22 Industrial Management
California is changing the way it manages technology in an effort to prove that
government can mesh with the innovative information technology industry, The
Sacramento Bee reported.
According to the newspaper, California's Department of Technology is work-
ing on a system that includes two things familiar with continuous improvement
professionals: vendor grading and a stage-gate system.
The grades would apply to those who provide IT products and services,
although officials haven't said how they would affect California's business deci-
sions. The state has spent about $900 million on three stalled or terminated IT
projects in the last few years and has projects worth $4.6 billion in the pipeline.
The stage-gate system would replace the practice of pitching products and
services to the state with upfront cost estimates, a schedule and a rationale for
the new technology, according to The Sacramento Bee . State officials could
delay or ax the program if cost, scope or schedule changed.
Instead, department officials would review projects at certain points in the
schedule. The systems could make it through each "gate" by meeting defined
standards. The goal is to put systems back on course before they careen into
disaster.
METRICS, GATES AND GOVERNMENT