ict strategic planning guideline - department of finance ... · pdf file... information...

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Strategic Planning Guideline

Version 5.3

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Department of Finance and Services i

ICT Strategic Planning Guideline

Document Ownership Information

Document Owner M Livesley

Document Preparation

Document Confidentiality

Document Name and Version Control (Circulated versions only)

Document Name & Location www.services.nsw.gov.au

Version Date Author Changes Included

1.0 (First Release)

August 1997 OIT contractor First release based on drafts and feedback from reviewers.

5.0 May 2004

5.1 April 2009 T Sarkar Downloaded from archived OIT website Removed IM&T references

5.2 Sept 2010 T Sarkar Removed GCIO references

5.3 June 2011 D Anspal Changed contact details

Department of Finance and Services ii


Table of Contents

Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... ii

Using This Guideline ............................................................................................................. 1

1. NSW Government Requirements for ICT Strategic Planning .......................................... 2

1.1 ICT Strategic Planning Overview ................................................................................ 2

1.2 ICT ............................................................................................................................. 3

1.3 ICT Strategic Plan vs. ICT Business Cases ................................................................ 4

1.4 Accountability for delivering ICT Strategic Plan Outcomes and preparing Benefits Management Plans ..................................................................................................... 4

2. Introduction to ICT Strategic Planning ............................................................................. 5

3. Outline of Current Position .............................................................................................. 7

3.1 Agency snap-shot and current business environment ................................................. 7

3.2 Current ICT environment ............................................................................................ 7

3.3 Review of the previous ICT Strategic Plan .................................................................. 7

4. Issues Driving Change in the Current Environment ......................................................... 9

4.1 ICT and wider government policy drivers and priorities ............................................... 9

4.2 Sector developments or multi (cross)-agency business or service collaboration opportunities ............................................................................................................... 9

4.3 Agency Strategic and Corporate objectives and Results and Services Plan outcomes9

4.4 Stakeholder needs .................................................................................................... 10

4.5 Funding or staffing imperatives ................................................................................. 10

4.6 Planned obsolescence and / or system failures occurring ......................................... 10

4.7 Emerging technologies and application improvements ............................................. 10

5. Developing an ICT Strategy ...........................................................................................11

6. Projected Outcomes and Deliverables ...........................................................................12

7. Governance and Management .......................................................................................13

7.1 Roles and Responsibilities ........................................................................................ 13

7.2 Governance and Management frameworks .............................................................. 14

8. Structure of an ICT Strategic Plan ..................................................................................16

Department of Finance and Services 1


Using This Guideline

The objective of this Guideline is to:

Describe ICT strategic planning and provide guidance in how to undertake the ICT strategic planning process;

Provide guidance in the preparation of an ICT Strategic Plan; and

Provide guidance in preparing a Benefits Management Plan to manage the achievement of the benefits identified in the ICT Strategic Plan.

The following resources should be used to assist the review of ICT strategic directions, preparing ICT Strategic Plans, and developing an overarching Benefits Management Plan:

ICT Strategic Planning Process – Information Sheet

ICT Steering Committee – Information Sheet

ICT Strategic Plan Template (not up to date)

Benefits Realisation Guideline

This Guideline describes the ICT strategic planning process as well as how an ICT Strategic Plan should be structured.

The Guideline was developed to assist government agencies to plan and therefore control the use of, and investment in, information management systems, information technology and communications technology and infrastructure. The Guideline includes suggested mechanisms for addressing wider Government policy priorities and ICT directions, as well as actions to ensure that each agency’s individual corporate and business goals are supported by ICT strategies that are measurable with specific outcomes and deliverables.

The Guideline comprises 8 Sections:

1. NSW Government Requirements for ICT Strategic Planning

2. Introduction to ICT Strategic Planning

3. Developing an ICT Strategy

4. Outline of Current Position

5. Issues Driving Change in the Current Environment

6. Projected Outcomes and Deliverables

7. Governance and Management

8. Structure of an ICT Strategic Plan



1. NSW Government Requirements for ICT Strategic Planning

All agencies are required to update and review their Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Strategic directions on an annual basis in accordance with the NSW Government Strategic Management Framework. The annual advice to agencies describes the policy objectives of the Government, and provides guidance about what agencies need to address in the review of their ICT Strategic Plans. Consequently, this ICT Strategic Planning Guideline should be read in conjunction with the annual advice to agencies.

