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IPMA News : May 2002
Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley and Bob Monn
IPMA News : May 2002Edited By Mary Ellen Bradley and Bob Monn |
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Profile: Bill Kehoe, Department of Licensing
Universal Resources for the Information Technology (URIT) Project Manager
Department of Personnel Launches Electronic Learning for the State Workforce
Summary of April 11, 2002 IPMA Board Meeting
Former Walt Disney Company executive brings
global view to government technology leader
On April 22, Governor Gary Locke announced the appointment of Stuart M. McKee, a former Walt Disney Company executive, as director of the state Department of Information Services. McKee replaces Gary Robinson, who served as acting director since Steve Kolodney departed last May.
"Washington is recognized as a national leader in digital government," Locke said. "I am delighted to announce Stuart's appointment as the new director of our Department of Information Services. I was impressed by Stuart's information technology experience at both the Walt Disney Company and Microsoft. I am confident that his experience with these firms of global prominence will be a great advantage in leading Washington's expanding e-government operations."
McKee said, "I am honored to serve the Governor and the people of Washington in this capacity. I look forward to working with the Governor, his staff and other state leaders tackling the many challenges in front of us. This is a fantastic opportunity to build upon a great foundation and shape the face of digital government."
With more than 15 years experience in private, governmental and academic organizations, McKee has a track record of broad insight and the ability to leverage technology innovations into effective business solutions. While at the Walt Disney Company, McKee served as Vice President of Global Internet Operations where he directed worldwide Internet infrastructure for sites including ESPN.com, Disney.com, ABCNews.com, GO.com, DisneyStore.com and DisneyTravel.com.
Prior to the Walt Disney Internet Group, he served as General Manager and Senior Executive Producer for GO.com where he managed all aspects of GO.com's personal finance products. McKee also served as Director of Business and Database Systems for Infoseek Corporation, where he managed strategic planning, development and operations of enterprise-wide business and database systems during acquisition by the Walt Disney Company.
McKee established the database engineering organization for Starwave Corporation, and was responsible for design, development and deployment of some of the first enterprise class eCommerce infrastructure for ESPNSportszone.com. McKee also implemented the first real time distributed data architecture based on MSSQL for the Microsoft Corporation's internal technology organization.
McKee holds a BS in Business Administration / Management Accounting from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho and an MBA from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
In announcing McKee's appointment, Gov. Locke added, "I also want to thank Gary Robinson for his leadership at DIS. He did a great job managing the department over the past several months and I know he will be missed." Robinson will return to the Office of Financial Management where he will continue to lead the agency's information services.
What is your background? (where did you grow up, high school, college,
etc.)
From Batavia, New York, my family moved to Oregon when I was 10. I attended high school and lived in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a town located 10 miles from Portland. After high school I attended college at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, and received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1984.
How did you become involved in information technology?
In college I enrolled in several computer programming classes and began to realize how computers could make certain tasks for business, engineering, and everyday life, much more efficient, less time consuming, and accurate. After college, I became heavily involved with the Information Technology functions while working as an engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Engineering Station (NUWES) in Keyport, Washington and decided to pursue Information Technology as a career. In 1987 I left NUWES to accept a contract programmer position with the State of Washington to assist in the development of the statewide title and registration system on the HP3000 platform.
How did you get involved in state government?
From 1987 to 1990 I was a contract programmer for the state developing the statewide title and registration system for DOL. In 1990 I accepted a permanent position with the state as a computer/analyst programmer 4, and have worked with the state and DOL in various capacities since then.
What are the greatest challenges you face as a technology manager in government?
By far the greatest challenge is attempting to balance staff time between the maintenance and support of existing infrastructure and applications with the development of new digital projects, while at the same time keeping up with changing technology. We have high expectations at DOL to continue expansion of our new digital government services (Internet transactions, imaging, migration from legacy applications, data warehouse applications) and to maintain and enhance our existing technology infrastructure and applications that support our customer base within Vehicle Services, Driver Services, Business and Professions, and Administrative Services.
What do you want to accomplish at you DOL (i.e. Vision)?
My vision for DOL and the Information Services division is to create a workplace environment and structure where our employees enjoy coming to work and they have a work environment that is both challenging and empowering.
It is the vision of our agency to become the "digital flagship" of state government and set the standard for implementing technology in new and creative ways realizing efficiencies in our business areas and provide alternate services for the public.
I would like to see DOL have a technology architecture and infrastructure that supports our future needs, and continue migrate from our legacy platforms to our future architecture to simplify our required skill sets and number of platforms that we currently maintain.
What in your career has given you the greatest satisfaction and pride?
