When investments of this size are made, potent forces that operate just below the surface of the technology itself usually fuel them. Today, there are five such forces driving new waves of government IT investment.
One is the emergence of real-time government. Traditionally, governments have adjusted to changing conditions through the predictable timetables for budgeting, legislative sessions and elections. Unless a crisis occurs, major adjustments to changes in the needs of citizens and businesses take place on an annual basis.
Operating in real time, however, would mean that governments make continuous adjustments to changes in conditions. Rather than wait for regularly scheduled events, a state or city would respond as fluctuations in economic, demographic, health and social conditions occur. So, operating in real time means continuously updating information and reporting performance, making it easy to gain access to consistent information and being open for business 24/7. A continuously coordinated response to changing conditions has to extend across the government enterprise and involve the entire delivery system.
A second driving force is the increased importance of external information. Much of the government investment in technology over the past three decades has focused on management information systems that capture more and more detailed information about the operations of government. The goal has been to get better information to improve the efficiencies of government and to gain better control over its operation.
Overlooked, however, has been information about what is happening outside of government. The well-known business management guru, Peter Drucker, sees this as one of the most pervasive conditions in all organizations today. Too often, state and local governments know far too little about the true situation as it exists in their jurisdictions and beyond. That is why government leaders can sometimes be quite surprised to discover what has been happening right under their noses. Future investments in sensory and surveillance systems for monitoring changes in conditions will help address this situation.
A third driving force is the need to build and operate industrial- strength information systems and networks. In the year ahead, most governments will be spending more on technology in order to enhance the security, availability and robustness of their critical systems. A real danger exists if government leaders fail to see the connection between investing more in securing their technology and being able to operate government and deliver services without interruption. Don Upson, Virginia's outgoing Secretary of Technology, is passionate about the need to educate elected officials about the importance of making such investments and how these investments will help a state government achieve its goals.
Interdependence is another driving force. It's rare today that any government program can operate independently of others--or that any one level of government can accomplish its mission without the cooperation of other levels. Integrating the technology across governments and putting in place programs to support this interdependency is hard. States will dedicate more resources toward integrating the data, the business processes, the applications and the policies than they will on integrating the technology itself.
A final driving force is the shift in focus to the front lines where results are produced. Caseworkers, corrections officers, sworn law enforcement personnel, inspectors and customer service representatives need to be armed with the best tools and latest information available. And their needs for technology and information are very different from the needs of elected officials, senior executives, program managers and those in an oversight role. How well workers in the field are supported is rapidly becoming the critical determinant of government performance. The application of technology in support of the operational needs of people in the field will drive future technology investments in such areas as mobile communications systems.
These powerful driving forces underlie much of the future investments states and localities will need to make in technology. They surpass the latest technology fashions. Educating top officials about the importance of these forces and making the connection between these forces, technology and performance is one of the greatest challenges facing state and local government IT leaders as they reach out to build support for next year's technology budget.
