Agency Strategic Plans: Technology Resources Planning
From Instructions for Preparing and Submitting Agency Strategic Plans: Fiscal Years 2011–2015 (March 2010, PDF, 1.06MB) – Information about file formats.
Planning for technology resources is a key component of the strategic planning process. Statewide and agency planning provides a road map for the implementation of enterprise and agency-specific technology solutions that will result in more efficient expenditure of limited resources and more effective delivery of services to Texas citizens and agency constituents.
DEVELOPMENT GUIDES
Strategies that incorporate technology solutions should be responsive to current activities, trends, and challenges, as described in the agency’s external and internal assessment. This section provides guidance on articulating, organizing, and integrating technology strategies within the context of agency and statewide planning.
Part 1: Technology Assessment Summary
From the information gathered during its external and internal assessment, an agency should summarize key factors that will influence its technology decisions over the next five years.
Part 2: Technology Initiative Alignment
“Technology Initiative Alignment” is the strategic alignment of agency technology solutions with its business needs and priorities. This alignment promotes collaboration between the agency’s business and IT components and advances innovative solutions that enable the agency to achieve its objectives.
Additionally, strategically aligning agency technology initiatives with the statewide technology objectives in the State Strategic Plan drives economies of scale, increases interoperability among the state’s information systems, and promotes interagency collaboration.
Technology alignment with agency business needs is demonstrated by identifying technology initiatives, both current and planned, that support agency objectives.
An agency should use the following process to identify and describe its technology initiatives: For each agency objective, consider whether accomplishing that objective will involve strategies that will require additions to or enhancements of the agency’s existing technology investment. If yes, identify one or more technology initiatives that address these needed changes. Note that some agency technology initiatives may cut across several or all of the agency’s business objectives. Such “crosscutting” technology initiatives should also be identified. Additionally, an agency’s technology initiative may comprise one or more projects.
In developing their strategic plans, agencies are encouraged, but not required, to use the Technology Resources Planning Template provided by DIR.
- This template should be inserted in the order described on page 17 of the Agency Strategic Plan instructions document.
- Fonts, layout, pagination, etc., may be adjusted to match the overall Agency Strategic Plan.
- If the agency is using Microsoft Word to develop the Agency Strategic Plan, this template can be inserted into the main document with Copy/Paste.
- If the agency is using another software application to develop the Agency Strategic Plan, look for an import function that supports Microsoft Word. Also, it may be possible to use Copy/Paste, although some formatting may be required to make the resulting text look right.
- The text boxes provided are not intended to indicate the desired response length. There is no limit to the size of a response.
- DIR can provide additional guidance in the use of the template or in developing the Technology Resources Planning section of the Agency Strategic Plan. Please send inquiries to irsp@dir.state.tx.us.
Technology Resources Planning Template (DOC, 71 KB) – Information about file formats.
To assist agencies in understanding the nature of information requested in "Part 2: Technology Initiative Alignment," DIR has prepared an example document.
Example Technology Initiative Alignment (DOC, 34 KB) — Information about file formats.
Note that the Agency Strategic Plan submission instructions require that the copy sent to DIR be in an electronic word processing format. Acceptable formats include DOC, DOCX, and RTF. DIR cannot accept PDF files or files in document publishing formats. In most cases publishing applications can export to one of the acceptable formats. Please contact DIR at irsp@dir.state.tx.us before submitting if you have a question about acceptable file formats.
To submit the Agency Strategic Plan to DIR, attach it to an email to irsp@dir.state.tx.us with a subject line “Agency Strategic Plan – XXX”, where XXX is the agency name, number, or acronym. The sender will receive a reply acknowledging receipt of the Agency Strategic Plan within one or two business days.
If you have any questions or comments about the template or the Technology Resources Planning section of the Agency Strategic Plan, please e-mail irsp@dir.state.tx.us.
