San Francisco County Grand Jury
• 1995-1996
Information Technology Services in San Francisco Government Prepared by San Francisco Civil Grand Jury
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings and Recommendations 3 findings
F1
EIPSC has failed in its mission to craft a citywide master plan for information technology; failed to provide leadership to advance a citywide agenda for technology; and failed to adequately address the needs of smaller city departments. The weaknesses of EIPSC have likewise been identified in the KPGM-Peat Marwick "Strategic Plan for Information Technology" (1996), a consultant's report crafting a roadmap for future direction of the city's information technology systems and services.
Related Recommendations (1)
R1
A new position of Chief Information Officer (CIO) should be created to provide strategic planning and leadership for information technology as it pertains to conducting the city's business. This executive level position should be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by a majority vote of the Board of Supervisors. A candidate for this position must possess relevant training and expertise. The CIO should serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.
F2
The Civil Grand Jury Survey (see Appendix A) revealed the following: Only half of the respondents used some kind of Quality Assurance process. ISD has adequately documented the Change Control Management Process describing how changes are introduced to the computer production environment. The Source Material Migration Process (ISD Quality Assurance documentation) was found to be incomplete as of March 1996. The Job Control Language Migration Procedures and Control Card Migrations were missing from the city's mainframe operations manual. ISD has been ineffective in transferring technology to smaller city departments.
Related Recommendations (1)
R2
The CIO should serve as the Department Head of a new Department of Information Technology (DIT). Those functions now assigned to the Department of Electricity and Telecommunications (DET), the Electronic Information Processing Steering Committee (EIPSC), and the Information Services Division (ISD) would be transferred to DIT.
F3
The Civil Grand Jury survey (see Appendix A) reveals a few disturbing results: - 35% reported no specific written job classifications; - 48% reported no job performance criteria; - 40% reported no specific written job descriptions; - 57% reported no tracking of hours spent on IS projects. Many smaller city departments, particularly those totally dependent on the General Fund, have no information technology personnel on staff. The Civil Grand Jury Survey (see Appendix A) collected comments from smaller city departments that indicate an imperative need for rethinking how the city allocates computer staffing.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
As an initial project, DIT should have an information management audit conducted of all city departments to determine needs for citywide planning and budgeting as related to information technology goals. CITY CONTROLLER Summary In order to assess the next direction for technology in city government, better accounting and inventory must be prepared for strategic decision making. The City Controller, as the city's chief fiscal officer and auditor, does not currently maintain adequate records or budget information concerning city computer assets. Historically, the City Controller has relied on EIPSC's three- year master plan documents to serve as a register of departmental ownership of computer equipment and software. However, this component of the master plans has not been maintained, nor required, for several years. The inability of the city to collect an inventory of what computer assets it owns is a serious problem. Without such an inventory, the city cannot know if theft occurs or how to plan for upgrading equipment. The city's annual budget request process does not adequately address how much is spent on computer technology. The City Controller is unable to determine how much of the General Fund is appropriated to computer technology due to inadequate accounting procedures.
Additional Recommendations 11
These recommendations are not explicitly linked to specific findings.
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R4The Controller should develop an inventory of all city-owned and leased computer assets. This inventory, once created, should be annually updated and incorporated as part of the annual budget request process.
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R5The Controller should standardize the nomenclature of computer assets and develop better accounting practices for citywide technology expenditures. TRAINING Summary Technology and training have become vitally linked in today's competitive workplace. Rapid change in technology demands that city information technology personnel have access to state-of- the-art training. City funds for computer training are scarce and in decline; yet demands for more training grow with new advances in emerging technology. Creative solutions to fund training must be sought.
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R6The City Purchaser, in cooperation with EIPSC, should require a training set-aside component as part of the computer procurement bidding process. INFORMATION SERVICES DIVISION (ISD)
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R7ISD should operate, using standard service-level agreements, so as to ensure customer satisfaction and better accountability.
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R8ISD, whose role it is to advance information technology, should make one of its main priorities the promotion of improved Quality Assurance standards, both within ISD operations and citywide.
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R9ISD should develop better strategies to assist smaller city departments in their acquisition and use of appropriate technology. In order to achieve this objective, ISD should conduct a needs assessment within these smaller city departments to determine their budgetary and personnel issues pertaining to technology. DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES Summary During July 1996, the Department of Human Resources is scheduled to implement a new pilot classification structure for information systems (IS) personnel. It is important that this reclassification project's first-year implementation have oversight. Additionally, there is a need to account for personnel time devoted to information technology projects and a need for new procedures to share IS positions among smaller city departments. Anything less will perpetuate a flawed personnel system that does not serve the technology needs of San Francisco government. The current civil service pay structure for IS positions exists in an environment of departmental parochialism. It is common practice for departments to focus on their perceived uniqueness in terms of staffing, rather than on the greater needs of the city. The concept of a "citywide employee" does not seem to exist in the organizational practices of city managers. Departments with alternative sources of revenue expand autonomously while smaller departments, dependent on the General Fund, are left with minimal resources with which to update their IS capabilities.
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R10The Department of Human Resources should monitor the first-year implementation of the new information systems reclassification series and report to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors on its progress
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R11The Department of Human Resources should develop a citywide tracking and accounting system for personnel hours spent on projects by classified information systems personnel.
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R12The Department of Human Resources should develop procedures for the sharing of classified information systems personnel among smaller city departments. PUBLIC ACCESS ISSUES Summary The City and County is moving incrementally towards building a "virtual city government". However, this effort will not succeed without more attention being given to wider access to electronic mail (e-mail) and the Internet by the entire city workforce. For example, the Mayor's Office and the Board of Supervisors do not have access to either of these basic technological tools. ISD should expand the city's World Wide Website to include more useful and complete city information. The city's website should also be improved to allow for greater citizen involvement by adding interactive features that support and encourage participation. Demands for electronic city-owned data by commercial ventures should not be ignored. City policies should be crafted balancing the Sunshine Ordinance with the possible commercialization of city-owned data, as appropriate. Revenue raised by marketing value-added city-owned data can supplement the General Fund.
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R13The City and County should make optimal use of e-mail and the Internet to foster interactive communications between the citizens and their government.
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R14The City and County, in consultation with the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, should investigate the retailing of city-owned data products and services in support of the General Fund.