Public Service Information Technology: The Definitive Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology for Cost-Effective Operations and Services

Most people, when they talk about Information Technology (IT), immediately imagine buying a personal computer or developing a software program. Those who hold this narrow view can become victims in an inadequate IT system that only partially meets organizational needs at best and in an IT project that has gone extremely far over budget at worst. It is widely known that IT projects fail more than they succeed in industry. This book gets at the reasons why an IT project fails and explains how to get a computer-based information system that the public manager wants and deserves – especially as it relates to providing a service to citizens. The overarching problem is how people view the field of Information Technology. Public Service Information Technology explains how all the areas that go into IT management work together. Building a computer-based information system is like constructing a house; different disciplines are employed and need to be coordinated. In addition to the technical aspects like computer networking and systems administration, the functional, business, management, and strategic aspects all are equally important. IT is not as simple as expecting to use a software program in three months. Information Technology is a complex field that has multiple working parts that have to be managed. This book demystifies how IT operates in an organization, giving the public manager the necessary details to manage Information Technology and to use all of its resources for proper effect. This book describes the standards and practices to help the public manager in successfully managing any IT project from inception to completion. And the manager will understand what is necessary to maintain and operate the completed IT system to realize the calculated benefits – the return on investment. The first chapter begins with summaries of the elements or building blocks of the IT ecosystem, and then subsequent chapters describe how the elements can be organized, budgeted, selected, managed, and secured. With the threat of hacking always an issue, this book provides a multi-level, three-prong approach to developing an information security program that protects and safeguards an IT system. Strategic planning applies all the lessons to develop and execute a long-term IT Strategic Plan, a formal document that specifies IT programs and IT systems in alignment with the organization’s mission. In the end, the public manager will be able to see the "Big Picture of IT," seeing how all of the necessary parts fit together in a comprehensive view. This book is for technical IT managers and non-technical (non-IT) managers and senior executive leaders. Not only will the Chief Information Officer, the IT Director, and the IT Manager find this book invaluable to running an effective IT unit, the Chief Financial Officer, the HR Director, and functional managers will understand their roles in conjunction with the technical team. Every manager involved at all levels of the organization has a small yet consequential role to play in developing and managing an IT system. With practical guidelines and worksheets provided in the book, both the functional team and the technical team will be able to engage collaboratively to produce a high quality computer-based information system that everyone involved can be proud to use for many years and that can deliver an effective and timely public program to citizens.

Table of Contents:
List of Figures. List of Worksheets. About the Author. Introduction. Chapter 1: The IT Ecosystem: Elements Described. Chapter 2: IT Organization: People and Roles. Chapter 3: IT Budgeting: Realization of Long-term Benefits. Chapter 4: IT System Selection: Moving Past Hype and Brand. Chapter 5: IT Contracting and Outsourcing: Achieving Maximum Value from Vendors. Chapter 6: IT Execution and Follow-through: Daily Practice and Improvement. Chapter 7: Information Security: Protect and Safeguard the IT System. Chapter 8: IT Strategic Planning: Alignment with the Mission. Conclusion. Glossary. Answers to Chapter Quizzes. Bibliography. Manager’s Notes.

About the Author :
Edward Y. Uechi has worked in the field of Information Technology since 1996, starting as a computer technician and working progressively to an IT manager position. He worked at a high-technology international corporation in Silicon Valley for five years during the dot.com boom. He then transitioned his career to the non-profit sector. He managed the IT department at a national non-profit, public policy organization in Washington, DC. For the last ten years, he has worked on consulting assignments funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the World Food Programme (WFP), providing IT technical assistance, organizational development, and management training to foreign governments and private companies in Africa and Middle East. In 2015 and 2018, utility patent applications had been filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for two computer-based systems that Edward invented to improve agricultural production and payment processing. Edward earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Security and Conflict Resolution from San Diego State University and a Master of Public Administration degree from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University.