P&P August 2016

Chart 1: Sample KERA Target Operating Model

risk is that without a clearly defined destination, you could end up driving around the country for years wasting gas money and wear and tear on your car, only to realize you never actually accomplished anything. You may have seen some great sights and had some fun experiences along the way, but the effort would not have been productive and, given the typical status of state budgets today, limited resources would have been wasted. The vision should be informed through research and data regarding leading practices, input from front- line caseworkers, consultation with policy and technology experts, and others. The most important crite- rion for the vision, however, is that it must lay out a clear, unambiguous goal for the transformation effort that goes beyond simply replacing old technology. Indeed, analysis may ultimately reveal that perhaps some elements of the “old” technology can support the future vision just fine (such as back-end systems that have little impact on clients and caseworkers) while strategic investments in new technology (such as portals, mobile apps, and master person indices)

are more critical. The fundamental question is, “What will success look like and how will it be measured?” The vision must answer this question. In tandem to the vision, the execu- tive sponsor(s) should establish a set of guiding principles. These act like guard rails in evaluating options for achieving the vision. They could include options like: „ „ Maximizing federal funding „ „ Enhancing system interoperability „ „ Minimizing worker impact while empowering workers to be more effective „ „ Maximizing reuse of existing tech- nical investments „ „ Achieving the transformation within certain time parameters „ „ Reducing total cost of ownership for technology assets „ „ Limiting the need for multiple procurements Achieving early consensus on the guiding principles is critical. During the planning effort there will undoubt- edly be numerous options to consider with plenty of merit. The principles serve as reference criteria to inform the decisions related to such choices.

seeking to adopt a more incremental and agile approach to modernization and systems development can do so with a clear vision for how to get to the finish line. Step 1: Develop a Vision and Set of Guiding Principles Before embarking on a transfor- mation journey, it is important that the executive sponsor(s) of the effort establish a clear vision for where they want to go. Just as you would not start a road trip from New York to San Francisco without a clear idea of where you are headed, you should not start a transformation program without a definitive destination in mind. The

Paul Hencoski is the U.S. Lead

Partner, Health and Human Services, at KPMG LLP.

Policy&Practice August 2016 28