Technology Assessment Results in IT Strategic Plan

Client Description

The client is a Behavioral Health and Human Services Agency, serving adults and children throughout eastern and central Massachusetts. The client’s service offerings include a variety of outpatient services, group homes, residential programs, day programs and justice programs.

Challenge

The client was in the midst of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) implementation and the executive team was concerned that the existing IT organization would not be able to provide appropriate ongoing support once the additional technology was rolled out.

Ninestone’s Approach

Ninestone was engaged to complete an IT assessment to provide the baseline for an IT strategy, budget and staffing plan. The project involved developing a set of recommendations to streamline IT and provide more robust support to the rest of the organization.​

Technology

The audit included the following technologies:  

  • IT Organizational Design
  • IT Support
    • Help Desk
    • Service Level Agreements
    • Processes/Policies/Procedures
    • Project Management
  • Corporate IT Planning and Funding

Results

Ninestone provided an in-depth Information Technology audit, utilizing a rigorous approach to align the organization’s strategic plan with their current technology landscape.  The following resulted from the IT Assessment:

  • Strategic Plan: A baseline IT strategic plan was established.
  • IT Budget: The organization’s first formal IT budget was defined and implemented. 
  • Resource Management: The assessment utilized a skill’s matrix which determined available and future-state resource requirements. Alignment of IT resources and processes, based on assessment, resulted in the design and implementation of a new IT organizational structure.
  • Project Risk Management:  In order to mitigate potential risks associated with the newly established organizational structure, a revised end-user support process was adopted.
  • System Selection: A COTS help desk solution was selected and implemented with minimal financial impact and resulted in increased end-user and IT staff satisfaction.
  • Project Monitoring: The initial phases of the EHR implementation were completed.

Key outcomes of the IT Assessment and follow up work included:

  • Improved financial planning and accountability for IT-expenditures.
  • Quality control monitoring of user satisfaction which included all aspects of business operations and its intersection with IT.
  • Stabilization of IT allocated expenditures aligned with improved  capabilities.

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