Implementing technology that meets our customers and the public needs and provides efficiencies in their everyday life gives me the most satisfaction. Working as part of the team that recently implemented the Vehicle Tab Internet application and the positive public acceptance of the service is very satisfying.
How do you spend your time outside of your work? (e.g. family, hobbies, etc.)
I am the Cross Country and Track coach at Northwest Christian High School in Lacey where my son who is a junior and daughter who is a freshman attend school. Coaching allows me to spend time with my kids while they are in high school and keeps me involved with a sport that I have a great interest, and there is an increasing participation at the high school level.
By R. Kathy Pickens-Rucker, IT Projects Office Manager, Department of Corrections
Do you ever feel as a project manager that someone just said "tag you are it" and left without giving you enough clues or resources? Many times as a project manager I’ve searched for quick help, for tips, for resources, for others like me. The problem has been finding them quickly.
As part of the University of Washington Project Management Certificate Program* four project managers created the U.R.I.T. Project Manager project. The project developed a proposal to establish and sustain a formal network of shared resources for IT project managers. The IPMA, as a result, accepted the proposal and will be hosting a Project Manager’s Special Interest Group or SIG. A "listserv" will be established to which your name or the names of project managers within your organization can be added. An Internet "portal" site will be created with links to many types of valuable information, including:
Participation in the SIG will be free, voluntary, and simple. The degree, to which project managers participate, will determine the degree to which we are able to help each other.
How you can help –
If you are interested in helping or have any questions, please contact me. I will make sure you are added to the "listserv" and will send you a list of the resources identified to date for the site.
R. Kathy Pickens-Rucker
360-586-4494
rkpickens-rucker@doc1.wa.gov
*Each year, the Department of Personnel and the University co-sponsor a nine-month Project Management Certificate program for state IT professionals. Only 25 participants are accepted. Attendees must be nominated by an agency’s senior IT Manager. Nomination forms will be sent to state agencies in mid-July.
-- by David Dobson, e-Larning Program Manager, Department of Personnel
After a successful proof of concept conducted by the Department of Information Services (DIS), the Department of Personnel (DOP) was asked to take eLearning for state employees to the next level. With that in mind the DOP embarked on an intense RFP process, selected strategic partners who understood their requirements, and proceeded with developing the new eLearning Network (ELN). To insure the project's success in a timely manner the DOP IT staff teamed up with the top-notch developers from Logical. Together they analyzed the requirements to designed and implement a custom solution that effectively utilizes and secures the state's training data. As a result the state workforce now has immediate access to over 1200 courses available on-line via their desktop computer. DOP’s eLearning network, part of the department’s training and development services division, offers state employees a wide range of courses in such as project management, problem solving, customer service, leadership, interpersonal communications, and Information Technology.
"Our eLearning network offers employees a new way to learn from the convenience of their own workstation", says David Dobson, program manager. "It’s a great option for those who require on-demand learning at their own pace; work in a remote location; need to brush up on a specific skill (for a meeting or special project); or for those that really like doing things online" explains Dobson. Users also like the ability to come and go in an eLearning course. "People can take control of their own learning. They take as many breaks as they want, do their learning between meetings, and complete the course at their own pace," says Dobson. Also, because of DOP’s "buying clout" with the best of breed content partners, we have negotiated reduced rates that individual agencies just can’t match. We’re saving state agencies up to 35% on eLearning costs," says Dobson.
A variety of DOP’s eLearning courses are designed exclusively for IT professionals. For example, many of the NetG and SkillSoft courses can help those in the IT field gain the knowledge necessary to prepare and work toward one of the many popular certifications such as the MCSE or MCP, or a certificate in project management through Project Management Institute (PMI). Additional high-end IT courses available on-line include Microsoft XP: Collaborative Solutions, SQL Server, and soon all the .Net courses. "Many IT professionals have found that blending the eLearning courses with the more traditional lab and hands on courses creates an effective learning experience" explains Dobson. Experienced DOP staff can work closely with an IT manager or individual, to understand their needs and what results or learning outcomes they’re looking for. Based on the users’ unique situation, DOP staff can then recommend the right mix of online and traditional classroom options most compatible with the IT professionals’ needs and objectives.
Feedback from the over 500 employees currently enrolled in DOP’s new eLearning Network is very positive. "At the completion of each course we request that an on-line class evaluation be completed. This process allows users to provide us with feedback about the course and their overall learning experience. . The evaluations combined with the un-biased course reviews of LGuide.com allow DOP to make agencies training choices simpler. This is what "Smart Choices Made Easy" really means. Most users have rated the courses high in quality and value and have offered positive anecdotal comments ", explains Dobson.
