10 Principles to Make Innovation Work for State Governments

This post was originally published by the IT Alliance for Public Sector.

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of pomp and circumstance in state capitals as new governors are inaugurated and as incumbents deliver their State of the State addresses to lay out their visions.  As governors, administrators, and state legislators begin to roll up their sleeves for the work ahead, the IT Alliance for Public Sector (ITAPS), the alliance of leading technology companies in the public sector market, has developed a set of recommendations states should consider to develop their information technology (IT) innovation strategies. 

They represent several months of effort between experts in the field of public acquisition, especially of innovative technologies. From overhauling archaic processes established decades ago that still govern state IT acquisition to finding simple efficiencies that can result in huge savings of both time and money, here are—in no particular order—ITAPS' top 10 principles for an effective innovation strategy:

1.) Make the private sector your partner. The private sector is driving innovation in new technologies and states should leverage that expertise to help speed new efficiencies and capabilities. Example: Michigan’s chief information officer (CIO) created a collaborative public and private sector group to tap into well-vetted commercial sector ideas and experience. 

2.) Adopt a culture of innovation and instill it into the administration of state government. From continuous improvement to operational and substantive issues, an innovation strategy can turn innovation into a cultural value that drives real world savings. Example: California’s Franchise Tax Board modernization for IT systems and processes is expected to help boost state coffers by more than $4.7 billion over the next five and a half years. 

3.) Focus on securing state IT assets. State information systems contain a broad variety of sensitive data, making them high targets for cyber attacks, and they should partner with IT companies already heavily investing in cybersecurity for their products and services. Example: The Texas Department of Information Resources deployed its statewide IT and communications services in conjunction with the service provider to detect and even prevent attacks as well as isolate and segregate a threat to prevent the problem from rippling through the network.

4.) Invest in new technologies. When faced with decades-old legacy systems, looking to technology solutions may exponentially drive efficiencies and transform state government operations. Example: With a mandate to reduce energy spending by 20 percent in 2014, Cleveland State University looked at typical cost-cutting strategies, including assessing technology hardware operation. In printing alone it realized energy usage savings of 225,000 kilowatts per hour and the associated cost savings skyrocketed to $685,000 in the first year.

5.) Build smarter IT procurement. As part of an innovation strategy, states should identify unfriendly business regulations and archaic procurement practices that threaten to slow the acquisition of innovative technology solutions by state agencies and local governments.

6.) Leverage big data. A state's innovation strategy should include a multi-year plan to identify, define, and manage state data as a priority step to being able to leverage and unify volumes of data from disparate sources and perform complex data analysis to measure performance and improve service to constituents.Example: Working with a tier one vendor, Indiana developed an enterprise-wide, data management system to better use the huge volumes of data stored in various systems and make it constituent-centric. Database queries are now 1000 times faster and Indiana can easily obtain deeper insights into areas of improvement across multiple state agencies.

7.) Promote open data. Wherever possible, an innovation strategy should call for the release of data as the new default for government to ensure that data throughout its life cycle is easy to find and accessible.Example: Utah now leads the nation in online vehicle registration after an online overhaul that brought about a higher level of customer service and reduced state costs.

8.) Improve speed of services. An innovation strategy should track the innovation trend in the private sector and leverage agile development methodology, mobility, and other commercially proven hardware and software solutions, which can magnify speed to market and improve citizens’ lives. Example: Many 911 calls do not require transportation to a hospital emergency room. Houston provided new tablets with cameras to first responders linked with physicians in dispatch centers to better determine those that do, increasing response times to the most pressing emergencies.

9.) Expand cross-jurisdictional collaboration. Strained local and state budgets alike over the past several years forced collaborative projects between states and in state and local governments. An IT innovation strategy should identify those kinds of opportunities to save costs and enhance services. Example: The Los Angeles County and USC Healthcare Network, with four major hospitals and 19 clinics, determined that every unit was running its own procurement process and IT hub and collaboratively realigned to one main hub hosting all major applications for the system.

10.) Grant broad oversight authority to a state CIO. An innovation strategy should put the state CIO in the governor's Cabinet to provide direct access to senior executive levels of the administration. The CIO should also have broad authority to oversee all state agency IT procurement strategies to maximize technology investments.

More than a set of recommendations, our innovation principles are really a roadmap for how states can better drive their investments in IT goods, services, and solutions for their constituents. As you can see, many are backed by real-world examples of where states successfully adopted better practices or the latest technologies in a win-win, improving constituents’ lives and saving taxpayer dollars

As states move forward to bring their government services into the 21st century, we look forward to engaging with them as a partner in their future success. 

About ITAPS. ITAPS, a division of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), is an alliance of leading technology companies offering the latest innovations and solutions to public sector markets. With a focus on the federal, state, and local levels of government, as well as on educational institutions, ITAPS advocates for improved procurement policies and practices, while identifying business development opportunities and sharing market intelligence with our industry participants. Visit itaps.itic.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter @ITAlliancePS.