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<br />aOO~a2 <br /> <br />and COBOL for legacy syStems. Other portions of the Department's technology <br />direction have not been as stable: kiosks and imaging/OCR. To make significant <br />progress, the Department needs a strong, coordinated effort that is supported by <br />projects focused on a thorough analysis, a strong business case, and sound tech- <br />nologies. The single, combined project being submitted this year is a step in that <br />direction. <br /> <br />Last year, the IMC Staff noted: "~!either DepUJ.~mcnt nor IS Unit priorities have <br />been assigned to any projects. Projects appear to be slipping their schedules and <br />this may be due to this lack of focus on what is important to the Department, not <br />just to the divisions." This year the Department has combined several major IS <br />projects into one departmental initiative and assigned it the Department's highest <br />priority. This is a very important step for the Department that could have enor- <br />mous impact throughout the divisions by recognizing the strategic significance of <br />IS in accomplishing the Department's long range goals. <br /> <br />The WINS/Colorado River Decision Support System is a good example for the <br />Department to model. This project continues to be on schedule and on budget' <br />after several years of development. This project is extremely well planned and <br />managed. There is much the Department can learn from this project. <br /> <br />The Department needs to build a conceptual framework that, at a minimum, con- <br />sists of an overarching data architecture encompassing all divisional interests, a <br />long-term network design, and a public information access strategy. This frame- <br />work would unite all the Department's projects in a common goal of superior <br />customer service. These components of an IS infrastructure need to be built and <br />nurtured by a strong central IS function. ' The divisions should be able to look to <br />the Department's IS resources for guidance in conceptualizing projects so they <br />are broadened beyond division interests and work towards the Department's <br />goals. <br /> <br />Department of Natural Resources 9/6/96 <br /> <br />6 <br />