Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley

1998 Executive Seminar Review | October Board Meeting

1998 Executive Seminar Review

— By Mary Ellen Bradley

The recent IPMA Executive Seminar was held on September 16, 17, and 18 at Skamania Lodge. This year’s speakers were excellent. They shared their ideas on managing information technology in a governmental environment. This is a review of the speakers and the main focus of their talks.

Sheri oversees Novell’s worldwide information systems. She is responsible for development, implementation and management of the company’s local and wide-area networks, the development of strategic business information systems and for supporting Novell’s deployment of Internet/Intranet strategies, as well as internal help and desktop support. Her message was that her job at Novell was very much like the job of any IT manager including those in state government. She shared her experiences on managing the enterprise. As she stated, "It can be done and it can be fun."

Bob leads a team of 15 who make up a general government personnel service team responsible for recruitment, classification and pay, affirmative action, test development and consulting/problem solving for agencies throughout state government. He and his teammates have been working with the IT community on a variety of means to address the IT recruitment and retention problems being experienced by Washington state agencies.

Bob presented many of the causal factors underlying the IT staffing dilemma being experienced not only in Washington but nationwide. These factors include:

• Exploding US demand for Information Technology workers. A recent US Dept. of Commerce study predicts more than a million new IT staff will be required in the US from 1994 to 2005 (an average of 95,000 per year) to replace retirees and staff growth in automation.
• At the same time, a global shortage exists which has made it very difficult, if not impossible (due in part to visa limits), to "import" the needed talent.
• A Washington State Department of Employment Security study showing Computer Scientists, Engineers & Systems Analysts to be among the fastest growing occupations in Washington at a rate of about 10% per year. This same study shows demand for BS/MS degrees in Computer Science to be growing more rapidly than demand for any other degree.
• At the same time, colleges have been granting fewer computer science degrees (50,000 awarded nationally in 1986 has fallen to 36,000 in 1994) and the educational system has been slow to react to this problem. 1000 AA, BS and MS degrees in IT were awarded by Washington schools in 1997, whereas demand was between 7,500-10,000.
• A recent Microsoft study showing 323,000 IT openings nationally with over 11,000 openings in Washington right now.
• A recent salary study shows high-tech workers in Washington to be the highest paid in the nation. The State’s current salary survey shows IT classifications to be 27% behind prevailing rates.

All of this combines to make for a very difficult market for everyone, especially so for Washington state government.

Bob then discussed some of the actions being taken to address this issue. At the Federal level, much of the effort is focused on strengthening educational programs and expanding educational opportunities. Some infrastructure-type efforts like this will take place at the State level as well.

To make a more immediate impact, DOP is engaged in a number of activities including:

• Some allocation criteria were modified for key classes in March 1998. For CISS 1 & 2, technical areas of assignment were expanded, some of the reporting relationship requirements were dropped and the limits on the number of positions in an agency were eliminated. Also, the previous supervisory requirement for CAP5 was removed.
• A project to thoroughly revise, update and increase flexibility of many of the IT job classes will begin in October. This project will integrate the average 10% salary increase recommended for IT staff using SB 6767 funds. This is the second highest priority recommendation made by the Personnel Resources Board to the Legislature so there is optimism this will indeed be funded.
• A streamlined process to hire new community college graduates into entry-level jobs was implemented in April.
• Many IT registers (CAPs, CICs, CISSs, CTSs) are being kept open year-round so that candidates may be considered as we find them.
• Simplified, more user-friendly exam processes have been implemented for CAP 4&5, CTS 1&2 and CISS 1&2.
• More aggressive recruitment is occurring through the Internet, job fairs, colleges, community colleges, technical schools, out-placement services, etc.
• An RFP is ready to go November 1st with the goal of offering more technical classroom training as a tool to increase productivity.
• A more effective transition job class for "power software users" to enter the IT series at a beginning level.

Bob and his team need feedback regarding how the present enhancements are working. Also, they are very open to ideas or suggestions, particularly on the final item noted above. Bob can be reached at (360) 586-1346 or e-mail at bobh@dop.wa.gov.

Cathy also serves as an ISB Board Member and has been very interested in IT issues. She stressed that she wants to work with state IT employees. To do this effectively she needs our help in bringing issues to her which she can in turn take to the legislature and the ISB.

Her priority issues for this coming legislative session are state employee salary raises, 6767 funding for IT classes, governance of the pension system to add accountably and higher education issues.

Denise is the manager of Government and Education Programs for Dell Financial Systems. Her particular emphasis is on technology leasing and financing programs for government and education.

Denise shared that leasing computer equipment can lower the cost of ownership, establish reasonable and "true" useful life cycle rotation and save time and money in surplusing equipment. Five states (Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas) are using this method. It helps manage obsolescence. A three year model showed that if you purchase a PC it will cost you $3,000 for its life cycle, not including soft costs such as staff time dealing with trouble-shooting and surplusing. By contrast, if you lease it at $82 per month, it would cost you $2,979.

Steve shared that Washington has won the title of the Nation’s Most Digital State for the second year in a row. This is an award given by the Progress and Freedom Foundation. All states were ranked in eight categories. Washington scored 82.2 out of 100.

