Most local government managers would like to use information technology (IT) that helps their organizations serve the community by reducing costs, expanding services, and eliminating risk. Sometimes it's not so easy. This book is intended to be a practical guide for local government managers wanting to maximize the value of IT in their organizations. It provides recommendations for aligning IT with local government's strategic vision, identifying opportunities to leverage technology, as well as tackling the ever-challenging step of getting started. Simply adopting individual technologies to fulfill each need as it arises is not the answer. This short-sighted approach has helped to install many of the incompatible technologies that live within local governments today. Technology must be approached from the broader perspective as facilitator of an integrated organization that works together. As our governments adopt more complex technologies, quality management systems are needed to ensure that there is alignment - not conflict - with the goals of the business. If problems exist within the IT infrastructure, there are a whole host of headaches and issues that can slow or even stop government services. At the core, it is important to understand industry norms and how your IT group compares in terms of functionality, structure and cost to other successful government IT systems. If organizational processes are designed collectively and IT is managed properly, local government managers will be empowered to save taxpayer dollars, reduce business risk, enhance services delivered to the community, and even identify new revenue streams. Local governments are in the process of a metamorphosis. Organizations are transitioning from a collection of isolated departments with separate functions and deliverables, to a unified business that shares information through linked processes. At the heart of the transformation is visionary leadership combined with dynamic and clear management of the technology. Along with this spirit of transformation, we must be able to use our IT resources more wisely. Communities are increasing their demands for services, while challenging economic times are intensifying downward fiscal pressures. As a result, local governments are searching for ways to lower their cost to serve - examining both what services are provided and how they are delivered. Changing political leadership and evolving technologies can often make achieving effective IT seem impossible. Written by management and IT experts with years of hands-on experience working with city and county managers, Transforming Government is a hands-on manual that outlines the steps to align IT with local government's strategic vision, maximize the value of IT, and begin the transformation.
About the Author: Ernest Pages As a founder and a partner at Sciens LLC, Management Consulting, Ernest Pages is a renowned authority in information technology management and communications systems design. For more than 25 years, he has designed effective systems and support services for local, state and international government entities. He has led hundreds of projects with both public and private sector organizations assisting them in strategic planning and large systems implementations, from needs identification through vendor selection and contract negotiation. Today, Pages brings his experience and expertise to local governments - both city and county governments - to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations, optimize their processes, and better leverage the technologies available. The Sciens methodology delivers field-proven, structured, replicable and scalable processes that can help to align government operations with the needs of the community. Pages earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from Florida Atlantic University, as well as a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (MSIE) from the University of Miami. Stephen Gousie As a co-founder and a partner at Sciens LLC, Management Consulting, Stephen Gousie is a nationally recognized expert in project management, business process analysis and reengineering, and technology acquisition. Gousie strives to deliver visionary strategic plans to his clients that are practical solutions respecting fiscal limits. His approach helps to improve processes and streamline the organization to eliminate inefficiencies. Leading hundreds of projects with teams of all sizes in both the public and private sectors, he has managed projects in strategic planning and integrated systems definition and acquisition. His portfolio includes Web services, client server and legacy integration. With more than 20 years of experience leading strategic programs, Gousie has supported companies including NEC Solutions America, Niteo Partners, Zefer Consulting, and Information Mapping, Inc. Previously, he was a business analyst for the U.S. Customs Service and assistant controller for the Water Pollution Control Federation. Gousie earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics from The George Washington University, and a Master of Science in Management (MSM) from Lesley University.