California Technology Agency

California State Information Technology

Strategic Plan Roadmap

California State Seal
November 2007

J. Clark Kelso
Chief Information Officer
State of California


Information and telecommunications technologies lie at the heart of nearly all significant improvements in statewide programs and operations. Consistent with the California State Information Technology Strategic Plan (PDF, 2 MB) (Nov. 2006), the State is moving forward with collaborative planning and coordinated execution to make government services more accessible to the people it serves, to improve the cost-effectiveness of government programs and operations, and to embrace the spirit of innovation that is California's distinctive characteristic.

We have adopted six strategic goals to focus our efforts. Goals 1, 2 and 4 are being accomplished with a mix of policy, planning, governance and formally approved IT projects. Goals 3, 5 and 6 involve planning, governance and policy developments that generally do not require IT projects for full implementation. To advance through the roadmap or for additional information, click on the goals listed below:

Strategic Plan Goal Number of Projects
(% of Projects)		 Budgeted Amount for Projects
(% Budgeted for Projects)
1. Make government services more accessible. 29 (23%) $2,247,715,725 (36%)
2. Implement common business applications and systems to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. 4 (3%) $1,648,908,235 (26%)
3. Ensure State information assets are secured and privacy protected. 5 (4%) $89,283,410 (1%)
4. Lower costs and improve the security, reliability and performance of the State's IT infrastructure. 87 (69%) $2,280,709,049 (36%)
5. Strengthen our technology workforce. 1 (1%) $4,710,000 (<.1%)
6. Establish a technology governance structure. 0 $0
Totals: 126 $6,271,326,419


The State's approved IT projects (PDF, 68 KB) fall into the following subject matter categories (Excel doc, 107 KB). Click on a category for a list of projects.

Project Category Number of Projects
(% of Projects)		 Budgeted Amount for Projects
(% Budgeted for Projects)
Business Applications 12 (10%) $1,998,996,770 (32%)
Case Management 38 (30%) $2,207,592,202 (35%)
Criminal Justice Systems 16 (13%) $142,274,329 (2%)
Health & Human Services 21 (17%) $818,263,184 (13%)
Information Technology 13 (10%) $317,228,623 (5%)
Licensing 8 (6%) $123,526,953 (2%)
Network / Telecomm 13 (10%) $544,341,035 (9%)
Revenue Collection 5 (4%) $119,103,323 (2%)
Totals: 126 $6,271,326,419

We are building an information technology program worthy of a State that is proud to call Silicon Valley its home. For more details, see the Annual Report on the Executive Branch's IT Program - 2006-2007 (PDF, 814 KB).


Goal 1. Make Government Services More Accessible.

Problem: Too many state agencies still rely primarily upon 19th and 20th century service-delivery models for dealing with the public. There is too much reliance upon paper-based transactions, face-to-face and over-the-counter interactions, and bureaucratic hand-offs from one agency to another. These models create hurdles to accessibility and increase the inconvenience and cost of doing business with State government.

Solution: To make government services more accessible, valuable and cost-effective, the State will complete a technology- and Internet-enabled transformation in the delivery of services, benefits and information provided to the public, businesses, other government agencies and State employees.

Roadmap:

Destination: By 2012, over 90% of government transactions will be electronically enabled (i.e., will be able to be conducted electronically); over 50% of the transactions that are electronically enabled will actually be executed electronically (i.e., users will actually conduct their business with government electronically).


Goal 2. Implement Common Business Applications and Systems to Improve Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness.

Problem: The Executive Branch's business information systems must be modernized. Accurate business information about a wide range of subjects is unavailable in a timely way for proper management by program and departmental executives, for appropriate oversight within the Executive Branch by control agencies, Cabinet Secretaries and the Governor's Office, and for oversight and policy-making by the Legislature. To make matters worse, many of the systems that support the State's financial management are nearing their end-of-useful life and require modernization.

Solution: The State's overlapping, conflicting and outdated business applications and systems will be replaced with common business systems and solutions across all departments of State government, permitting relevant information to be easily shared with, and monitored by, managers, policy-makers, the Legislature and the public.