1.1 ICT Strategic Planning Overview

The Strategic Management Framework ‘guides agencies in service delivery planning, the allocation of appropriate resources and reporting on performance’.

The Framework is designed to assist agencies plan service delivery from the broader context of the government’s overarching strategic agenda and priorities, such as improving service delivery and the Government’s ICT priorities; to individual agency strategic, corporate and program plans, which explain how an agency will achieve and resource its desired service delivery results.

It also reinforces the government’s expectation that agencies are held accountable for delivering services to the community. The recently introduced Results and Services Plans (RSPs) provide the high-level service delivery plan that assists agencies to demonstrate the relationship between services delivered, available resources and results achieved.

In reviewing ICT strategic directions, agencies are required to ensure that their use and application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is consistent with wider Government policies and priorities, supports individual agency strategic and corporate business objectives and Results and Services Plan outcomes, is aligned with the ICT strategic directions and priorities of the Government, and actively contributes to efficient Government practices. This relationship between ICT strategic planning and agency strategic and corporate planning, as described in the Strategic Management Framework, is described in Figure 1.

The key drivers and priorities of an agency’s strategic and corporate plans will vary from time to time in accordance with changes in wider government directions and policy priorities, as well as stakeholder and client needs. This will require a corresponding shift or refocus in ICT drivers and priorities.



ICT Strategic Plans should encompass a two to three year period and provide a realistic and achievable framework against which the agency is able to demonstrate that its use and management of ICT is consistent with its strategic and corporate objectives, its Results and Services Plan, as well as wider government policies. This Guideline has been designed to assist agencies with the process of developing ICT strategies and preparation of an ICT Strategic Plan. It describes the ICT strategic planning process, provides reporting forms and a template for preparing an ICT Strategic Plan.

ICT Strategic Plans need to both reflect and inform financial and asset strategies (such as plans for Assets, Asset Maintenance, Asset Disposal, capital investments) and workforce planning.

1.2 ICT

This Guideline retains use of the term ICT in relation to the management, governance and accountability issues that agencies must address. It also uses the term ICT in relation to the resources or components being managed.

Wider Government and ICT Strategic policy directions and priorities (e.g., Improved Service

Delivery, Government’s ICT priorities)

Agency Strategic and Corporate Plans, & RSP Outcomes,

including Service Delivery Plans (or RSP), Back-Office Plans and

Financial and Asset Plans

ICT Strategic

Plans

Figure 1: Relationship of ICT Strategic Planning to the

Strategic Management Framework.



1.3 ICT Strategic Plan vs. ICT Business Cases

Agency ICT Strategic Plans are referred to by Department of Finance and Services (DFS) and NSW Treasury to ensure they are aligned with wider government priorities and ICT directions, agency Strategic and Corporate Plans, Results and Services Plans, and budget funding. DFS and NSW Treasury also refer to ICT Strategic Plans when assessing funding submissions (business cases) for new business change initiatives involving ICT to ensure there is alignment between the business case(s) and the Plan.

1.4 Accountability for delivering ICT Strategic Plan Outcomes and preparing Benefits Management Plans

The Strategic Management Framework reflects the increasing emphasis by the Government on performance management reporting for all program and service delivery activities. Agencies, through their Results and Services Plans (RSPs) are required to demonstrate the relationship between services delivered, available resources and results achieved.

The level of accountability that applies to agency business cases for business change initiatives involving an ICT investment is now extended to ICT Strategic Plans. That is, Agencies are required to develop ICT strategies that show clear linkages to their Service Delivery Plans and RSP Outcomes, and that have measurable and achievable deliverables. Targets that are set-out in the ICT Strategic Plan should be realistic in terms of budget funding, agency resources and capabilities and should include a discussion of what will be achieved with current levels of budget support (capital and recurrent). Targets should also be prioritized as High, Medium and Low need.

Agencies proposing an extensive program of work (in cost, duration or number of initiatives) are required to clearly show the business and government priorities for the work and the level of improvements that can be achieved with the least investment.

Agencies are required to monitor the progress being made in achieving the strategies and projects set out in their ICT Strategic Plans and tracking the achievement of all claimed business benefits and improvements. This monitoring process is particularly important where the ICT Strategic Plan contains significant organisational change and improvements. Consequently, agencies are required to develop a separate overarching Benefits Management Plan (BMP) for the ICT Strategic Plan using the Benefits Realisation Guideline.

