there is no seamless, universally adopted method for users to share documents across sites

Infrastructure to support virtual meetings or trainings does not yet exist; WebEx virtual conferencing system has been purchased but there is a general perception that it is not used effectively Needs discussed: CSNH meetings between people on the road; CJI

conference calls; virtual trainings for people at remote sites instead of having them come to main office


Infrastructure: Safety and Security

Current State: Backups

Policy requires individuals to backup their own files, but only 40% do soHalf of people who do backup files only do it monthly

Policies state “CRJ’s back-up protocols are subject to failure and human error, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for proper long-term filing procedures.”

Current State: Passwords and User Roles

Users are required to log into their computers with a password

Users are not required to change passwords

No requirements exist around the complexity of passwords

File locations on server are segmented by department

Staff do not know how to create confidential folders on the server

Managers, staff, and clients sometimes use same login to computer


Infrastructure: Safety and Security

Current State: Malware Prevention

20 of 20 sampled computers up to date with Windows Updates

6 of 20 sampled computers missing Office Updates

20 of 20 sampled computers up to date with Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware software

Current State: Network Security

Wireless router protected by password

Hardware and software firewalls exist to protect networks


Infrastructure: Help Desk, Training, and IT Support

Current State: Availability of IT Support

89% of survey respondents say IT staff are readily available when they need help Locations without an IT person perceived getting less timely service

Current State: Communication around IT Support

82% of survey respondents felt that IT communicates in a way that is easy for them to understand

With specialized software, staff were sometimes confused about who is responsible for supporting the application

Current State: Redundancy

No external consultants in use to provide backup when IT staff is out sick or on vacation (with addition of third IT person, may be less critical)

Common Impact did not review custom-built software applications, but these should be checked to ensure multiple people understand design


Infrastructure: Help Desk, Training, and IT Support

Current State: Training & Orientation

Conflicting perceptions about the need for training vs. actual effort to make them happen65% of survey respondents said they could use more training—from basic

network use to office productivity software to more advanced applications

14% of survey respondents said they had done IT training in the last year

When IT department offered trainings, few took advantage of them

93% of survey respondents said they met CI's essential computer skills

67% of survey respondents said they met CI's intermediate skills

No clear guidelines on what technology skills program staff should have

No IT orientation provided to new staff



InformationSystems

Infrastructure





Information Systems &Technology Used by Clients

Out of Scope

These topics were not evaluated by Common Impact

CRJ's Technology Advisory Committee should still pursue an evaluation of what is working well and what needs to be improved in these areas

We did hear one common theme that CRJ staff were unclear about who should be building these systems. Key questions:

– Should business unit staff know more about technology so they can identify their own needs?

– Should the IT department know more about how business units operate so they can help advance each unit's business goals?

– Who is responsible for proactively advancing the agenda of technology use in programs—both for internal data systems and for the technology used by CRJ's client population?



InformationSystems

Infrastructure





Develop Business Goals

Map Business Processes & Create Requirements

Vendor Scan & Selection

Implementation & Vendor Management

Rollout to Program Staff / Sites


Monitoring & Adapting to Ensure Product is Meeting Business Goals




Implementation and Follow-Through: Document Management Case Study

Project Summary CSMA staff identified need to share standardized forms; they contacted IT, who

identified an open source document management system and installed it CSMA team added documents to the document management system The system became “flooded with so many different documents and is so

disorganized you can’t find anything—a good idea that crashed and burned”

Implementation & Follow Through Process









Implementation and Follow-Through: WebEx Case Study

Project Summary The CJI team is spread out geographically and needed to collaborate more

effectively during meetings Identified WebEx because many other organizations use it System is partially adopted: some people like it, some people don't, no one

feels trained. “Half the people don't sign in and sometimes it seems like the only thing we use it for is having people raise their hands to talk.”










Implementation and Follow-Through: Coolidge House Database

Project Summary Assistant Director of Coolidge House requested a system to track data about

program participants IT Department began to custom-build database; when Assistant Director moved

to Brook House, there was no buy-in from other staff to finish the database Database project substantially put aside as it was unsupported by operations;

later, staff saw Secure Manage and decided to buy it






‒ Rollout to Program Staff / Sites

‒ Ongoing Support & Training

‒ Monitoring & Adapting to Ensure Product is Meeting Business Goals

Summary of IT Evaluation



Within each CRJ site, the basic computing infrastructure works pretty well. Computers are fast enough, most sites have internet access, and basic security measures are in place (exceptions: backup, passwords).

CRJ's technology infrastructure has not evolved at the same pace with the organization's geographic expansion. More employees are traveling between sites, communicating with staff in different locations, and working remotely. The current infrastructure does not support these individuals well.

CRJ lacks consensus on key philosophical and structural IT issues. There are unresolved differences about: how to define “success” for the IT department; whether the organization should use open source software; whether to custom-build software in house vs. buy products off the shelf; who is responsible for understanding how business units can better leverage technology; and who should be involved in IT decisions. This lack of clarity has resulted in frustration and a patchwork of systems across the organization.

The IT Department is understaffed and underpaid. The recent addition of a third employee helps, but salaries are below norms and the department needs a person dedicated to helping business units better leverage technology.



The decision-making for IT projects lacks consistency and structure. CRJ has taken an informal approach to major IT initiatives. As a result, some projects have failed because there were unclear business goals and success metrics, the project lacked buy-in, the software was built/purchased without examining competitors, there was no plan to address cultural and operational implications of the new software, and/or there was a lack of training and post-implementation support.

Overall, an IT crisis is emerging. As CRJ's technology challenges have shifted from establishing a basic infrastructure to supporting each department's operational processes, business units are feeling less supported. If future IT initiatives are to be successful, the department must understand how they can better meet all users' needs, and proactively communicate how they are addressing everyone's concerns.


crj's technology infrastructure: evaluation & recommendations april 20, 2010

Documents

common impact http

planning slide

infrastructure slide

planning technology

client management systems

technology operations

software crj

crjs technology infrastructure