Town of Arlington

 

 

 Information Technology Strategic Plan

FY 2014 – FY 2016

(For more information, contact:  Town Manager: Adam Chapdelaine ;  730 Mass. Ave. Annex, Arlington, MA 02476;         (781) 316-3010,  Fax: (781) 316-3019,  achapdelaine@town.arlington.ma.us

One of the goals of both the Board of Selectmen and the Town Manager is to develop and implement a Strategic Plan for Information Technology. In order to meet that goal, a series of discussions with departmental stakeholders, Information Technology staff, and members of the Information Technology Advisory Committee were held. These discussions were focused on gathering information about the history of technology in Arlington, current technology needs, and a vision for the future regarding Arlington and technology. This effort has resulted in this Information Technology Strategic Plan – A plan focused on changing the culture of the organization in regard to how it views technology and thereby positioning the organization to capitalize on technological advancements throughout the 21st century.

This plan includes three main components:

• A redefined vision and mission for the IT Department
• An inventory of the current IT staffing structure and systems supported
• A timeline of recommended action steps focused on leading Arlington’s technology initiatives going

A main theme of the plan and its recommendations is the need for interdepartmental collaboration as part of any successful IT strategy. For this reason, we strongly urge all departmental stakeholders to review the plan and engage with the IT Department and other key personnel to ensure that the goals of the plan are met.

It is also important to note at the outset that although the Town and School share a Chief Technology Officer and for all intents and purposes have a consolidated IT Department, this strategic plan is focused on the Town side of the operation. This is due to the separation of staffing responsibilities and the separate yet parallel budgeting processes between Town and School IT functions. It is also due to the unique business processes that Town departments utilize to deliver services to residents. However, any and all possibilities for synergies and efficiencies to be gained through the cooperation of Town and School IT staff will be thoroughly examined as part of this plan.

 

Vision for Arlington Information Technology

The Information Technology Department will strive to become a collaborative partner in the creation and delivery of technological services and solutions to Town staff and its residents.

 

Mission Statement for Arlington Information Technology Department

The Information Technology Department is committed to the delivery of innovative technological business solutions to meet our departments’ business requirements and our shared goals to enhance the services to our residents. We will accomplish this by establishing more effective communication vehicles, clear definition for creating projects and service requests, and assisting departments with developing departmental technical liaisons by providing them with technical training.

Aligning ourselves with the business priorities of the Board of Selectmen, Town Manager, Capital Planning Committee, Finance Committee, ITAC, and our residents, the IT department will position itself to focus its efforts on work that will enable us to be a successful partner and service provider.

 

IT’s Existing Conditions in Arlington

 Part of any effective strategy is an inventory of existing conditions within a given operation. Below, you will find an organizational chart and in the attached appendices you will find an inventory of the systems currently maintained by the IT Department. The organizational chart demonstrates the current staffing available to meet the Town’s IT needs and depicts the manner in which they are organized.  The inventory of systems provides a context for the workload that is currently assigned to the IT Department and also provides a framework for the eventual discussion recommended by this plan in regard to maintaining system hosting and maintenance on Town servers versus the use of cloud based systems for Town departments.

 

Organizational Chart of Current Town Information Technology Department

 

 

 

 Systems Currently Maintained by the Arlington IT Department

 Included in Appendix A is a matrix of all of the enterprise systems that are maintained by the Arlington IT Department. Appendix B contains a matrix of the departmental systems that are maintained by the Arlington IT Department.

 

Summary of Goals, Tasks, and Timelines of Strategic Plan

A summary of the goals, tasks, and timelines of this plan are included as Appendix C and are the core component of this strategic plan document. These items taken together make up the key recommendations being made as an outcome of the development of this plan.

As you will see, each goal includes a description of the deliverable or outcome that is expected to be the result of meeting the goal. However, it should be noted that neither the goals, nor the desired deliverables are prescriptive, but rather they are expressed in a manner by which the exact design of each outcome is subject to the further work of those assigned responsibility for the deliverable.