Agencies are to ensure that all claimed benefits contained in the Benefits Management Plan for the ICT Strategic Plan are consistent with and contribute to the agency’s Results and Services Plan.

Where the ICT Strategic Plan has been developed for a cross-agency initiative or shared service arrangement, an overarching BMP is also required. In addition, participating agencies are also required to develop their own individual BMP to manage the activities to achieve the benefits that they are responsible for delivering under the cross-agency ICT Strategic Plan.

A Benefits Management Plan is a tool to assist agencies to manage and track the achievement of outcomes and benefits outlined in their ICT Strategic Plans. They may be used by agencies to demonstrate progress against their Plans and may assist in the annual budget and Results and Services Plans negotiations with Treasury.

Agencies must ensure that a Benefits Management Plan is developed and kept up to date.



2. Introduction to ICT Strategic Planning

An Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Strategic Plan defines the way an agency proposes to manage and enhance its information assets to support its current and future business needs. The ICT Strategic Plan becomes a tool that agencies use to communicate its ICT Strategy both internally and externally.

The purpose of an ICT Strategic Plan is to ensure that ICT activities and investments are aligned with strategic and corporate objectives, and to define the ICT standards and policies that agencies have in place.

ICT Strategic Plans are used as tools for decision-making about future acquisitions. Any new proposal to change or enhance business processes should be tested to ensure that it conforms to the approved ICT Strategic Plan.

An ICT Strategic Plan, like Corporate and Business Plans, is an output from an ICT strategic planning process. The ICT strategic planning process involves planning for business systems, information management, asset management, and information and communications technology that supports the strategic and corporate objectives of the agency. The planning process should also take into account wider government policy priorities to ensure the needs of key stakeholders are met. ICT strategic planning also includes establishment of appropriate governance and accountability structures to ensure that Government, strategic and corporate objectives effectively drive the ICT strategies being pursued.

Therefore, the purpose of undertaking an ICT strategic planning process is to look ahead and determine whether the existing ICT environment in an agency will effectively support future business needs and contribute to achieving the agency’s Results and Services Plan (RSP) outcomes and wider government policy priorities, and if not, what changes can and will be made.

The ICT Strategy should therefore reflect the consideration and assessment an agency has given of the following issues:

Its current position (agency business and ICT environment snapshot);

The issues driving change;

The ICT strategy the agency will adopt to address these issues;

The measurable outcomes and deliverables that will be achieved by implementing the strategies and projects outlined in the ICT Strategic Plan;

The governance and management framework that will be adopted to assign responsibilities and accountability for achieving the desired outcomes.

It follows that ICT Strategic Plans are an integral part of agencies’ strategic and corporate plans. An ICT strategy is a support strategy that exists to underpin the agency’s core business strategies and defines:

The business benefits and outcomes to be achieved by the agency through the pursuit of its ICT strategy;

How the ICT strategy will enable the agency to achieve service delivery outcomes under its Results and Services Plan (RSP) and contribute to the Government’s ICT and wider policy objectives;

The key projects by which the agency’s ICT strategy will be implemented; and

The way in which achievement of benefits will be managed, and the timing of their realisation.



ICT strategic planning is a process that is undertaken in four key steps:

Step 1 - Develop the ICT Strategic Vision for the agency;

Step 2 - Develop meaningful ICT requirements based on current and emerging business needs;

Step 3 - Develop a realistic and achievable ICT Strategy; and

Step 4 - Commit to the ICT Strategy.

The timing of these steps should be aligned with agencies’ own corporate and business planning cycles. For more detailed information about what is involved in each of the strategic planning process steps see the Information Sheet on the ICT Strategic Planning Process.




3.1 Agency snap-shot and current business environment

The purpose of providing a ‘snap-shot’ of the agency in the ICT Strategic Plan is to illustrate the characteristics of the organisation, such as the mission and core objectives, number of staff, locations, core business, etc. It should also include an outline of the business environment such as; key stakeholders and customers, range of products and services provided, how and where clients can access products and services, average annual transaction volumes for core services, etc. These indicators help to put the ICT Strategic Plan into the right context for the reader to understand the scale and scope of the business and service delivery priorities of the agency.