Roadmap:

Destination: By 2018, all State agencies will be using an integrated financial management system encompassing budgeting, accounting, procurement, cash management, financial management, financial reporting, cost accounting, asset management, project accounting, grant management and human resources management.


Goal 3. Ensure State Information Assets Are Secured and Privacy Protected.

Problem: As the State's information systems become more complex and interconnected, and the need for rapid collection, storage and distribution of large amounts of information continues to grow, the protection of that information from improper loss or disclosure becomes more challenging. Catastrophic events, as well as attacks against our technology infrastructure and systems, can have a severe impact on business operations. Moreover, the State's possession of significant amounts of personal and confidential information, and the risk of disclosure or inappropriate use of that information, makes privacy protection a significant concern.

Solution: We will continue to review and improve security and privacy policies, standards, and practices for state agencies to adequately secure and effectively manage their systems and information, and to respond appropriately to all security incidents and intrusions.

Roadmap:

Destination: By 2012, the State will have adopted comprehensive, enterprise security and privacy protection policies and standards. It will be conducting regular assessments to ensure that each state agency exercises appropriate due diligence in achieving compliance with adopted policies, standards, and statutory requirements to ensure the trust of Californians.


Goal 4. Lower Costs and Improve the Security, Reliability and Performance of the State's IT Infrastructure.

Problem: Much of the State's IT infrastructure has been built in agency-specific siloes. This fragmented governance, architecture, deployment and maintenance has resulted in costly duplication of effort and procurement, unnecessary complexity that frustrates efforts to share data and work collaboratively, and increased security vulnerability over State networks. Worse yet, many of these siloed systems have become or are rapidly becoming antiquated legacy systems that are costly and difficult to maintain.

Solution: To avoid repeating the "silo" mistakes of the past and to bring the State's IT infrastructure into the 21st century, we are taking an "enterprise" approach to designing the next generation of systems and to refreshing and modernizing the State's technology infrastructure.

Roadmap:

Destination: By 2010, the State will have finished work on the initial statewide Enterprise Architecture. By 2015, the State will have modernized the majority of its mission critical IT and network systems. We will continue to generate and harvest savings from consolidating IT and network infrastructure.


Goal 5. Strengthen Our Technology Workforce.

Problem: The structure of the State's classification and selection systems has not kept pace with the changing technology environment. Our classification system was established before the Internet achieved global importance, and our recruitment and hiring practices place us at a competitive disadvantage against other employers. The State's move to a more customer-centric and Internet-based service delivery approach requires different skill sets not widely available in State service today. Similarly, skills needed to sustain critical legacy systems are being lost due to retirements. The State has not been able to acquire sufficient skills or capacity to easily develop, operate and maintain some of the newer technologies and systems that form the foundation for the next generation of information and telecommunication solutions.

Solution: To overcome these obstacles, the State needs to engage in succession and workforce planning, modernize the IT classification structure and related selection tools and methods, expand recruiting for IT professionals and provide professional development for our IT workforce.

Roadmap:

Destination: By 2012, the State will have successfully transitioned its IT workforce, restoring our position as an employer of choice for IT professionals.


Goal 6. Establish a Technology Governance Structure.

Problem: The Executive Branch has historically had relatively weak enterprise-wide governance for its IT program. Leadership for IT planning and policy development, and decision-making for investments in IT infrastructure and projects, has been fragmented among several different agencies. These agencies have generally had a poor record for collaboration and coordinated planning and execution. The result has been uncoordinated investments in IT and a "siloed" approach to infrastructure, projects and IT solutions. Until 2004, there had been no enterprise vision for the Executive Branch's IT program.

Solution: We have now developed and implemented sustainable, branch-wide governance for the Executive Branch's IT program where important decisions about issues relating to information technology are made in the context of a collaborative decision-making process that draws upon executive leadership from all across the branch, with the State CIO responsible for overall leadership and coordination.

Roadmap:

Destination: With the funding of a cabinet-level Office of the State CIO in the FY 2007-2008 budget, and the creation of a separate Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection within the State and Consumer Services Agency, stable leadership for the Executive Branch's collaborative IT governance process is now in place.