The Town Manager and the Chief Technology Officer are ultimately responsible for the management and achievement of each of these goals, and therefore will plan to report results on a regular basis to both Town Department Heads and ITAC. Progress in regard to the implementation of this plan will be tracked in a tool which is based upon the KANBAN ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8dYLbJiTUE) method of task/project management.

 

Appendix A

Enterprise Systems Maintained by the Arlington IT Department

 

General Use	System Name	OS type	Applications Used
Backup System	bkup1	Windows Server	ArcServe Backup System, NAS Storage
Cloud Backup	DattoSirisBkup		Datto cloud backup
Core Router, Switches, and Hubs	Network Infrastructure		40 NW Devices that support internal and external Network Connectivity
Disaster Recovery Server	munisbu	Linux Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4	ICS disaster recovery
Domain controller, File Server, Print Server	dc01	Windows Server	Desktop Authority (login scripts that control drive mappings, proxies, and  printing) FileMaker (School), File Server, Print Server, DNS Server
Email	mailserver	Windows Server	MDaemon
Email Archiver	Barracuda	embedded OS	Email Archiving Software
Firewall Appliance	Instagate		Firewall
Former Application Server	webapps	Linux Red Hat Enterprise WS	Housed appcentral’s applications
General Server	Arl-scm-bkup	Windows Server	Intranet, NAS Storage
GIS	GIS	Windows Server	ESRI and PeopleForms
Linux  Development Workstation	steamboy	Linux Desktop/Server (CentOS)	ICS, CSM, AMR, General Software Development and Test / 4th  Q Water Project  Test
Secondary Domain Controller, File Server, Print Server	Ibm-2000	Windows Server	File Server, Print Server, DNS Server, DHCP server. *Soon to be decommissioned
Threatwall Appliance	Threatwall		Esoft Threatwall Spam & Email Content  Filtering
Town Web Server	webrouter	Linux (CentOS)	http/https routing to payments, permits, etc. Single entry point from Internet to Town’s applications

 

Appendix B

Departmental Systems Maintained by the Arlington IT Department

  

General Use	Department	System Name	OS type	Applications Used
School Bus Routing, Anti-Virus Control	School, IT	Transfinder	Windows Server	School’s Bus Route Software, Anti-Virus software server (Sophos)
Assessor’s Server	Assessors, Police, IT, GIS	assessor	Windows Server	Patriot Properties AssessPro, GIS Uplink, XtraDuty (Police Details App)
BOH/Human Services,Human Resources	Board of Health, Human Resources	appcentral	Linux (CentOS)	food, fuel, moving wall, gic insurance compare
Clerk’s Voting App Workstation	Clerk	GEMS Laptop	Windows Desktop	GEMS Voting Tabulation & Reporting App
Financial	Comptrollers, IT	munis	Windows Server	Payroll, General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Budgets
Inspections	Inspectional Services	arlington_asses	Windows Server	Building permits and related applications
Indexer for Legal Document Manager	Legal	Worldox indexer	Windows Server	Worldox Indexer
Legal Server	Legal	legal	Windows Server	Worldox Document Management System, RiskVision
Community Safety Apps, File	Police, Fire	commsafety	Windows Server	Work in progress; consolidating community safety
DHQ Server (Police Information System)	Police	dev2	Windows Server	Digital Headquarters
Police Application Server	Police	arlsql2000	Windows Server	Cardinal TickeTrak, Traffic Stop Profiling
Recreation, AYCC	Recreation, DPW	rectrac	Windows Server	Rectrac, Pavement Management, Compulink (AYCC)
Recreation Web Server	Recreation, Fire	arlrecweb	Windows Server	Recreation Web Server, FireHouse Web
Treasurer’s Application Test Server School’s Guardian Repository	School, Treasurer	gentest	Linux (CentOS)	Testing for ICS, Pre-Power School Grades Respository
Treasurer’s Application Server	Treasurer, GIS	ics	Linux (CentOS)	Integrated Collection (ics), Cash Management (csm), On-Line Bill Payments COA intake system (historical reference only), Auxiliary uplink for GIS Information
Specialized Planet Press Workstation	Treasurer, IT	Barry-Oneil	Windows Desktop	Planet Press for ICS bill printing, IE used to send AP Check Reconciliations
Personal computing, daily activities	Various desktops	Software Installations	Windows Desktop	Microsoft Office, SecureCRT (linux terminal emulation),SecureFx (file transfer), Acrobat Professional, secure certificates for RBS wire transfers, Treasurer’s RMV (3270) Access, Engineering AutoCad, Pavement Management, Acronis Imaging software, Quickbooks, Client installations for Munis, QED WebPartner, RecTrac, TickeTrak, Sophos Anti- Virus
Automated Meter Reading Applications	Water	h2o_amr	Linux Red Hat Enterprise WS	Water Meter Configuration / Daily Reads Management Repository for town’s software source code revision management (CVS)
Inventory Control	Water, DPW, GIS	AssetManager	Windows Server	Wasp Barcode, Accumail, Fleetmax Inventory software (DPW/currently offline), GIS licenses