3.2 Current ICT environment

This section of the ICT Strategic Plan provides an overview of the business and information systems and applications, telecommunications environment and information technology architectures and technical infrastructures being used in the agency. This information is the base line data against which the reader can compare the ICT strategies and proposed ICT projects contained in the ICT Strategic Plan.

This section of the ICT Strategic Plan should include a general technical environment summary as well as descriptions and analyses of the various application and system components. For example, the hardware description may comprise the elements that make up the hardware environment (servers, workstations, etc), what has been the acquisition and maintenance program, what problems or limitations are occurring, etc. It is recommended that the detailed information about an agency’s current ICT environment be contained in an Appendix to the main ICT Strategic Plan. The ICT Strategic Plan Template contains the required format for this information.

It is assumed that an Information Asset Register has been developed by the agency in accordance with Information Management Guidelines. The major system components identified in the current ICT environment should identify the information assets they support and be cross-referenced to the Information Asset Register. This applies to the application using the assets as well as the hardware involved. The Information Asset Register also provides the starting point for information security policies and plans. Refer to the www.services.nsw.gov.au website for more detailed information and Guidelines on Information Security.

3.3 Review of the previous ICT Strategic Plan

All NSW government agencies have been required to undertake ICT strategic planning since 1997. Hence, most agencies have managed several ICT strategic planning cycles in this time. As with any other business program, agencies should analyse the outcome of previous ICT Strategic Plan initiatives so that these experiences can inform the current ICT strategic planning process. That is, learn from mistakes and build on successes.

This section of any new ICT Strategic Plan should look at the implementation of previous ICT strategies and assess how much of the previous strategy was achieved and the reasons why some objectives were not fully implemented. For example:

Were some strategies not pursued because government policy directions changed? How did this impact on the agency and were corporate and business plans revised as a result of the changes?

http://www.services.nsw.gov.au/



Was the scale of the proposed strategies too ambitious? Were there too many strategies and projects that caused resources to be spread too thinly? Were individual strategies scoped so broadly that it was difficult to define meaningful outcomes and deliverables within the time frame of the Plan?

How successful was your participation in cross-agency or wider government initiatives?

How accurate were the predictions of the impacts of emerging technologies on the business? Did you take the lead in any sector initiatives and did you gain support from other agencies? Did you participate on any cross-agency or sector based initiative and was your input valued?

How effective was your governance and management framework in ensuring that the ICT strategies were implemented according to the Plan and achieved desired outcomes? What changes would you make to strengthen the governance framework?

Were any opportunities lost because they were not anticipated and did not fit the ICT Strategy?

Were opportunities lost because the supporting business cases did not attract the necessary funding in the forecast timeframe?

Were there any functions of the business that were not addressed in the ICT Strategic Plan and did the exclusion of these functions cause problems during the implementation period?

Did the previous Plan deliver all the claimed benefits? If not, where were benefits not realised, and why?




4.1 ICT and wider government policy drivers and priorities

The NSW Government has adopted a series of whole-of-government strategies for the management and use of ICT to streamline and reform government business practices, reduce costs and improve service delivery within government and to the community and business. Agency ICT Strategic Plans should include a discussion of how each strategic direction is aligned with, and actively supports, whole of Government ICT strategic directions and wider government policy priorities.

ICT Strategic Plans should clearly show how the chosen strategic direction supports broader government policy priorities and agency strategic and corporate objectives. The wider policy priority areas of government are targeted at improving government service delivery and internal agency business practices. Agencies need to consider initiatives that support these and other stated government policy directions; contribute to agency Strategic and Corporate Plans and Results and Services Plan (RSP) outcomes; deliver value for money; and support business integration and consolidation.

4.2 Sector developments or multi (cross)-agency business or service collaboration opportunities

In support of the Cabinet decision in May 2000 to improve information sharing within and between agencies (Premier’s Memorandum No: 2000-12, Meeting the Government’s Information and Communications Technology Strategic Agenda), the Government is encouraging agencies to work together where there are demonstrated business needs to streamline business practices and/or enhance service delivery to the community.

Many agencies already participate in sector or cluster-based information sharing forums or are involved in joint service delivery initiatives. Many of these initiatives are possible because of improvements in supporting technologies, such as Internet protocols and encryption.