For more information on DOP’s new eLearning network, such as the types of eLearning courses available, how to sign up, frequently asked questions and answers, costs, and technical information, you can visit the DOP booth at this years IPMA Forum, go to the eLearning website at http://hr.dop.wa.gov/eln, or, contact David Dobson at 360.664-1938 or davidd@dop.wa.gov
5 Years Ago -- May 1997 IPMA Newsletter
10 Years Ago -- May 1992 IPMA Newsletter is not available at this time.
15 Years Ago -- May 1987 IPMA Newsletter
20 Years Ago -- May 1982 Association of Data Processing Managers Newsletter (Includes summary of presentation in April 1982 on project management.)
25 Years Ago -- May 1977 Association of Data Processing Managers Newsletter is not available at this time.
Members Present: Mary Ellen Bradley, Thomas Bynum, Phil Grigg, Sheryl Hall, Dennis Jones, Dennis Laine, Bob Monn, Christy Ridout, Darrel Riffe, Doug Tanabe and Shelagh Taylor. Jim Andersen, the Forum Events Manager, was also present.
Doug Tanabe, IPMA Chair, opened the April 2002 meeting of the IPMA Board of Directors at 7:35 a.m.
Reports
Secretary/Treasurer: The minutes from the March 14, 2002, Board meeting were approved.
The Board approved the March financial and activities reports that had been distributed via e-mail.
Business Planning: The annual Corporate Sponsorship luncheon will be held April 25, 2002, at the Indian Summer golf course banquet facility.
Executive Seminar: Phil Grigg reported that, per the board’s direction, he and Darrel Riffe worked on options for scaling back the annual Executive Seminar as a result of the State’s current financial shortfall. He presented their preferred option that had been reviewed with board chair, Doug Tanabe. The proposal is to cancel the Executive Seminar for this year in its current form and replace it with an Executive Summit for calendar year 2002 only. Rather than 21 corporate sponsors and approximately 65 paying state technology executives this year, there would be 21 corporate sponsors and approximately 32 state technology executives. The state technology executives would be by invitation only, selected from those agencies that most consistently had representation at previous executive seminars. In recognition of the state’s current financial troubles, IPMA would pay the expenses of the attendees, including transportation via chartered bus.
Summit topics will be specifically tailored to the current state government environment. Proposed topics include; governing for the new millennium, current economic and budget projections, impacts of collective bargaining and additional topics that may come out of a survey that is currently underway by the Customer Advisory Board (CAB).
The board approved the proposal and directed Phil and Darrel to proceed with preparations.
Forum: Jim Andersen reported that all preparations for this year’s Forum are ahead of schedule. The contract with St. Martin’s has been modified removing DIS as a co-sponsor of the Forum. Jim is also working with Saint Martin's to make it a blanket contract covering all IPMA events held there throughout the year.
Dave Kirk has assisted in arranging the second day keynote speaker, Ed Lightfoot from MY-UW, the personal portal to University of Washington information resources.
This year’s Forum brochure has been developed with many reusable elements which will make future brochures easier and cheaper to construct. The brochure will go to press by May 5, 2002.
Security will be provided by St. Martin’s uniformed staff at about two thirds the cost incurred last year.
Jim is also working to complete arrangements for Judith Franklin, IT director for Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services to be a co-speaker with Mike New from WRQ and Glenn Briskin from Sierra Systems. Due to travel restrictions in Minnesota, IPMA may pay all expenses and be reimbursed by WRQ.
Professional Development: Dennis Jones reported that he and Sheryl Hall have completed the schedule of events for 2002. They are as follows:
Dennis and Sheryl asked the board for input into the schedule for 2003. Based on feedback from attendees, instead of holding seminars on Wednesdays from 8:30 to noon they will try alternating between morning and afternoon sessions using different days of the week.
No shows continue to run at between 10 and 20% of registrations. Fruit is no longer being served as one of the refreshments as it wasn’t very popular and was quite expensive. The classroom format using the larger room with tables seating three to four people seems to be an improvement over the prior arrangement.
Communications: Bob Monn reported that the April issue of the IPMA News was put up on the web site for viewing and the appropriate announcement distributed via the listserv. The format of the April newsletter was changed slightly to "freshen" the look.
The project to develop a plan for ongoing support of the IPMA web site is coming along and should be ready for presentation to the board at the May meeting.
The project to convert archived paper copies of IPMA Newsletters is progressing.
New Business: None
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 a.m.
IPMA, P.O. Box 1943, Olympia, WA 98507-1943