 

Appendix C Goals and Timeline

 

ID	Goal	Goal Details	Timeline	Responible Paties
1a	Define the role of the IT  Department	Collaborate with Town Manager, Dept. Heads, and ITAC Committee to create an IT Strategic Plan by providing technical guidance, process and policy recommendations, that allows the Town to manage the IT resource both centrally  and locally	December 2013 – January 2014	CTO, Town Manager, Deparment Heads
1b	Define the role of the IT  Department	Partner with core departments (DPW, Health and Human Services, Fire and Police) by defining culture shift created by the Stategic Plan and assist with supporting the culture shift within the departments	January  2014 – June 2016	CTO, Town Manager, Deparment Heads, IT Staff
1c	Define the role of the IT  Department	Continually evaluate effectiveness of the Town’s IT Strategic Plan by creating a vehicle for Department Heads to voice opinion and make recommendations to the Town Manager  to refine the plan through continuous improvement	January  2014 – June 2016	CTO, Town Manager, Deparment Heads
2a	Define relationship between the IT Department and other Town departments, the Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Capital Planning Committee.	Work with department stakeholders to perform a departmental IT needs assessment that considers current utilization of technology and plans for future  acquisitions.	February  2014 – April 2014	CTO, IT Staff, Department Heads, Town Manager,  Systems Analyst
2b	Define relationship between the IT Department and other Town departments, the Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Capital Planning Committee.	Clearly define the process through which enterprise and departmental IT decision making is aligned with organizational goals (Board of Selectmen and Town Manager).	March 2014 – June 2014	CTO, Department Heads, Town Manager
2c	Define relationship between the IT Department and other Town departments, the Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Capital Planning Committee.	Work with department stakeholders to develop a process for departmental acquistion of both hardware and software. This process will be inclusive of the policy and financial guidance provided by the ITAC and the  CPC.	March 2014 – June 2014	CTO, Town Manager, Deputy Town Manager, Department Heads, CPC, ITAC
2d	Define relationship between the IT Department and other Town departments, the Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Capital Planning Committee.	Work with members of ITAC and the CPC along with departmental  stakeholders to more clearly define ITAC’s  role in the decision making process for acquiring technology solutions.	March 2014 – June 2014	CTO, Town Manager, Deputy Town Manager, Department Heads, CPC, ITAC
2e	Define relationship between the IT Department and other Town departments, the Information Technology Advisory Committee and the Capital Planning Committee.	Work with members of the CPC and departmental stakeholders to more clearly define the CPC’s role in the decision making process for acquiring technology solutions.	March 2014 – June 2014	CTO, Town Manager, Deputy Town Manager, Department Heads, CPC, ITAC
3a	Create an enterprise wide culture that appreciates and understands the role that technology plays in a 21st century customer service based organization.	Work with Human Resources, employee unions, and department stakeholders to clearly define our expected level of technology competency across departments for existing Town staff.	July 2014 – November 2014	CTO, HR Director, Department Heads, Town Manager
3b	Create an enterprise wide culture that appreciates and understands the role that technology plays in a 21st century customer service based organization.	Work with Human Resources, employee unions, and department stakeholders to clearly define our expected level of technology competency across departments for potential Town staff.	July 2014 – November 2014	CTO, HR Director, Department Heads, Town Manager