Agencies are actively encouraged to explore how they can lead or participate in a range of cross-agency business and service delivery reform opportunities. Some of these are well underway with the implementation of the government Shared Corporate Services Strategy. Other cross-agency programs may focus on common business functions (such as the Government Licensing System project), common clients (such as the Human Services Better Service Delivery Program), or common service delivery opportunities (such as the Government Access Centres).

4.3 Agency Strategic and Corporate objectives and Results and Services Plan outcomes

Changes to the annual budget process means that agencies are required to prepare Results and Services Plans (RSPs) to show how they will use approved budget funding to support service delivery and ‘back office’ strategies. RSPs are high-level service delivery plans that assist an agency to demonstrate the relationship between the services it delivers and the results it is working towards.

ICT Strategic Plans must demonstrate a clear link between the ICT strategies and projects being pursued and the agency’s RSP outcomes that will be achieved. This can take the form of a table or matrix to present the information, but this must be accompanied by a narrative analysis of the extent to which the ICT strategies will contribute to achieving the RSP outcomes.

http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/publications/memos_and_circulars/ministerial_memoranda/2000/m2000-12

http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/publications/memos_and_circulars/ministerial_memoranda/2000/m2000-12



4.4 Stakeholder needs

ICT Strategic Plans must demonstrate that key stakeholders have been consulted in the preparation of the Plan, as well as the development of key strategies, initiatives and projects. This will ensure that the ICT strategies are not developed in isolation to the business and that stakeholder needs are driving the desired outcomes of the Plan.

4.5 Funding or staffing imperatives

ICT Strategic Plans need to be developed in the context of wider organisational (agency) operational constraints and priorities. Business Managers have a responsibility to inform the ICT strategic planning process of the operational factors such as planned or actual budget support and staffing imperatives that are influencing changes in ICT requirements. ICT Strategic Plans need to both reflect and inform financial and asset strategies (such as plans for Assets, Asset Maintenance, Asset Disposal, capital investments) and workforce planning. Consequently, all proposed ICT strategies, initiatives and projects need to be adopted by the relevant Business Manager(s) prior to inclusion in the ICT Strategic Plan.

4.6 Planned obsolescence and / or system failures occurring

The assessment of the issues driving change in the current environment should include issues occurring with the current ICT environment and planned redundancy or upgrade paths that are managed as part of an agency’s Financial and Asset Strategy and Plans for Asset Maintenance, disposal and investment (that is, Total Asset Management (TAM) Plan). For example, if an agency decided that its desktop equipment has an average service life of 3 years, it may decide to replace 1/3 of its desktop equipment each year to spread the cost and disruption, or maintain some of its desktop equipment longer than 3 years.

It is important that detailed information about the current ICT environment of an agency be contained in an Appendix to the main ICT Strategic Plan. The ICT Strategic Plan Template contains the required format for this information, including the current status and future direction of each component.

4.7 Emerging technologies and application improvements

Other issues driving change in the current environment generally relate to emerging technologies and application improvements. This part of the ICT Strategic Plan should critically analyse the opportunities and costs of these issues.



5. Developing an ICT Strategy

This section of the ICT Strategic Plan must clearly identify the changes in the business objectives and functions of the agency that need to be supported by changes in the ICT environment (business systems and applications, information management systems, ICT infrastructure). This should be supported by a discussion about what will be changed, justification for the change, impact on the business, timeframe, funding and resourcing. The information in this section should demonstrate how an agency intends to progress from its current situation and environment to a desired situation and environment at the end of the Plan timeframe.

ICT projects are the means by which an agency can implement the strategies in an ICT Strategic Plan. Consequently, descriptions about current and proposed projects provide the detailed information about how an agency intends to implement its strategies. This is also the reason why specific reporting forms have been developed to make the description and collection of this information more uniform for comparative purposes.

This section of the ICT Strategic Plan should provide an outline of existing and proposed projects and how these support the new strategy. It should also identify if any existing projects need to be re-focused to fit the new strategy or abandoned altogether. The ICT Strategic Plan Template contains the required Forms to be used to list the current and proposed projects as well as to present project description information (Project Briefs).

The final part of this section should outline the proposed ICT Strategic Plan schedule in the form of a Gantt Chart that shows all existing and proposed projects, as well as any other key milestones of the ICT Strategic Plan.