Steve stressed that this achievement occurred because of the work that was done on delivering on the governor’s agenda. The following are examples of this strategic direction:

• Education: K-20 network - a T1 line or better to all schools. This project has been on time and under budget. It will allow for virtual classrooms.
• Economic Vitality: Electronic commerce, digital signatures, electronic money (credit card transactions) electronic filing
• Public Safety: State to local inter-governmental network with point to point connections in 39 counties. Special lines established for the criminal justice system.
• Public Trust in Government: Access Washington access.wa.gov provides a common look and feel for all state government web sites.

Steve recommended that we continue to build, deploy and share network infrastructure. Washington has the best network of any state right now. We should build, leverage and use it. We also need to adopt the rules of the road. Portfolio management will give us guidelines for review and oversight. We need to strengthen the IT community of interest to further the use of technology, and finally, we need to spend our political capital because we can’t bank it or save it.

Chang stated that he has adjusted the state June Forecast. Washington state economy is dependent on the world economy and for Washington that means the economy cannot get any better than it is right now. He is predicting an increase in the 1997-99 biennium and a decrease in 1999-2001 biennium.

Factors effecting Washington include:

• Asia, Russia, South America and North America - it is one global economy.
• Stock market declined 20% which signals a bear market.
• Fed is expected to ease soon - lower interest rate by .5%.
• We don’t expect a US recession in the baseline.
• The baseline scenario is the optimistic scenario.
• In Washington the period of fastest growth has passed.

Scott Howell has been a Utah State Senator since 1990. He is co-chairman of the Utah State Internet Committee and a trustee for the Utah Information Technology Association. He is currently IBM’s Western Global Government Policy Executive.

Scott told the conference attendees that technology offers easier, quicker ways to get information. Governments are using it to improve service and effectiveness and lead us to a digital democracy. State and Local IT growth will be 5.5% for the next few years.

He challenged the IT community to help government with the following:

• Grow the economy and create jobs
• Meet constituents demands for services
• Find new revenue sources
• Integrate processes and functions of government
• Security, privacy and infrastructure protection
• Respond to rapid change

We must reach all our new and existing customers. For the state that is all citizens. We have the largest customer base of any business in Washington.

Scott predicted that :

• By 2005 government will be self-service. This will result in smaller staffs and lower costs.
• Government will be 24 hour, 7 day a week service.
• There will be a single window to government for each citizen for all social services.
• By trial and error, government will have learned to outsource entire functions to the private sector. Benefits and tax processing functions will be outsourced.
• New open forms of communications between government and citizens will have unpredictable results, although these will occur on the positive side of the equation.

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October Board Meeting Minutes

Members Present: Jim Albert, Phil Grigg, Darrel Riffe, Mary Ellen Bradley, Bob Monn, Phil Coates, Dennis Laine, Thomas Bynum, Shelagh Taylor. Jim Albert, Chair of the IPMA Board, opened the October 8th meeting at 7:40 a.m.

Secretary: The minutes from the September Board meeting were approved.

Treasurer: Phil Coates reviewed the month’s business activity, and the Board approved the report.

Business Planning: Filling in for Judy Schneider, Jim Albert reviewed the IPMA investment portfolio. He noted it still reflected a positive gain despite the recent volatility of the stock market.

Executive Seminar: Darrel Riffe reported the seminar received good reviews, and was able to break even financially. He had tentatively reserved the same week at Skamania Lodge for next year’s seminar, and asked for input on whether to formalize the arrangement. The Board agreed the location worked well, and voted to hold the 1999 Executive Seminar at the Skamania Lodge.

Fall Forum: Dennis Laine reviewed the status of preparations for the 1998 Fall Forum. Arrangements are well in hand, and the Forum committee will be having a final review with the Tyee caterers next week. It was noted that reservations for the Executive Breakfast on Thursday, October 22nd have been slow. The Board decided an e-mail to state information technology managers would be an appropriate action. Jim Albert will see that is done within the next week.

Professional Development: Bob Monn has set November 5th as the tentative date for the next professional development event. He is working on an event that would feature data warehouse development.

Communications: Mary Ellen Bradley is finalizing this month’s newsletter which will highlight last month’s executive seminar. She asks those who have ideas or articles for future newletters to send them to her. On a different subject, Mary Ellen noted the IPMA voice mailbox was not routinely kept current which was frustrating to callers. The Board noted the increasing use of e-mail for IPMA communications, and decided to discontinue voice mail service after the Fall Forum. IPMA publications and correspondence will be updated to eliminate the telephone number.

New Business: Darrel Riffe mentioned it was time to begin the process of IPMA Board member elections. Five board positions will be expiring at the end of the year. Judy Schneider was assigned responsibility for managing the election process this year.

Shelagh Taylor suggested it was also time to begin arrangements for the board’s annual planning retreat. Possible locations were discussed. She will provide additional location information to the board at the November Board meeting.

Shelagh was also asked to discuss possible alternative locations for the monthly board meetings in November.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:37 a.m.

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