ICT Technologies

1. ICT Technologies Session 3 5 June 2007 Mark Viney

2. ICT Technologies • Remember: • almost everything a statistical agency does can be supported by ICT • ICT will continue to advance, plan to apply emerging technologies • Today we will cover: • how ICT can be organised and managed (ABS will be used as a case study and aid to discussion about "good practice") • Knowledge Management

3. Topics • ICT Org Structure • Funding models • Sourcing models • Strategy and Policy • IT Governance • Working in partnership - clients and vendors • Enterprise Architecture • Service Delivery processes • Service Level Agreements • ICT staff • Security

4. Structure Technology Services Division Brian Pink Australian Statistician Denis Farrell Deputy Statistician Jenine Borowik CIO Lane Masterton Technology Infrastructure Don Bartley Technology Research Chris Duffy Technology Applications Revenue: $19m Staff: 230 Revenue: $38m Staff: 170 Revenue: nil Staff: 5

5. IT Group Structures • Common arrangements for IT Group: • may include functions such as methodology, data entry, data management, security • head reports to CEO or Deputy • varying degrees of decentralisation of applications development/ support

6. Funding Models • Fixed annual budget • Cost recovery • mix Pros - funds growth - costs understood • full cost recovery • infrastructure costs recovered through cpu, disk, PC, network, phone • half day charge for application programmers • prices based on work program agreed each June • payments made automatically • on-line system for cost reporting Cons - costly to administer - difficult to predict demand

7. Sourcing models • Insource • Outsource • "Rightsource" No "one size fits all" approach • insourced • selective contracting (in areas where special skills required / packaged product support

8. IT Policy and Strategy "Culture eats strategy for breakfast ... every time" - Author unknown • "alignment" of IT with Business a key goal • the grand "IT Strategic Plan" seems to be less popular. People now talking more about governance models and enterprise architectures. IT Strategy - embodied in ABS Enterprise Architecture and annually refreshed "strategic directions statements" • IT: • regarded as "strategic" • "corporate" approach to IT IT Policy - a few absolutes that we want to be able to enforce

9. IT Governance • DO engage senior management in IT strategy - it is their business too! • give them education and coaching • they should be advocates for the decisions that are taken • IRMC considers: • major purchases • new strategy • work programs & budgets Information Resource Management Committee

10. Partnership required to design future business processes - a mix of technology - "pull" and business needs - "push"

11. Working in partnership - ABS model Technology Services Division Client Divisions TSD Account Managers Project Boards Project Managers Business Projects IT staff

12. Working in partnership - ABS model for vendors TSD Executives • Vendors • SAS, • Lotus, • ORACLE... Technology Services Division Account Managers TSD Product Managers

13. Vendor Relationships • Educate vendor with "value proposition" for giving you a good deal: • prepared to be a reference site • provide input to product directions strategies • host user groups and forums • training ground for expert users • long-term commitment

14. Architecture Goals • Value for money • investment longevity • skills availability • robustness • performance • support innovation • integration of business processes • externalisation

15. ABS Enterprise Architecture ABS Architecture = how we want to build "next generation" systems • describes how we want future business processes to look and maps technologies to them • documents key strategies, processes, technologies • we decided to avoid thick manuals (don't work very well) • acid tests - • does it actually inform decisions as to how to build and what to buy? • do the new systems work?

17. Communicated via Posters... ..implemented via Architecture Panels.

18. Posters - our prop for developing shared "mental models"

19. Service delivery processes Key IT Service Processes Project Management Change Management Cost Recovery Forward Work Planning Technical Review IT Procurement Problem Management Release Management Service Level Management Testing Communication Management IT Product Management

20. Service Level Agreements • Can be very useful - manage expectations, ensure service level fits business needs • Can be difficult and resource intensive to monitor and measure • Start with high-level, organisation-wide, SLAs • Build into contracts with Service Providers

21. Sample Service Level Agreement - Backup & Recovery • Notes: Backup onsite every 12 hours, Recover a document in 30 minutes and a whole database in 60 minutes • NOS & UNIX: Backup Onsite each night, Recover files in 30 mins and whole file systems in 60 minutes • Oracle databases: log transactions, Recover database in 60 minutes

22. IT Staffing • "Value Proposition" for IT staff in NSO: • breadth of technology - lots of systems • track record as a leading user of IT • diverse & interesting careers • "public good value" of NSO mission • savvy clients We mainly "grow our own" - hire graduates and keep them happy. Very limited use of contractors (short-term assignments with emphasis on skills transfer) • Retention factors: • professional development • flexibility in work placements • technical & management career paths

23. Security • Security is "mission critical" important to NSOs • watch external connections • constantly improve identity and access management • use expert advice • dedicated Security section which manages physical and information security • very skilled staff • external checking (Defence Dept.) of security of our external connections • promote "culture of security" • regular and ad-hoc audits and review • senior management oversight through Security Committee • CIO = Security Executive

24. Knowledge Management • Common objectives of "knowledge management": • better management of information assets • helping people develop new skills • assisting creation of new knowledge through supporting innovation and collaboration • capturing information in people's heads so it can be shared and reused. • making it easier to locate and interact with experts

25. ABS KM Strategy "Foundations" 3 key information domains Workgroup Corporate Personal Culture and Behaviours which support collaboration and sharing of knowledge

26. ABS Information environment domains Browse Navigation (Portal) Search 50 databases Corporate Archiving Email Workgroup Collaboration /workflow Subscription 1800 databases / applications Personal 3200 databases Behaviours

27. Corporate Domain • Careful, formalized management of key information assets • Key repositories: • Corp Directory • Corp Information DB • Corp Manuals DB • Learning Management System • Intranet "Welcome Page" navigators and assistants

28. Workgroup Domain • Day to Day business activity and documentation • Key repositories: • Section WDB • Division WDB • Social Club • Change Management Committee

29. Personal Domain • Draft material and personal email • Key repositories: • Mark Viney's database

30. The evils of e-mail To: Harry, Bill cc: Mike From: Jane Subject: Sales Workshop -------------------------------------------------------- What do you think we agreed? • lots of fragments and copies • selective involvement • no total picture or context • where do the results go? Bill Sue Jane Harry Mike Fred

31. Discussion Forums • Ideas for Sales workshop (Mike) • What I liked about last year(Sue) • Lets remember to invite Design (Bill) • List of Attendees (Jane) • What about me? (Fred) • Oops, of course you are invited (Jane) • Record of the Workshop (Harry) Bill Sue Jane Database Harry Mike Fred

32. Key Messages • DO work on organisation and access of "corporate" information assets • DON'T rely on an "e-mail centric" approach • DO consider "team rooms", Quickplaces and other forums for sharing and collaboration • Communicate how you expect people to behave (and behave accordingly)