This section of the ICT Strategic Planning Guideline is a new requirement introduced in 2003 to reflect the increasing demands of the government and community for better accountability. This means that any new initiative or investment (ICT or non-ICT) must be able to clearly state what benefits and service delivery outcomes will be delivered from the project and when they will be achieved. In addition, agencies must be able to demonstrate that they have a process in place to monitor and manage the achievement of the stated benefits and outcomes of a project or strategy.

Agencies are now required to clearly articulate and demonstrate the measurable outcomes and deliverables that will be achieved by undertaking the strategies and projects identified in the ICT Strategic Plan.

This is to be demonstrated in a Benefits Management Plan to manage, monitor and track the achievement of the desired outcomes and deliverables throughout the ICT Strategic Plan’s lifecycle. Agencies are to ensure that all claimed benefits contained in the Benefits Management Plan for the ICT Strategic Plan are consistent with and contribute to the agency’s Results and Services Plan.

Agencies are also required to clearly articulate and demonstrate the evaluation framework that will be used to measure and report on achievements against the ICT Strategic Plan.




There is overwhelming evidence in government and the private sector that a key element in the successful implementation of ICT programs is the personal endorsement, commitment and ongoing support of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This will ensure that ICT programs are aligned with and support Government polices and priorities, as well as the agency’s individual business and program objectives.

In undertaking an ICT strategic planning process and developing an ICT Strategic Plan, it is the responsibility of the CEO and the Executive Management Team to establish or review all governance and accountability structures that exist within the agency.

ICT Governance and Accountability generally refers to the processes by which the ICT functions within organisations are directed, controlled and held to account. It encompasses authority, accountability, leadership, direction, and control exercised within the organisation. Key elements of ICT Governance and Accountability includes; the transparency of operations, establishing effective risk management, continuity and internal control systems, and the accountability of ICT Management to its agency through, for example, clear and timely disclosure.

ICT Management generally refers to how the ICT functions utilise resources to achieve strategic and operational goals. Key elements of ICT Management include strategic and operational planning; implementing and monitoring risk management and internal control systems; and providing accurate and timely communication of progress and results to the CEO and Executive Management Team.

The ICT strategic planning process provides the opportunity to review agency ICT governance, accountability and management arrangements. In particular, it is recommended that agencies regularly review the charter, functions and membership of committees that may be established to provide guidance, coordination and oversight of ICT related activities, such as an ICT Steering Committee or individual project Steering Committees. Refer to the ICT Steering Committee Information Sheet for more information.

7.1 Roles and Responsibilities

The ICT Strategic Plan should outline the roles, responsibilities and accountabilities assigned to the ICT Steering Committee, Chief Information Officer and Responsible Business Unit Managers in relation to the planned initiatives and work. It should also demonstrate that the relevant people have been given adequate support, advice and training to undertake their responsibilities and manage their accountabilities effectively.

ICT Steering Committee

The ICT Steering Committee is the key body convened to ensure that the ICT strategies being pursued by an agency are aligned with its strategic and corporate objectives, budget and Results and Services Plan. Its role is to ensure effective use and management of the ICT resources of an agency, and that the agency only undertakes ICT projects that have been planned and prioritised within the scope of its ICT Strategic Plan and forecast budgets.

A complete list of responsibilities and a suggested format for the Terms of Reference for the ICT Steering Committee is provided in the ICT Steering Committee Information Sheet.

Chief Information Officer

The role of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is to ensure that agency information management resources support the business needs of the agency and reflect the government's ICT strategic priorities. The scope of CIO responsibilities should include, but not be limited to, all agency information and information-related activities including network



and telecommunications services, data administration, publishing, libraries, archives and records management. Also included in this scope is information-related procurement services and project and contract management.

The role of the CIO is to be accountable for planning and managing all information management resources, to set corporate infrastructure standards and support the responsibilities of business managers in the agency. In this context, the role of the CIO is to provide executive-level support for the strategic business planning, financial planning and business process reform of the agency.

Details of the relationships between the CIO and business unit managers will vary from one agency to another.

Responsible Business Unit Managers

The role of Responsible Business Unit Managers is to ensure that the business needs of their area of interest is effectively represented in any ICT planning activity, and that they take responsibility for the business process reform and relevant implementation activities of any ICT initiative that supports their business.