 

ID	Goal	Goal Details	Timeline	Responible Paties
3c	Create an enterprise wide culture that appreciates and understands the role that technology plays in a 21st century customer service based organization.	Develop a roadmap for the various office/productivity software applications to be used by all administrative personnel.	November 2014 – February  2015	CTO, HR Director, Department Heads, Town Manager
3d	Create an enterprise wide culture that appreciates and understands the role that technology plays in a 21st century customer service based organization.	Develop a robust and regular training plan for all staff that utilizes an application as part of their job duties. Develop funding strategy to support this training plan and include funds in the HR  budget.	November 2014 – February  2015	CTO, HR Director, Department Heads, Town Manager
4a	Develop and implement a work request system that will better manage the workload and expectations of the IT Department and Customers	Review historical data to better understand trends and resource limitations while creating the definition of a project and a break fix scenario	January  2014 – May 2014	CTO, IT Staff, Town Staff,
4b	Develop and implement a work request system that will better manage the workload and expectations of the IT Department and Customers	Along with the Town Manager create a process that clearly defines what project work will be undertaken by the IT dept and its partners. Projects must match the Manager and Selectmens Strategic initiatives, and agreed upon by  Manager and Department Heads in  advance	May 2014 – August 2014	CTO, Town Manager, Department Heads
4c	Develop and implement a work request system that will better manage the workload and expectations of the IT Department and Customers	Partner with Departments and the Town Manager to  establish service level agreements by looking at Municipal industry standards and defining categories of agreement that are consistent and clear	August  2014 – October 2014	CTO, Town Manager, Department Heads
4d	Develop and implement a work request system that will better manage the workload and expectations of the IT Department and Customers	Create team to develop requirements for WAMS system and research products and tools used in the  industry	November 2014 – February  2015	CTO, IT Staff, Town Staff,
5a	Investigate how to locally support basic IT requests	Identify an IT Assistant(s) in each department/ building/ office from within current staff	January  2015 – October 2015	CTO, HR Director, Department Heads, Town Staff
5b	Investigate how to locally support basic IT requests	Train IT Assistant(s) on basic desktop computer troubleshooting	January  2015 – October 2015	CTO, HR Director, Department Heads, Town Staff
6a	Develop a strategy related to cloud based services, adoption, and implementation by staff	Investigate cloud based storage options	January 2014 – Forward	CTO, IT Staff, ITAC, Systems Analyst
6b	Develop a strategy related to cloud based services, adoption, and implementation by staff	Investigate cloud based productivity tools and applications, including an email system	January 2014 – Forward	CTO, IT Staff, ITAC, Systems Analyst
6c	Develop a strategy related to cloud based services, adoption, and implementation by staff	Conduct cost-benefit of cloud based solutions	January 2014 – Forward	CTO, IT Staff, ITAC, Systems Analyst
7	Conduct analysis of network infrastructure and future upgrade needs	Provide detailed capital investment plan aligned with network upgrade needs	January  2014 – July 2014	CTO, IT Staff, ITAC

IT Strategic Plan Project Schedule

 

 SEE ALSO:  http://assetstewardship.com/2014/08/03/top-10-tasks-for-cities-acquiring-software/

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see also:
http://assetstewardship.com/category/asset-type/cities-technology/