Business Unit Managers are responsible for:

Ensuring business solutions support agreed government and agency strategic and corporate objectives and Results and Services Plan outcomes;

Identifying and planning their business system requirements as an integral part of their business planning process;

Participating in ICT strategic planning activities and project scoping studies, to ensure that their business needs are adequately supported by any new or enhanced ICT initiative;

Undertaking and delivering the necessary business process reform activities of approved ICT projects in accordance with the implementation plan;

Realising the benefits of approved ICT projects where identified responsibilities have been assigned to them in project Benefits Management Plans or the Benefits Management Plan for the ICT Strategic Plan;

Ensuring that business solutions support agreed government and agency business objectives and outcomes.

7.2 Governance and Management frameworks

In addition to the specific roles and responsibilities outlined above, the ICT Strategic Plan should provide a framework within which all ICT activities are undertaken. This involves establishing governance and management protocols and standards that will be used across the agency for any ICT initiative or ICT project. The governance and management frameworks that agencies should establish and describe in the ICT Strategic Plan include:

1) Project management methodology adopted;

2) Risk management framework adopted;

3) Change management framework adopted;

4) Benefits Management process adopted;

5) Information Security program adopted



This section of the ICT Strategic Plan should identify and describe the methodologies and frameworks that have been adopted for use in the agency for each of the 5 areas noted above. As each individual project progresses into the detailed planning phase, the methodologies and frameworks will have to be customised to suit the requirements of the project. Therefore, this section of the ICT Strategic Plan should also outline a standard process that is to be used by all Project Mangers to customise the methodologies and frameworks for each individual project.



8. Structure of an ICT Strategic Plan

The output of the ICT strategic planning process will be a collection of research, needs, opportunities and ideas that need to be organised into a document (the ICT Strategic Plan) that communicates the intended ICT strategies for internal and external stakeholders. The ICT Strategic Plan should answer the questions: Where are we now? How does the ICT environment support strategic and corporate objectives and wider government policy priorities? What are we planning the ICT environment to look like in 3 years time? What needs to be changed and why? What initiatives can be progressed realistically within the planning horizon? What outcomes and benefits will be delivered from pursuing the ICT Strategy?

The fast pace of technological advances means that it is not possible or meaningful to accurately predict which kinds of technology will be needed in the business beyond a two or three year planning horizon. It is suggested that ICT Strategic Plans generally cover a three-year planning horizon with annual reviews. If an agency decides to use a different planning horizon this needs to be explained and justified within its own business context.

An ICT Strategic Plan is essentially a communication tool (as is any corporate or business plan) used by an agency to describe and justify the way it manages and applies its ICT resources. The scope and nature of the ICT Strategic Plan should demonstrate how the agency is:

Aligning technology to support wider government and agency service delivery priorities;

Disseminating knowledge about technology needs and constraints;

Building alliances with key decision-makers;

Assigning responsibilities for managing ICT resources and achieving desired outcomes;

Bidding for (and obtaining) financial and other resources;

Addressing existing technology needs;

Keeping an eye on the leading edge.

It is critical to remember that an ICT Strategic Plan is a statement about priorities and their implementation, given the best knowledge at the time of planning, and that all kinds of events may cause the reality to be different from the Plan. This is the reason that the NSW Premier’s Department requires all agencies to review their ICT Strategic Plans annually and provide a progress update report to DFS.

The context of an ICT Strategic Plan should outline how the ICT Strategic Plan aligns with agency strategic and corporate planning and budgeting processes and how the agency will use the ICT Strategic Plan as a planning tool over the life of the Plan.



DFS recommends structuring the ICT Strategic Plan into 7 Sections and a series of supporting Appendices as follows:

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction



5. ICT Strategy



Appendix 1 – Current ICT Environment

Appendix 2 – Schedule of Current Projects

Appendix 3 – Schedule of Proposed projects

Appendix 4 – Project Briefs

Appendix 5 – ICT Steering Committee Terms of Reference

Appendix 6 – Alignment of ICT Strategies with government ICT policies and strategies and wider government policy directives

Appendix 7 – Supporting References

Appendix 8 - Glossary

The ICT Strategic Plan Template is available on request to assist agencies to prepare an ICT Strategic Plan using this structure.

NSW Department of Finance and Services ICT Policy Branch McKell Building 2-24 Rawson Place Sydney NSW 2000 T: 02 9372 8877 F: 02 9372 8640 TTY: 1300 301 181

www.services.nsw.gov.au

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